10. Scott
SCOTT
It was early on Wednesday evening when my phone buzzed on the counter with a call from Forest. Every time his name lit up the screen, a flutter of excitement filled me. "Hey, baby."
"Hey." His voice was off, and my hackles were immediately up. I’d heard his upset voice before, but this was…different. "So, don't freak out."
Fucking hell. I put down the wrench and exhaled, bracing myself for the worst. "What’s going on?"
"It’s not a big deal, but I'm at urgent care….and I need a ride home.” He sighed as if it were all a misunderstanding. “I told them I could walk or call a rideshare, but they gave me some painkillers, so I need someone to sign me out.”
"I'm on my way." I was already moving toward the door. “What happened?”
“I took a puck to the hand during practice and two of my fingers are broken. They said it’ll be about an hour before the splint is on, so you don’t have to rush. I just don’t want to call any of the guys because they’re not the most?—"
"Forest." I grabbed my keys off the hook and made sure my wallet was in my pocket. "Text me the address."
He went quiet for a second, then whispered, "Okay. Thank you."
The urgent care center he texted was twenty minutes away, but I made it there in fifteen. As soon as I found parking, I jogged inside and spotted him immediately. Forest was sitting in a plastic chair near the window with his right hand wrapped and his long hair loose around his face.
My cock stirred just from seeing him in his practice gear.
He looked up when I walked in, and the relief on his face went straight to my heart. It was almost palpable. "You didn't have to come this fast." That might have been true, but it was more true that he was glad I did.
"I wanted to." I sat down beside him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before I carefully lifted his elbow to get a look at his hand. As he said, two fingers were splinted together, and there was a little swelling visible above the bandage. "How bad is it?"
"Two clean breaks, so they’ll take six to eight weeks to heal." He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed. "I'm out for the rest of the season."
"I'm sorry." I slipped my arm behind his shoulders and pulled him closer to me. “I know that’s disappointing.”
"It is what it is." He shrugged as if it was fine, but I knew he was feeling more emotion than he was willing to show in the middle of a public waiting room. “I’m fine.”
As much as I wanted to find the words that would make him feel better, there just weren’t any.
So I gave him another squeeze and kiss to the head then got up and went to find a nurse.
Forest was cleared to leave as soon as I signed the waiver that confirmed I would get him home safely and make sure he picked up his prescription.
As soon as I had all his care instructions, I turned to Forest and saw he was just staring at me.
“You ready to go home, baby?” I went to his left side and gently helped him up to his feet.
His breath hitched and he nodded, clearly overwhelmed by everything. “Yes, Da—” He stopped and looked away. “I’m ready.”
My eyes locked on him as I filled in that unspoken Daddy.
He almost said it on his own and in a moment of vulnerability.
That was good enough for now. If he ever trusted me to be his Daddy, I’d take that honor seriously and never let him down.
But until then, I’d take whatever hints of affection I could get. “Let’s go.”
I put him in my car and then ran back to the pharmacy to pick up his meds. It was a short regimen of antibiotics and painkillers that I planned to closely monitor. When I got back, I buckled him in and went around to the driver's side so I could take him home.
He was half-curled up on the seat, facing me. "I’m at 1700 Miller Drive."
"We can swing by to pick up whatever you need, but I’d like you to stay at my place for a few days."
He lifted his head off the headrest and looked at me. “You do?”
I put my hand on his knee and squeezed. “I do.” As soon as I got the car started, I turned back to him. “Is that okay?”
He nodded and smiled as his eyes drifted shut. “Yeah, okay.”
A few minutes before we got to his place, he put his left hand over mine and didn't say anything. I turned mine over so our fingers could interlock on his leg.
I walked him up to his apartment and helped him pack a bag of comfy clothes and toiletries. “You’ll need to take a few days off work.”
He was holding his work boots when he stopped and looked at me. “I do?”
“The painkillers will make you drowsy. You only need those for three days, so if you take the rest of the week off, you should be fine by Monday.”
