Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 60077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
I wasn’t going to play Hide and Seek every time we needed to look for them.
Instead of pouting or even simply agreeing with me, Orlando nodded excitedly and grabbed my hand before I could move the couch. “Yes. Come see.”
See what?
As he pulled me through the small cottage-style house, his wiggles got even more excited. “I have to show you.”
He repeated variations of that as he took me to what used to be his guest room. The bed and furniture his mother had picked out were gone and in their place was a mostly white room with a large city rug that had roads and buildings all over it.
“Oh, yes, this is going to be a great place to put your new shoes.” And anything else he could need. “Is it going to be your playroom or is it a bedroom for your little time?”
He shrugged, studying his room and grinning ear to ear. “It’s mine.”
Well, considering the fact that everyone else in the family had opinions on what he needed to do with the house to begin with, this was probably the only room in the house that would completely feel like his. “It’s going to be wonderful. I love your rug.”
Still grinning, he did a small hop as his wiggles got bigger again. “It’s mine.”
And not a hand-me-down from a cousin or something else his mother picked out…so yes…it was his.
“You have a very good room and it’s going to be perfect when it’s done.” No matter what he decided it needed to look like. “Is it going to be a car room?”
That seemed to encompass anything and everything that could drive, but he shrugged and just kept looking around. “It’s mine.”
Did that mean it was going to be a combination of everything he loved?
“And my Daddy’s.” That seemed to be an afterthought but an important one based on how seriously he looked as he nodded. “Mine and Daddy’s.”
His Daddy was going to be a safer individual than that fucking stalker.
“You’re going to share with your Daddy?” When he nodded, I looked around again. “He might want a chair to cuddle you and read books.”
“Oh.” Doing another happy wiggle, his smile came back. “Daddies read. I need books.”
“And shelves?” As his head bobbed, I pointed to a low wall under a window that faced the backyard. “How about there?”
“Sitting shelves?” Rocking back and forth, his face scrunched up as he studied the area. “Sitting shelves.”
Some kind of window seat with shelves?
“You’re very smart.” Giving in to the pull again, I ran my hand over his head, getting a happy sigh from him. “I think it’s going to be a wonderful room for you.”
“And Daddy.” Leaning into my touch, he giggled. “A big chair for Daddy.”
If he let some dickhead sit in my chair, I was going to—
“That’s right. A big chair for Daddy.” I was not going to help create a Daddy paradise for some asshole that was stalking him. “And books for Trippy.”
Fucking hell.
“Now presents?” Attention turning on a dime, he focused his manipulative grin on me again. “Shoes?”
His language had definitely gotten simpler, which made me think he was going to like my goodies. “Yes, just for you, Trippy.”
Giggling, he grabbed my hand and dragged me back through the house. “Help.”
Shoes.
Help with his shoes.
I’d guessed that but I was glad to see I was right when he planted us at the side of the couch and pointed. “Oops.”
My sigh was slightly dramatic but it made him giggle again. “At some point I’m going to ask how your shoes ended up hiding back there.”
He made an exaggerated shrug and waved his arms as he let my hand go. “Oops.”
Yeah, oops.
Oops didn’t help move the couch, but I didn’t have to chase him down to get his shoes on and he was happy as we did it. That was mostly because he’d decided to make a game of guessing what I had…and doing it badly.
“Puppy?” My snort as we finally made our way across the yard had his giggles starting again.
“No.” He was technically dressed like a grown-up but we probably looked suspicious as hell walking hand in hand across the yards. “Unless you want to be a puppy?”
I shouldn’t have said it but he was so cute when he laughed.
“No tails.” Chest jerking with silent laughter as he tried to look serious, he shook his head. “No tail toys.”
I had questions about that but I was going to wait until…well…there would never be an appropriate time to ask him about that.
“Fine, no tails, so no puppies.” Had he accidentally come across them online or had he deliberately searched for them?
What was I thinking? Terrence probably talked about them.
“Cookies?”
He’d gone back to that one several times, making me finally take it seriously as we walked in the front door of my house…hopefully before every neighbor over eighty had gotten an eyeful.