Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Ant laughed at the way the mountain nearly disappeared when we smashed into it, and when we grabbed giant handfuls of leaves and made them rain down on him.
He flapped his arms and legs against the ground, making 'leaf angels', and then didn't even blink as he watched a beetle crawl across the ground. It was as if he were seeing the world through new eyes, appreciating it more than ever. He was a butterfly busting out of the cocoon he'd built around himself. He was free, and he was beautiful.
After being jumped in, rolled over, and flopped on, all of our leaves turned into little more than dust, so I suggested, "Why don't we go sit on the blanket again for a while and take a little break?" Either the chilly weather or the exertion of his fun had made his cheeks pink and I wanted him to rest.
"Okay." Without prompting, Ant took each of our hands. Enzo and I shared a smile over his head as we walked him back to the blanket. He plopped onto his bottom and crossed his legs, and we sat on either side of him.
Ant was settled into his little mindset, and I wanted him to enjoy it as long as possible. Now that he was relaxed, I thought it would be a good time to bring out his gifts and see what he was interested in. But before the idea made it to my lips, it left Enzo's.
"Ant, is it okay if we get your presents out of the truck?"
Our boy gave an ornery grin. "That's a silly question. Of course presents are okay!"
He was so damn adorable, I couldn't help myself; I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his temple, getting the sweetest little gasp in return. It didn't take a fortune teller to know what was coming next; Enzo gave our sweet boy a kiss of his own, getting an identical noise. Ant's pink cheeks were even darker, though I was positive it had nothing to do with the chilly weather.
“How lucky are we?” Enzo asked me as we reached the truck.
“I can’t believe it. He’s perfect.” Fate had outdone herself by delivering us the most precious gift. Ant was the answer to every desire of our hearts. I was lucky to not only have him in my life, but to share the experience with my brother.
Enzo and I each grabbed a bag from the truck and quickly returned to our boy, who was sitting on the blanket and stroking the fuzzy fabric. He liked soft things, which gave me hope that he’d enjoy the things we bought.
The two of us sat on either side of Ant and I told him, “We’ve got all kinds of goodies for you. Remember, it’s okay if you don’t like something. We won’t be upset; we want to see what you do like and what makes you happy.”
“Okay,” he replied with a bright smile. “Thank you, um…” Ant squished his lips to the side before asking, “What should I call you?”
I didn’t want to push, so I answered his question with one of my own. “What would you like to call us?”
He thought for a moment. “I like ‘Daddy’, but if I call both of you that, it might get confusing. Plus, I think you each need a special name.” What a sweetheart.
“I agree,” Enzo replied, “Felix can be plain old Daddy, and you can give me an extra special name because I’m way cooler than he is.”
Ant’s eyes went wide as he shook his head at me. “That’s not what I meant! I don’t think that! I like both of you the same.” He blushed with his admission and my heart melted.
“It’s okay,” I soothed. “I know what you meant. Enzo is just a stinker sometimes.” My brother didn’t even argue; he just nodded his agreement. “He likes to tease, but I think plain old Daddy is perfect.”
It was more than perfect; it was the name I’d always longed to hear on my boy’s lips when he called for me. Enzo knew what it meant to me, so his teasing was actually a selfless act. He just did things with his own unique…we’ll call it charm.
Ant’s face relaxed back into a pretty smile. My soul rejoiced when he said the most beautiful words I could imagine, “Okay then…Daddy.” He turned towards Enzo and asked, “What do you think of Poppa?”
“I love it.” Enzo tapped the tip of our boy’s nose with his finger, making him giggle. “Ready to check out your goodies?”
“Yes!” While Ant dug into the first back, Enzo shot me a wink, and I bowed my head to show my appreciation.
The first item Ant pulled out was a blue striped rattle. He gave it a little shake and smiled at the noise, and then set it to the side. Okay, the rattle is a no-go. It was just as important to me to know what Ant wasn’t interested in as what he did like.