Chapter 6 Ellis
ELLIS
The next two days continued with me working an adjusted schedule with clients, so I was only gone for a few hours at a time.
I managed to get a few hours of sleep each morning, then hit the urgent job sites in the afternoon while Adam slept off his graveyard shift.
By the time he woke up, I was only an hour or two behind him, and we were able to hang out and eat before I took him to work.
And I stayed with him.
Every night he was there, I parked myself behind that counter at the Quik-Fuel and kept him company through his entire shift.
I’d been meaning to organize my books before handing them over to my accountant, and I’d had “redo my website with a current photo gallery” on my to-do list for years, so the speedy wifi at the gas station helped me accomplish both during those long and quiet shifts.
Derek didn’t actively reach out to Adam over those days, but we were sure his car had pulled into the lot at least a few times before slowing down near the front windows and then pulling right back out.
It happened three or four times over those two nights and reinforced to both of us why I needed to be there.
The first time it happened, Adam's whole body went tense with fear.
I stood up and positioned myself between him and the windows, ready to handle things if Derek tried to approach him, but the car just took off without stopping.
"He's watching me," Adam said quietly. "Making sure I know he's still out there."
"Let him watch." I kept my eyes on the parking lot, ready to kill anyone who tried to harm my boy. "He's not getting anywhere near you."
By Friday night, Adam looked exhausted but relieved to have the whole weekend off. He usually took extra shifts, but with everything going on, he wanted some downtime. I did too.
When we got back to my place after his last shift, Adam went straight to bed and didn't wake up until almost noon on Saturday. I heard him shuffling around in the guest room and then the bathroom, and finally he emerged into the kitchen looking rumpled and sleepy.
"Morning." I looked up at him from my coffee. "Or afternoon, technically."
"Morning." He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "It’s nice to see you here when I wake up."
Agreed. I could get used to mornings like this. "You hungry?"
"Yeah." He put his hand on belly and rubbed it. “Kinda starving, actually.”
"Well, damn. I can’t let my boy starve under my watch." I stood up and grabbed my keys from the counter. "There's a diner down the street that does a great brunch. You up for going out?"
His face lit up, and he was suddenly more awake, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I called him my boy or because he wanted brunch. Maybe both. "Yeah, I love brunch."
Kiss My Biscuits was a retro place with red vinyl seats and a jukebox in the corner that was a nice walk from my house.
Adam ordered the biggest stack of pancakes I'd ever seen and then drowned them in syrup and whipped cream.
I went with a classic omelet and bacon, happy to watch him eat so heartily now that his appetite had re-emerged.
"This is so good," he said around a mouthful of pancake. "Like, sooo yummy good."
"Told you." I sipped my coffee, and a feeling of contentment I’d never known before washed over me. How could seeing someone else eat and be happy bring me such joy? It almost didn’t make sense, but then it totally did.
Adam was quickly stealing my heart, and if I didn’t make my intentions clear soon, I might blow my chance for true happiness. "They make everything from scratch."
"We should come here every weekend." He paused with his fork halfway to his mouth as he realized what he’d just said. "I mean, if I'm still staying with you. Which I guess I won’t be..."
"I kinda hope you are. Regardless, you'll stay for as long as you need to." The thought of him leaving and going back to the house Derek had access to made my stomach turn. "And yeah, I’d love to make this a weekly routine."
Adam smiled and ducked his head like he was trying to hide how happy that made him. "Okay. Cool."
After we finished eating, I suggested we walk home through the park because it was a beautiful day. Adam agreed immediately and was practically bouncing as we left the diner.
The park was busy with families and dogs and people jogging along the various trails. We took the path that circled around the pond, walking side by side without a lot of conversation.
As we rounded the first turn, Adam stopped dead in his tracks and pointed to the water. "Oh my gosh. Ellis, look."
