“Papa! My paci.” The wonder in his voice warmed every part of me. “Tank you.”

I dropped my hand to his hair when he laid his head against my thigh as I stood there. I carded my fingers absentmindedly through his hair while we silently let the moment sink into us. The twinkling lights of the Christmas tree in the corner gave the impression that we were alone in the world. I was here for it all. If this was how my life unfolded, I wanted to soak in every possible minute and figure out how to make it last.

Chapter 15

Jakob

Papa let me be little. And I really am a little. Even though I was pretty sure I was before, it was hard to say until I’d gotten under the covers with it, pulled them over my head, and snuggled down. It was everything I thought it would be. Truthfully, it’d been better than I imagined. When the sinking feeling of dropping into little space came over me, it wasn’t weird or scary. It was pure relaxation, and it wasstillhappening. Papa made me happy, inside and out, up and down.

With our ornaments made, Papa vacuumed up all the glitter, and I pretended I didn’t hear him muttering. Glitter was pretty, and Papa was pretty, so his Christmas tree should have pretty things. He said it wasn’t just his, but our tree—together—and my happy dance popped out of me. I tried really, really hard to stop it, but it came out, and I couldn’t put it back.

In the cleanup, my job was to make sure all my toys were opened, the trash was put in the garbage can, the clothes were in the hamper in the laundry room, and all the dishes were in the sink. Papa said I did the bestest job—but it was extra easy, and I think he just wanted to say something nice to me.

We watched a movie, and I got to pick it. Since it was my firstofficialmovie with him as my Papa, I tried to make sure it was something he’d like too, but he just kept saying anything was fine. Finally, I picked the one about the pretty doggie who ran away with a lost doggie and saved a baby. Papa knew every single song, and he sang with me. His voice wasn’t ’specially pretty, but I told him it was. He gave me a look, so maybe he knew I fibbed, but he wasn’t acting mad about it, so I ’cided not to worry.

Afterthe movie was over, my babies woke up from their naps. Papa helped me dress them in new clothes for dinner. He said they could sit at the table with me to eat their dinner while he cooked ours. Since the puppies had a fancy ’sghetti dinner, I asked if we could have one too. Papa said yes, but his not-so-fancy sauce had to come out of a jar. I knew it was gonna be yummy because my Papa cooked good. I jumped up on the counter and told my babies everything Papa was doing. He asked if they had names, but they hadn’t told me yet.

#

“Jakob, love, how is it possible for one boy to be this messy? Can you explain it to me?”

Like I knew it would be, Papa’s dinner was so yummy that I was super-duper happy about eating it. I tried not to make a mess but made a big one anyway. Even though Papa looked stern, he was being silly and not mad, not even a teeny-tiny bit.

“You’ve got sauce from your nose to your chin!” He peered closer to me for a better look. “Your hair too! You are going straight to the bathtub after dinner. It’s tubby time for you, love.”

“It was too good, Papa. I had to chomp it fast, or it would ’scape.”

“How would it be able to escape? Noodles don’t have legs!”

“Papa, the ’sghetti tried to get away ’cause it didn’t want to get chomped. Doyouwanna get chomped?”

“Well, no, I don’t suppose I do. You’re still getting in the bathtub, messy boy.” Papa kissed my forehead when he stood to clear the dishes. I wanted to help, but he told me to stay in my chair until he could wipe my hands down before I accidentally touched my babies. He cleaned my face, too, but it felt funny, so I kept moving my head, and he told me to quit squirming like a wiggle worm. He still wasn’t mad though. “Good enough. C’mon, love, let’s get you in the tub.”

Papa took my hand and led me through the house to his bathroom. He turned the taps to the proper temperature and filled the tub. While it filled, Papa rummaged under the sink for some bubble bath. He dumped a capful into the water, and I snuck more in there because six capfuls were much better. Papa’s lips twitched when I hided it behind my back so he wouldn’t catch me, but he reached around to grab it and then added another dollop.

“Papa! That’s gonna be so many bubbles.” I clapped my hands in anticipation. “We’re gonna get a bubble mountain.”

“I hope so, love. We can climb it together,” Papa answered beforestripping me out of my clothes so I could get into the bathtub.

Once done, he helped me step into the steaming water. I sank under the water and sighed at how cozy I felt there. The water sloshed around, and some bubbles went over. I looked over the edge, and the bathmat caught them, so no worries about making a mess. The best part of Papa’s bathtub, besides the jets, and they were awesome, was how big it was. It was big enough that two people, just the size of Papa and me, could fit inside.

“Papa, you wanna take a bath with me? I got lots of room.” Maybe the puppy dog eyes and pouty mouth were a teeny-tiny bit bratty, but I super-duper wanted him with me. Papas could take baths with their boys if they had a big enough tub, and we did, so it was the best plan ever. When I pulled out the big guns and looked at him up from under my lashes, he looked like he was having big thoughts—grown-up thoughts. I was a good boy and let Papa think.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Papa asked me quietly.

“Papa, I never, ever wanted anything more in my whole entire life.”

“Then I guess I better hurry before the water gets cold.”

Papa removed his shirt and pants, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. He was so handsome. A flat-ish tummy and brown rings around his nipples teased me. His chest was just the right amount of furry to run my fingers through and rub my cheek against. Sadly, I hadn’t had a chance to do that nearly enough. I should tell him I liked his body because I was a good boy and good boys were polite and said nice things to people. My breath caught in my throat when he slipped his hands under the band of his boxer briefs. Papa probably wasn’ttryingto tease me, but it felt like he was. He pushed them down his strong legs, past his hairy calves, and kicked them into our mixed pile of laundry. The way the arms and legs of our clothes tangled and mixed made me smile.

Our puzzle pieces fit together.

I did a little happy dance in the tub when Papa slipped into the water behind me. He braced himself on the rim and placed his legs on the outside of me. His legs brushed my body and a tingly sensation made me shudder. When he was fully seated, Papa slipped down until I was firmly seated in the cradle of his legs. While I played with the toys that had found a permanent home in the basket on the ledge, Papa quickly washed his body and hair. Afterward, he leaned back and quietly handed me toys while I played in front of him.

While engrossed in my game, Papa’s arms encircled me from behind and hugged me closer to him. The soft puff of his breath against my ear gave mea full-body shiver. While I was still deep in little space, my mind took a sharp turn when I felt the pressure of his growing shaft against the small of my back. I clutched his thighs and felt my dick start to swell too. As much as I loved how it felt, I tensed anyway. Papa never acted like he cared about my lack of experience, but there was always a chance he could start.

“Relax, sweet boy, lie back.”