“All right.” He scooted over just enough to make room, and soon I lay next to him. “What will happen if we move?”
“What kind of movement did you have in mind?” I asked.
“Something like this.” He rolled over on his side and kissed me. We could honestly report that the hammock would withstand an intense make-out session. Or maybe it was more…
After a long nap in the dappled shade, we made our way back into the house and ordered dinner. Best. Saturday. Ever.
Chapter Fifteen
Hal
Since Daddy and I had gotten together, we’d done a lot of fun things. We’d gone on dinner dates and to the zoo. He taught me how to use the claw machine, to the point I could actually win sometimes. And by sometimes, I mean I did once, and it was great. It was the bunny Ernie had wanted, and seeing the look on his face when I gave it to him was just so precious.
We’d also worked together on fixing up his place and mine. It was nice, and a relationship unlike any I’d ever had before. I’d had daddies where thedaddy-littletime was fun, and I’d dated where that part was great, but I’d never had a relationship where the two meshed together so beautifully before now.
When August called up and said, “Pack an overnight bag for the weekend, we’ve got plans,” the only question I had was if I needed anything special. It was a good thing I asked because he told me I needed a bathing suit. That didn’t help me figure out exactly where we were heading, but it did amp up the excitement.
He picked me up after his last meeting of the week, and, after we stopped for a quick bite at a diner, we drove out of town, getting on the main highway.
“Are we going far?” I asked.
“Depends on what you mean by far.” He was giving nothing away, but we were pulling into a large hotel parking lot by eight o’clock. I hadn’t been expecting that. I don’t know why. I guess I was thinking a cabin or a B&B, not some big chain hotel, but when I stepped inside, I understood why he picked it. On the wall behind the check-in counter was a huge map of their indoor water park.
I’d mentioned to Daddy that I loved to play in the water, but I wasn’t big into swimming. I could go across a pool, no problem, but racing someone or doing multiple laps wasn’t going to happen. At the time, he’d asked if I liked water parks, and I admitted I’d never been to one. I didn’t think of that conversation again until he checked us in and we passed the entrance to the park on the way to our room.
The thing was massive. There were slides, a wave pool, a splash pad, multiple hot tubs, and one of those pools where the water went round and round. And best of all, it wasn’t very crowded.
“What time did he say it was open until?”
“Eleven.” We still had time to play.
“And why is no one here?” I asked.
“Because school break was last week, so everybody went then, giving us a more chill weekend. Do you want to go tonight?”
“More than anything!” I nearly dragged him to our hotel room. It was nice, fine even. I didn’t even really pay attention, quickly getting my bathing suit on so we could go play in the water.
Daddy let me lead, and I started with the water slide. Thanks to my apartment building being elevator-free, the stairs didn’t bother me—until I looked down.
“This is much higher than I thought it was,” I admitted, my feet no longer moving.
“Just look straight ahead. Don’t look down. You’ll be fine,” he said.
“And if I’m not?” I asked.
“Then I’ll help you get back down. But remember, I’m right behind you. I’ve got you.”
I did as he said, looking forward, never back. When I got to the landing, I looked at the tubes and nothing else. They wereside by side, and the man asked us if we were there to race. We hadn’t been, but it turned into one. He had us set up and did a countdown. That was the push I needed to let go, barreling through the tube, swishing from side to side.
Everything was going so fast. I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to see that I was in an actual tube, worried that would take away from the fun. When it came to spitting me out into the pool itself, it caught me off guard, making it extra thrilling. The lifeguard at the bottom called me the winner, although I wasn’t sure if a certain daddy had told him to or if I really won. The prize was a kiss, so I accepted it graciously.
We didn’t have a lot of time to explore all the areas, but we had the whole next day to hit up every area, including the ones already closed down for the day. After splashing in the wave pool, we decided to be lazy slugs in the hot tub, soaking in the warmth and talking about what we were going to do the next day after breakfast. In theory, guests could spend all day there. They even had table service with food we probably didn’t want. Best of all, during the day, they had a lazy river ride, which we decided would be our first stop.
Back in our room, we hung up our suits in the hopes we wouldn’t be putting wet ones on in the morning, took a shower together, and climbed into bed. I was exhausted, but I never felt too tired to snuggle with Daddy.
“I got you a present.”
“You always give me presents, Daddy. I thought we had established this. You spoil me.”
