“Hi, baby, I missed you.”
His body sagged, letting go of tension I wasn’t even aware he was holding because I was caught up in how amazing he made me feel. “What was wrong, little one?”
His hand moved toward his mouth nervously, and I gently caught his wrist and rubbed soft circles into his palm. “You can tell me anything, baby, but first hold that thought.”
I kept him close to me since it was just eggs, and there was no risk of grease splatter burning him. I scrambled them again so they wouldn’t burn. Satisfied with how they looked, I turned off the stove and gave Tristan my full attention. “Now what did I say that made you so relieved, baby?”
Tristan took several deep breaths to calm himself, but his words still came out hushed and nervous. “I know I was only in the shower for a few minutes, but I missed you so much, and Iwanted to tell you, but I was worried I’d be too clingy and needy, but then you said you missed me too, and it made me happy.”
My heart nearly melted into goo at my boy’s sweet words. I scooped him into my arms, and he wrapped his legs around my waist. “Oh my sweet boy. I promise you will never be too needy or clingy for me, but if you ever are, I’ll communicate that to you, and I won’t treat you poorly because of it. But that’ll never be the case cause, in fact, it might be you who gets tired of me being needy.”
Tristan’s hand covered his mouth as he giggled into his palm. “We can be as needy together, Daddy!”
“You’re right, little one, cause as long as we’re both happy, we can be as needy as we want. Nothing else matters except what works for us. speaking of which… I have some questions I need to ask you while you’re still big.”
The cutest blush tinted Tristan’s cheeks as he nodded for me to continue. “Last night, you mentioned wanting to have a play date with Ellery. Is that something you still want?”
Tristan’s eyes were sparkling with excitement, and he began to wiggle slightly, making me tighten my hold on him so he didn’t fall. “Would that be okay? Ellie and I usually spend the evening together doing little things, but we never get the chance to let go fully, and I really want to spend time with my friend and my Daddy.” his fingers started to twist together, and he looked at me sheepishly. “Is… Is that okay?”
I leaned forward, resting my forehead on his. “Yes, sweet baby, I would love nothing more than to give you the chance to let goand spend time with your friend, but we need to discuss some things first.”
Tristan broke our connection and cocked his head in confusion. “What things?”
He looked so confused yet adorable; I couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute he was. “I need to know what your limits are for when we have Ellery over. Is it okay if I also care for them, like grab them a snack or a drink? Things like that.”
Tristan hummed thoughtfully. he spent a few minutes thinking his answer over, and I appreciated that. While having his friend over seemed like a good idea, it could create problems if we didn’t discuss it ahead of time, so it made me so proud that he was taking it seriously.
“Well, Ellie is like a sibling to me, and very rarely do we get jealous of one another, so I don’t think I’ll have any problems with you showing them platonic affection like hugs or things like that if they even want those things. I have no problem with care like snacks and stuff, and Ellie doesn’t regress super young, so they shouldn’t need any help with the potty. If they did, that would be a hard no for me. If they get hurt, like a scratch or a scrape, you can give them a Band-Aid, but you’re not allowed to kiss their boo-boos. That’s all I can think of.”
My chest swelled with pride at how honest and thought-out his reply had been. Tristan’s confidence had blossomed in the short time we’ve known each other, and I was so incredibly proud of him.
“What about discipline? ”
Tristan huffed a little and pouted as he once again took his timeformulating his answer. “Well, as you already know, I’m not really a brat, and while Ellie likes to brat occasionally with their caregiver, that’s not something they like to do with anyone but their Daddy, so they will also be on their best behavior. But I guess, on the off chance one of us gets overwhelmed and needs a moment to calm down by themselves, we could have calm-down time in the corner or an isolated area. With Ellie’s consent, of course.”
My face felt like it was going to explode from how much I was smiling. Tristan got through all of that without stuttering or feeling nervous. Either his trust in me or his confidence in himself had grown, but it was probably a mix of both.
“That’s perfect, baby. We’ll make sure to have a conversation with Ellery before and see what they are comfortable with. Now, how about that breakfast?”
My heart was filled with joy as I carried him into the living room and tried to set him on the floor in front of the couch. “Wait right here, and I’ll go get breakfast.”
Tristan looked apprehensive about letting me go, but he finally released his hold and looked determined. “Otay Dada, I be here waitin.”
I was glad I decided to place him in the living room. Usually, I would have us eat at the table, but with him hovering between big and little, I didn’t want to risk his falling out of the chair. I would gladly hold him while we ate; my kitchen chair wasn’t meant to support two grown men, so I decided it would be much safer if I held him on the couch and fed him there.
I loved how naturally Tristan fell into little space when we weretogether. He was in his adult headspace when he wrapped his arms around me in the kitchen, but as soon as I scooped him into my arms, he became my little one instantly, and that made my chest swell with pride.
Not wanting to take up too much space, I piled all our food onto one plate and headed back to find Tristan wiggling on the floor. “Dada hewp, I needs da potty, dun wanna make a mess.”
“Shh, it’s okay, little one. Daddy will take you potty, but if you do make a mess, it’ll be okay, and Daddy will take care of it.”
“Pwease, gotta hurry, gots ta go bad.”
Careful not to spill any of the food, I placed the plate on the kitchen table and scooped Tristan into my arms.
We were entering the hallway when Tristan started squirming in my arms. “Dada, hurry.” His whine was full of desperation and panic.
“It’s okay, little one, we’re almost there. Daddy’s got you.”
