Allen popped off my lap and grabbed my hand. “It’s tubby time!”
He ran ahead of me, grabbing a bucket out of the closet that I soon discovered was filled with rubber ducks. “I have some tubby toys!”
“I see that. And if you look in the bathroom, you’ll see there’s a surprise for you there.”
I loved watching his excitement as he bolted to the bathroom, and the sound of his giggles. “You bought me tubby toys!”
“I did. We can play with all of them.”
Just like the first time we took a bath, we played and played and played together. I could watch his big side slip away, and he didn’t break out of that as I dried him off or put his bee pajamas on. The second they were zipped up, he licked his lips and asked, “Milkies now?”
“Of course. Would you like your milkies on the bed or...” I looked back and forth. “The couch.”
“Couch, Daddy.”
He drank directly from me often enough that he was like a pro, circling my nipple with his tongue before pulling it in and drawing long mouthfuls of milk, first from one side, then the other, humming along as he did. I wasn’t sure he even noticed that he was humming. It was absolutely adorable.
The rest of the day was pretty normal, as far as what I’d expect from a first Little time together. We watched some cartoons. We played with his toy trucks. I had a conversation with Mr. Bees. I read both of them books, fed them chicken nuggies and mac and cheese—the kind from the box, because it was the only one that mattered—we snuggled, and I sat with him as he went down for a nap.
But even though those were very normal, typical activities to share with someone when you’re first exploring their Little side together, nothing about this felt common or typical at all. We’d been growing closer since we started dating, as one does, but today, our relationship deepened in a way that had my heart so full. I couldn’t wait to see where our relationship went from here.
10
ALLEN
Patrick stood at my kitchen window with his coffee mug in hand, just staring out at the hives in the backyard. "Can I see them up close?"
I looked up from my laptop where I'd been updating my inventory spreadsheet. "The hives?"
"Yeah." He turned to me with that soft smile he got when he was genuinely curious about something. "I'd love to learn more about what you do. If you're willing to show me."
My tummy did a little flip. Nobody had ever asked about my bees before. Not with any real interest. Jeff thought they were cool from a distance.
But Patrick wanted to understand this part of my life, and it meant the world to me.
I grinned and stood up. "You really want to?"
"Of course I do." Patrick put down his mug and came over to wrap his arms around me from behind. "This is important to you, so that makes it important to me."
I leaned back against his chest and sighed in contentment. "Okay. But we need to suit up first."
Twenty minutes later, I was trying not to laugh as Patrick struggled with the bee suit.
"This thing has more zippers than my winter coat."
"Here, let me help." I reached up to adjust the veil around his face, making sure it was secure. "My bees are pretty darlings, but we don't want to take chances."
Patrick stood still while I fussed over him, checking all the closures. When I was satisfied, I stepped back and looked him over.
Honestly, he looked ridiculous. The white suit didn’t fit well, and the veil gave him a slightly alien appearance.
He was still the most attractive man I'd ever seen. "How do I look?"
"Gorgeous." I quickly pulled on my own suit and gloves. "Ready?"
"Lead the way."
As we walked out to the hives, I grabbed my smoker from the shed.
