Chapter 3
Mitch
Mitch smiled at Caleb as Caleb joined him, Avery, and Hayley out on the back lawn. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just needed a little break,” Caleb answered.
He smiled sweetly, looking much more relaxed than when Mitch had seen him earlier.
No doubt that Caleb’s Daddy had helped calm him.
Mitch wasn’t even going to tease his friend for it since he knew how being around this many people was hard for all of them.
That was one of the reasons that Mitch had gotten his small group off to the side.
“This is a great party,” Avery told Caleb. He too seemed to be handling the crowd okay.
“It really is,” Hayley agreed.
Caleb blushed but he seemed pleased by the praise. Good, Caleb should be praised all the time. He was nothing like the spoiled brat that Mitch had initially thought him to be.
As the oldest boy in their group, Mitch took looking out for the other boys as a serious job. Sure, the boys had their Daddies. Or Caleb and Avery did. Hayley was still looking for his. But even though they had Daddies, Mitch felt responsible for the boys.
It wasn’t easy. This lifestyle they found.
People didn’t understand the need that was inside them.
That they didn’t choose to be boys. They were boys, grown adults, that had a need filled by another person.
And finding a Daddy was only the beginning of their lifestyle.
Yet finding the perfect Daddy was almost vital to having those needs met.
Mitch knew better than anyone that just because a boy might want a Daddy didn’t mean he could just go to a club a pick one up.
He had been going to BDSM clubs before it was legal for him to enter a bar.
When he’d become friends with Jace then Grant, the three of them had explored all kinds of kinks.
It was obvious from the beginning that Mitch was different than even his friends.
While Jace and Grant had both looked for someone they could take care of, Mitch had been attracted to the big men.
The men that put boys like him over their knees.
He’d thought he’d have to go for an older man to find what he needed.
He’d never have predicted having a Daddy younger than him, for sure.
Spotting his handsome Daddy, Mitch straightened.
Byron hadn’t dressed in a costume but he looked hot in his tight jeans and long-sleeve black shirt. The one concession he’d made for Halloween was the writing across the shirt that said BOO.
His Daddy caught Mitch’s gaze and winked before walking over to the table where the other Daddies had settled.
The party was dying down, several guests leaving to attend other parties or head to the club. Mitch liked the more intimate feel of their group, so he didn’t mind.
“Oh, come on!” Avery screeched. He was shaking Hayley. “I bet our Daddies would know who to set you up with.”
“Yeah,” Caleb agreed. It sounded like he was all in for fixing Hayley up. “You can come to the club as our guest!”
“I wouldn’t mind checking out the club,” Hayley said quietly. “I can’t afford a membership yet, but I’ve been saving.”
“We’ll totally take you,” Caleb offered. “You might find the perfect Daddy there.”
“Just because you found your Daddy there doesn’t mean Hayley will too. We need to take him to more places than just the club,” Avery said.
“The park!” Caleb shouted.
Mitch shook his head. He needed to steer the conversation away from Hayley’s love life before the sweet kid took off running and never looked back.
“Are you ready for your new program, Avery?” Mitch questioned.
That worked. Avery sat up straight, looking much more like the young man and not the little he was. Even in his adorable Dalmatian costume. “I’m so glad to be done with all the qualifications.”
“I don’t see why you have to have certifications just to volunteer,” Caleb said.
“Well if I was just going to volunteer, I wouldn’t have had to. But after I visited with the program director, Clint, and he explained all that they needed, I applied for one of the paid positions. I’ll get to work with the dogs EVERY DAY!”
Every day was said loudly. Mitch winced.
“Oh!” Caleb bounced. “I didn’t know that. So, you’ll be, like, training dogs?”
Avery nodded so hard he almost fell over.
“I get to work hand in hand with the trainers. At first, I was just going to feed the dogs, clean up after them, and take them on walks. Which would have been okay That’s important work too.
But now I’ll be able to actually teach the dogs the skills they’ll need to be placed with their special human.
Clint said since I’d be so close with the dogs I’d even get to go through the applications for their humans. ”
“And it’s for disabled vets?” Hayley questioned.
“Yes! Clint’s brother, which is his twin, how cool is that?
But anyway, Clint’s brother, Cody, works with VA hospitals all around the country to find people who need either physical or mental help.
Some of the dogs will be able to assist their humans with everyday tasks and some will be comfort dogs. It’s all so exciting.”
“It sounds like it,” Mitch said. “You know we’re proud of you, right?”
Avery blushed, dropping his chin.
