Page 15 of Part-Time Daddy

Naptime can wait.

My attention catches on an older little wearing a pair of bright-red overalls, kneeling by a set of LEGO DUPLO building blocks.He looks like a cuddly bear. His hair is light brown, sprinkled with strands of gray. He seems happy playing with his toys, swaying side to side as he adds a green block to the top of his tower.

Daddy Dean, the extraordinary man he’s turning out to be, notices my distraction. “Sweetheart, that’s a perfect place to start.”

With my hand still firmly held in his, Daddy Dean steers us to the corner, stopping just short of the toys. Leaning down, he whispers, “This is Eric.” He points to a younger man sitting on a tall chair with his arms crossed over his chest. “And that is his Daddy, Sawyer.”

Eric’s Daddy looks kinda scary. If it wasn’t for the tender way he looks at Eric, I don’t think I would want to be over here. Daddy Dean catches what I’m looking at and laughs. “Don’t worry about Sawyer. He’s protective of Eric but is a softy inside. Come on, let’s say hello. I think you two would be great friends.”

With a nod of acceptance, I take a couple of shuffling steps. As I draw closer, Eric pauses his tower building, hand frozen in mid-air as he looks at me. His gaze darts from me to his Daddy and back again.

I give him a small wave of my fingers. “Hi. I’m Tanner.”

Eric smiles around his pacifier. Without words, he pats the rug next to him and holds up a LEGO for me. Turning to Daddy Dean, I hand over my adoption certificate. “Keep this safe for me, Daddy.” Once I’m certain he’s not going to drop or crinkle my special paper, I sink to my knees, extending my fingers to take the offered toy.

Daddy Dean pats the top of my head. “Have fun. I’m going to sit over by Eric’s Daddy while you two play.”

“Are you building a tower?” I ask Eric, bubbling with excitement over how tall it is already. My limbs tingle as my little side begins to take center stage. Instead of fighting, I let it take control, knowing I have someone looking out for me.

Eric reaches up and pops his pacifier from his mouth with a loud smack. “I want to build one as tall as my Daddy. Help?”

“Sure,” I say as I add the red brick to the top. I take a quick peek out of the corner of my eye and find Daddy Dean talking with Eric’s Daddy. Even deep in conversation, he still has eyes on me. Confident I can trust him to keep watch over me, I return my attention to Eric and the colored bricks.

Eric pops his pacifier back in his mouth, sucking lazily on the plastic tip. The sound is soothing, a gentle cadence I latch on to like a lullaby, drowning out the ruckus from the other littles. We fall into a quiet rhythm, taking turns adding one brick after another to the tower.

It’s easy to get lost in my little space with Eric by my side. The adult world slips away, one thought at a time, leaving nothing in my head except how tall we can build this thing before it collapses. After a few minutes, we work our way from our knees to standing, the tower tipping precariously to the left.

Eric giggles, his pacifier once again coming out before he talks. “It’s gonna fall!”

“Careful, little prince,” his Daddy calls from his perch. “You don’t want Mr. Croc to get crushed by your leaning tower.”

“Mr. Croc?” I ask.

Eric nods, bending over to lift a green stuffie from the floor. “See?”

I grab Luna from where I left him. “This is Luna. He’s a vampire bat!”

“Oh no,” Eric says, hiding his face behind his crocodile. “Vampires are scary!”

“Sometimes.” I nod earnestly. “But not Luna. He’s the nicest bat in the whole world. He likes space and star charting. He doesn’t bite.”

Eric slowly peeks out from behind his stuffie. “Promise?”

“Pinky swear.” I extend my finger, and Eric quickly loops his pinky through mine.

“Mr. Croc doesn’t bite. His teeth are for snacks.” Eric opens and closes the stuffie’s mouth, showing off the white chompers. “Daddy! Mr. Croc wants goldfish!”

“Does he now? And what would my little prince like?”

“Goldfish!” he answers triumphantly, sending me into a fit of giggles.

I’m still clutching my tummy with laughter when Daddy Dean appears at my side, his hand brushing over my head. “Hey there, Tanner. Having fun?”

I grin at Daddy Dean and point to the bricks curving like a crescent moon. “Look at our tower!”

“You boys did a great job.” His big hand brushes over my head again, and I lean into his touch, loving how it feels against my fuzzy hair. “Are you ready for a snack?”

“Yes, please.” Like magic, a blue sippy cup and a small bowl of fish-shaped crackers appear on the floor in front of me. “Yummy!”

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