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But as I headed toward the kitchen, I wasn’t sure that my solution would fix anything… especially his wound-up emotions.
“Oh no, sunshine. Just…” Shaking my head and hiding my eyes like I was supposed to as he dunked his cucumber in barbecue sauce, I groaned as he giggled. “That’s just…”
Fun would’ve been Addison’s description because he had something to dunk and play with, and he’d found a new way to make me just as dramatic as he was. “Try, Daddy?”
His devious giggle said he wasn’t actually expecting me to submit to the torture, so I shook my head and continued to play along to the silly game that got him to eat a surprising amount of vegetables. “Never. That’s so gross, sunshine. I just can’t look.”
A bit more ridiculous theatrics and a few more bites of veggies brought dinner to a close. Addison seemed very content to play and be cute and was safely hiding in Little headspace. I wasn’t sure if this was the best time to bring up a new topic of discussion, but since it involved toys and Little time, I figured it was my best shot.
“I have an idea. I need you to help me decorate my house. Do you think you could do that?” We hadn’t spent much time over there because it was just a bit too far away from his work to make it an easy trip. It was actually closer to the college than his current place, but he’d seen it a few times.
“The bathroom? You need bubbles, Daddy, and pictures.” He cocked his head looking delightfully serious for a Little and tried guessing again. “Comfy things?”
My decorating style was more austere than Addison could happily tolerate. The lack of nick-nacks and pictures, and hell, even a surprising lack of side tables made him visibly uncomfortable.
Another reason we spent more time at his place than mine.
But as he sat straighter and looked like he’d found another room in my house to fix, I had a feeling I was tackling the topic the wrong way. We’d be sitting at the table all night at the rate we were going and he still wouldn’t have figured it out.
There was too much in my house that needed to be decorated.
“You’re right. Those are both very important things to work on but I was thinking of something else.” As he started to squirm excitedly, I shrugged and attempted a very causal expression. “I don’t have toys or a place for a tired princess to take a nap, and those seem like problems that we need to fix.”
I thought that was a good hint but he didn’t react like I’d expected.
Slowly nodding, Addison seemed to be focused on the practical things first as his excitement grew and the rocking began. “You don’t even have soft blankets, Daddy… or good naptime pillows on your couch.”
Addison would never be a minimalist, and since I didn’t care, he was always going to win the debate. “You’re right. I need help from a pretty princess. We need all kinds of things.”
His list was going to be extensive but that wasn’t the part I wanted him to focus on.
“I also think we need to fix up the empty room.” The realtor I’d used to buy my house talked me into the three bedroom instead of the smaller houses I’d been focused on because she’d said it would go up in value more.
She’d been right but it’d left me with a weird empty bedroom for the past few years because I didn’t know enough people in the entire world to make me need two guestrooms. But a guestroom and a playroom made perfect sense.
I had a feeling I owed her flowers or an apology or something.
Addison was adorable and cocked his head, bringing me out of my mental wandering. “Do you need an office, Daddy? Do you do papers?”
No, thank God for that.
“No, that’s a good guess, though.” Since we were moving in the right direction, I kept up the game vibe. “What else could it be used for?”
“Hmm…” With head bobs side to side and exaggerated thinking sounds, he was delightful. “Do you need a library like Beauty and the Beast?”
That was one of the last movies we’d watched, so I knew where that idea had come from. “Not even you have that many books, sunshine.”
He giggled, rubbing his hands together like the cutest Disney villain ever. “Shopping time, Daddy.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Oh no.”
Addison tried to pout but it wasn’t believable with the giggling that continued to escape. “Hmm, do you need a plant room, Daddy?”
Clearly he’d been watching home renovation channels while he sorted all his toys over and over. “That’s a good guess but I’m not sure that’s a room a Daddy with a sweet boy really needs. What do you think is a room a Daddy should have?”
And his eyes finally widened as he stopped moving.
It took him several seconds for a reaction to form but he seemed more shocked than excited. “Daddies… some Daddies have playrooms for their special Littles… they… they might have toys and they might paint it a pretty color, too.”