“Avery?” Mitch pressed. “You worked hard. We know it wasn’t easy for you. And you are about to make a big difference to a lot of people. That’s amazing. You are amazing.”
Avery scooted closer to Mitch. “Do you…do you think if my grandma was still alive that she’d be proud of me too?”
Mitch wrapped his arm around Avery’s shoulder and held him close. Caleb moved closer to Avery’s other side while Hayley lay on his stomach right in front of Avery with his fingers wrapped around Avery’s ankles.
Jace rose from his chair across the yard. Mitch gave a short shake of his head. Byron grabbed Jace’s shoulder and started to talk to Jace. Sometimes a boy needed his friends.
“From what you told me about your grandma,” Mitch said, “I think you’re a lot like her.”
“You do?” Avery peered up at him with pure innocence in his eyes. Avery was such a genuine sweet boy.
“She took care of you. Even when it was hard. She never gave up and did everything in her power to make sure you would be okay. Even after she was gone.” Mitch wasn’t saying anything that Avery didn’t know. He hoped he was finding the right words though.
Avery played with the binkie clipped to his costume. “I wish she’d been around to meet Jace. I think she would have approved.”
“I know she would have,” Mitch agreed. “Because we do.”
Avery nodded. “And you all just want what’s best for me too.”
“That’s right. You’re like my little brother,” Mitch told him. “I have to make sure Jace is doing a good job taking care of you.”
“He’s the best!” Avery declared. The protective tone new for the boy that was almost always little. Mitch approved of that as well.
Hayley sighed. “I want that.”
Caleb threw himself over Hayley’s back, making Hayley grunt. “You’ll get it! And then we’ll all have Daddies. We’ll have play dates and throw parties. It’s going to be so awesome!”
Mitch kissed the top of Avery’s head. “Feel better?”
“Yes.” Avery still cuddled to him.
“We really should celebrate,” Mitch told Avery. What Avery was doing was going to mean so much to people who needed him. All of his friends had been supportive of Mitch’s career change. He just wanted to return the favor.
“How?” Avery asked shyly.
“Oh, my God!” Caleb screamed.
They all jerked away, trying to figure out what would cause that reaction out of their friend.
Caleb jumped up and started dancing around like his pants were on fire.
“It’s the mash,” Avery said with a laugh.
Groaning, Mitch nodded. “The Monster Mash.”
Avery bounced up, pulling Mitch with him. “Turn it up! Turn it up!” Avery yelled. He looked over at Mitch. “It’s our celebration!”
Well, it was Halloween. Mitch did the Monster Mash with his friends.
* * *
Grant
Laughing, Grant shook his head before he turned to Jace. “See? Avery is just fine.” He turned the music up but luckily it was louder on the lawn than it was on the deck where they were.
Jace’s eyes had all but bugged out of his skull. “What in the hell are they doing?”
“The Monster Mash,” Grant answered.
Pausing from lifting a beer to his mouth, Byron squinted. “Are they doing it right?”
That set Grant off again. The four boys were jumping, bouncing, trouncing, and he didn’t know what else. “No, not at all.”
“Huh.” Byron returned to drinking his beer.
“It’s all that sugar,” Jace complained. “I’m never going to get Avery to sleep.”
“It’s Halloween,” Grant reminded him.
“Sure, you say that because your boy wasn’t sneaking candy all night long.”
True, but Grant hadn’t planned on pointing that out. He was a good friend like that.
“Wipe the smirk off your face,” Jace grumbled. He picked up the coffee he’d been drinking before looking back at the boys once more time. “Maybe all that…whatever it is will wear him out. That’s a lot of jumping around.”
“I definitely wouldn’t call that dancing. I’ve never seen Mitch so…animated,” Byron said.
Grant popped open a fresh beer. Their chairs were set in a semi-circle so they could visit but still keep an eye on the boys. “I’m glad Hayley could make it.”
“Me too. Avery loves playing with Caleb and Mitch. He’s still having trouble making friends though. He’s finally coming to understand that no one in our group is going to judge him but he didn’t try at school. Meeting Hayley has opened his eyes that he could find people like him outside the clubs.”
“You know Hayley is the boy that Mac has his eye on, don’t you?” Byron asked quietly.
Grant choked on his beer. Jace’s coffee mug nearly slipped from his hand. No. No, he hadn’t known that. Not that he thought a lot about the hitman, ex-hitman, when he was a cop. That was not something that Grant wanted to focus on.
“What?” Jace barked.
“Hayley?” Grant questioned. The sweetest boy in the world with the hitman?
Mitch chuckled. “I can’t believe the detective hasn’t figured it out.”