Building A Little Love (The Lactin Brotherhood)

Chapter 1 Gilly

GILLY

Birthdays had never been a big deal to me before.

Maybe in the past I would get some cake or cards from my family, but since my grandfather passed, it hadn’t been the same.

But this year? Wow. I couldn’t believe my roommate, Rob, actually rented out the clubhouse at our apartment complex to throw me a party.

Not just part of the huge space, but the whole room.

And even better, it was a casual atmosphere where I knew everybody and felt comfortable.

That included my neighbors from downstairs, Lena and Devon.

They were always nice to me, so I went over to say hello.

“Gilly, happy birthday.” Lena leaned in and gave me a big hug.

“Thanks.” I shook Devon’s hand. “Can I get you anything?”

Devon held up his beer. “No, we’re good. Go enjoy yourself, mingle…” He gestured at the room full of people.

I’d never been great at that mingling thing, but it was easier knowing these people were here to celebrate with me.

A few others from the apartment complex were here, and some of the guys from my crew, as well as Rob and his date.

I wasn’t sure if this new guy of his was sticking around or not, so I held back on using the boyfriend term.

Most of the men Rob saw didn’t stick around long.

I thought it was because Rob was picky, or maybe he was going after the wrong guys.

Mostly that was due to how they treated him.

It seemed like they bossed him around a lot.

But what the hell did I know about it? Maybe he liked that.

I didn’t date much because I worked too many hours.

When I did meet someone I thought I may be interested in, once we started talking, I quickly learned we didn’t have anything in common.

Rob slung his arm around my shoulder and handed me a beer. “I know you don’t drink much, but you’re celebrating. You only turn twenty-two once. Cheers!” He held his beer up to me, and we clinked the bottles together.

Preston, I’d learned was the name of his date, called out to Rob. “Come play a game of pool with me, Bobby.” Bobby? That was new. Most people called Rob, well, Rob.

“In a minute. I’m helping Gilly celebrate.

” Rob waved his hand around the room as if this was the place to be to be.

It wasn’t. Just a pool table and foosball game at one end, a bar and kitchenette on the other with a long dining table separating the two areas.

To the side was a big TV and leather couch with a few upholstered chairs.

The TV was on a music station and turned low enough so that everyone could have comfortable conversations.

Although, I didn’t feel like any of mine were.

No, they were more awkward, just like me.

Preston crossed the room and put his arm around Rob. “I know you planned this party, Bobby, but I don’t like it when you’re bratty.”

Rob looked down then glanced back up at him. “Sorry, Daddy. I’ll be good.”

Preston kissed him on the head. “Good boy. Now come play a game with me.”

Bobby? Daddy? What the hell kind of relationship did they have?

I didn’t like Preston being so bossy to my friend, but I didn’t want any problems, either, and other than that, he seemed pleasant enough.

There were a lot of people around who were here to have a good time.

I simply sipped my beer, truly appreciating what Rob was trying to do for me, and kept my thoughts to myself.

He could have taken me to a bar or something, but I wouldn’t have liked that half as much as this.

“Play a game. I’ll watch.” No use in him joining team wallflower.

He deserved to have fun too. After all, he was the one who pulled this shindig together, and if he liked Preston, I wasn’t going to judge.

“You sure?” Rob asked.

“Yes, of course. Go.” I shoved his arm and followed him to the table.

“We can play Fortnite later.” We could pull it up on the big TV, and it was more of my go-to than pool or other physical games.

Painting houses kept me active all day long.

After work, I only wanted to relax, play video games, and chill.

But this was my party, and I wasn’t about to be a jerk to my best friend.

Rob grabbed a stick from Preston with a quick kiss on his lips.

Preston’s eyes lit up when he did that. They looked good together, and I hoped this one would stick around for a while.

Preston winked at Rob and moved to the table.

“I’ll rack ‘em.” He messed around with the balls, putting them in the triangle, then he deftly lifted the frame, leaving the balls in place on the table. “Break, babe.”

Rob took the shot, sending balls flying all over the table, but none dropped into the pockets. He pouted. “Ugh. Boo.”

