Chapter 34
CHAPTER 34
JAKE
“Are you really taking that with you?” Larson asked as I packed Green Dickie in a box.
I looked down at the dick-o-saur in my hand. “Yes?”
Larson sighed and flopped back on my bed, then jumped back up with a yelp. “Why is there a… What is this anyway?” he asked me, holding up a sad-looking stuffed toy.
“That’s Chloe’s favorite teddy bear. Though I think we need to get her a new one.”
Larson dropped the item on the floor with a look of disgust, then examined my bed more closely before he sat down again. “So things are going well with you guys?”
“Well enough I’m taking the rest of my little stuff over tonight and some more clothes.” After weeks of living together, most of my stuff had made it to his house anyway. There had been one disaster after another in fixing the plumbing and damage in the townhouse and Esme hadn’t been willing to listen to any suggestion of me sleeping elsewhere. As such, we’d spent plenty of time getting to know one another.
I’d driven Esme to the airport on Thursday for a weekend trip to a high school hockey tournament in Minnesota. I hadn’t been able to go with him because there had been a game at the arena Friday night and a concert on Saturday, but I’d been given instructions to go to my place and gather some more of my things. Chloe had come with me and I could hear her digging through something downstairs. I wasn’t too worried about what she was getting into. It was likely the couch cushions since she loved every couch she’d ever seen.
I turned and looked around my room again, trying to see if I’d missed anything I needed. My closet was more or less empty. My dresser was empty. There really wasn’t much left.
“So does this mean you have officially moved in together?” Larson used his foot to push Chloe’s battered teddy bear farther from him.
“Well, all my sex toys are there now.”
Larson threw his head back in laughter and clapped his hands together. “You sound so much like one of my siblings, it’s terrifying.”
I lifted a shoulder and grinned. “What can I say? It’s true. We never really talked about it, at least not in the official sense. I think him asking me to get my stuff to his place and me not recoiling in disgust is a pretty strong indication.”
Larson grinned at me. “It happened like that for us too. Just Canyon eventually had to be blunt because I kept going back to my place to do woodworking projects. He finally told me I was being ridiculous and we could just use his basement.”
It was a very Canyon thing to do.
“How is it having a Daddy?” Larson asked, folding a blanket I’d tossed onto my bed as I’d packed.
I stopped packing the box and thought about it for a moment. “It’s different. It’s not like anything I ever thought having a Daddy would be, but it’s also exactly what I wanted.” I blinked at my own explanation before laughing uncomfortably. “That makes no sense.”
Larson smiled at me. “Not much, though I think I know what you mean. Is it working for you? For both of you?”
I nodded quickly. “Yeah, it is. I was so worried in the beginning because he’s never been out, and he didn’t know anything about littles or being a Daddy, and I was scared it would be too much for him. So we ended up talking a lot. I swear he’s basically a sponge. He remembered everything I said about how I sometimes get too in my head and need help getting out of it. Or when I’m feeling little, that’s what I want to be. I don’t want to be in trouble or to think about schedules, I just want to be. And he’s been great with it. It’s … effortless? Easy?”
“It sounds like it’s working well then.” Larson placed the blanket he’d folded into a box and grabbed a sheet to start folding it. “How is working with him?”
I actually laughed at the question. “It’s no different. Other than getting a lot of kisses. He lets me work. He lets me do my thing and doesn’t step in. I’d worried about him being too helicopter-y when he’d taken me home after I got stuck in the rainstorm, but it hasn’t been like that.”
“You had him worried. Daddy said he texted them all evening. Honestly, I don’t think that’s a Daddy thing. I think it’s a sign of a good boyfriend or partner. Like, he actually cares about your well-being and wants to be there for you and wants you to be healthy.”
“Yeah. And I have to admit, after dealing with insurance and claims adjusters for nearly a week, it was really nice to know he was willing to deal with it for a while. It doesn’t hurt that he was able to get a lot further, a lot faster than I had been able to.”
Larson shuddered. “Ugh, insurance. I let Daddy deal with anything like that when we have issues. He’s got that no-nonsense Daddy voice going on and people just do things when he brings it out.” He taped up the box he was working on and looked around the room. “I think it’s pretty empty now, besides furniture at least.”
“Yeah. That’s something we can deal with later.”
“When does your lease expire here?”
