Total pages in book: 220
Estimated words: 212755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1064(@200wpm)___ 851(@250wpm)___ 709(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 212755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1064(@200wpm)___ 851(@250wpm)___ 709(@300wpm)
Yep, he needed to get changed so he could have his surprise.
Little Ian was very single-minded in whatever he was focused on. Rabbit. Clothes. Surprise. Then I was assuming dinner…but seeing how that turned out would be fun.
“Yes, once you’re ready, I’ll show you your surprises.” His eyes widened as I took his shirt off as Daddily as I could, no ogling and no flirting.
“Two?” As his head popped out and I laid the shirt on the arm of the chair, he leaned in and questioned again. “Three?”
Well, little Ian could at least count to three.
“We’ll have to see.” My mysterious answer got wiggles and he scrambled to stand up so we could change the rest of his clothes.
As I laughed, his innocent excitement made it impossible to see getting him dressed as anything but sweet and funny. He was delightful, but my favorite part was when he pushed at the waistband of his briefs and shrugged. “Later. Surprises.”
Assuming that meant he’d decided changing briefs wasn’t worth the time it would take, I did my best not to laugh as I helped him into the shorts. He used my shoulders to keep himself steady and started bouncing again as soon as he was dressed. “Now?”
Since saying no would make me a terrible Daddy, I nodded. “Now.”
That had him scrambling to grab the bunny and he took my hand again, dragging me back out to the small foyer where I’d left the groceries. Thankfully, he waited for me to pick the bag up instead of just jumping on it, but I had a feeling it was a close call.
Little Ian wasn’t going to be known for his restraint.
“Now?” He tugged my hand again, looking at the bag with wide eyes. “Yes?”
Laughing, I nodded. “Let’s take it to the table; then you can see what’s inside.”
Ian seemed to agree with that plan based on how fast he moved us into the kitchen. The generously sized room had a good-sized table that would fit all three of us, so I set the bag on it as Ian plopped himself into a chair, wiggling and watching.
“Are you ready?” Slowly inching out the first surprise, I showed him the new coloring book we’d picked out for him.
“Oh…” Snatching it out of my hand at the first chance he got, Ian started paging through the book, studying the animals and houses that were mixed in.
Since Eli had said he loved rabbits, we’d gone with an animal theme that seemed perfect now that I’d seen all the cute stuffies in his room. I knew we’d gotten it right when he pointed to a rabbit that looked a lot like his new one. “Look. Bunny.”
As I nodded, he glanced up at me. “You?”
I wasn’t sure exactly what he was asking, so I took a stab in the dark. “Yes, Daddy and your friend Cohen picked it out just for you. We saw the bunnies and knew it would be perfect.”
Mentioning Cohen could’ve backfired badly, but Ian simply nodded and thought about it for a second before dropping his voice and using a questioning tone. “My friend?”
Nodding, I leaned over and kissed his head. “Yes, your friend and mine. Our friend Cohen.”
Because if we were going to make this work, we all had to be friends at the very least.
“Our.” Ian shrugged, maybe unconvinced or maybe just noncommittal, but he didn’t stay focused on it for long. As soon as he’d skimmed a few more pages he looked over at the bag again, trying to be subtle. “More?”
As subtle as a brick.
He was perfect.
“Yes, there’s more.” I made another show of reaching into the bag but this time stretching it out and teasing him before I pulled out a jar of applesauce.
Ian laughed but quickly made gimme fingers at the bag. “More?”
Trying not to grin, I pulled out a big box of new crayons, which were appropriately appreciated before I pulled out the last surprises. His eyes went wide as he saw the matching sippy cup and divided plate, which had more bunnies bouncing all over them. Bunnies just like his new friend.
They were a hit.
Cohen was going to preen and be utterly insufferable because he’d been convinced they would be Ian’s favorite. I’d just found it to be the cutest thing I’d ever seen, because for someone who kept saying they didn’t date anyone at L and L, he certainly had a lot of opinions on what would make Ian happy.
As Ian traced over the pictures and admired the plate, he looked up at me. “Mine?”
If it was asking something specific, I couldn’t guess, but I nodded and did my best. “Yes, Daddy and friend Cohen picked them out just for you because we were very excited to find special presents for a special boy.”
Ian simply gave me a big smile and nodded before pointing to his applesauce. “Now?”