Timeless • A Kyle Kuzma Fanfiction

xxvii

kyle

"Blake, princess, get up." I lightly shake Blake and she gurgles out of displeasure.

"Blake, come on," I grunt, picking her up, and holding her at my chest. She starts to cry before opening her eyes and seeing it's me.

"Daddy!" She squeals, waking up almost instantaneously.

"Oh boy! I missed you! I have to tell you about my party!" I shush her and her eyes go wide.

"We're going to surprise mommy for her birthday and then you can tell me all about your party, princess."

She nods heavily and lets me pick her up. We tip toe into the kitchen where the groceries I had bought earlier that morning lie on the counter.

"Waffles or pancakes?"

"Waffles." We agree at the same time.

I sit her on the counter and help her add water to the instant mix and stir. I make sure she's stable before turning on the waffle maker turning back to Blake.

"Daddy?"

I hum in answer, focused on getting all the lumps out of the mix. This is going to need more water.

"Does mommy love you?"

I pause in my stirring and look at her, only to see she's already peering at me with those wide eyes.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because she didn't say she loved you back when we were on the video. But I know she loves you b-because she cries when you leave."

My eyebrows shoot up and I turn my head to the side. "She cries?"

Blake nods her head heavily. "She misses you all the time, daddy."

I smile to myself and chuckle lowly.

I sigh as small arms wrap around my torso and a head is buried in my back. Flashbacks of the night before come back, accompanied by a rush of blood to my face.

She moves away from me and helps Blake down, "Hey pooh, go dig out Horsie and show daddy." Blake doesn't have to be told twice as she hurries off, leaving only her mom and I in the kitchen.

"Hey."

I smile down at her with a tucked lip and laugh. "Hey."

Her arms come around my neck while I pin her against the counter and I'm immediately reminded of our first kiss.

"Was last night a dream or did you actually have me as a midnight snack?"

I throw my head back and laugh, my eyes watering. "A midnight snack?"

She shrugs though a childish grin is teetering at her lips.

"But seriously. Did we...?"

"Yes I ate you out, Astin." She slaps my shoulder and looks around.

"Don't say it like that!"

Now I shrug and make no means of hiding my childish grin. "What? I did, I had to do something after you got me all...excited."

"By telling you I love you! You're a psychopath, babe."

"Can you blame me though? It sounds so good coming from you." I bury my head in her neck.

She purrs and holds my neck. "I love you."

"You're not getting ate out right now."

She gasps and pushes me away. "I wasn't saying it for that!"

I chuckle and assume my original position, moving her head so I could be more comfortable. "I love you too, As."

She mumbles something under her breath that I didn't quite catch, but it didn't matter as Blake came bounding into the kitchen with a large toy horse that was damn near bigger than her.

"Look, daddy! Look!" She muffles, her tiny body being shielded by the stuffed animal.

"Who got you that, sweetheart?" I scoop Blake up and sets her on my hip.

"Uncle AJ! He said that when I got a little bigger he would buy me a real one just like it!"

She's smiling so wild her gums are showing and it's almost impossible not to grin back. Somewhere along the lines, along with falling in love with her mind blowing mom, I'd fallen in love with being this little girl's dad. I knew that Astin didn't really want to think that I was replacing Blake, and it wasn't exactly my goal, but he's not here and I am, so someone had to step up. From what I've heard, Blake shared a lot of the same characteristics as her birth father, but it seems unlikely since when I look and watch her all I see is Astin. When she smiles, she has the one dimple Astin possesses. Whenever she's tired, one of her eyes close while the other one teeters back and forth between consciousness, like Astin's. Their resemblance was uncanny and I could only hope when we did—in the far future— have our own child, that they'd get the same characteristics as her, too.

"I'll have to talk to Uncle AJ about that one, but I do love your toy," I replied to her. In a lower tone I whispered, "Now go put it back so we can finish mommy's breakfast." Her eyes widen a little as she scrambles back into her room. Astin turns to me with a raise eyebrow and I shrug, going back to whisking the eggs.