Kit (A Little Christmas Season Three)

Chapter 11

11

Kit

I woke up, turning over with my hand out to seek Parker. The bed was empty.

This was the second night we’d slept together in his bed and only cuddled. I loved it. It made Parker the most special daddy in the whole world to me because by doing this, he showed me he liked being with me for me. He wanted to know the person I was.

I’d never had that. It made me feel all filled up inside.

I sat up. The curtains had been opened. Morning light shone through the big arch window. I stood up and went to look out.

I gasped. Every tree, distant field and house roof had turned silver. Overnight the land changed. It had snowed. I clapped my hands.

“Welcome winter.”

The bathroom door swung open, and Parker walked out, hair wet, wearing a thick red bathrobe. He looked very Santa-ish.

“You’re up.”

“Yes. Look, Daddy. It snowed.”

“I know. It’s beautiful.”

“I was going to let you sleep in. You looked so peaceful. But since you’re up now, do you want breakfast?”

“Yes, please. Can I use your shower?”

“Of course. Until vacation is over, it’s our shower.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you want a bath.”

I put my hand to my mouth because my smile was getting wider as I imagined him giving me a bubble bath, one of my favorite things. “I think baths are more for nighttime.”

“Agreed.” He walked over to me and ran his hands over my messy bed-hair. “You look cute this morning.”

“You do, too, Daddy.”

He leaned down and kissed me. It was gentle. Like a greeting and a promise all rolled into one. My body woke up all over. I grasped his upper arms and leaned into him.

When he pulled back, we were both breathing hard.

He took a small step back, his hand cupping my cheek, and said, “Hurry up with that shower. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

“I will!” I ran toward the bathroom door.

When I came downstairs, Parker was playing pop music from his phone. Different smells mixed through the warm air. Eggs. Sausage. Potato pancakes. Everything sizzled on the stove. My stomach growled.

Out the big dining room window, the entire backyard was covered in a layer of snow.

“It only showed a couple inches but it’s sticking,” Parker said.

“Maybe there will be enough for a baby snowman.”

“We can try.”

I brought the dishes to the table like a big boy. I wanted to help. But Parker told me to sit.

“Little boys need to be taken care of by their daddies. Will you let me?”

His words were even better than all the good breakfast smells.

“Okay, but I’m restless.”

Parker opened a drawer and pulled out coloring books and crayons. “I was saving these for a good time.” He brought them to me. “I think you can have them now.”

“Wow. Christmas coloring books. With Santas and reindeer and elves.”

I grabbed them and began paging through the top one so fast I forgot about Parker and breakfast and everything else. When I found a good page to start with Santa on his sleigh, I looked up and Parker was back at the stove. I’d forgotten my manners like a very bad boy.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

He looked over at me, smiling. “You’re welcome, baby boy.”

When breakfast came, I pushed the books and crayons aside and started shoveling it in.

“Hungry?” Parker chuckled.

“Um huh. It’s so good.”

“I’m glad.”

We discussed incidentals, like how we had slept and more about the snow. Then Parker said, “I was thinking about what we could do today.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, I was thinking we could go out to lunch later. I’m more used to eating out than cooking, that’s for sure.”

“But this breakfast is great,” I assured him.

“Breakfast is fairly easy.”

“I usually skip breakfast.” I winced.

“That’s not good for growing boys.”

I giggled.

“Anyway, maybe after that, some ice skating.”

“Hmm. I’m not good at that, Daddy. But I’ll go and try.”

“Only if you want to. We’ll go to the rink in the new mall. I want to do some Christmas shopping, too.”

“I’d love that so much.”

“Good.”

Before leaving for lunch, we found a few more decorations to fiddle with. We ended up hanging a wreath on the balcony wall and putting a string of lights along the ledge. It was icy cold and I hadn’t worn my gloves, so my hands needed warming afterward.

Parker made us hot cocoa and we held our hands against the mugs to warm them.

When we drove away for lunch, I looked back at the house. The day was gray, so we’d put on the lights, and it all worked so well. It was a total Christmas house.

“Daddy, look, your neighbors have decorations up, too. New ones since yesterday. Look at that giant Grinch. And the blow-up Santa going down a chimney.”

“Probably my favorite thing about the holidays are the lights on the houses,” he said.

I had to agree.

At lunch, we talked about all the things we could do together over the next couple of weeks. Parker had a lot of plans. He was the daddy and that was his role. But I wanted to give back, too, by planning something special and paying for it all.

I didn’t say anything and let the idea percolate.

Ice skating was a disaster. I tried. I really did.

Parker held both my hands as I got onto the ice. He pulled me gently to get me going.

“Okay, I’m going to let you go now.”

I squeezed his hands in defiance, breathing in hard. The air was cold. Christmas music played on echoing speakers, but it was no comfort. The ice was a dangerous plain of whiteness as far as I could see. I was sure I’d be marooned with no way to get back to land.

“Let go, baby. I’ve got you if you fall.”

I shook my head hard.

“Go on. You’ve got this.”

He was very encouraging. Even loving. But I couldn’t do it.

Parker yanked his hands away. I immediately lost my balance, my skates slipping back and forth. He caught me around the waist just before I could fall into him knocking him down as well.

I wrapped my hands around his waist, locking them at the small of his back.

Parker changed tactics. “I’ll skate with you, then, always holding your hand.”

“I can’t, Daddy.” I whispered into his chest.

“Of course you can.”

“I’ll pull you down with me and then we’ll both be marooned.”

He forced my head up with one hand. “Look.” He pointed toward the middle of the ice. There, a teenage boy in all black was doing spins.

“He’s talented,” I said.

“Very.”

“I could never do that.”

“He’s obviously practiced a lot,” Parker said. “You haven’t. Don’t be disappointed. It can be hard at first.”

“Please don’t let go of me, Daddy.”

“I promise.” He patted my back.

Finally, I got up the courage to let him lead me. We made one rough, slow circle of the rink.

“Look at you,” Parker said. “You did a whole lap.”

I smiled, but inside I was still shaking. “Can we be done now?”

“All right. How about a hot drink and some shopping?”

“Yes! But get me off this ice now, please.”

Parker laughed when I let out a moan of pleasure and yelled “land” as I stepped back on the rubbery floor.

I had one good thing to say about ice skating with my daddy. I could constantly touch him and hold onto him. That was a win.

Another win was when we got home we were both so exhausted after dinner we only had the energy to crawl onto the couch and cuddle in front of movies.

Parker kissed me three more times. I was swooning when we went upstairs.