A Daddy for Alexi by Joe Satoria

EPILOGUE

THREE MONTHS LATER

FRIDAY

WARREN

It was unusual to wake without the startling ring of my alarm. It was rare I woke without feeling tired. There was a sweet mint scent in the air.

Through hazy eyes, I reached out to my side. Blurred. My brows creased. There was a large teddy bear in my bed. It wasn’t Alexi.

Where was Alexi? Why hadn’t my alarm gone off?

Turning over, I reached the bedside table for my phone. There was a piece of pink paper folded over it.

‘Happy Birthday. It’s gonna be a special day for a special daddy!’ It was written in different coloured crayons, the same crayons he had for his colouring books. It brought a smile to my face. Then the realisation settled in. It was my birthday.

I’d told Alexi I didn’t want anything special. I’d taken the day off work, forced to because Alexi said we’d be spending the day in our pyjamas.

Out of bed, I quickly realised he’d sold me a lie. He wasn’t in the flat at all, and he’d taken Sugar with him as well. I looked back in the bedroom, wondering if there was another note or text from him.

The teddy bear in the bed was a nice touch, but it was twice the size of him, and fluffy. Of course, it wasn’t going to replace him.

It was 9:44 A.M. I grabbed my robe and went back into the living room where the blinds had been opened, filling the flat with bright blue morning light.

Another note on the counter. The same pink paper.

‘Have some breakfast and then text me.’ In those same crayons, with ‘text me’, underlined twice. Of course, he hated calling, and I knew he’d rather text.

I had told him no surprises, so I guess it was just me listening to his wishes. Even though I was excited about the surprise. I wondered what he’d planned, my mind creating all different types of scenarios. It was unlike him to do this, especially since we’d already agreed on a really nice day together, only together, enjoying each other.

I made myself a slice of toast and I ate it while walking around the apartment, looking for clues as to what Alexi had planned and what he had in store. It was a surprise I hadn’t noticed him planning it. Unless he’d planned it while he was at work.

I showered and got dressed before texting him. Wearing a blue button-down shirt with a vest beneath it, and a pair of denim shorts. It was warm at the end of July.

While I enjoyed the heat and warmer weather, it meant Alexi had stopped wanting to dress in the cute, cuddly onesies. He’d now started sleeping in a jock, and that was heaven to wake up to. His skin on mine. But it also meant I was running on fumes, as my erection could only get so strong each day.

Ding.

He’d sent me the address.

It was the same address as the cat café, Pink Paws.

He hadn’t mentioned he’d be at work today. In fact, I figured he had the day off as well. But it was 10:38 A.M. and maybe he’d made plans for lunch. A picnic? I wondered.

Arriving twenty minutes later. I looked through the window to see Alexi in the pink t-shirt with the company logo on. He was cuddled up with Sugar in his arms. Sitting at a table with two men, Grant and my best friend, Harry. They were all wearing pink cone birthday hats.

“Wow,” I said, entering the café.

They were sitting at the table next to the window.

“Happy birthday,” Alexi immediately said, standing. He blushed, sitting as quickly. A little loud for him. He smiled, covering a hand over his mouth. His head tilted to Sugar at his side.

“Happy birthday,” the other two said.

“I’m actually surprised,” I admitted. “I didn’t think Alexi would ever do something like this.”

Harry chuckled. “I told him you weren’t a fan of surprises.”

I shuffled into the seat beside Alexi, giving him a hug and kissing his cheek. “It’s a nice surprise.”

“Oh, well, it doesn’t stop there,” Grant said. “We’ve got more where that came from. A badge. A sash. And your own hat.” He plucked at the string beneath his chin, keeping his hat in place.

Harry handed me a small gift bag from across the table. “To make sure everyone knows you’re the birthday boy,” he said.

Alexi’s hand was at my side, hugged around my waist. He pulled me in close. “I have another surprise,” I said.

Grant tssked his teeth. “I’m not sure if he’ll like this one though.”

“He’ll love it,” Harry said.

Nervous. Usually it wasn’t split down the middle. They both knew me. They should know how I’d react to surprises, good or bad. I didn’t know what this one was, but it was coming. “Well?” I asked, waiting after a brief pause.

“When you brought me here, you told me to pick a kitten,” he said. “Why don’t you pick one?”

“Me?” I asked. Alexi was the one who took care of Sugar. I was just there to fill the saucer with milk sometimes. I planted my hand on his knee. “I think you should pick for me.”

His eyes lit up like a child on Christmas. “Really? Because—because Sugar has a friend, and—”

I nodded. My hand beneath his chin, I pulled his ear to my lips. “Whatever my boy wants, it can be your special day too.” I kissed him on the cheek.

“Ok!” Harry shouted, “put the party hat on, because they’re about to play music and Marcella has even made a special birthday milkshake, just for you!”

I looked at Alexi again. This time my eyes were wide, but with worry. “Only if you share it with me,” I said, patting Alexi’s knee.

“Noooooo,” he chuckled, “I’m picking a cat!” He scooted out from beneath the table and was in his second home, the kitten pen.

Sugar snuggled up to me in the warmth of his seat while he’d gone.

“So,” Harry said, “I nearly told you about it the other day when I called you.”

“You still didn’t tell me why you called. I thought it was a pocket dial.”

Harry chewed on his tongue. He’d never been someone to become lost for words. “Well,” he said, “you’ll probably hear about it sooner or later, but I actually went on a date with that guy.”

Enthralled in what he was saying, I was trying to piece together all the different people we’d ever talked about. “Who? Which?”

“You know, Benito,” he said.

I knew him as Benny. His name gave me war flashbacks of a time when he drove me crazy. “Well, enjoy that,” I chuckled.

“This one!” Alexi shouted, holding up a kitten. “I think it’s a girl. We can call her Syrup!”

Grant’s eyes grew. He didn’t even need to look behind to see Alexi in his excitement. “Well, looks like Alexi’s dream of having a house filled with kittens is going to come true.”

“Don’t you know it,” I laughed. “Is it too early to get a beer?”

Alexi approached the table with the cat in his arms. He was red in the face, a permanent smile splashed across him. “Do you like her?”

She was light brown with an orange glow to her coat. “She’s perfect. Just like you.”

Grant and Harry seemed uncomfortable with our affection, but I knew it warmed Alexi, and that’s what mattered.