Trust in Me - Quinn Ward Page 0,63

our morning routine before they get here.”

“But what about my cups and plates?” Daddy swore it wouldn’t be a problem, but he’d never met my mom. She wasn’t necessarily nosy, but she’d always had a way of finding anything we wanted to keep hidden from her. It was a gift or a curse, I wasn’t sure which.

“We’ve talked about this, Sam.”

Uh-oh. Daddy was getting grumpy. I didn’t like it as much when he called me Sam. That meant grown up talks were coming. He let go of me and sat up against the headboard. As much as I loved cuddling with him, I felt uneasy when he pulled me onto his lap and tightened his arms around my waist.

“But I don’t want to lie to them, Daddy,” I whined. Yes, it made perfect sense to explain away the presence of kids’ dinnerware and toys as being there for when his family came to visit, but it still felt wrong to me. I didn’t want my family seeing my things, even if they wouldn’t know who it actually belonged to. “You don’t know my mom. She’s like a bloodhound sniffing out secrets and ways to embarrass her kids. She doesn’t mean to, but it happens. A lot.”

“Then you need to trust me to keep you safe.” I did. God help me, but I really did because Daddy would never let anyone hurt me. He let out a loud sigh. “Well, since someone decided we should get up early, let’s get dressed and I’ll make breakfast.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Now I felt bad. I was vaguely aware of Daddy tucking me in last night but then he didn’t get into the bed with me. He’d mentioned something about cleaning up so we could snuggle this morning. And then I’d wrecked his plans with my spinny brain.

“I know you didn’t, baby boy.” He kissed the side of my head. “It’s going to be a good weekend.”

I sure hoped he was right. Daddy quickly got me changed into a pair of my big boy undies, jeans, and a super soft sweater. I’d balked when he’d given it to me, certain it was too feminine. It was possible I was still a little bit hung up on binary gender norms, but he was slowly easing me into being more comfortable with who I was, regardless of stereotypes.

While Daddy made breakfast, I pulled out my laptop. Mav probably wouldn’t be up yet, but I wanted to keep my promise to check in with him every few days. Plus, I could vent all my anxiety to him, and he wouldn’t tell me I was overthinking everything. Not that Daddy had said those words, but I could tell he was frustrated with me.

Sammy1995: My parents are going to be here soon. Daddy says I shouldn’t be worried, but I am. What if they don’t like him? What if I slip up and call him Daddy while they’re here? They’re going to be upset that I’m staying with him instead of at my apartment. I just know it.

I sent the first message and was working on another when I saw the bubbles appear, signaling that Mav was indeed awake and he’d seen my rambling.

Maverick0808: Breathe. It’s going to be fine. You’re a grown man and they love you. Yes, they might be concerned but, unless you’ve been lying to me, Theron is an awesome Daddy. They’ll see how much he loves you and they’ll be happy for you.

Sammy1995: But what if they don’t? And what if I’m incapable of calling him by his name?

Maverick0808: Practice before they get there.

I frowned at the screen. That was a horrible idea. Even when we were out in public, I went out of my way to not refer to him as anything because saying his name sounded wrong. The longer we were together, the more Theron slipped away, and Daddy took his place.

Maverick0808: Don’t look at me like that.

Sammy1995: You can’t even see me!

Maverick0808: No, but I know you. You’re probably scowling at the computer screen because you don’t want to do it. But if you’re really worried, you should do it.

Sammy1995: But I’m not ready yet.

Maverick0808: What time are your parents getting there? Maybe you should have let them stay at a hotel, so you’d still have tonight to not have to worry about it.

Sammy1995: I tried that. Daddy said they shouldn’t pay for a hotel when he has extra bedrooms.

Maverick0808: Who said????

Sammy1995: Ugh. I hate you.

Maverick0808: Come on,