I had to think about the question. I’d been in this townhouse for nearly five years. “You know, I think I’m monthly. I don’t remember the last time I renewed my lease.” For that matter, I didn’t remember the last time my rent had increased. There was a reason I’d continued to live here even when I could have afforded something a little bigger and nicer.
Larson chuckled. “Maybe it’s time to give notice.”
I smiled. “I think it might be. Dammit, why is this box so heavy?”
“Because you put all your dinosaur toys in it. And I’m pretty sure a video game system too.”
We walked the boxes to Larson’s truck and I looked back at the place I’d called home for a large portion of my adult life. It didn’t look like much more than a townhome to me. It didn’t make me smile or feel warm when I saw it in the same way I did when I saw the big colonial Esme bought.
“I think it’s time we have an official talk about living arrangements.”
Larson’s weight bumped into me. “I think you already have. Like you said, all your dildos are there.”
We collected a few more things and I managed to get Chloe to Larson’s truck, and we drove to the place I’d been living for six weeks.
Halfway through unboxing the items, the door leading to the garage opened and voices filled the mudroom. Any concern about the unexpected visitors was erased when I heard Aiden scolding Logan. “Puppy! No! That’s not yours.”
“What are they doing here?”
Larson lifted a shoulder. “I might have texted we were here unpacking toys.”
“All the toys!” Aiden was nearly yelling as he bounced into my toy room with a big bag in his hand. Logan wasn’t far behind, just as excited and carrying his own bag. Trevor Cane and the Grizzlies assistant coach, Imil Bouchard, were behind them, both holding bags and looking uneasy.
“Um, hi?” I knew my blush must have been as red as the sweatshirt Trevor was wearing.
He lifted a hand. “Hi. Um…”
Larson saved us from ourselves. “You made it!” He glanced between everyone, his smile getting bigger by the second. He pointed to Trevor and Imil, then everyone else. “I know it’s kind of awkward, but I thought Trevor and Imil would like to come hang out with us today.” Logan and Aiden were smiling, but I wasn't finding the same happiness. I kept thinking about how weird work was going to be.
Larson gave a sigh. “Don't worry, their Daddies talked with our Daddies and everyone agreed it would be a good thing.” He’d managed to rip the giant bandage off with his words, and Trevor and Imil turned unhealthy shades of red.
Trevor dug his toe into the carpet and looked around bashfully. “Um, yeah. That’s basically what went down.”
Logan, bless him, broke the awkward silence in the room. “Cool! We all brought toys to help you fill the space too. It’s like a housewarming party… but better!” Logan and Aiden had already met Trevor and Imil in passing, so no introductions were really needed, at least between the humans. “Oh! Have you met Chloe and Stank before?”
Trevor shook his head and Imil started to say something, but Logan cut him off when he took both their hands. He started pulling them toward the front of the house and what had previously been an office before we’d turned it into Chloe’s room a few weeks after Esme had moved in. A few seconds later, we heard excited gasps and Chloe making her funny little bark.
I looked over at Larson and he grinned impishly. “Seth’s been on me for years to get a playdate with Trevor. Imil was a bit more of a surprise, but I guess not really. Not when you know him well.” He lifted a shoulder. “This seemed like a good time, and I knew Logan would be here and would find a way to break the ice.”
His logic was sound and I couldn’t find a fault in it. With Logan around, it was hard to have awkward silences.
Aiden wasn’t bothered by the newcomers and sat beside me, then pushed a bag into my lap. “Open! Pressies are the best!”
I couldn’t help but agree and dug into the first bag. Aiden had brought a bag filled with bedtime stories and bookends to go on one of my shelves. By the time I’d gotten through his bag, Logan, Trevor, and Imil were back in the room and I’d been encouraged to open their gifts as well. When I got through all the bags, I had some of my favorite toys and video games from my friends’ houses and we were starting to put things on shelves.
I’d just opened the box of toys from my townhouse when the door opened suddenly. Chloe excitedly running through the house drew our attention and we were all stunned to see our Daddies—including my own, who wasn’t actually due home until late tonight—standing in the kitchen. I forgot all about putting my dick-o-saur on the shelf and ran toward Esme. “Daddy!”
“Hey, baby.” He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me from my feet to give me a hug. When he put me back down, he studied my hand. “Um, where did that come from?”
I looked down at my dildosaurus, Rex, and grinned. “My place.”
Blaise, poor guy, was blinking in confusion at my dinosaur. My ability to feel awkward or embarrassed had left shortly after Imil and Trevor had arrived, and besides, my Daddy was home hours earlier than he was supposed to be. “Why are you home already?”
