Chapter 16 Drake
After searching online and figuring out a few places that would work, I did something crazy for Matty.
And it wasn’t easy keeping it from him. But first, we opened presents and had breakfast with the guys, including Finn who stayed over instead of going back to his new place.
The presents weren’t much, a lot like the previous year, but it wasn’t what was given but the thought behind it.
Matty and I had agreed to not spend much on each other since we’d bought the new house, and that was a lot.
After cleaning up, I took Matty’s hand. “I do have something else for you, and we need to leave in about twenty minutes, if we’re going to make it.”
“What the hell? Drake—”
“Shush. Go get ready and meet me at the car.” I shoved him toward the back of the house, where our room was. We’d be moving out as soon as our place was finished, but for now, it was still our slice of home.
Twenty-three minutes later, he was buckled in, and we were heading to his surprise. “Daddy? Where exactly are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Matty grumbled under his breath as I headed out, listening to the GPS instructions. Eventually, we entered a quaint, artsy area of Miami. Matty’s face was practically pressed against the window. “Daddy, look. Look at that. The art. It’s everywhere. Look.”
I chuckled, loving his excitement. “Yep. I see, Matty.”
Finally, the GPS stopped us in front of the right building, but there wasn’t parking. I had to circle the block to get to the back. That’s where the agent was waiting to meet us. We got out of the car, and Matty was scowling already. I bumped into him. “Chill out and go with it.”
“What is this?”
“Hi. I’m Jill.”
I shook her hand. “Thanks for meeting us on such short notice.”
“And on Christmas.” Matty elbowed me before he stuck his hand out to shake as well.
“Oh, no problem. I can’t wait to show you the property.”
“Drake?” Matty still didn’t know what was going on.
I put my hand on his shoulder and directed him to follow Jill.
She opened a small back door, letting us into a storage area.
“There’s an office over here.” She opened the door to a room with no windows.
“And bathroom there. It’s not much. But wait for the rest of it.
” She wasn’t kidding; the bathroom was functional and bare, with a toilet and a small sink, but it would probably work.
“This is what you really have to see.” She opened double doors, and we stepped into a completely different room.
“Whoa.” Matty’s jaw dropped, and I swear he was drooling. I couldn’t blame him, though. It was better than I thought.
“Pictures don’t do this justice.” Bright light flooded in from the front windows, illuminating the large open space.
The floors were a gray tone, and the walls were white with gray accents, and they looked to be twelve times larger than they probably were.
The mirrors on the sidewall probably helped with that impression.
“Oh, my…jeez, Drake!” He ran across the floor. “A barre.” He grabbed the wooden handrail attached to the wall. It came up to his hip perfectly. “This place is gorgeous.”
“That comes with the place.” Jill walked over to another area on the far side. “Lockers.” She pointed at the long boxes attached to the wall. “With space to add more, if you need it. You could probably do something else with the backroom to accommodate more, too.”
“I could? What? Drake.” Now he looked pissed.
“Matty. Love of my life…”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing. Yet. But…” I looked around, then back to him. He looked perfect standing there, and I could see him decked out in his ballet clothes, instructing others on poise and strength. “This place is yours. Uh, if you want it. I know it’s the first place we looked at but…”
Matty huffed. “It’s perfect. But I don’t know if we can afford—”
“We can. With what the band has already made this past year. I can drop the first six months’ rent. Or we could buy it. This could be your dance studio. I admit, I did put a deposit on it last night, but you have a few days to decide. Want to look around some more?”
Matty smiled brightly. “Fuck yeah.” He ran across the floor and leaped in the air. It was glorious. Until he landed. He dropped to the floor and rolled. “Ow. Ow. Ow.”
“Matty!” I scrambled over, sliding on my knees the last few feet. I grabbed him. “Matty.” My fucking heart jumped into my throat, and I couldn’t breathe.
Jill rushed over. “Tell me you’re okay, please.”
“Sorry. I’m fine.” A blush rose from his neck and covered his cheeks. “I got too excited. And my knee didn’t like the landing. It’s fine. Buckled a bit, but I’m fine.”
“Be more careful.” I hugged his shoulders to me. “That’s valuable merchandise you’re trying to break.”
He swatted my chest. “Stop.”
“Whew. You had me worried for a minute.” Jill looked relieved. She probably didn’t want to lose a new client before we signed the papers because of Matty’s overexuberance.
“Jill. This place is perfect. Thank you, D—Drake.” Yeah, he wanted to call me daddy, and I wouldn’t have cared if he had. I kissed the top of his head and helped him up.
I leaned close and whispered in his ear, “I’m going to lean you over that barre thing and fuck you right there once the papers are signed.”
Matty made a soft mewling sound, and Jill turned away from us. I’m sure she didn’t want to interrupt a personal moment. “I’ll let you look around some more and meet you outside.” She waved and left out the back.
“Did we scare her off, Daddy?” Matty giggled.
“Eh. Whatever. If you want it, this place is yours. What do you think?”
Matty practically threw himself in my arms, and I lifted him so he could wrap those long dancer legs around my waist. “I think this is…the best Christmas present ever. No one has ever put me first. Drake. I love you. Thank you.”
“You are more than welcome. I want you to be happy.”
“What if I don’t make enough money—”
“I don’t care if you don’t make a fucking dime. It’s not about that. I mean, it could be very successful.”
“I could put a few poles over there and teach some pole dancing, too.”
“Whatever you want to do.”
He dropped his feet to the floor and took another look around. He pulled out his phone and took a few pictures. “I think…”
“Yes?”
“Let’s rent it for six months, like you said. And we can decide then if we want to rent it longer, buy it, or close it.”
“Is six months enough for you to know that?”
He shrugged. “It’s long enough to let me know how I feel about teaching dance. I need to get into it and see. I think I’ll love it.”
“You’ll be great.”
“Thanks. You’re biased. But also, loving it and being great aren’t the same things. I was a great pole dancer. Didn’t really love it.” He tsked. “But we’ll see. How’s that?”
“Sounds like a plan. Merry Christmas, Matty.”
“Merry Christmas, Daddy.”