Little Bedtime Snack (The Lactin Brotherhood)

13. Eli

13

ELI

When Mason told me he had to go away for work, I didn’t love the idea. What boy would? We’d been spending time together nearly every day. We often shared a meal or went for a walk, but sometimes we simply occupied the same space. And on the good days, we spent the night at each other’s houses.

But now, not only was he going to be a thousand miles away, but he was going to be working for most of it. And thanks to time zones, we weren’t even going to be able to video chat as much as I wanted. It was going to suck.

I missed him before he even left, but I tried to be brave and not show it. It wasn’t like he was going on vacation without me. He didn’t need to be worried about me when he was trying to close a deal, or whatever it was. I didn’t fully understand his job still, but I was trying.

Being the sweet Daddy that he was, he invited me to go with him. He offered me a flight, a fancy suite for us to share, and even a rental car so I could go out exploring while he was in meetings. I wanted to accept so badly.

The problem was, it was a busy time at work, and no one was getting approved for PTO. Unless they were actively dying in the hospital, sick days were being refused. I wasn’t sure how they could legally do that, but they did it anyway. If you could stand, you came to work. There were only a few times a year when this was the case, and of course, it had to line up with his trip.

So, I stayed behind.

The first day he was gone, I beyond missed him. And because he was traveling and dealing with opening-night meetings, checking in, and networking, I was barely able to text him, much less have a full conversation. I tossed and turned all night, unable to get any real sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, he had sent me a video message wishing me a great day, and I felt better. Well, better-ish

Off to the toll booth I went for another long day.

At least the day was busy, which worked for distracting me. One person after another came through, and all of them seemingly with issues with payment or directions or the fact that toll booths existed. It was always interesting to see the types that passed through and that was exceptionally true on weeks like this. There was a big music festival up north, and my plaza was one of the main travel routes, keeping me busy as well as slightly entertained.

But then I got home, and once again, the loss of Daddy was there.

It was ridiculous. I was a grown-ass man. I didn’t need someone by my side 24/7.

Except, I sort of did.

The next night, when we talked, I did the one thing I swore I wouldn’t do—I told him exactly how I was feeling.

“You look tired, sweet boy.” Probably because I had bags under my eyes the size of a monster truck tire.

“I’m not sleeping. It’s not the same without you here.”

And I knew better. All it was going to do was make him sad. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it.

But he tried, which only made me feel guiltier.

“How about I call you after my last meeting, and you can listen to me tell a story as you fall asleep?”

“I... I like that, Daddy. I’d like that a lot.”

And when the time came, I did enjoy it. But it didn’t help me fall asleep. Not even the bottles of milk he pumped for me did that.

It wasn’t the same as having him there.

The next day, I did feel slightly better. After work, I drove through and got chicken nuggies, thinking maybe I’d be Little for the night.

Only…

As I reached my door, there was someone there in a courier outfit, but one I didn’t recognize. I had no idea who they were or if they were legit, and it set me on edge.

“Are you Eli?”

I nodded and then second-guessed if I should’ve replied.

“I have a package for you that needs signing.” By package he meant a cardboard envelope.

“Okay—oh, sorry.” I didn’t take any steps closer.

“No. I’m sorry. I’m new at this. I should have started with, ‘I’m from Armand Courier Service, and I just deliver packages. Not like subpoenas or anything.’”

That took me aback. If that was how he had to start every day, I couldn’t imagine what his job must look like. It had me less on edge.

I signed for it and watched him walk away before I went inside with my food, ready to collapse and be a slug.

But before I had the door shut completely, my phone was ringing.

It was Daddy.

“Hi.” Daddy had called me. Already, my night was looking up.

“I got a notification. You got my present?”

“This is from you? A present.” That was a thousand times better than anything that had gone through my mind, especially after the whole subpoena comment.

“Yeah, I thought you might like it.”

I dropped the food where it was and plopped onto the floor, criss-cross applesauce, to open it—not willing to wait long enough to even get fully into the room.

Inside was a plane ticket.

“You…you got me a ticket to come be with you?” And first class too.

“My boy needs to sleep.”

“But I can’t—I have to work tomorrow.” And I couldn’t be fired, even if I wanted this trip more than anything.

“You don’t, though.”

“My boss disagrees.” Stupid work.

“Think about who has tomorrow off.” His voice was light and completely unbothered. He figured out something I’d missed.

It took me a few seconds, but then I realized what he meant. “Jeb.” It was his one day off this week.

“Yes. Jeb. Not only does he have tomorrow off, but when I called him to see if this was something you might like, he offered to take over for you.”

I really did have the best friends ever. I was going to make it up to him.

“You did all of that for me? Both of you?”

“Of course. You need some sleep, and besides, I miss you. Please say you accept.”

“Yes, Daddy. I accept. I can’t wait! What should I bring?”

We spent the next hour going over details, and then he had to get to a meeting. Only this time, I didn’t mind because in the morning, I was going to board a plane and finally see my Daddy.