At some point while I dressed, Tristan’s thumb had found its way into his mouth, and my boy stared at me with eyes full of love as he suckled peacefully. Even though he just had an accident and cried his little heart out, he looked… peaceful. Knowing that mypresence gave him the peace he needed had my chest puffing up with pride.
Unable to stop myself, I walked to the edge of the bed and planted kisses on his wet hair. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. If you are ever stuck in your head or overthinking, I will always be there to reassure you without judgment. I love you so much, sweet boy.”
Tristan removed his thumb and reached up towards me, so I lowered myself, and my heart nearly melted when his palm cupped my cheek. “I know, Daddy. You’re so incredibly kind… Everything was happening so fast, I got scared. Sometimes I get so anxious, and even though I know rationally that neither of you would be upset or judge me, it still takes me a bit to really get it. I promise to let you know if I get worried again.”
He leaned forward and pecked a sweet kiss on my lips. “I will always want to hear your worries and set you at ease. I know it can be scary or overwhelming at times, but I’m so incredibly proud of you.”
Tristan’s face flushed, and he shivered. My boy needs clothes. “Thank you, Daddy. I love you berry much.”
He yelped in surprise when I scooped him up and propped him on my hip. “I love you too, sweetheart. Now let’s get my boy all warm and comfy so you can color with Ellie while I make dinner.”
“yay! Din din wif Ewwie!”
I laid him on the changing mat, handed him his pacifier, then rummaged through the drawers for another Dragon onsie and a diaper. Tristan suckled his paci, practically melting into the tableas I placed the diaper underneath him and rubbed his bottom with barrier cream. My heart melted when he let out a contented sigh behind his pacifier. “You’re such a good boy for me. Thank you for trusting me. I promise to protect you and keep you safe always.”
My vision became blurry with tears as I fastened the diaper around his hips. Tristan smiled softly, watching me as I finished dressing him. His eyes reflected the emotion I felt swirling inside me, leaving me breathless. I was so gone for this sweet man. I couldn’t wait till the day he moved in, taking care of my boy in our home and waking up beside him. Our relationship was moving fast, and I didn’t want to overwhelm Tristan, so that was going to have to wait. That was more than fine with me as long as I had my precious boy in my life, I’d wait for him for as long as he needed.
“Okay, sweet boy. You’re all set. Ready to play?” Tristan clapped his hands, squealing with excitement, then nodded. I picked him up, placing him on my hip, and he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. My boy was too adorable. I just wanted to scoop him up and keep him on my hip forever, but he had a friend to play with, and I had two little ones who needed to be fed.
Tristan’s squeal nearly took out my eardrum when we walked into the living room. Ellery had put on some cartoon show I didn’t recognize, but my boy certainly did, cause it was all I could do to keep him from falling out of my arms from how excited he had gotten. “Whoa, baby, hang on.” I walked as quickly as I could with my squirmy, excited boy and placed him on the rug next to Ellery.
His bottom had barely touched the floor before he already had a coloring book and was looking through the pages. Both littleswere immediately sucked into their projects and the cartoon music playing on the tv. I was sure both needed to relax and turn their brains off for a bit after all that excitement. Neither of them even noticed me as I left the room to get started on dinner.
Both Tristan and Ellery looked at me like I’d hung the moon when I returned with two plates and sippy cups with juice. Ellery got a princess plate and cup, while Tristan got a dragon set. Both plates had grilled cheese, carrot sticks with ranch, and some sliced fruit.
If I didn’t know any better, the way both littles tore into their food, I’d think they were starving. I’d barely finished my own grilled cheese when Tristan turned toward me, showing me his ranch-covered fingers and face. “Dada, I icky.”
“Oh no, did you get attacked by a ranch monster?” Both Tristan and Elley giggled. “No, Dada, I messy baby.”
My cheeks ached from how wide my grin was. “I see that messy baby. But don’t worry, Daddy’s got it all covered.” Reaching into the table beside the couch, I pulled out a package of wet wipes I had stored there. My sweet boy was a squirming, giggling mess as I cleaned him up. “Do you need a wipe, Ellie?”
“Yes, please.”
Ellery wasn’t far from where I sat on the couch, but I wanted to make sure they were having just as much fun as my boy, so I walked over to them, bowed down in front of them, and held out the wipe. “For you, Princess Ellie.”
Ellery giggled and nodded their head in appreciation before taking the wipe. “Thank you, good sir.”
After both littles were all clean, I cleaned up our plates. Thankfully, there wasn’t much mess, and I quickly returned to find both boys cuddled up on the couch watching their show.
“After this show is over, would you boys like to build a fort and watch a movie before bed? Since Ellery is staying the night, I figured you could both sleep together in the fort.”
Ellery bounced on their feet, clapping wildly. “That sounds so fun! Bestie, let’s do it!” They looked over at Tristan and paused. Tristan had a tight smile on his face, and apprehension shone in his eyes. “But wha bout Dada?”
Not being able to bear seeing his sad face, I scooped him up and popped him on my hip. “Oh, sweet boy, I wouldn’t leave you two alone when you’re little. I figured we could use the back of the couch to anchor the fort, so it’s inside the tent, and I can sleep there, and you little ones can sleep on a mountain of blankets.”
Tristan’s eyes widened with excitement. “Dat’s the bestest idea ever. Wight, Ewwie?”
“That sounds like so much fun. You have the best Daddy. But just until I get my own Daddy, then he’ll be the best Daddy ever.” They looked up at me sheepishly. “No offense, Daniel.” I barked out a laugh at their comment, taking me by surprise. “Thank you, Ellie, and no offense taken.”
After our laughter subsided, I squared my shoulders and put on a serious face. “I have a very important mission, and I need a princess and a dragon. Do you little ones know where I can find them?”
Tristan roared and then pretended to breathe fire, and Ellery bounced up and down. “Me! Me! Me! I’m a princess, and this ismy fire-breathing dragon.”
I sighed dramatically with relief, my shoulders slumping. “Oh, thank heavens, I need help building a magical fort. The material is enchanted, so it only allows little ones and daddies inside and keeps out anything that isn’t happy or fun. The problem is you can only touch it if you have a princess and their mighty dragon. Will you help me build the enchanted fort?”
Ellery jumped up and down, cheering, and Tristan roared and giggled with excitement. “We would be honored to assist you, good sir.”
I bowed my head. “Thank you, Princess Ellie, I am forever in you and your mighty dragons’ debt. Please follow me.”
