Page 54 of A Little Bit Naughty

Ohhhh… That’s where it was hiding. It was a secret room!

Once they stumbled through, he had to turn around to look. It was clear that the space was only partially completed, but Izzy loved it instantly. It was tucked into a corner of the house, so one side had an actual turret, where it seemed Daddy was in the middle of building window seats. The lower panes had already been frosted, allowing in plenty of light and a view of the trees from the upper windows, but privacy inside.

The floor and furniture was all a warm, pale wood, polished to a shine. He could practically see what it would look like with a few small rugs on the floor, and maybe a rocking chair or a little table.

There was a high double bed with a mattress but no sheets, the sides designed with slats that looked just like a crib. A low shelf was covered with a canvas drop cloth, but Daddy whisked it away with one hand to reveal a row of colorful bins, some empty and a few filled.

That was all Izzy needed to see. He had already done enough adulting today, and now he could just let everything go. “Daddy! You’re making a bench! And there’s toys! And my bed!” He didn’t care that he was leaving on Thursday. Thursday was for grown-ups. Right now the room was his.

“Little boys can’t go by the window,” Daddy warned him, his wide smile obliterating any chance at sternness. “They could get hurt.”

“OK, Daddy. I’ll stay over here by the toys.”

Daddy squeezed his middle. “I’m sorry there aren’t more. I didn’t want to choose too many things until I knew what my boy would like. But that yellow bin has some dinosaurs in it. And those drawers under the bed have some cute outfits I think you would like.”

Isaac hadn’t even noticed the drawers yet, but he could see them now, the notches to pull them open inset in the smooth, pale wood. He looked between the two, unable to choose. Outfits or dinos?

Luckily, Daddy made the choice for him. “These clothes are already pretty little, but let’s get you into something comfortable for a lazy day at home. And then maybe I can call Tommy’s Daddy and see if they want to join us.”

“Yes, please, Daddy. Are there any dino clothes?”

“I think there just might be some jammies. Not as cute as your dino suit though. Do you want me to get that?”

“Oh no, Daddy. I want my new jammies. Let’s have a pajama party!”

Daddy covered his cheek with kisses, clearly as excited about this as Izzy was himself. “Come over here, baby boy. Let’s go look at your jammies.”

Daddy pulled open the wide top drawer, and there they were. “Look! The apatosaurus is eating my pocket!” Isaac said, pointing to the long-necked dinosaur poking its head into the t-shirt’s pocket. The shirt was white with just the one dino, while the accompanying shorts were a repeating dino print.

“Oh, good. I wasn’t sure if you only liked t-rexes like Roary.”

Izzy scowled. “I like all the dinos. Even the plant eaters.” He reached his hand out to share some of the leaves with the character on his shirt. “Nom, nom, nom.”

“Good. Let’s get you dressed then.” Daddy tossed the outfit on the bed, but not before Izzy had a chance to see the thick, training undies in the drawer.

He was already wearing dinosaur briefs, and he really wasn’t sure that he was ready for Daddy to see him naked. But he wanted them. He wanted Daddy sliding them up his legs and giving him a little pat when he was done. “Wait, Daddy! That one, too.” He pointed.

“These?” Daddy pulled out a fluffy pair of light blue undies with a row of turtles crawling across the butt.

Now he just had to hope that this didn’t get weird. He wanted to feel them snuggled around his body, but he still wasn’t quite ready for more.

“Hmmm…” Daddy looked him over, probably sensing his unease. “Do you want to put them on all by yourself like a big boy or do you want Daddy to help you?”

Izzy made a face. He had no idea.

“How about you hold onto the bed so you don’t fall down, and I’ll stand behind you.”

That was the final thing Izzy needed for all of his stress to slip away. Daddy thought of everything.

He gripped the wooden slats, that honey-warm sensation flooding through him as Daddy unhooked his overalls and let them drop to the floor.

Daddy gave him a little tickle along his sides, just enough to make him giggle and squirm, then pulled down his briefs in a single motion. He felt something near his ankles and looked down to find Daddy’s hands holding the new undies open for him to step into.

He knew that Daddy wasn’t trying to look anywhere he wasn’t supposed to, so fitting his feet into the little holes and letting Daddy slide them up was just fun. Daddy gave him a soft slap on his padded bottom, which made him giggle again. It made him feel just a little bit tingly and very special.

“Feet in,” Daddy instructed, holding up the cotton shorts in the same way. In a few moments, he was fully dressed.

He stuck his hand in the pocket of the t-shirt to eat a few more handfuls of the dinosaur’s leaves. “Here, Daddy.” He proffered another imaginary handful.