“Don’t worry, Rob.” I put my arms around his shoulder. “You’ll get some next time.”

“You’re too sweet, Gilly.”

Preston took a shot and dropped a ball into the pocket. “Solids.” He landed a few more shots, and I cheered for him. He appeared to make my friend happy, so I figured I’d be nice to him.

“Whose side are you on?” Rob teased and bumped his shoulder into mine.

“Both?”

Preston chuckled and missed his shot. “You’re adorable, Gilly. I know someone who would just love you.”

“Oh?” I was intrigued. Preston was growing on me, so maybe he had nice friends I’d actually have something in common with.

“Yes. For sure.” He crossed his arms over his chest while Rob took his turn at the table. “I think you should meet him. But he’s a Daddy…”

I thought I understood what he meant but wasn’t sure. “What do you mean?” He wanted me to meet someone’s father? Not necessarily my thing, but maybe I was missing something here? It was better to clarify than to guess.

“Oh shoot. Your go, Daddy Preston.” Rob stepped away from the table after missing. “You don’t know what a Daddy is?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

“It’s a hot older guy who treats you well. Takes care of you. That sort of thing.” He waved a hand toward his date. “Like Preston.” He winked at me. “Right, Daddy?”

Preston leaned over the table, about to hit the cue ball. He smirked and stood straight instead. “Exactly, baby.”

Maybe his previous boyfriends made a little more sense now, and that could have been why they were so overbearing, like Preston. Still. “Oh.” I leaned closer to Rob and whispered, “You like that?” Wow, guess I had a lot to learn about my friend. Before today, I hadn’t a clue about that side of him.

“Hell yeah. It’s sexy and fun.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Daddy Preston is right. You should meet his friend. Maybe you could use a Daddy too.”

Well, just wow, that was more information than I needed to know about Rob’s kinks.

But I had to admit I was a bit jealous. And I could possibly see myself in that kind of relationship, having a Daddy.

Not in the traditional father sense but what Preston was describing.

It was intriguing and got my curiosity up for the possibilities.

Guys my age or ones that had anything in common with me were generally immature.

Rob had a good job in accounting and was a few years older than me, but not by much.

He was very responsible, but he could still be really silly and fun to be around.

We got along great, and if he had a Daddy who he loved, or at least liked a lot, then maybe that was something I could do too.

Guess I had a lot of research to do.

“I, uh…I don’t know, Rob.” I felt the heat on my cheeks.

How could I get on board so quickly with a lifestyle I had zero clue about?

Desperation? Desire? Maybe a bit of both, or maybe I just needed something new and exciting in my life.

But I really didn’t know enough about what a Daddy might expect from me or what I wanted from him.

Was it like a regular relationship where I just called him Daddy?

Or was there more to it? From the way Rob was acting, there had to be more. “Maybe we could talk about it later?”

Rob put his arm around my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I think you’ll love it, but sure, let’s talk tomorrow.”

The rest of the night was fun, ending in a Fortnite tournament, and even though I didn’t get any presents, I figured that hanging out with everyone was gift enough, since that rarely happened in my life.

The next day was Saturday, so I got up and made pancakes and bacon to tempt Rob out of his room so we could discuss this whole Daddy thing. Finally, he showed up, shuffling into our tiny black-and-white kitchen, and poured a mug of coffee. “Bacon?” he asked, sniffing the air.

“Yep. Did Preston go home?”

“Uh-huh. Yeah, but only a few hours ago.”

Good, then Rob and me could chat—privately. “So, uh, tell me more about this Daddy thing. I mean, what’s it like?”

“To have one?” He snagged a piece of bacon and walked around the peninsula to sit at the other side of the bar.

“Yeah. I don’t know anything about this, Rob. I might want to meet Preston’s friend, but I’m nervous about it.” I plated pancakes and slid them across to him.

“Thanks for breakfast, Gilly. You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble. I mean, it’s your birthday, not mine.”

“That was yesterday.” I shrugged. “So?” How much more prodding did he need?

“You want to know what’s it like to have a Daddy?”

