Page 97 of Becoming His Perfect Daddy
Even over video, I could see Seth’s eyes flash with curiosity and what looked suspiciously like joy. Anna chimed in with an “of course we do!” so I turned the camera toward the man I loved, a wide grin on my face. “This is Cameron.”
Cameron waved at the group, offering a shy “hi, it’s nice to finally meet you all” and a beautiful smile. Anna squealed, and even Cali’s mouth dropped open as she gasped. “Uncle Sam,” she exclaimed, “is this your boyfriend?”
I covered my mouth to hide my chuckle as Cameron blushed slightly. Deciding to have mercy on him, I turned the camera back on me. “Yes, he is.” I leaned over until we were both in view and pressed a kiss to his temple. “He’s pretty great.”
Cali squealed just like her mom, and the entire group chuckled, even Josiah, who probably didn’t quite get what was going on.
I decided to have mercy on him as well. “So, Josiah, what did you ask Santa for this year?”
My question launched us into a full half hour of both Josiah and Cali regaling us with their Christmas lists and all the funthings they still wanted to do before the twenty-fifth. When Seth indicated he’d already told the kids they wouldn’t be seeing their paternal grandparents this year, I felt a little better. Cali and Josiah’s excitement seemed unaffected by the last-minute change of plans.
We wrapped up the call another half hour later, my heart full at seeing Cameron interacting so naturally with my family. I pulled him into a long hug as my mind swirled with the events of the past few hours. Despite the emotional boost I’d gotten with Seth’s call, my mood soon worsened thinking about my parents and the things they’d said. I couldn’t seem to help it.
When I pulled away, Cameron eyed me. “Want to put on a movie and order pizza? We can even make popcorn and eat way more chocolate than we should. I may even have some of your favorite peanut butter ice cream with chocolate flakes.” Cameron’s hand rubbed my shoulder as he spoke, and I calmed at the touch. Though I was definitely the dominant one, Cameron knew how to take care of me when I needed it. And I was exceedingly grateful.
“That sounds incredible, baby, thank you.”
***
But our night of comfort foods and a cozy movie didn’t help. I barely slept last night, tossing and turning until the covers were all crumpled on my side of the bed and Cameron woke up shivering. I’d wrapped myself around him, spooning him with his back to my front until his breathing had evened out again and he’d fallen back to sleep in my arms.
But still I struggled to rest.
My bleary-eyed adorable boy rotated in my arms several minutes later, turning to catch my gaze. “Daddy? What’s wrong?”
I kissed his temple. “What do you mean?”
Cameron scooted out of my arms, moving back until he could face me head-on. “You haven’t stopped moving since we woke up. Your feet, your fingers, your arms . . . what’s going on?”
I frowned, sighing as words I didn’t even know I’d been holding inside came pouring out. “I think I’m still keyed up about yesterday. I can’t stop replaying the words they said in my mind. They won’t go away, Cameron. I feel like I’m spinning out.”
Despite the fact that my speech was relatively short, I still gulped for air when I was done.
Cameron was watching me closely, scrutinizing me the way I probably would him if I was trying to suss out motivations behind bad behavior. Come to think of it, I hadn’t ever had to do that with him—he was the perfect boy. Was that a bad thing? Did he not feel safe enough with me yet to misbehave?
I fidgeted where I lay as more concerns piled on, sliding onto my back and pulling the comforter up to my chin.
When he didn’t say anything for several minutes, I caught his perceptive gaze and asked, “What?”
“I have an idea.”
My gut clenched instinctively, though I wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to say. My instincts were telling me something big was about to go down, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “Okay . . . ?” I ventured when he didn’t go on.
He sat up in bed, only wincing a little when he landed on his pinkened ass. He adjusted until he was sitting on his knees, a regular position for him that I knew took some pressure off his tender cheeks, though they had to be healing. I was sure he was getting to the point where he’d want me to lay into him again soon.
But with the next words out of his mouth, I learned he had a very different idea.
“I think I should spank you, Daddy.”
I couldn’t help it—my mouth dropped open, and I gaped at him for what had to be a full minute. When I found my voice, I was spluttering. “Uh . . . I, um—I’m sorry,what?”
He smiled softly, much like a long-suffering parent would do to a child who just wasn’t getting it. “When my head gets all swirly and my anxiety threatens to make me crazy, you spank my ass until I’ve settled down. It works every time.”
He was right; itdidwork. Like a fucking charm. Every time Cameron needed to calm his mind, spanking was the best way to get him there.
“That doesn’t mean it would work for me, though, right?” I had to ask the question, but the fact that I asked it as a question and didn’t declare it as fact told me I was considering my boy’s absurd proposal.
Cameron tapped his pouty lips with a finger, and if we weren’t in the middle of this insane conversation, I would’ve wanted to claim his lips with my own. “We can’t know until we try, Daddy.”
