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In life, we attract that which we’re ready for. No matter where we are, we’re where we’re meant to be. If we want to change or grow, we must take initiative, try new things, and say yes to opportunities that arise.
Life is full of endless possibilities. The job sites that Bryce promises to bring me to are only the start. He also wants me to move in with him, to leave my college dorm where I’ve spent many lonely hours buried in textbooks, and move into his spare bedroom.
My heart fills with warmth when I think of the bedroom Bryce designated for me. Yesterday, he spent all morning decorating it to my tastes. The bed is a dump truck and my desk where I’ll study for classes is a digger. The towels are decorated with my favorite trucks from Bob the Builder, and the stuffies he laid out on my bed communicate with the deepest frequencies of my heart.
My favorite stuffy of all is still Bob, though. My little builder teddy. I’ll never forget how happy I was when Calloway and Greyson gave Bob to me after they won him in the Best Hugger competition. I think it’s secretly because they knew I would’ve won with Bryce if I hadn’t been disqualified. Maybe, or maybe not. We don't know what might have been in this life. Only what was, is, and perhaps will continue to be. My relationship with Bryce will continue to "be" for a long time.
Right now, Bryce is peering over my shoulder as I study. "Calculus. It’s been a long time since I’ve bothered with that."
My brow furrows. What does Daddy mean? "You don't use calculus in your everyday life?"
Bryce can’t help but laugh. He rubs my shoulders, which immediately sends warm tingles coursing up my spine. "Not at all. The most complex equations I use involve borrowing money from the bank. We don't need fancy letters and variables to take out loans."
I’m dating an actual real estate developer. A powerful one who communicates daily with lenders, borrows money, pays back interest, and understands the language that makes the world go 'round: money.
"That’s incredible, Daddy. You really know a lot about real estate and money."
"Money isn’t the most important thing in this life, but I think everyone should at least try to understand how it works. I fail to understand why some people never look at their finances or at least attempt to learn how to invest. It’s a skill, just like anything else, and even though it seems hard to make it, if you put in one hour a day to learn how to, say, flip a house, you’ll likely double your income. People have limited beliefs which is why they never start, because they’ve been taught by their parents and communities that it’s too hard. The truth is that, anyone with a semi-decent W2 job can establish a history of investing in real estate and then leverage that to borrow more money from private lenders and local financial institutions. Baby boy, banks want to lend out money—that’s how they make more money. They’re not sitting around, twiddling their thumbs and seeing who they can prevent from taking out a second mortgage every day."
Bryce goes on to tell me that he believes that money isn’t a mode of exchange as much as it is an energy. It flows just like energy always is transferred through people and the universe, and once you crack this code, learning how to make it flow to you becomes easier.
I ask Bryce about manifesting, because what he’s talking about sounds like this lady with crystal earrings that I follow on TikTok. Bryce says he’s not sure what manifesting is, but that it’s important to believe in yourself.
What you think about, you bring about, says Bryce. If you believe you can be successful, you can be. You can write that book you’ve always wanted to write, learn to flip a house, or figure out how to sell something so you can travel to Paris and eat a croissant.
"Wow, Daddy." I smile contentedly as I let Bryce rub my shoulders, which sends warm, safe tingles up my spine. "You know so much."
"Mind if I share a story, boy?"
"Go for it." I could listen to Bryce tell me stories all day.
This is what I love most about dating an older man, and it’s the reason I wanted a Daddy. My father, the accountant, knew about bookkeeping, but the truth was that there was too much about life he didn’t know.
People took advantage of my father—we once had a contractor come to our house to replace the siding, and the contractor gave my father the runaround. My mother was furious and screamed at my father, but my father was so meek that he kept making excuses for the contractor who continued to rip them off. Needless to say, the contractor eventually promised to pick up a pile of wood he’d left in our backyard and he never showed back up. My mother wouldn’t speak to my father for a week, but my father kept believing the contractor would keep his word. He never did. Last I checked, that wood pile is still there.
In other words, my father is a tad spineless. I wanted to learn from a strong, confident, capable man.
Bryce chuckles. "I had a cousin who read a lot of romance novels on her Kindle. I always told her that she should write one of her own, but she always blew me off."
My jaw drops. "Dang. If you gave me that kind of encouragement, I’d believe in myself."
"I know, baby boy. My cousin thought she was only a reader. Her name was Stella. She was friends with a lot of authors and I knew she had a lot to share with the world. She never wrote that book, but another cousin of mine, who wasn’t halfway as brainy as Stella, decided to write a book and even though the book wasn’t amazing, it sold well. That second cousin became a full-time author. Last month, her latest book was a bestseller."
Holy crap.
That’s incredible. "Wow, Daddy."
"That’s why you should believe in yourself. And at least try. Strive to learn new things. Yes, you’ll probably fail—I've failed plenty." Bryce pushes out a laugh. "Just last year, I lost out on a bid to build a skyscraper on Fifth Avenue. I was fuming mad, but the truth was that it was my fault. I could’ve bid an extra ten million dollars and secured the deal, but I was cheap. Now, the developer who won will likely make fifty million. I would’ve been a happy cow if I’d believed in myself a little more. In life, we always need to look for ways to take responsibility. Even if life or the universe is truly at fault, we’re better off if we figure out how to say: This was all me, now how can I do better next time? It’s empowering to quit blaming others for our problems."
I let out a wolf whistle. "You’re teaching me so much, Daddy."
Bryce selects a dump truck stress ball from my desk, then hands it to me. "Play with this."
I squeeze the dump truck, then press it to my heart. It’s so squishy and cute, and when I squeeze extra hard, its googly eyes poof out. "This dump truck is so silly."
Bryce kisses the top of my head. "I’m glad I can share a thing or two with you. That’s my job as your Daddy—it’s also to brush your teeth, change you, and tuck you into bed every single night. But it’s primarily to teach you about life. That brings me great joy."
Tears well in my eyes as I turn around to look at Bryce. "May I share something?"
