Page 50 of A Little Bit Naughty

He honestly wasn’t sure if he could do this with another boy, not when all of his memories would be full of Izzy.

He plunged a tiny white straw into a juice box and set it on the wide stone, then opened the two packages.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Now put the rocks down and let’s clean up your hands.” He squirted out some hand sanitizer and supervised Izzy rubbing it around.

“I don’t need hands to eat, Daddy.”

Remi raised one eyebrow.

“I’m a fish! Fishies don’t have hands.”

Remi laughed out loud, though his heart was hurting. He wanted more time with this delightful boy. The chance to see where things went. To date him and maybe, hopefully, move in together. But if he could have even one more day, he would take it.

“Oh?” Remi asked in mock surprise. “Do their Daddies feed them then?”

“Yep,” Izzy nodded seriously. “You have to throw it, Daddy.” He took a step back and waited with his mouth open.

Remi looked around skeptically. He sure didn’t have the coordination to catch a cracker someone tossed into the air. But Izzy probably did. And if he didn’t, well, crackers were cheap and he had another package.

He slid one out and gave it an easy underhand toss.

Izzy darted and weaved, neatly snapping it up. “Again, Daddy!” he cried around his full mouth, clapping his hands.

Remi broke the next one in half and tossed it upward. It glanced off Izzy’s chin and fell, but he scooped it up off the grass. “Ten-second rule!”

Remi snorted. He supposed it was… clean grass? He lobbed another one, and then another, taking joy in Izzy’s delight. Izzy stepped back a few paces, making it harder, but he kept catching them. A few chunks of cookie and apple were lost to the ground, but they kept at it until every piece was gone.

“How are you feeling, baby boy?” Remi asked when both packages were empty. “Is your tummy full?”

Izzy whirled around, arms out to the sides. “I feel goooooood!” Then he kept spinning.

When he stopped and began an unsteady walk, Remi rushed up to catch him.

“I’m dizzy!” he grinned upward.

“Dizzy Izzy,” Remi dropped a kiss on his nose. “That rhymes, too. My Dizzy Izzy.”

“Daddy’s Dizzy Izzy,” he agreed, delighted.

He broke away to spin around again, arms wide and mouth open in laughter.

Remi felt his throat closing. This weekend felt like a dream. In a few short hours, he would wake up to the dreary remainder of his life, while these memories slowly faded into the gray ash of time.

He’d never connected with another person so closely, or so quickly, as he had with Izzy. And this might be all they ever had together. He’d already considered the possibility of moving out to Boston a dozen times, and just as quickly denied it. His whole life was here. And doing anything like that based on a weekend of fun would be ridiculous.

But maybe he could see his baby just a few more times before he left. He’d asked once before, and Izzy hadn’t been sure. He’d flown out all this way to see his best friend, and the two of them had a lot planned.

But Remi had to try again.

Izzy stumbled over to him, careening drunkenly across the short expanse of grass. “Whoa! I’m all spinny, Daddy!”

Remi caught him tight in his arms, absorbing the feeling of his muscular fullness and the sweet baby powder scent of his skin. He looked down at Izzy’s innocent grin and sparkling eyes, watching carefully until his balance returned.

“Dizzy Izzy, do you think I could visit you at Tommy’s house? Or maybe you and Tommy could come visit me?”

Izzy’s brows furrowed. Then his face screwed up like he was going to cry.