He glanced at his hand and scoffed. “I guess I can’t get much done with this thing anyway.”
“I’m sure your boss will understand.”
He put his work boots back in his closet. “Yeah, they’ll just be glad my injury didn’t happen on the clock. A few days will be fine.”
A few days with Forest all to myself sounded better than fine. It sounded amazing. “What can I help with?”
He didn’t pack much, so we were heading to my place after taking some perishables out of his fridge and dropping them into the dumpster on the way out.
As soon as I got him into my apartment, I helped him out of his practice gear and into a pair of sweats and a clean t-shirt.
“I really should shower first.” He lifted his arm and took a whiff of his pit. “Obviously.”
I leaned into his armpit and took a deep breath. “I think you smell delicious.” I kissed the inside of his bicep and pulled back. “But you’re swaying on your feet, baby. How ‘bout a nap first and then a shower when you’re a little more alert.”
He grinned and let me get him settled on my bed. His hand was elevated on a pillow, and he was leaning against the headboard. “This is nice.”
Once he was comfortable, I went to get him water and the first round of pills. "Take these." I handed him the pills and watched him wash them down with water.
“Thanks.” He looked floaty, like he was a few seconds away from passing out.
I stretched out beside him, and Forest immediately shifted toward me, leaning into my side.
Just when I thought he was asleep, he sighed. "I hate that I can't play."
"I know, baby." I rubbed his arm, holding him close to me. “I’m sorry.”
"It’s dumb to be so upset over a rec league but?—"
"It isn’t dumb. It matters to you. Hard stop." I ran my fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp as I did. "You don't have to qualify your feelings."
He was quiet for a moment. "Kowalski's gonna be so annoying about this."
"Probably." I grinned, looking forward to meeting the guys on his team. If they were important to Forest, they were important to me.
"Briggs is gonna wanna sign my splint or some shit."
I laughed. "Is that a thing?"
“Probably not, but he’ll make it a thing.” He made a sound that was almost a laugh, and then the weight of him settled heavier against me.
"We’ll talk later, Forest. You need to rest." I ran my fingertips up and down his back.
"But I like cuddling with you…” I found his whiny voice to be cuter than I should have. “I don’t wanna sleep."
"I like this too." I loved it, actually. I’d always been a bit of a cuddler, but with Forest, it was different. He just pulled feelings and needs from me that I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel.
His body was warm and a little heavy, so I pulled the blanket higher over us both and took a deep breath, more content than I could remember being.
My eyes were closed when he turned into my chest and nosed around my nipple. His breath was hot over my shirt, and my dick twitched. “You want some milk, baby?”
He hesitated for just a moment before looking up at me. “Yes, Daddy.”
Fuck, that sounded good on his lips.
Since I met Forest, there had been lots of moments I'd waited a long time for without even realizing it. This was one of them. He didn’t want sex or money or something he could get from just about anyone else.
He wanted me to be his Daddy. To provide something that very few other men could give him.
That was what I wanted too. Maybe even more than he did.
Because I loved him.
"Take it, baby. It’s yours." I am too.
He carefully tucked himself against my chest as I pulled my shirt out of the way. The inhibitions he’d felt the first time we were together were gone, and he went straight for my nipple, licking around the tip before pressing his lips to my skin and sucking.
I just closed my eyes and enjoyed it.
He was truly giving himself to me. Mine to take care of.
Mine to feed and hold and look after.
Being a Daddy was something I’d longed for throughout adulthood but never quite worked out. I thought it was because I wasn’t able to meet the needs of someone as sweet and kind and strong as Forest. Someone I could truly respect and admire and be desperately attracted to.
But then I met this gorgeous boy in my arms and everything just fell into place.
When I opened up Spin Cycle, I thought it was just a means to an end. An easy income and a bit of house-hacking. I never expected the man of my dreams to walk through the door, soaking wet and looking for help.
Forest hummed against me and his left hand gripped my side like he was keeping me close.
I pulled him closer. “Sleep now, baby. Daddy will be right here when you wake up.”