Page 21 of Not the Punk

“It’s Christmas Eve. They’re not gonna have any good ones left.” Kay shook his head.

Joe stormed out of his music room. “Nuh-uh. There’s like three places up on the main road, and they still have bunches of trees.” That’s when he noticed all the pretty wrapped packages. “What’s all this?”

“Surprise!” Kay threw his hand in the air and Don clapped, jumping up and down.

“Surprise?” Joe’s brows furrowed as he scowled.

“Yes.” I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. “I bought these for you and had them sent to Kay’s.”

“We wrappeded them all for you. Merry Christmas.” Don picked one of them up. “Well, ‘cept this one. This one’s from us.” Holding it with both hands, he shook it.

“For both of you,” Kay added.

“Wow. I don’t even know what to say.” Joe was obviously stunned. Mission accomplished.

Kay gave Joe a hug. “Just say, ‘Merry Christmas,’ duh.”

“Duh…” Joe messed up Kay’s hair. “Merry Christmas for sure. Let’s go get the tree now and have lunch afterward.”

“Someone’s in the spirit now.” I couldn’t help but love how he came alive when he looked at all his gifts.

“How can I not be with all these prezzies to put under it?” He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go!”

It took over two hours to find the perfect tree and stop at a big-box store to scrape together what they had left of lights and decorations. “I should have ordered all this stuff too.”

“It’s way funner to do it together.” He dropped a few ornaments into the cart on top of the boxes of lights and garland. “I think this is enough. It’s not that big of a tree.”

“Next year, more planning and a bigger tree. Promise.” I kissed the side of his head before pushing the cart toward the checkout.

We stopped to pick up tacos on the way home, since we were starving by then, and afterward, we set up the tree and decorated. “Feels like we should have hot cocoa, but I don’t really want it.” He hung another ornament on a branch. “Had that problem in LA too, but it’s even hotter here. Hell, if I had a pool, we could swim today.”

I glanced out the sliders at his big, covered patio with a table and chairs next to what looked like a hot tub. “Maybe tonight we can get in.”

Joe followed my line of sight. “Maybe. I’ll have to check the chemicals.”

But when it came down to it, we decided he needed tubby time and early bed instead. We could play in the hot tub some other time. I fixed the bath for him and washed his hair. Then helped him rinse under the shower.

“Thanks, Daddy.” He leaned forward and kissed me as I wrapped him in a big towel. He’d been calling me Daddy all day, and it thrilled me because now I knew that it wasn’t all in my head. Joe did like me, and he was a Little. Or maybe a Middle. He seemed to slide around the scale, depending on what was going on and where his head was, but all of that was perfectly okay with me. It fed my Daddy-energy. Taking care of him felt like the exact right thing.

But it was also difficult being the more vulnerable one in the relationship because Joe could decide he didn’t want a Daddy. I would have to deal with it, then figure out if I even could. I certainly didn’t want to. I wanted this confident, beautiful man to be mine forever.

Chapter eleven

Joe Christmas Morning

I felt like a kid again, only better this time. I woke up before the sun and bounced on the bed to wake Colten up. The day before had been busy with the tree and all, and when we went to bed, we kissed and made out and fell asleep in each other’s arms. I was hoping for way more than that today. But first, I had prezzies to open.

That gave me a moment of pause. I seemed to be slipping into my Little a lot more easily lately. I’d never considered myself Little, but I liked being myself and having fun. My life had been entirely too serious, and it didn’t have to be. The whole Trent thing aside, it was actually great, and with Colten, it was even better. I didn’t want to take that for granted, but it was time to get up and have Christmas.

“Get.” Bounce. “Up.” Bounce.

Colten grabbed my leg. “Stop before you fall.”

“Then get up.”

“Sheesh…you’d think it was Christmas morning or something,” he grouched.

“Duh. It is Christmas morning and I need to open all those prezzies.”