10. Kane
Chapter 10
Kane
Kane was loving life.
Having Cassie staying with him was a dream. Even for a cynical, grumpy Daddy like Kane. It wasn’t just the physical side of their relationship that Kane was enjoying.
It was more than that.
Much more , in fact.
Kane enjoyed the company. Having someone at his place on those nights where he would usually be home alone was significant. It meant that his mind didn’t wander toward hitting a late-night bar or casino.
The other Daddies had noticed the difference too.
Both Cage and Leon had commented that Kane was a lot more relaxed, not quite as preoccupied as he could sometimes be.
This was undoubtedly a good thing.
Kane loved coming home after a shift at work to find Cassie there, busy working away at her new comic. It brought Kane so much joy to see how passionate Cassie was about her work.
In fact, it motivated Kane to work even harder at trying to sort out Cassie’s damaged computer equipment. It was proving even more tricky than Kane had first imagined…
Fuck! I thought I was in there!
Damn it. Okay. Calm down.
Time to try again.
Kane leaned back in his chair and took a moment to inspect the unruly pile of chipboards and connecting wires.
It looked a mess.
One big, fat ultra-complicated mess.
But he had one of his hacker friends for support on the other end of his headset. All was not lost. There was definitely a way of retrieving and extracting Cassie’s work.
There had to be.
‘Daddy?’ Cassie called out from across the other side of the room.
‘Yeah?’
‘Sydney is asking if I can go to play with her and Katie in the park,’ Cassie said, her voice full of the sweet optimism that Kane loved so much. ‘Cage is there too. And your friend Leon. Can we go?’
‘I’m busy with this,’ Kane said, quickly pausing and reconsidering when he turned to see the look on Cassie’s face. It was a look of disappointment. ‘Actually. Screw it. I’m making progress. We need to take advantage of the sunny weather and have some fun.’
‘Yay! You’re the best Daddy ever!’ Cassie chirped, putting her handheld games console to one side, and springing up from the couch. ‘Can we get some freeze-pops?’
Kane could see how psyched Cassie was.
A freeze-pop was pretty much frozen water, sugar, and coloring. Not exactly in line with their healthy eating. But, then again, it was a hot day outside…
‘Yeah, why not,’ Kane said, grinning as Cassie ran towards him and gave him a big hug. ‘On one condition. One very strict condition.’
‘I’m nervous now, but… okay,’ Cassie said, her blue eyes looking up to meet Kane’s gaze.
‘Whoever finishes theirs first gets an extra one!’
The pair of them laughed and got ready to leave the house. Kane was wearing a maroon t-shirt and a pair of regular fit light blue jeans. Cassie was in a tight red t-shirt and matching shorts.
‘You’re a whole heap of cute, kid,’ Kane said, glancing over at Cassie.
‘Thanks Daddy!’ Cassie laughed, her cheeks reddening slightly from the compliment.
The pair left the apartment together, happy in each other’s company and ready for some wholesome outdoor fun in the sun.
By the time Kane and Cassie arrived at the park, the others were already there. They had managed to find a nice spot that wasn’t too populated with other people.
With the sun beating down, Kane was more than happy to crack open a cold can of Coca-Cola.
‘Cheers!’ Kane said, bumping cans with Cage and Leon. ‘Here’s to life!’
‘Woah, dude, you’re happy today,’ Leon laughed, glugging down his can. ‘Can we assume it has something to do with your lovely Little?’
Kane smiled.
Try as he might, he couldn’t hide his pride and delight at being in a relationship with Cassie. It may not have been the macho, most masculine move to make, but Kane decided it was time to open up to his friends.
Kane spoke.
Cage and Leon listened.
‘Damn, that’s honestly so good to hear,’ Cage said. ‘Trust me, I know how incredibly positive it can be to be in a good relationship. Especially with a Little who just connects with your Daddy Dom side.’
‘That’s so true,’ Kane said, happy to hear Cage’s words but also conscious not to go too overboard. After all, Leon hadn’t found his Forever Little yet.
‘Hey, it’s cool, I get it,’ Leon said. ‘One day I’ll find my Little. You guys don’t need to underplay it around me. It’s actually a huge rush to see both of you two so happy. Like a playbook for what I’ll have one day. You know?’
It was great to see that Leon didn’t harbor any feelings of jealousy or sadness.
Leon was a great guy.
One of the best people that Kane had ever met all told.
His time would come, Kane was sure of that.
Leon’s problem was that as an ER doctor he had a hectic schedule and a job that was stressful in a way that not many people could comprehend. Performing surgery on critically injured people pushed him to the limits. Sometimes beyond.
There were other things going on with Leon too.
But being a Daddy Dom, he often put up a defense mechanism to cover them up. Leon’s way around his feelings was often by cracking a risqué joke. Or three.
‘You know, I really think Cassie could be… the one,’ Kane said, encouraged to keep talking by Leon. ‘It’s hard to explain exactly, but… the feelings are running deeper than I’ve experienced. And I mean deeper than ever .’
Cage and Leon exchanged a look between them.
‘You know man, I think Cassie could be the making of you,’ Leon said. ‘We’ve all seen each other at low points before. Always had each other’s back. Like family. But Cassie could be the person who makes sure you’re good to go twenty-four-seven. You can’t put a value on that. It’s what we’re all searching for, right?’
