Special Time

Jamie squared his shoulders, swallowing hard as he crept into the living room. Matt was on the floor, playing with his race cars, and Angie was in her rocker, sleeping. They both looked so innocent…

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, Matt." He swallowed again, kneeling down to his son's level. "Um…I wanted to talk to you about…about what happened last night."

"You mean when Angie woke up and you weren't there and I had to come get you?"

"Yes…that."

"I told you, I think Angie had a bad dream -"

"Not…not about that." He sighed, his face going three shades of red. "I'm sorry that Mummy and I were…that you saw…"

"Oh…you mean what you and Mummy were doing when I came in?"

"Yes. That."

"Ohhhh." Matt frowned. "Were you playing a game? You looked happy, but I thought Mummy was getting hurt, because you weigh more than her and you were on top of her and she was yelling at you-"

"Matt…" Jamie sighed again, his face burning. "You know that mummies and daddies love each other, right?"

"Right."

"And you know that Mummy and I…well…" He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. "We love each other very much."

"That's why you kiss all the time."

"Hey, we do not!"

"Do so."

Jamie chuckled. "Okay, fine. Yes, we kiss because we love each other. And…well, sometimes…sometimes mummies and daddies want to spend time with each other by themselves, without kids. And they…they have special mummy and daddy time."

"Do they kiss?"

"Yes. It's a lot of kissing and hugging."

"So it's not a game?"

"No."

"So…you hug and kiss while you lay down, then?"

"Yes."

"And…you do it when Angie and I are sleeping because you don't want to gross us out."

Jamie smiled a little. "Yes, exactly. And from now on, Mummy and I are going to keep our door closed, and if you want to come in during the night, you knock."

"So I won't walk in on your special time?"

"Right. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand."

"Good." He pulled his son into a hug. "You know I love you, Matt."

"You know I love you more, Daddy."

"I love you more."

"I love you way more!"

"No you doooon't."

"Yes I dooooooo."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, then, you won't mind if I give you a big kiss?"

"Ewwww!" Matt squirmed as his father planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Daddy, no!"

"I thought you loved me, Matt!"

"I don't like kisses!"

"So you like tickles instead?"

"Noooooo!"

Jamie and Matt both collapsed in a fit of giggles, trying to tickle each other. When Cathy came home from shopping, she found her husband and son rolling on the floor, red-faced and laughing. She assumed that their talk had gone well.