Page 23 of Daddy’s Little Secret

“Much better since I napped and ate. Can we at least go to the arcade?” Daddy side-eyed me and squinted, like he was trying to get inside my head. “Please?”

“Alright. Finish your fries then we’ll go play.”

“Yay!” We took the stairs down, since it was only one floor. Would’ve taken longer to wait on the elevator. “Whoa.”

“Whoa is right. Rides in the Adventuredome or games and prizes in the midway.”

“Midway!”

“Alright, back up this set of stairs. I wonder if we could’ve come straight across from our floor?” Daddy got all thinky while I started my plan of attack. I wanted to win a bunch of new stuffies for me and Tae. “Let’s load up a couple playing cards.” Daddy walked over to the machine and put a bunch of money on them.

“Wait, Daddy, I have money too. You don’t have to pay for everything.” I hardly paid any bills, and now that Grandma was here with us, I wasn’t helping her out anymore either. So, my money just sat in the bank.

“I’m the Daddy.”

“And I’m the boy and one who wants to help out too.”

“Fair enough, you can do the refill, which I have a feeling you’re gonna need.”

“Deal.” I ran right over to the claw machine filled with Squishmallows. “I’ve wanted a Squishmallow for forever.”

“Forever, huh?” Daddy smiled. “This is the first I heard of it. Let’s test our skills.” Daddy set himself up at the machine beside me. “Ready, set, go!”

Daddy won the first one, a cute blue bear, but I won the next two. “An elephant and a cow.” I was so excited, but not ready to stop. “Let’s try the Pokémon one. Maybe they have a Meowth for Sabrina.”

We were still playing when the attendant announced they were closing in twenty minutes. “Whoa.” I glanced down at the pile between us. “How many do we have now.” We’d hit every skill crane game and totally forgot to play the rewards ones.

“An even dozen. Alright, let’s run these up to our room then find an all-night diner. I’m sure they have one in here.” Our arms were so full it was hard to hold onto all of them. “Which is your favorite, Angel?”

“The blue bear Squishmallow you won.”

“Why is that?”

“’Cause it’s my first stuffie from Daddy.”

10

“Angel, if we win any more prizes there won’t be room for us in Daddy’s truck.” The little shit giggled. “Seriously. I think it’s time to forego the arcade and hit the strip.” Today was our last day here and we hadn’t left the hotel yet. “How about taking a ride down to the M&M Store then over to Hershey and look around.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

We wandered out to the ride-share area and found the attendant. “How far is the walk to the M&M store.”

His eyes widened. “In this heat, I’d recommend a cab. It’s just over five miles.”

“Good call. We’ll take a cab.” He waved us over to the next available one, and we hopped in. These guys buzzed in and out of traffic like the hundreds of people walking along the strip weren’t even there. It was a bit unnerving, but at least we got a chance to look around while he drove.

“MGM Grand is where I’ll drop you off. Just follow the signs to the store. It’s connected to the Coke store facing the main strip.”

“Awesome, thank you, sir.” We hopped out after I paid and found our way through the casino to Las Vegas Boulevard where the shops were. “Here we are. Wow, three stories tall. Are you alright with that?”

“I think so. I want to be because I want to see everything they have. Can I try?”

“You can always try, Angel, but if you feel the anxiety hitting you, let Daddy know right away.”

“Promise you won’t be mad?”

“I always promise not to be mad as long as you’re honest with me.”