I followed his finger and saw a mother duck swimming near the edge of the pond with a line of fuzzy ducklings following behind her. There had to be at least six of them, all paddling frantically to keep up. “Oh, yeah.”
"Baby ducks." Adam breathed out the word like a prayer, and the pure joy on his face made my heart contract. "They're so tiny and cute."
"They are." I stayed close behind him as he snuck up to the edge of the pond, trying not to scare them away. "Probably only a few days old."
"Can you take a picture of me?" He wore the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his face as he pulled out his phone and handed it to me. "With the ducks?"
"Yeah, of course." I opened his camera app and took a few steps back.
Adam positioned himself by the water and held his hand out flat, angling it so it looked like the ducklings were floating on his palm in the background. The whole thing was adorable. He was adorable as he grinned widely and tried to stay perfectly still so the ducks wouldn't swim away.
I took a few photos and then a few more because I couldn't help myself. Adam in the sunlight with a genuinely happy and carefree expression was something I needed in my life every day.
"Did you get it?" He was still holding his pose, but the ducks were moving back in the direction they came. “Should I follow them?”
"Nope, I got it. Come look."
He bounded over and leaned close to see the photos I’d taken. "Oh, that's perfect. Thank you!"
"I’m sending them to myself too." I selected the best ones and texted them to my phone. “These are too cute.”
We kept walking until we found a bench near the pond where we could sit and watch more families of ducks and geese. Adam was swinging his legs and looking more relaxed than I'd ever seen him.
This felt like the right moment to have the talk I’d been putting off. We were alone and comfortable, and Adam was in a good headspace. "Can I ask you something, Adam?" I kept my voice gentle so he wouldn’t feel pressured.
"Sure." He looked at me, still smiling and without a care in the world. “Anything.”
"The other night, when Derek was at the gas station, he said some stuff I was curious about." I watched Adam's expression carefully as I continued. "Something about baby stuff and diapers and control."
Adam's smile disappeared and he went very still, immediately staring down at his hands. "Oh."
"I'm not asking to judge you or make you feel bad.
" I shifted closer on the bench and placed my elbow on the back of the bench and my fingers near his neck so he knew I was close.
"I'm asking because I care about you and want to understand you better.
And because I want to support your needs. All of them."
He was quiet for a long moment without looking up at me. He picked at the hem of his shirt before finally speaking. "It's embarrassing."
"It's not." I moved my palm to the back of his neck, gently clasping it but ready to release if he flinched.
He exhaled and leaned back into my grip. "You don't even know what it is yet."
"Doesn't matter." I gave him a gentle squeeze. "Whatever it is, it's part of you. And I want to know all of you."
Adam’s eyes were shiny with unshed tears as he swallowed hard. "Sometimes I like to pretend I don't have so many responsibilities. Like I can just play with Lego or do a puzzle and not worry about bills or work or being a grown-up." He turned away and wiped at his eyes. “It’s silly.”
I nodded and couldn’t help tugging him a little closer to me. "That doesn’t sound silly. That sounds fun and special."
He glanced at me and then kept talking. "It’s just that…
sometimes I want someone to take care of me.
Not like I'm helpless, but just to make sure I'm eating and sleeping and not stressing about everything.
" He was talking faster now as the words tumbled out.
"Derek thought it was weird and gross. He said I was broken and that no one would ever want to deal with my issues. "
Fucking asshole. I pulled him closer and kissed the top of his head. "Derek's an idiot."
A surprised laugh burst out of Adam, and he smiled. "He is?"
"Yes, he definitely is." I waited for Adam to give me his full attention. "Because what you're describing isn't weird or gross. It's called age play, and it’s very normal."
Adam's eyes went wide as he took in my acceptance. "You know about that?"
"I do." I held his gaze and made a confession of my own. "I'm a Daddy Dom, Adam. I've been in the lifestyle for years. Nothing serious in the past, but I've been hoping to find someone like you who wanted to be with someone like me."