“It sounds fun, but I don’t know. I have my own business and…” I didn’t really. I ran my uncle’s company. I sure as hell didn’t need someone to run my life; if that was what this was about, I was out.

He swallowed his bite and sipped his coffee. “If you don’t want someone trying to take over everything and tell you what to do, I’m not sure it would work for you.”

“Exactly. But…” I had so much I was hiding. Had Rob zoned in on that?

“Well, I don’t think that’s what it actually is anyway. It’s more complex. Look at it like this, a good Daddy makes sure you have what you need and makes your life easier. Better. Like making you coffee in the morning.” He held up his mug and grinned.

I rolled my eyes. “I can make my own coffee.”

“But should you have to?” he teased.

“Who cares? Seriously, are we talking about coffee here or something else?” Frustrating. That was the best way to describe Rob this morning. Ugh.

“Maybe.” Rob snorted. His hair was messy and falling in his face.

Normally, he was runway-ready, but sometimes on weekend mornings like this, he was more casual.

In fact, he was wearing a ratty T-shirt and pajama pants, and it didn’t look like he’d even washed his face.

I kind of liked the laid-back look on him.

“But seriously, Gilly, you have nothing to lose if you try it. You might like it, and if not, you just say no thanks and then move along.” He waved his arm around and pointed at the front door.

“Were your other boyfriends Daddies, too? Because they were kind of pushy.”

“Eh. They thought they were, but they were nowhere near the Daddy Preston is turning out to be. Being domineering does not make you a Daddy, and they had a lot to learn.” He rolled his eyes like a drama queen, then stuffed more pancake in his mouth.

“So good.” It was a relief that he ditched those other guys, and he was right, Preston seemed sweeter than they were, but I didn’t know if I could get used to him calling my friend by a different name.

I’d been living with Rob for almost a year now, and I still hadn’t unpacked my Ellie stuffie, and no way could I even watch her cartoons.

I had a lot to hide. Ellie the Elephant and Friends was my favorite show, but would Rob understand?

Pulling out a binky or a bottle? Out of the question.

Sure, I wanted to sometimes, but I couldn’t take the chance, and if someone else took over my life, what would happen with my secrets?

“Gilly, there are different kinds of Daddies, but with the right one, you can let him worry about everything and just be who you are. If you want to just enjoy yourself, a good Daddy will make sure you have enough to eat and other stuff to take care of you, helping make life more fun. There’s nothing wrong with that. ”

“I still don’t know. What other kinds of Daddies are there?”

“Well…there’s the kind that likes you to play games, color, or play with toys.”

“What? Color? Like coloring books?”

“Yeah. It’s fun.”

Maybe there was something to this. Maybe with a Daddy like that, I could get some of my childhood back.

That was what Rob was describing, anyway.

And maybe I was underestimating Rob and what he would think of me if he knew what I liked to do.

It sounded like he liked it too. It probably wouldn’t be exactly like being a kid again, but if I could even do some of that stuff, it would be better.

Though I wasn’t sure how far I could go with it.

It was all so scary, but ultimately, Rob was right. I’d never know if I didn’t try.

With a big sigh, I nodded. “You’re right. I’ll do it.”

“Yay!” He tossed his arms in the air in celebration, and his enthusiasm made me smile. “We can double date. It’ll be fun, you’ll see. I’ll call Daddy Preston and see if he can talk to his friend today.”

“Okay, then.” I sipped my coffee, trying to hide my smile. Maybe this could turn into something good.

I hoped…

The rest of the morning was spent talking about double dating and where we could go, but the Daddy in question still had no idea I even existed, and there was a big chance he might not say yes.

Plus, I wasn’t sure if a Daddy was what I wanted because I didn’t want to be told what to do.

I’d been very independent from a young age.

I started working for my uncle at his house-painting company before high school.

Once that happened, my parents seemed to forget I even existed.

Not that they didn’t care or love me, they were simply more interested in their own social lives.

I did my own thing and they did theirs, which was okay since I could take care of myself, but sometimes I missed having a close relationship with them.

Maybe this whole Daddy-thing would give me someone I could feel like that with, but that was really getting ahead of myself.

I knew it, but a boy could dream anyway.