Page 49 of Daddy's Little Dreamer

“Yay! Look at the bees. You made bee pancakes. Best. Daddy. Ever!”

If he was this excited over pancakes, he’d likely pass out later when the bigger surprises were revealed. All the gifts tied in with the big room reveal at the end. Hell, even the cake was garden themed.

I was gonna be one tired Daddy tonight, though. But Trevor was more than worth it.

“What would you like to do today, Birthday Bee?”

Our guests were due to arrive at two. My plan was to have him racing around the garden while I snuck them inside. I was excited to meet Lila’s girlfriend. From what Trevor told me, he’d never seen his mother happier. He’d met her when she picked up her daughter from the afterschool program.

“I want to play outside.”

Zero surprise there. I was glad I had Chuck come back and install shade sails over the sandbox area to protect my Little Bee’s delicate skin from the sun.

“Play away, Birthday Bee. Daddy has some house stuff to take care of.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

Off he went while I tidied up the last few things for today’s festivities. For dinner, Chuck, Adam and I decided grilling was easiest and while I supplied the meat they each brought a side dish. Lila made Trevor’s favorite deviled eggs. With all of this, lunch would be kept simple.

As soon as I stepped outside to check on him he jumped off the swing and ran over to me.

“Daddy, take my picture.” He threw his arms in the air and posed while I snapped away. “Thank you.” And he was off again. But his question reminded me to make sure and take lots of pictures to fill our home.

“Daddy?” He hollered as he ran inside shortly after. “Where are you?”

“In the office.”

“I want to color and watch TV.”

“Have at it. Daddy has a couple of bills to pay, then I’ll be out.”

He ran over, hopped into my lap and threw his arms around my neck. “I love you, Daddy. You’re the best birthday present ever.”

With the simplest of words, he’d reduced his Daddy to tears.

“Happy tears, Daddy?”

“The happiest, my love.”

Trevor pressed his lips to the tip of my nose, climbed off and skipped down the hall leaving me stunned in his wake.

I was somebody’s best gift. Something I’d never been before.

It was so hard to keep the room from him. I couldn’t wait to see his face alight with the joy of having his own space and all the fantastic toys it was filled with. He’d talked about Brandon’s room for weeks after our first visit. Now he’d have his own to share and show off.

I finished up what I had to do and found him coloring away. He’d taken to leaving many of the pictures in the books, only removing favorites to replace the old ones on the fridge. I bought magnet clips so each could now hold countless works of art, so all were still on display; you merely needed to flip through them.

“How’s it going, Birthday Bee?”

“Really good, Daddy. But I’ll probably go back outside after lunch.”

“Sounds like a well thought out plan. Are you ready to eat?”

“After I finish this picture. Is that okay?”

“It’s your day, my love. Of course it’s okay.”

I made a couple different sandwiches and used some of the cookie cutters to cut them into various shapes. Trevor would get a kick out of these. With Daddy’s version of art complete, I set the plates on the table alongside gift number two.

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