“I have my old one from college, but it should still work. Might need to run a few updates first. Tomorrow is a lazy home day before it’s back to being a grown-up,” I sighed, totally bummed out I have to leave Daddy come Monday but there was no getting out of the team meeting. “We can make sure you have everything you need tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
While Daddy’s brain whirled, the girls ran around the edge of the tub. “No running or you’ll… ahhh!Splash!I told you not to run, now you’re covered in bubbles. You’re in time-out, Princess.” I lost track of time playing, but when I glanced over at Daddy he was nodding off. “Time to wash up and put Daddy to bed.”
He didn’t budge, Daddy must be really sleepy. So I was a good boy and washed up, put my toys on the side of the tub to dry, then pulled the plug and dried off.
“Daddy,” I nudged him.
“Huh? What? You’re out?”
“And you’re seepy. Let’s brush our teeth and go to bed.” See, I could be a helper too. “Brushy, brushy, Daddy.”
He yawned and stretched. “I showered earlier, good thing, or I’d likely fall asleep in the tub. Thank you for being a good boy. Daddy promises to do a better job next time and play with you.”
“It’s been a big day, and you didn’t sleep much last night. But you’ll get used to the comfy bed.” Anything had to be better than where he’d been sleeping the last two years. Daddy was so lucky I found him. Now he had a responsible boy to look after him.
And I had a real Daddy to take care of me.
A match made in unicorn bestie heaven.
Chapter Fourteen
Stone
After discovering where Payden kept the pancake mix, slicing some of the strawberries we’d picked up at the grocery store, and sprinkling sugar on them so they’d produce a bit of extra juice, I managed to pull off breakfast before he got out of the shower and served it to him with a sprinkle of fresh blueberries and a small mound of whipped cream on top, since I hadn’t wanted to send him out the door too sugared up.
Wow, look at me being all domestic.
We ate breakfast together and shared kisses at the door before I turned him loose, then I finished wiping the counter and explored his kitchen cabinets, seeking out components I knew what to do with, since my culinary skills were severely limited.
If it started in a box or a plastic pouch, I was a whiz at doctoring it, so spotting a box of Fried Rice Rice-a-Roni offered the perfect opportunity to make something easy and deliciousand have it ready by the time he came home from work. Since he’d said that with traffic, he expected to be home by six at the latest, he’d given me a good idea of when to start prepping the food. Thankfully, it didn’t require much cooking time, but there were several things I wanted to dice up and add to it, including a steak I pulled out to thaw and several shrimp from a large bag of raw, frozen ones that I put in a bowl in the fridge until I needed them. I left a small red onion next to a carrot I hoped I was still capable of cutting into slivers without taking off a finger.
When my band was in its infancy, we’d driven around in a van we often slept in too, cooking the meals we couldn’t afford to buy at a restaurant over campground fire pits and the hibachi we kept for when we had nothing else to cook on. Two cast iron pans, one pot, and an assortment of thrift store cooking implements had been the bulk of the supplies in the milk crate, easy to lift in and out of the back of the van whenever we needed them.
We were supposed to rotate cooking duties, but Sammy never served anything without charring it first, so he’d been relegated to permanent dish duty while Mark, Griff, and I handled all the cooking, in defense of our poor taste buds. Out of all of them, I missed the fuck out of Griffin the most, but I’d resisted the urge to look online and see what he was up to when I finally fired up the laptop. Instead, I looked up the phone number for Pete’s diner, so I could at least let him know I was okay.
“Was wondering where you’d gotten to.”
“I met someone who offered to let me join him on his adventure and fell in love along the way.”
“Uh-huh, now what was that you left here going on about the last time you stopped in.”
“I was wrong. I guess someone could see past the mess I’d made of myself.”
“Don’t you go forgetting when things get hard.”
“I won’t.”
“And make sure you keep in touch so I don’t go grayer wondering what happened to you.”
“I will,” I promised, “and Pete, thanks for always watching out for me.”
“You’re welcome, kid. Don’t make me do it again.”
“I won’t,” I said before we ended the call.
I’d miss him, and if the chance ever arose, I’d take Payden to meet him, because Pete had saved me more times than he’d even known, which had been the other reason I’d lingered in the area as long as I had.
