Page 83 of Soft
There was a slew of cabinets in the cozy kitchen, and not being familiar with the space meant I had to open each and every one to find what I was looking for. As far as kitchens went, things were separated in a logical way, with cups and plates and glassware grouped together.
But then I got to a door where the world came to a screeching halt. Because in there, my boy had absolutely shown a part of himself that I had not yet seen. A part where he was clearly obsessed with bagels.
Yes,bagels.
As in the bread product people liked to smother in butter or cream cheese. Personally, I was a fan of making them into sandwiches, but I didn't have them often. With the amount sitting in Grizzly's cabinet, I had to guess that he had them a lot more than I did.
I quickly counted the bags I could see just from the open doorway, and when I reached fifteen, I knew I'd discovered a secret. It wasn't shameful or anything. Just… who kept fifteen bags of bagels? More than fifteen, actually, since I could see some of the bags had others behind them.
I pulled down the one that appeared to be open and set it on the counter. Then I opened the fridge and grabbed a few other basicsI knew I could handle whipping up. The coffee pot came to life when I turned it on, so I went about making myself a cup and preparing extra for when he woke up.
I was in the midst of scrambling eggs when I felt arms wrap around my chest from behind. His chin went to my shoulder, and I turned my head to press a kiss to his temple.
"What are you doing out of bed, sleepyhead?" I called him that because his eyes were still closed, even as he stood behind me.
"Missed you," he grumbled.
He tilted his head down until his mouth was on my shoulder, then he proceeded to suck against my skin like he’d been doing to his thumb the night before. I knew I would have a hickey there, but damn if I was going to say anything. It didn't hurt. Plus my boy appeared to be happy. He was in this dream-like, floaty state still. Who was I to ruin that?
The weight of him on me felt nice too. I'd missed him when I left the bedroom. Hell, I missed him any time he wasn't around. I just knew once the season really got going, I would be miserable without him. We'd have to find other ways to keep in touch. It would do neither of us any good to keep the other in the dark.
That was a problem for later, though.
I finished off the eggs and turned off the burner. "Come on, baby," I sighed softly as I nudged him gently. His mouth popped off my shoulder, and his face buried in my neck before I could move.
"No," he said.
I chuckled, which shook us both, and he pulled back, his nose wrinkling.
"Owies," he said, his mind obviously in Little mode.
I pressed a kiss to his nose—the only place he could have possibly been hurt with that movement—and then plated up the eggs. I stuck a bagel in the toaster, which wound up being the thing to make his eyes fly open.
He gasped, covering his mouth. "Daddy," he whispered behind his palm.
I smirked, leaning my hip on the counter next to the toaster. I held my arms wide, motioning for him to come forward. He shook his head and backed away.
"Now there's no need for all of that," I told him. "I already found your secret stash, and I'm not judging you one bit. It is excessive to have that many bagels, especially when they expire, though. At least freeze some."
His shock morphed into confusion as his hands drifted down to his sides. I took in his outfit from head to toe and smiled to myself, noting that they were the pajamas I'd gifted him. I had plans for another set, but it would take a bit of maneuvering to get those ready. It wasn't every day I custom-ordered clothing to size. That made it more complicated than simply pressing an order button online.
I shook my head to get rid of the thought. No need to spoil the surprise.
The toaster popped up before I could move over to comfort him, so I pulled the two pieces out and dropped them on the plate.
"Butter or cream cheese?" I asked, since he had both in the refrigerator.
"One of each," he admitted.
His expression still told me he had no clue what to make of my lack of teasing or judgment. I knew it would take more time for my boy to understand that I wouldn't find anything he did outlandish. He was perfect for me in every single possible way imaginable. There wouldn't be anything he could say that would send me running. In fact, he was probably going to have to push me away when he needed space.
I finished dressing his bagels and then my own before taking the plates over to the small table he had. I set them down, then pulled our chairs close together.
"Come on, baby," I said, patting the seat beside me. "We need to eat."
He eased into the spot, looking from the plate to me and then back. His gaze turned next to the door I knew held all the bagels. He bit his lip as his hands wrung together.
"You don't think it's weird?" he asked, voice turning slightly smaller.
