Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Ugh.
“But if we rush, then I can’t think.” It was a very good plan. “It’s like pulling the bandage off, Santa.”
He rolled his eyes.
That wasn’t a good look on Santa.
“You’re supposed to be smiling and jolly, Santa.” That was part of the scene.
One eyebrow went up.
“With good boys, Santas are always happy and just talk about nice things like presents, right?” When I nodded, he huffed but it wasn’t his mad sound, so I knew I’d won. “You are cute and sneaky.”
Yes.
“But I’m not a brat because that’s exhausting.” We’d both agreed on that. I needed to work up to bratting that much. “And I like cuddling with you and telling you how wonderful you are.”
But I’d been funny as a brat.
Conner had even texted me and told me that I’d done a good job.
“I like cuddling with you too.” He wasn’t smiling as he admitted that, though. I had a Santa that didn’t like losing. “Santas probably don’t ask a lot of questions either.”
Santas were amazing that way.
But I shrugged and managed not to giggle because I’d found the best loophole. “They ask about presents and ask for happy stories and they probably play games. Some of the littles even have Santa people who give them tickles.”
Naughty tickles.
I couldn’t hold back my giggles that time and it made my Santa laugh. “Oh, I have a naughty helper.”
Maybe.
“I don’t know if I’m naughty or not, but Dr. Miles said it was okay not to know. He said you’d help me figure that out.” He’d said I should talk to my Santa too, but I didn’t want to do that.
Talking was hard.
“I would be glad to help you and we’ll figure out what other kinds of things you like too.” Shifting lower in the big chair, Santa snuggled me closer and wrapped his arms around me like I was a baby. “Fun food things or more toys. We’ll find books you like and maybe some bathtub toys. You like the tub.”
Whispering again, I scrunched my eyes closed. “I want bubbles, Santa.”
“Then we’ll have a bubble bath. Do you want to do that tonight? We can use shampoo or bodywash to make bubbles until we get the good kind that smells nice.” He made that sound fun. “We’ll have to figure out if you want the bubble gum scent or maybe watermelon. Hmm. Why do the fun bubbles always smell like food?”
“Because they give grown-ups the flower bubbles?” I didn’t want to be stinky. “I don’t want to be a flower, Santa.”
“Then food it is.” His voice had a big smile in it. “I’d rather you smell like watermelon if I’m going to give you kisses after your bath.”
Naughty kisses?
Hmm.
“Cheek kisses or naughty kisses?” I liked kisses. Grown-up me liked both kinds, so helper me probably liked both too.
Santa snickered. “You’ve got two kinds of cheeks, silly goose.”
Happy Santas were cheeky.
Ha.
I was so funny.
“You’re the silly one.” I hadn’t been thinking about my other cheeks, so I sighed and pretended that he was a handful. “Definitely naughty kisses.”
My sigh made him laugh. “You know your Santa very well.”
I did.
And that meant I knew I had a good Santa.
“But we’ll just figure that out and see what Santa’s helper likes best.” Santa shrugged. “It might be one. It might be the other. It might be both. It might be neither.”
“No. Not neither.” That was so silly. “I like kisses.”
“See? You already know something important. You know a few important things. You know you like kisses. You know you don’t want to smell like flowers. You know the toys you want for Christmas.”
“You can surprise me with them before Christmas if you want.” I wouldn’t stop him if he got excited and they came early.
Santa laughed. “Oh, you’re going to tempt me. I like buying you presents.”
He did.
I had a closet full of silly clothes and sexy clothes and work clothes to prove it.
“You’re very good at buying presents.” So it was only fair that I gave him a new way to buy me more. Dr. Miles said he thought that was very good logic. “And it makes you happy, so I’m not going to stop you.”
I liked making him happy whether he was my Rhett, my Sir, or my Santa.
Chapter 7
Rhett
Listing off all the things he knew he liked had my brain jumping to all the things I knew. Like, I knew he wanted to be a helper, not a little. I knew I was Santa, not Daddy, but I got to do Daddy things because I could buy him toys and give him bubble baths.
He was also not doing his best to look grown-up and was even slouching over and had his hands between his knees again as he wiggled against me.
I knew he could handle me buying him toys because he’d done his field trip to Walmart to prove it. I understood why he’d done it that way, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. But I wasn’t going to pout because I was supporting his journey and not doing it for him.