Cage nodded in agreement.
‘That’s exactly right,’ Cage said, cracking open a beer. ‘Look at those Littles. They’re so cute. I really feel like seeing them so happy and carefree is a privilege.’
‘Even if Sydney and her stunts are sometimes a bit much,’ Leon said, casting a concerned and somewhat disapproving look over at Sydney. ‘Jesus. That kid’s going to seriously fucking hurt herself one of these days.’
‘Ha! If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was the sound of a Daddy talking,’ Kane laughed, watching as Leon flexed his muscles, the large tribal tattoo on his arm enhancing the shape of his large bicep. ‘Maybe you should go over there and give her a spanking?’
‘I’m going to say… no,’ Leon said, shutting down the conversation abruptly.
The three Daddies laughed.
Although Kane did notice that Leon seemed awfully keen on Sydney’s activities. Maybe there was in fact something going on there from Leon’s point of view at least.
‘Daddy! Daddy!’ Cassie called, charging over towards Kane. ‘Can we go an pick up an ice-pop now?’
Kane paused a moment.
Despite the fact he had promised Cassie the treat, he didn’t want to look like anything less than the stern Daddy in front of his friends.
Hell, who was he kidding?
Of course they could go and get an ice-pop.
In fact, Kane and Cassie would go and buy a whole box of them. Enough to last for the rest of their time at the park.
‘Don’t get up to anything too naughty on the way!’ Leon called out as Kane and Cassie began to walk. ‘I know there’s plenty of bushes around. But you must resist!’
‘ Urgh . Ignore Leon. He’s always trying to get in people’s heads with his jokes,’ Kane said, shaking his head.
‘He is kinda funny though,’ Cassie said. ‘I think Sydney might like him. But she won’t admit it. She says Leon’s far too serious usually.’
Kane nodded.
He didn’t want to even try to play matchmaker, so didn’t add anything further to the conversation.
Then, something happened. Almost without realizing, Kane and Cassie began walking hand in hand.
It felt nice.
Magical in fact.
With the ice-pop stand still a fair distance away, they simply walked in each other’s company. In silence. Just enjoying the weather and the bustling, happy atmosphere in the park.
This was the kind of scene that Kane had often imagined.
He couldn’t help but think back to his friendship with Roddy. They’d had fun times too.
Or that was how it felt at the time.
Looking back now, with the benefit of hindsight, it all seemed so hollow. It just couldn’t compare to the simple pleasure of walking with Cassie.
Everything with Roddy was based on drinking and gambling. Living the high life. Being as wild as was legally possible.
It just couldn’t be compared to the purity of the fun that Cassie brought Kane.
It wasn’t even close.
As they arrived and took their place in line at the ice-pop stand, Cassie took a step back and whipped her small notepad and pencil out of her back pocket.
‘Okay, just stand there. Exactly like that,’ Cassie said, seeming to outline a sketch.
‘I feel like I’m being objectified!’ Kane joked, trying not to look too self-conscious as he patiently waited for Cassie to finish her drawing. ‘Come on, get a move on.’
‘Patience, the artist is nearly done,’ Cassie giggled, applying the finishing touches. ‘It’s your fault anyway for giving me the pencils and paper.’
‘Hmph, maybe I should have thought it through better. Got you a laptop instead.’
‘Ha-ha! No, I love it,’ Cassie said. ‘I’ve been getting lots of new ideas. Way more than I would have done. Before, when I was working exclusively online, I found myself chained to the computer. It meant I didn’t really experiment or step away from the main project.’
Kane loved to hear this.
Primarily, it was simply delightful to hear that his influence had prompted Cassie’s creativity to bloom again. There was something very rewarding about knowing that his actions had helped someone so deserving as Cassie to find a new way of expressing themselves.
Also, it was great to see Cassie so happy.
Especially after what she had been through.
Kane knew from his experience as a firefighter that victims of fires could find themselves struggling in the aftermath. Even the ones who, like Cassie, weren’t at home at the time.
‘Hey, you think you’d want to maybe have a permanent set-up somewhere in the apartment? We could get you an easel, maybe some paints too?’ Kane suggested, not wanting to directly ask Cassie to move in with him full-time.
This seemed like a good way of testing the water though. A great way to see how Cassie would react.
Kane knew that it might be too soon for Cassie. It would be disappointing if it was, but Kane wouldn’t mind too much. His sole priority was making sure that the relationship moved along at a pace that Cassie was comfortable with.
That was more important than anything else at all.
But Cassie wasn’t answering.
Shit. It was definitely too much. Urgh.
‘Sorry, that was a bit over the top,’ Kane said, feeling deflated.
‘No, it sounds great. I’m not upset about that,’ Cassie said. ‘It’s just… I was hoping you might be asking me to move in with you forever!’
Wait, what?
Did I just hear that correctly?
‘Kid, you just keep on getting better and better,’ Kane said, smiling broadly. ‘Now let’s get these ice-pops and make this the best damned park visit ever.’
‘Okay, but let’s not stay too long, Daddy,’ Cassie said. ‘I want to get back home for some… fun.’
There was a highly mischievous look on Cassie’s face. One that wasn’t even remotely innocent.
Kane grinned.
If Cassie wanted some naughty fun back at the apartment, then that was exactly what she was going to get…