being honest with me.”
“But when we started—”
I cut him off before he could finish the sentence. “Yes, when I first approached you, it was to help
you learn how to be little. And I’m still going to do that. Part of what held you back was everything
you have going on in your life. Doing my job means helping you find ways to be who you need to be
so you can be even better when you can’t escape the other stuff. Being a Daddy isn’t just about taking
care of Little Corey and watching you have fun; it’s about loving all of you and being what you need
no matter where your head is at.”
His shoulders dropped and he quirked his head to the side. “I never thought of it that way. I
suppose that makes sense.”
“Good.” I brushed the backs of my fingers across his cheek. “So no more beating yourself up for
thinking you’re not who I need or that I’m going to walk away if I don’t get to see my sweet boy
coming to the surface. You’re more than enough. You’re everything.”
“But you know I’m still not ready for… everything, right?”
Although I was certain I knew what he was getting at, I wanted to hear the words from him. I
leaned back, motioning for him to continue.
“Knowing you were out here this morning was nice,” he admitted. “After I woke up, I laid in bed
for a few minutes just listening to you moving around and muttering to yourself. Someday, I think it
might be nice to have that more often, but right now I still have to protect Willow. I can’t do anything
to piss off Lisa. I’m not saying we’re doing anything wrong, but she’s spiteful enough I could see her
twisting what we have into something sinister and I’m not going to let that happen. I won’t let her try
and take Willow away from me.”
With every sentence, Corey’s breathing grew shallow and ragged. I stood, pulling him up from his
seat. I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him gently. “Breathe, baby. When that time
comes, we’ll handle it together. Until then, we’ll do whatever you think is best for your family. I’m a
patient man.”
Corey scoffed.
“Okay, so I can be patient about this,” I amended. “I can’t say I’ll be happy staying hidden away
forever, but what we’ve been doing is enough. When the time is right, you’ll tell me, and we’ll cross
that bridge together.”
