Matthew’s racing heart slowed to normal. He caught his breath. “You’re… you’re taking a day off?”
“And a night, too.” Damien waggled his eyebrow.
What he didn’t say, but that Matthew inferred from the way Damien kept Emily entertained all day, was that Damien was givinghima day off. It was sorely needed. Matthew spent his daylight hours snoozing, waking up from time to time to hear laughter from the living room, and once to discover Emily sneaking into the bedroom with a freshly baked blueberry muffin topped with crystalized ginger.
Matthew, heart full of love for his Daddy, ate it despite the fact that ginger continued to make him unhappy. In everything he did, Damien thought of him.
That night, after Emily was out cold, Damien came to bed and rubbed belly better into Matthew’s bump as he always did. Afterward, his cheek rested on Matthew’s thigh, he trailed his fingers along Matthew’s sensitive skin until Matthew shivered. Every moment of contact was a delight.
“I know how hard you try for me, sweet boy,” Damien said in a near whisper. “I’ve seen you suffer through ginger because I tell you that it’s what you need to feel better, and I watch you day in and day out do the best you can to take care of Emily and our house. I hope you know that even if you didn’t want to lift a finger, I’d still love you. You make me better than I ever dreamed I could be.”
Matthew, cheeks radiating with happiness, smiled into the darkness. “I know. And you make me better, too, Daddy. I’m the man I am today because of you.”
46
Damien
KnotMyProblem: From the inventors of the Single Dad Insurance Fraud Ring and the Single Dad Babysitting Ring comes a new and exciting product sure to wow even the most miserly consumer:
KnotMyProblem: The Single Dad Housewarming Party… Ring!
KnotMyProblem: It sounded better in my head than it looks typed
TeenDad2: You’re moving??
xVerity: It might be a bit of a stretch for all of us to make it to a housewarming party in New York. Is it several months from now so we can arrange to take time off work?
KnotMyProblem: Nope
KnotMyProblem: You won’t need to
KnotMyProblem: Guess who just closed on a house in Aurora?
Between caring for Matthew and Emily, chatting up Catherine’s corporate lawyers, house hunting, and getting the condo ready to put on the market, it had been a busy but productive four months. Matthew had helped with what he could, but his pregnancy had kicked his ass, and most days he was out of commission. Regardless, it’d been his excellent knowledge of Aurora’s suburbs that had helped them make their final decision.
They’d settled on the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house near the park. The school district really was excellent, and the commute wouldn’t be all that bad. When Matthew started his studies in the fall, he could take the train into the city and still be home in time to spend the evening with his family.
It boggled Damien’s mind to think that in a month’s time, they’d be bringing their new baby home to their new house.
TeenDad2: WHAT
TeenDad2: NO WAY!
GlitterDoctor: You sneaky bastard
TeenDad2: GWYNN WERE YOU IN ON THIS?
TeenDad2: DID YOU BETRAY US?
Gwynning: Alas, it’s true. You have been betrayed.
LoveHarley: is it soon knot? Can we have a bbq?
KnotMyProblem: Fuck yeah, we can have a barbecue. Gotta get my grillmaster game up. I’m pretty sure they take away your dad license if you can’t cook over an open flame
TeenDad2: …
TeenDad2: How do I hide from the dad police?
