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“What do you think?” I asked, making sure it was comfortable before I started on the opposite side.
Henley trailed his fingers down the braid. “I love it! How did you get so good at fixing hair?”
“I used to braid Zara’s hair all the time.”
My sweet boy didn’t miss the sadness in my voice. He cupped both of my cheeks in his hands and gave a pained expression. “I’m so sorry you miss her. I wish there was something I could do to help.”
When I assured him, “You’re already doing it,” his eyebrows pinched together with confusion, so I explained, “Watching you play and taking care of you brings back cherished memories and fills the hole in my heart. Loving you makes me feel complete.”
“Oh, Daddy.” Henley’s eyes grew moist and his lip trembled. “You make me feel complete, too. I never thought I could be so happy.”
“Me neither, kitten.” I kissed him soundly before braiding the second half of his hair, leaving behind two laced rows. “There you go; all set.”
Henley gave me another kiss, but he wasn’t done thanking me. He said, “I want to make something special for you.” I thought perhaps he was going to color a nice picture for me, but instead of crawling towards his crayons, he made a bee line to a play kitchen in the corner. It was the item he was most excited about when we put in our online order.
“I know dinner is in the oven, so this will just be an appetizer,” he assured, pulling out his little toy pots and pans. “I wouldn’t want to ruin your appetite.”
I chuckled at my silly boy. “How very Daddy-like of you.”
He gave me a big grin before digging out all of his plastic food; fruits, vegetables, meats, and desserts. When he caught sight of my intrigued (even borderline disgusted) expression, Henley raised his hands and said, “Don’t worry; I’m a professional.”
“I trust you, Chef,” I snickered again, and watched as he went to work.
Henley pretended to wash each food item before ‘slicing’ them with his plastic knife. I was getting a front row view of the real work he liked to do at Perry’s, but here, he wasn’t limited to the customer’s order.
And maybe it was for the best that he followed a recipe at his job, because for our ‘appetizer’, Henley was tossing everything into a pot together. Broccoli shook hands with orange slices and a chicken leg, and they were topped off with a piece of chocolate cake.
He put the concoction on his stovetop, swirling the pot over the nonexistent flame. He hummed his approval when he bent down to sniff the food, while I was grateful it didn’t actually have a scent. I couldn’t imagine the blend of aromas.
Once the dish was cooked to his satisfaction, Henley pulled two bowls from his cabinet and ladled the interesting combination into them. He grabbed two spoons and made sure to turn the stovetop burner off before bringing them over to me.
“Your appetizer is served,” he announced formally, even giving a little bow as he handed over my bowl. Inside was a plastic mushroom, a celery stick, a strawberry, and an ice cream scoop. “Bon appetit.”
He watched with hopeful eyes as I scooped up an empty spoonful and held it to my lips. I took a big sip of air and squished my lips around. “There’s a problem.”
His eyes widened with worry. “Really? What’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid I will ruin my appetite, because this is too good to stop eating.” I tipped the whole bowl to my lips and made loud slurping sounds as Henley laughed.
“Oh, you must really love it,” Henley chuckled when I emptied my bowl by letting the food pieces fall over my shoulder. “Here; you can have mine, too.” In a sweet gesture, he handed over his bowl of weird gumbo, which I devoured as well.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Do you have any more?”
“I’m sorry, I’m fresh out,” he replied with a shrug.
“That’s too bad; that was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. Will you make some more for me another day?”
His entire face lit up with a toothy grin. “I promise, Daddy.”
Just then, the timer beeped on my real oven, signaling dinner was done cooking. “It looks like we finished the appetizer just in time. I’ll go grab it out and be right back.”
“Okay, Daddy; I’ll clean up my toys so I’m ready to eat.”
“You’re such a good boy.” Henley looked like he was about to burst with pride as I rose to my feet and left the room.
I removed a large casserole dish of lasagna from the oven, placing it on the kitchen counter before making several pieces of buttered toast. I meant to slide a loaf of garlic bread into the oven while the lasagna was finishing, but I got distracted by playing with Henley. I’d choose that distraction every damn day.
