I nodded and took his hand when he offered it. I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder, hoping Edwin would come backand play some more. But it was late, and he wasn’t the only one who had work the next day.
Reality called.
“Is everything okay?” Cliff asked as he helped me into my coat. My overalls were great, but not for the walk home.
“Sure.” I shrugged.
“Didn’t you have a good time tonight? You looked like you did to me. Was I wrong?”
“No, Daddy. I had a great time.” Maybe too much of a great time.
Chapter Six
Cliff
We’d played with other littles at Chained before. While Brax and I enjoyed one another’s company for the most part, he had many friends there, and they also played games and did crafts with one another. One of the nicest things about belonging to a club like Chained was the connections. Brax had friends he’d met there as well as some he knew from the Little House. And I could socialize with other daddies as well, something that came in handy when relationship issues arose that nobody else in the world would understand.
So, another little joining us in our play? Not out of the ordinary, at all, and while it was going on, I hadn’t thought much of it. Sure, Edwin was cute. Very cute, in fact, and I enjoyed watching the two boys having such a good time together. But the conversation we’d had afterward had revealed that this daddy had been unaware of some undercurrents he should have noticed. There had been something between them beyond a desire to knock down a tower of blocks. If I had realized, though, what could I have done? Stop them from playing together? I’d never do that.
We’d made it through a week since our visit to the club, and I was putting together a salad to go with the casserole currently heating in the oven when Brax came into the kitchen. “Hi, Daddy.” He brushed a kiss on my lips, a lukewarm hello if I’d ever felt one.
He generally greeted me as Cliff when he was big, but nothing about his tone indicated he was little. Just the name… “Hi, Brax. Dinner’s just a few minutes out if you’d like to wash up.”
“Great.” He moved over to the sink and pumped some hand soap into his palms then held them under the faucet. “Smells good. What are we having?”
“Chicken alfredo casserole and the salad. Oh, and I have a couple of mini bundts for dessert. You hungry?”
“No…yes. Maybe a little. Actually, before we eat, can we talk a few minutes? Will dinner hold?”
“It’s a casserole, no matter how fancy the name. So, gonna say, yes.” I laid the knife on the cutting board. “At the table?”
“Maybe the couch.”
So, it was serious, then. “All right. Beer?”
“I don’t think so.” He trailed into the living room, worrying me even more.
I poured a couple of iced teas, since my mouth was dry, and followed him to the sofa, setting the drinks on the coffee table in front of it. “All right, Brax. What’s going on? Are you feeling all right?”
“Physically, yes, but I’m still bothered by what happened at the club. We’re a couple, and I have no business reacting to anyone else. I love you!”
“And I love you.” I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and drew him in to lean against me. “But that doesn’t mean you won’t be attracted to someone else. I think that’s normal. What’s important is that we’ve talked about it.”
“Honesty, then?”
“Yes.” I stroked his hair and rested my cheek on the top of his head. “We’ve always been honest with one another, and I don’t see why we’d change now.”
“But I didn’t want you to think…that what we had wasn’t enough.” He laid his arm over my chest. “Because it’s more than I ever imagined. I don’t know how I could react the way I did.”
“Because you’re human. But what I think is important is that you don’t feel guilty for that humanity. Just accept your feelings.”
“We’re never going to see him again, anyway, are we?” he asked.
“I doubt it. He was on a day pass, after all, and he’s probably gone back to where he came from. Are you okay with that?”
“It’s for the best, I think.” He traced circles on my chest. “Life is funny.”
“Yes.” I considered my words carefully. “But perhaps we need to set up some ground rules in case we ever come into a situation like that again.”
