Chapter
Fifteen
OREN
My phone buzzes just as I’m fluffing my pillow. The name on the screen makes my chest go hot all over.
“Hi,” I breathe when I answer.
“Hi, kiddo.”
Keane’s voice rumbles low and deep, wrapping around me.
“You all settled in?”
“Mmhm. Jammies on, teeth brushed. Socks too,” I add, grinning even though he can’t see me.
There’s a pause, the kind that feels like a smile. “Good boy.”
Fireworks. Every time.
Then he sighs. “I wish I were there. Curled up beside you again. Feels strange not to have you wiggling at my side.”
I clutch Quackers tighter. “I miss you too.”
There’s a silence, comfortable and heavy with wanting. Then I blurt, “Can you… maybe tell me a bedtime story?”
“Thought you’d never ask.” His voice warms with amusement. “Alright. Once upon a time, there was a prince in overalls who had a duck for a best friend.”
I giggle immediately. “No, make him asorcerer, withsparkly socks of power.”
Keane chuckles. “Fine. A sorcerer prince with enchanted socks. And one day he?—”
“—met a very handsome knight. With, uh… really strong arms.”
He laughs again, richer this time. “Interrupting storyteller syndrome, I see. Shall I continue, or do you want to finish?”
“Both,” I whisper. My cheeks are hot, my heart pounding.
So he spins it out, weaving silly with sweet, letting me swap in bits of sparkle and heat, until I can’t hold it in any longer.
“Can I be your boy?” The words tumble out before I can think better of them. “Full time. For realsies.”
The silence stretches for a beat, and then his chuckle comes, low and fond.
“Yes. A thousand yesses, Oren.”
My heart somersaults. “Can we start right now?”
His laugh is warm thunder through the line. “How about this—starting tonight, you still give me water reports and sock updates. But we add one more rule: shut off electronics thirty minutes before bed. Help that super-creative brain of yours wind down.”
I bite my lip, smiling so hard my cheeks ache. “Yes, Daddy. Except… starting tomorrow, since we’re talking right now.”
He groans a playful protest. “You’re already testing limits, huh?”
I giggle. “Goodnight, Daddy.”
There’s a soft exhale on the other end, as though he’s holding me even from miles away.