"You want someone like me?" His voice cracked as he soaked it all in. “You’re a Daddy?”
"Yes, a Daddy looking for a sweet boy who needs someone to take care of him.
Who wants to feel safe enough to be Little and not worry about the world for a while.
" I reached for one of his hands and intertwined our fingers.
"If you were my boy, you could be Little as often as you wanted.
No shame. No judgment. Just a safe and loving place to play. "
"If I were your boy?" He looked at our hands and seemed to be in a haze of shock. “Do you want me to be?”
"I do. Very much." I pulled his hand up and kissed the back of it. "If you want to."
"I do wanna." A few tears spilled from his eyes and trailed down his cheeks. "I really, really want that."
"That makes me so happy." I released his hand and cupped his face, wiping away the tears with my thumb. "From now until you get tired of me, I will be proud to be your Daddy and to have you as my boy, Adam. And I promise to take such good care of you."
He made a sound that was half sob, half laugh, before he was leaning in and rested his forehead on my chest. “Wow. I have a Daddy. I can’t believe it.”
I squeezed his body to me, wanting him even closer. “And I have a sweet boy I can’t get enough of.”
He was quiet for a moment, and it seemed like he wasn’t taking a breath. “I have a few questions.”
“Of course.” There were probably a lot more than a few questions we needed to hammer out, but I wanted to get some of the basics out of the way as soon as possible. “What are they?”
“What should I call you?” He was still tucked against my chest, but I could hear the insecurity in his voice.
“Well, that’s up to you. I would love for you to call me Daddy, but that’s on your terms. If you want to use that name sometimes or all the time is up to you.
If you need to get to know me better before you’re ready to do that, that’s okay too.
And if you never call me Daddy, Ellis is just fine too. ”
He nodded and took an audible breath. “Okay, one other thing, but I’m not sure how to say it.”
I grinned and wrapped both arms around him. “You can say anything to me, sweetheart. Good or bad, I promise to always hear you out and be as reasonable and thoughtful as possible.”
He sucked in another deep breath and then pushed his head up higher. His mouth was near my ear so he could whisper into it. “Do you want a boy just for playing or for…other stuff too. Like, bedroom stuff?”
Fuck, me. I didn’t know I could still go from limp to hard with just some warm breath near my ear like a damn teenager. “I’d love bedroom stuff too.” I turned my head and spoke into his ear. “If you’d like to feel Daddy inside that cute little bottom of yours.”
His breath hitched and his fingers curled around my shirt as if he might fall over. “Yes, please. I want that.”
I did too. Desperately.
Unable to resist any longer, I pressed my lips to his in a kiss that was everything I'd been wanting since the first time I saw him.
Adam kissed like he did everything else. His movements were tentative at first, but then his lips parted and he melted into me.
I wanted to pull him onto my lap and taste every inch of him, but we were in a public park and needed to stop before things escalated from PG to X-rated.
We finally pulled back and were both breathing hard.
Adam's face was flushed and his eyes sparkled. "Wow."
"Yeah." I brushed his hair back from his forehead and then leaned forward and kissed his warm skin. "Defnitely, wow."
"I still can’t bel…." He started to speak but then stopped himself for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Are you really sure this is okay? You’re okay with…me?"
"I'm more than okay with you." I kissed him again, but kept it quick and innocent. "I was immediately attracted to you when I first met you, and every new thing I’ve learned just makes me like you more."
“Oh.” He tucked his face against my shoulder, grinning like he couldn’t help himself. "Thank you for, um, seeing me. And for wanting me."
"Always." I pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "You're mine now, sweet boy. And I take care of what's mine."
He exhaled against me, burrowing even closer. "Can we stay here for a little while? I just want to hold on to this feeling."
"We can stay as long as you want." I leaned back and got comfortable.
Adam was everything I'd been looking for. A sweet boy who needed me as much as I needed him. Someone to protect and care for and build something real with.
Now that I had him, I planned to never let him go.