Chapter 34
Paxton
My phone was already in my hand when Moseley's name came up on the screen.
Moseley didn't call me directly. That wasn't his MO. He texted, he emailed, he occasionally sent voice notes that were three minutes long because he got distracted by something else.
A direct call from him meant I needed to answer. I picked up before the second ring.
"It's Grizzly." His voice was low and careful. "His parents called. It wasn't good. Auden stepped in but he's—you should come."
I was already moving. "I'm on my way. Twenty minutes."
"Okay. Drive safe. You’re no good to him dead on the highway."
I snorted, then ran for my car. While I didn’t risk life and limb, I definitely wasn’t the most safe driver.
The office looked normal from the outside when I arrived. Once I opened the door, I could feel the shift.
Cheyenne met my eyes when I walked in. She pointed toward the back without a word. Her jaw was set in a sharp frown.
I found Grizzly as soon as I walked through the office door. In seconds, I had him up and out the building to go to his place. My boy needed his playroom and privacy.
He also needed comfort. I had just the thing to help.
He didn't say much on the drive. I didn't push either since I knew he was struggling. I kept one hand on the wheel and the other holding his to show him support.
Inside, I got him settled in the playroom and told him to wait. The onesie had been sitting in a box in the back of my car for the perfect moment.
The look on his face when he saw it made all the waiting worth it. I would remember it for the rest of my life.
After getting him changed, I grabbed his favorite book and a warm bottle of milk. I tucked my boy close to my chest, then read to him until I felt all the tension drain from his body, bit by bit.
He shifted in his sleep until his head found my lap, which was something he did when he was deep enough under that his body just went looking for comfort. I put one hand in his hair and kept it there as a weight to remind him of my presence.
My thoughts shifted to the events of the day. Auden and Moseley had both texted me with details of what all was said. It was really great to have the background story, so I knew how to help my boy.
His parents had called today and torn down his confidence. Auden stepped in and handled it with more grace than I would have managed. But Auden wasn't always going to be in the room. Moseley wasn't always going to be down the hall.
I needed to know my boy would be safe from those fuckers in the future. They didn’t get to have access to him. They didn’t get to tear him down.
Looking around his playroom, I thought about how he’d built this space to manage his feelings alone. He had a whole house to be alone.
The thought hit me like a ton of bricks: He shouldn’t be alone in this house.
The thought had been circling for a while, moving closer every time I left at night. I’d been patient about it.
But there was patient and there was passive. Today had tipped the balance.
I pulled out my phone with my free hand, careful not to shift my lap.
The Princess Pack group chat had been quiet since the morning when Gracie had dropped some outfit ideas in the chat he wanted feedback on.
I typed without second-guessing myself, despite the way it would change the mood of things.
Paxton: Quick question. Is it a bad idea to just fully move in with Grizzly?
I watched the dots appear almost immediately. Then all at once, the way it always went when the Pack had an opinion.
Doyle: PAXTON WELLS! IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION?
Princess Aster: Oh thank god! Someone finally pointed out the obvious.
Fisher: do it do it do it do it
Ean: This is not a question. This is a statement. Move in!!
Doyle: I have been WAITING for this text. Pierce told me to stop bringing it up, but I KNEW.
Doyle: This is Pierce. I said to let them figure it out on their own schedule. My boy is being bratty.
Doyle: Semantics!!
Byron: Paxton if you don't move in I will personally drive down there and do it for you.
Princess Gracie: Yes!!! Do it!!! You should be together every day!!!
Doyle: Your boy needs you there. Full stop. Stop commuting to the love of your life.
I stared at the screen for a moment. The group chat had devolved into a string of enthusiastic emojis and at least one gif that Doyle had sent of a person running toward a house. I turned my phone face down against my thigh and looked at my boy.
The clouds on the onesie rose and fell with each of his even breaths. He had one hand tucked under his cheek, and Wells pressed against his chest.
I turned my phone back over and texted Pops.
Paxton: It's go time.
The response came back in under a minute.
Pops: Figured it was coming. Still got moving boxes in the garage. Your room is mostly empty already since you've been living out of a bag for weeks.
Pops: I'll get the rest of your stuff packed up. Gives me something to do.
Pops: You ok with this?
Another glance at my sleeping boy gave me the answer.
Paxton: Yeah. More than.
Pops: Good. Tell Grizzly I said hey. Also tell him I expect to see him at my table sometime this week.
A small laugh moved through my chest. I kept it quiet enough so my boy wouldn’t stir.
I set the phone aside and settled back against the wall, running my hand through Grizzly's hair in the slow, even rhythm that kept him under. His forehead was smooth now, the tension that had been there when I arrived fully gone.
I thought about what I was going to say when he woke up. I wasn't going to make a big production of it. Grand gestures had their place, but this wasn't one of them. This was a practical thing, and Grizzly trusted practical.
He trusted me.
I would tell him I wanted to move in. That it was because I wanted to be here every minute I could. Love was the root of my decision.
He’d likely tell me I didn’t have to. He might even feel like he’s being a burden in some way. I’d have to erase the thought from his mind.
When my boy finally stirred, it was slow. The small sounds first, a shift in breathing, a tightening of his grip on Wells. Then his head moved slightly against my lap and his eyes opened. He looked up at me with the most unguarded expression.
"Hey, baby," I whispered.
"Daddy," he murmured back. He blinked a couple of times like he was still trying to come to. "How long I sleep?"
"A while. You needed it. I bet you feel better now."
He stayed where he was, which I took as a good sign. No immediate scrambling to sit up and recalibrate. He just lay there looking at the ceiling.
"Auden was incredible," he said after a moment, his Little side shifting away.
"They really were."
"I froze. I didn't—" He stopped.
"You handed them the phone. That was the right call. Knowing when to hand off is not freezing." I relayed Auden’s version of things.
He was quiet after that, as if he were turning it over. I ran my hand through his hair again. He closed his eyes briefly though I could tell he wasn’t sleeping.
"I want to ask you something," I said to break the silence. "And I want you to know there's no pressure attached to this. I'm not going to be upset if you need time."
His eyes met mine as he nodded slowly. I didn’t want him to worry over what I intended to say. This wasn’t anything bad, so it was best to get it out in the open.
"I want to move in. I want to be here. Every day, not most days, and not just when things come up. Here." I kept my voice even.
He looked at me for a long moment before softly asking, “Are you sure?”
"The most sure I’ve ever been.”
He turned his face into my leg, tucking his nose against my knee. I heard his mumbled agreement a few minutes later, and for the first time since answering Moseley’s call, I felt like I could breathe again.