Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Andy pulled away and asked in concern, "But what about Dalton's place?" It made me sad that Andy didn't think of his old apartment as belonging to him in any way, but hopeful that he was settling in here with me.
"You don't need to worry about that," I promised. "Daddy will take care of everything."
"Thank you," he replied, squeezing me tighter. "I'm so lucky."
"I feel the very same way." I kissed his curls and added, "I see some dolls who are looking lonely over there." Andy let me loose and hurried over to his toys as I chuckled.
Andy picked up two Barbie dolls and carried them to the house, which he knelt in front of before straightening out the hem of his skirt. I sat behind him and watched quietly as he sank into his game.
The two Barbies (which he named Kimmie and Candy) found out that they both rented the same vacation home on their beach trip. At first, they were confused and a little frustrated, but they quickly decided they didn't need to fight because the house was big enough to share.
The two of them walked through the house together and decided which bedrooms they liked. They put their luggage away and decided to go for a dip together in the pool.
Andy removed their clothing and carefully placed them in the baskets before pulling out a stack of tiny bathing suits. He dressed the dolls in every single one before choosing his favorites.
When he sent Kimmie down the slide into the plastic basin, I got an idea. I hated to leave Andy, but I knew he'd love my plan. I stood and hurried into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. When I returned, it was obvious that Andy hadn't even realized I was gone. I didn't mind; it meant he was enjoying his game.
"Duckling, I brought something for your pool." I poured the water into it while Andy beamed.
"That's so smart! Thank you, Daddy." He tipped his head back and pursed his lips, which I gladly kissed.
I lost count of how many times he slid the dolls into the water, cheering each time they made a splash. I didn't think he'd ever get tired of it, but eventually, he brought them back inside the house, dried them off, and tried on a string of outfits.
Candy announced that she was hungry for lunch and a pang of guilt shot through me when I realized how much time had slipped away. But when I offered to make lunch for Andy, he said he was still full from our giant breakfast and went back to his game.
I loved watching him with his dolls. He handled them so tenderly and played so sweetly. His game was full of friendship building between his toys, and it made my heart ache that he'd gone so long without experiencing that for himself. For most of his life, he had no one to lean on or talk to. But now he had Joey and Ian, and I was sure that he'd soon count Izzy, Nikolai, Denny, and Jett amongst his friends. And of course he always had me. Never again would he know loneliness.
The hours ticked on and Andy's attention didn't slip from his game. The gentle smile didn't budge from his face as he positioned his dolls, and the joy never left his voice as he staged the conversations. He was lost in a state of total peace.
Eventually, Andy changed his dolls into pajamas and tucked them into bed. Once they were settled in, he stretched his arms over his head and turned around to look at me for the first time.
"What time is it, Daddy?"
I pulled out my phone and felt guilty again when I answered, "It's almost six."
"I thought it was close to dinner time," he replied with a nod, and my guilt grew.
"What are you hungry for? I'll cook you anything you like."
"Actually, would it be okay if I cook for you? I've had such an amazing day and I want to thank you with one of my special grilled cheese sandwiches."
While I'd like to treat Andy, I could see that this was important to him. "That would be lovely."
I helped my boy to his feet and walked into the kitchen with him. I planned on showing him where my utensils and food items were, but Andy surprised me by opening cabinets and looking for things himself.
"Oh great, you've got all the ingredients!" he exclaimed as he gathered them and stacked them on the counter. Hm even though he'd never been in this kitchen, he looked completely comfortable as he floated around, like he was made to be there with me. But then I remembered he was.
Andy sprayed a pan and got to work, masterfully stacking items I never would have thought to mix between the bread; two different kinds of cheese, barbecue sauce, and barbecue flavored potato chips to 'give it a little crunch'.