Arms wrap around me when the door closes behind my son and his herd of unexpected babysitters. I smile, leaning my head back against Daddy’s shoulder. I can smell his shampoo and take a deep breath, letting it relax me. This weekend is for me as much as it is for Owen.
“How are you?” Daddy asks. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you before the game. We stepped right off the bus and went straight into warmups.”
“It’s okay.” I turn in his arms and smile at him. “We’re here now and we’re alone. And I brought things.”
“You broughtthings, huh?” Gabe’s smile turns to a smirk. “What kind of things? Because I know we ditched the condoms a while ago, baby.”
That we did. It was the best decision ever once I got tested. Gabe had to get tested at the beginning of the season, and I hadn’t beenwith anyone in a while, but it had still been over a year since my last test, and we’d wanted to be sure. Plus, I used the whole thing as an excuse to put on my big boy pants and get Owen and myself set up with a Primary Care doctor in the city.
“I brought some toys,” I tell him, shaking off my distracted thoughts. When I realize how that sounds, I clear my throat and continue talking. “Actual toys. Not sex toys. I thought maybe I could have a bit of time being Little? But if it’s too late or you’re ti-”
“You can have some Little time, baby.” He presses his lips to mine softly. “We don’t have to be on the team bus until ten tomorrow.”
It’s only eleven, so we have a good two hours before we need to go to sleep. I move to my bag and pull out the stuffie he bought me, a blanket, and then the monster truck cars.
“You really came prepared, didn’t you, baby? Did you bring any clothes to change into?”
“Yes.” I did come prepared. With our schedules and everything going on this week with Owen’s family, I’ve been looking forward to our next time alone. I packed my favorite penguin shirt and a pair of sleeping shorts. I pull out the training pants as well.
“Let’s get you in a quick shower, okay? I can still smell the chlorine on you.” I smile and take Daddy’s hand into the bathroom. He undresses me slowly, his hands exploring as each piece of clothing drops to the floor.
I did get Owen in a shower before all the guys showed up at our door, but I didn’t have enough time for my own. But that’s a good thing, I decide as I let Daddy guide me into the warm stream of water a minute later. I know he’s already taken a shower, but he strips out of his clothes as well and joins me.
“Feels good,” I say with my eyes closed. Daddy massages the shampoo into my hair. “So good, Daddy. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby.” His lips press against the back of my neck. The rest of the shower is mostly quiet, with a little giggle here and there when Daddy washes my sensitive and ticklish areas. When Daddy finishes drying me off, he turns me to face the toilet.
“Let’s go potty and I’ll get you dressed, okay?”
He stands behind me and helps me aim into the toilet. I love it when Daddy helps me potty. We haven’t talked more about doing a wetting scene, but I know it will come with time. Life has just been too busy to do it the way we talked about.
Once I’m dressed, Daddy sits on the floor with me, and we start playing pretend. I explain to Daddy that there’s a monster (my stuffie) preventing the prince from being rescued. We run the trucks into the stuffie over and over again until Daddy decides he’s finally been defeated.
“Oh no, Daddy.” My eyes go wide, and I look up at him. His hair is falling over his shoulders and I want so badly to pull the ends of his hair toward me and kiss him. I love tangling my fingers in Daddy’s hair. It’s so soft and pretty. I refrain though. “We don’t have a prince to rescue now.”
“How about you be the prince?” He says it quickly, like he’d been waiting for me to realize this plot hole myself. “Daddy can rescue you and make you feel all better.”
“Oh, yes please!” I hold my arms out and Daddy stands up, hooking his hands under my arms and pulling me to my feet. “Daddy is the best rescuer ever!”
“And what does Daddy get for rescuing you?” He moves us to the bed. I let out a small giggle as his lipstrail down my neck.
“Um…” I pretend to think really hard about what Daddy gets. “A pickle?”
Daddy pulls back and looks completely confused. It makes me laugh harder. He rolls over and cuddles up next to me, holding me tightly in his arms. “How about you tell Daddy a bedtime story? I love listening to your stories, baby.”
I start with a random story, playing off our pretend play with the monsters and rescuing the prince. Daddy chimes in every minute or so to push the story forward.
I don’t know when either of us fall asleep. I’m sure it was in the middle of the story. I sit up in a panic, unsure for a second why. Then I remember. I fell asleep before checking on Owen. Gabe stirs beside me, but I barely register him. My entire mind is focused on making sure my son is okay.
There’s a knock on the door and I rush to tear off my clothes. I’m fully in my adult headspace and kind of panicking. My heart is racing, and blood is rushing through my ears. I throw on the first shirt and shorts I can find, keeping the training pants on because no one will see those.
I’m expecting Owen at the door with one of the players, but it’s not. It’s a total stranger. At least, I think it’s a stranger. “Are you Justin Anderson?”
“Yes.” I take a deep breath. “Is something wrong?”
“You’ve been served.” I’m handed a stack of papers paperclipped together. The man is already walking away when I look back up. Ignoring the papers for the moment, I head down the hallway to the room the guys said they’d be in. I give three loud knocks, ensuring I wake whoever it is up. I realize then that I didn’t check the time and I really hope it isn’t the middle of the night.
There’s a shout telling me to wait one second and then a round of laughter. When the door opens twenty seconds later, I’m greeted with a wild-haired little boy and two of the guys behind him.
