Chapter 2
Chapter two
Warner – Lean on Me
The week before Easter — Sunday.
The boys were all playing in the pool, but Crow and Vince were getting another drink with me instead of joining them. Sometimes it was fun to watch them goofing off. The smell of chlorine wafted around as they splashed. Cody looked so carefree.
I wanted to talk to the guys about the upcoming Pride Road Trip.
Skyler and Danny were on the committee along with Drew, obviously, and Quinn.
But Ward and Jax were now loosely involved because someone said they should do a short cruise, too.
That was probably Quinn, but I hadn’t been in the room.
I only heard from what Drew told me later.
It was going to be a great trip, though.
Camping, paddle-boarding, all my favorite outdoor things, combined with a killer parade and a cruise before heading home.
More camping was planned for the return trip as well.
Drew was paying the bill for the entire thing as usual.
Although he said he didn’t think Ward would let him cover the cruise leg, because he wanted to do that himself.
“You should come with us, Vince. It’ll be a blast. And the pups always loved a cruise, so I’m sure our boys will have fun.”
“Pups?” Vince asked.
“Yeah…Quinn’s pup, Royce, is best friends with Jax and Larry Henderson’s pup, Todd. You remember Henderson?” We’d all talked about getting into some of Larry’s investment opportunities already.
“I’m always overwhelmed with who’s who with this bunch. Lawyers, daddies, pups, littles… and everyone knows everyone.” Vince held up a hand.
I clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t get easier.”
We all broke out laughing because it was seriously true. I thought of everyone as either Drew’s Crew or the Afterglow club, which was constantly growing. Now Vince and Joey were included in our circle, and since Cody loved his new best friend, I had to have them come along.
“It does sound like fun.” Vince looked out at the guys splashing around in the pool. “Joey needs more fun. He works hard. And usually too much.”
“I understand that.” I raised my glass as if toasting to being a workaholic. “Y’all can ride with us. You only need to pack clothes. But you should get a tent and a paddleboard too. The inflatable kind, they travel easier.”
“Deal.” We shook hands.
“Great. That’s settled.” Crow set his glass down and took off his shirt. “Let’s go play with the boys.”
I couldn’t argue with that, and apparently, neither could Vince. We stripped off our shirts and jumped in. We played a game of chicken with the boys on our shoulders, and everyone ended up getting dunked. Putting in that pool was one of the best things I’d ever done.
Later, we all dried off, and it was time for everyone to leave, including Cody. I pulled him to me in the foyer. “You could stay.”
Cody cupped my face and gave me a long, lingering kiss.
“I have to work tomorrow. Early. It’s better to go home.
I had a super fun day, Daddy.” After a few more kisses, he left me standing there.
I hated that he felt he had to go. I wanted him here all the time, and I needed to get a move on changing that situation.