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“You’re so welcome.” I lowered myself onto one knee and slipped my hand into the remaining bag, pulling out the binky I bought for him. I told him with a wink, “This is for later,” and slid the package in my pocket. I was being greedy, and wanted to hear his excitement over his gifts, and then listen to him play with them.
"And this is something special I found for you," I said as I pulled out his final surprise. "I hope you like it." It was the gift I was most excited to give him. I knew he liked stuffed animals, so I wanted to choose one for him to cuddle. When I saw this stuffy, I couldn't pass it up.
I held the toy in outstretched hands for him to take; it was a light brown teddy bear dressed in a policeman's uniform. It wasn't exactly like the one I wore, but it was close enough, and very cute. "I thought it could help remind you of me when we're not together," I explained as he took the bear to examine.
"Oh, Daddy…" Henley traced his fingers across the bear's neck tie, and the brim of his hat. "This is so special. Thank you." My heart melted into a puddle when he gave the toy a big hug. "I love him, but I don't need him to remind me of you; when I was at work today, I never stopped thinking about you." His words were precious, and I noticed they didn't bring a blush with them. The further he sank into his little space, the more confident he became.
"I thought about you all morning too." And all night after I dropped him off. And I dreamed about him. I was a bit obsessed, but not at all ashamed. "What would you like to do first?" Henley was comfy and cute as a button, and had opened all of his gifts. I wanted him to choose what would make him happy, and lose himself in the moment.
He thought for a moment before smiling brightly. "I want to make you a picture to thank you for all of my prizes." His first desire was to do something for me.
"I would love that, kitten."
Henley popped up onto his feet and scurried off in the direction of his bedroom before returning with a notebook. I grabbed his new box of crayons and led him into the kitchen, where I got him settled at the small dinette table it held. My heart squeezed when he placed his bear in the other chair 'so he could watch him'.
"Are you hungry?" I asked Henley as he flipped his notebook open to a blank page.
He shook his head no. "I ate lunch at work."
Uh oh. "Did you pack it yourself?"
"Yep!"
Oh my. That meant my sweet boy's lunch probably consisted of chips and cookies. "Do you have room for one more little snack? Maybe some fruit?"
"I have fruit snacks," he replied with a shrug. "You know; the gummy kind."
I asked where he kept them, and he pointed to a cabinet. I knew some fruit snacks were made with actual fruit juice, and hoped that's what he had. He didn't. Henley had bought the kind made strictly of sugar and corn syrup.
I looked around at the other items in his cabinets and found more of the same. Still, I had offered him a snack, and needed to deliver. I settled on a pudding cup I found in the fridge, figuring at least it contained dairy. I peeled off the lid and retrieved a spoon from a drawer.
"Here you go, kitten. While you're drawing, I've got something I need to work on, so I'll be in the living room if you need me."
He took a bite of pudding and kept his attention on his crayons when he replied, "Okay, Daddy. I don't want you to see my picture until it's all done anyway."
I kissed the top of his head before walking the few steps to the living room and resting on the love seat. I took a moment to admire my boy as he pored over his crayons. Henley took one from the box and placed it on the paper, the very tip of his tongue peeking out between his lips as he concentrated. He colored away, lost in his own little world without a care. It was exactly what I wanted for him.
Wanting to finish quickly, I grabbed my phone from my pocket and pulled up my grocery ordering app. With the click of a few buttons, I changed the delivery address to Henley's apartment and began adding items to my cart.
I filled it with foods that would nourish Henley’s body; fruits, cheese wheels, yogurt, and granola bars. I also selected ingredients to prepare dinner for him. Just as I was paying and writing instructions for the driver to leave the delivery at Henley’s door, my boy stood up from his seat and approached me, hiding something behind his back. I slid my phone back into my pocket and gave him my full attention.
