“I don’t know what to say,” he whispered.
“You don’t have to say anything right now. This doesn’t have to be decided today.” Even though everything in me wanted to claim him right here, right now, I knew he needed time. Needed space to process. “We can take this slow. Figure out what it looks like for us.”
“I don’t want slow,” he said, surprising me. “I’ve been alone for so long, Simon. I’ve been taking care of everyone else andforgetting to take care of myself, and I’m so tired.” His voice cracked. “I’m so tired of being strong all the time.”
My heart ached for him. “Then let me be strong for you, bud. Let me take some of that weight.”
“You really want to?”
“More than I’ve wanted anything in a long time.” It was the truth. The absolute, unvarnished truth.
He studied my face for a long moment, and I let him look. Let him see everything I was feeling written there plainly.
“Okay,” he finally said, and it was barely a whisper. “Okay, I want to try. I want—I want you to be my Daddy.”
The words hit me like a physical thing, warming me from the inside out. I’d known we were heading here, had hoped for it, but hearing him actually say it was something else entirely.
“Yeah?” I needed to be sure. Needed to know he meant it.
He nodded, more firmly this time. “Yes, please.”
I pulled him closer, wrapping my arms around him and tucking him against my chest. He came willingly, melting into the embrace like he’d been waiting for permission.
“I’ve got you, bud,” I murmured into his hair. “I’ve got you, and I’m not letting go.”
His arms wrapped around my waist, holding on tight. “Promise?”
“I promise.” And I meant it with everything I had. “We’ll figure out the details, work out what this looks like for both of us. But right here, right now? You’re mine to take care of, and I take that responsibility seriously.”
“Mine,” he repeated softly, testing out the word. Then, even softer: “Daddy.”
The word sent electricity down my spine. Hearing it from his lips, directed at me—it was everything I’d been craving without fully acknowledging it.
“That’s right, bud. Your Daddy.”
We stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in each other as the wind howled outside and the storm finally hit in full force. Snow began pelting the windows, but we were warm and safe inside.
Inside, we’d found what we’d both been looking for.
Eventually, I felt Tanner’s breathing even out, his body growing heavy against mine. He was falling asleep, exhausted from the emotional upheaval of the day.
“Hey,” I said softly, rubbing his back. “Let’s get you upstairs to bed. You need proper rest.”
He made a small sound of protest but didn’t fight me as I helped him to his feet. His eyes were already half-closed, and he swayed slightly.
I steadied him with a hand on his hip. “Come on, bud. Let’s get you tucked in.”
He nodded sleepily and let me guide him toward the stairs. Halfway up, he stumbled, and I caught him easily, deciding it would be simpler to just carry him the rest of the way.
“Simon,” he mumbled as I scooped him up.
“Shh, I’ve got you.”
He rested his head against my shoulder, completely trusting. The weight of him in my arms felt right in a way I couldn’t quite explain.
In his room, I set him gently on the bed and helped him out of his boots and jeans, leaving him in his t-shirt and boxers. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.
“Daddy,” he murmured as I pulled the covers up over him.