I got a kiss before an answer. “I saw what I really needed to, and there was a winter storm heading toward Minneapolis. I decided to get out while I could instead of being stuck in the storm. Besides, I missed my baby boy.” I got another hug and kiss before he looked around the house. “And it looks like we got here just in time. Have you boys eaten anything for lunch?”
When we shook our heads, the Daddies gave each other knowing looks. “Then I guess it’s a good thing we brought lunch with us.”
Hours later, our friends were gone and we were sitting in the living room watching a movie with Stank and Chloe next to us. We’d eaten leftovers from lunch, and despite me not feeling little anymore, Esme had helped me into my pajamas and had made sure Elle and my pacifier were with me before we’d settled into the living room. The only thing surprising about the entire day was how perfect it had been. I’d made new friends and was now curled up with my boyfriend and our pets.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.
“I’ve been thinking,” Esme said at a quiet part in the movie. He turned to look at me, a serious expression on his face. “Is there a reason you still have your townhouse?”
Laughter probably wasn’t the response he’d been expecting, but it was the response he got. “I’m sorry,” I said between fits of laughter. “It’s not the question, really.” I took a few deep breaths, though I could still feel tears in my eyes and was struggling not to burst out in another fit of laughter when I started to speak. “Larson and I had this exact conversation today. It’s kind of like we just started living together without ever talking about it. My place is more or less empty, aside from furniture.”
Esme looked thoughtful for a moment, definitely without the amusement in his eyes that I’d had at his question. He automatically picked Elle up from beside me and placed her on my lap. “Is there a reason we haven’t made it official?”
I shook my head, not having to think about the answer. “I don’t think so.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he didn’t let it break through. “What if I said I wanted to make it official?”
He’d been so serious when he asked the question, I didn’t want to squeal and deafen him, so I forced myself to remain calm despite the gymnastics team doing a tumble routine in my stomach. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”
Esme finally smiled, a genuine smile that lit his face and made his eyes sparkle. “I’m so glad to hear that.” He tugged me close. “I love you, Jake.”
I blinked. My brain was struggling to believe I’d heard the words correctly, and my heart was hoping like hell I had.
Esme gave an uncomfortable chuckle at my reaction. “This isn’t where I’d seen us landing back in the summer. Who goes to Grindr for a relationship? Hell, I was still facing a few years of contract and not looking for a relationship. Then life threw a fucking sucker punch that landed me on my ass and all of a sudden, you kept showing up. Not just showing up but working right next to me. And just like you’d worked your way under my skin at the bar, every time I heard you laugh or saw you in the building, you worked your way under my skin just a little bit more. I didn’t expect all those weird conversations I overheard to lead me to being your Daddy and boyfriend, but it’s where it’s taken us, and I couldn’t imagine my life any other way now.”
I blinked, my eyes filling with tears I was having trouble keeping away. “And you love me? I heard you right?”
His lips had been pressed together in a firm line as he’d watched me, but my words made a hint of a smile appear. “Yes. You heard me right. I love you, Jake. I love you as my boyfriend, as my boy, as my best friend. I couldn’t imagine my world without you in it now.”
I threw my arms around his neck as Elle flew off the couch and Chloe lifted her head in surprise at my sudden movement. I peppered Esme’s cheeks and beard with kisses, my smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “I love you too. Gah, so much. I love you when we’re sitting here chilling with a beer and leftovers, I love you when you’re all take-charge Daddy, and I especially love you when you’re a little unsure of yourself and what you’re doing.”
He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled my lips toward his. Our light kisses turned deeper and the explosions on the screen were nothing compared to the explosions happening in my chest. I’d somehow found the man for me—the one who got me, little, big, and otherwise—just by clicking on a picture of a gorgeous cock. I’d discovered a gorgeous man belonged to the gorgeous cock, and nothing had been the same for me since.
Sure, we’d had awkward encounters and even more awkward conversations. There had been more than a few embarrassing moments along the way as well. But at the end of the day, I was sitting next to the one man I’d ever felt comfortable enough around to be me: big, little, submissive, take-charge, police officer, a person who solved problems, and a person who needed someone to take on his problems for him. And he got every single side of me.
A tear slipped down my cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”
He gave me a squeeze, then pushed me to standing. “And I think it’s bedtime now.” He grabbed my hand and I followed him through the house and to our room, giggling the entire way.