Page 25 of Colby's Lost Binky

Barrister left to go deal with that, and I went and checked on some of the other guests.

When I first came to this city, the only people I knew were my sister and my nephew. I might not have blood relatives here other than them, but I had so much family, the kind you picked out for yourself. I looked around at all the different people who came to celebrate this new chapter in my life. Who would have thought getting fired would be the best thing that ever happened to me?

Epilogue

Barrister

Pacing from the living room to the front door and back again, I waited for Colby to return from work. Normally, he would have been home by now, and I cursed softly at the fact that today of all days, he had offered to stay an extra couple of hours to assist with a new software program installation. Normally, I wouldn’t have minded in the least, but today, I had a huge surprise for him, one I’d had in progress for weeks and barely been able to keep under wraps.

The guest room next to our bedroom had been a work in progress in its transformation to a nursery for my little. I checked my watch again. He’d texted me when he left the club, and he should be just a few minutes out now, traffic permitting.

Unable to help myself, I darted upstairs and stepped into the newly refurbished room, breathing in the clean scents of fresh cotton and baby powder. Over time, Colby had mentioned things that he’d love to have in a nursery one day. The big changing table in the changing room at Chained for example had been a wish. A crib and dresser in matching white wood hand-painted with duckie decals. Soft blankets, pacies, drawers filled with his little clothing and more that I’d added… In short, a little paradise.

One corner held a double-wide glider, very nice for me to sit with my little on my lap and read him a story from the adjacent bookcase. He was going to have a fit if he ever guessed what I spent, but I’d been saving my money for the longest time and for what if not to give pleasure to the man I loved?

The only construction required had been a door at the back of the bathroom closet to connect the new nursery to our suite. At first, I hadn’t had any idea how to make that happen, but then Colby was called to Chained to help out with a project. He was gone for three days, and by the time he returned, the dust was all vacuumed up and I’d replaced the shelves holding various bathroom supplies in front of the door. Once we had the unveiling, the shelves could just be taken down, and bam! Easy access to the nursery without having to go into the hallway. The walls were painted a pale gray with an accent wall in a pattern of ducks so tiny you had to get right up against them to make it out. The ceiling was white, and the hardwood floor nearly covered by a large area rug printed with a town, ideal for playing with cars or small figures. My little enjoyed games of imagination.

“I’m home!” Colby’s voice came from the bottom of the stairs. The walls in this home were thick, and it was hard to hear beyond them unless the door to the hallway was open. I quickly exited the nursery through the bathroom and closed that door tight behind me, leaving the shelves aside.

“Come on up. I want to show you something.”

“Okay.” He appeared in the bedroom doorway, wearing the pleated slacks and button-down he preferred for work. It might be a club, but the offices were professional, and he liked to look the part. “What’s up?”

“It’s in the bathroom.” I waved him past me.

“Not another spider?” We’d had a few lately and he liked to pretend they scared me, although they didn’t. Whichever of us found them, captured and released them in the back garden.

“No, it’s in the closet.”

“Oh?” He started toward it. “Don’t tell me that shelf is loose again? Didn’t you have a handyman in last week? As I was leaving for the airport?”

I’d forgotten the excuse I gave him when the painter knocked on the door. “Yes, I guess he didn’t fix it.”

“You’ll have to call him back.” He opened the closet door and stepped inside. “Barrister, there’s no shelf at all… Did you know there’s a door here?”

“Really? How odd.” I heard the click of the knob and then silence. “Colby?”

“D-Daddy, someone put in a nursery.” He sounded so shocked, I mentally high-fived myself. My surprise worked.

I followed him into the room, but when he turned, his eyes brimmed with tears. “Colby, what’s wrong? If you don’t like it, we can change anything. I should have asked you what you’d like, but I thought I knew. I was making notes…”

“Are you joking? This is the most beautiful nursery in the whole world. The changing table just like the one at Chained. The chair for story time. The toy box full of cars and little people and all the things to play with in the town on the rug. The crib.

“This is all just for me. You listened to everything I ever said I wanted in a nursery… And then you made it come true.” He launched himself into my arms. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, my good boy. I hope you’ll have many happy hours playing in here.”

“With you.” He lifted his face and peppered mine with kisses. “And our friends. We can have playdates and all the fun times. Did I say I love you?”

“Yes, but I am happy to hear it again.” I kissed his forehead. “For the rest of our lives.”