Cash
Cash walked out into the living room and found Jake sitting on the upholstered chair that looked distinctly uncomfortable. When the big man shifted and glanced up at him with a grimace, Cash nodded. He glanced into the kitchen and saw both boys huddled there by a pot boiling on the stove, talking in quiet whispers. He sat at the end of the couch, closest to the chair and murmured, “I just finished reno on a townhome I picked up to flip. I was about to put it on the market, but I think this is more important.”
“I’ll furnish the place, because these kids aren’t gonna be sitting on this shitty furniture if I can help it, but that boy in there, Mattie, the tiny spitfire. He’s gonna be mine, so I don’t know how long he’ll be living with Carter.”
Cash chuckled and nodded, knowing a spitfire was right up Jake’s alley. He liked spirited boys that posed a challenge. “All right. I’ll be in contact with you about it, and we’ll get them moved in ASAP.”
They glanced towards the kitchen and were both startled to see Carter and Mattie had moved into the living room, arms crossed over their chests glaring at Cash. Mattie spoke up first. “Where’s Liam? What did you do?”
Cash gave him what he hoped was a charming smile. “He’s packing for the weekend. We have a lot to work out.”
Mattie flinched and looked at Carter who placed a hand on Mattie’s back and stepped forward. “You have to do better, Cash. You can’t—”
Mattie interrupted Carter, “Don’t you make him sleep in that fucking depression chamber!” He’d moved closer to Cash and was pointing his finger in Cash’s face. Normally that would piss Cash off, but the tears gathered in Mattie’s eyes let him know the boy was hurting. Then he realized what Mattie had said. “Depression chamber?”
“That’s what he called the blue room. It was the room you shoved him into when you rejected him the first night, and that’s all he could ever see in that awful room, rejection. He didn’t sleep there again. Slept in the fucking library every night so he didn’t have to be there. Didn’t know that, did you? No, I can see by the look on your face you didn’t.”
Cash, bewildered and devastated, could only shake his head. He made to speak, but Mattie went at him again, “If you’re in love with Tommy, don’t put him through this. And if you’re actually in love with Liam, you better fucking fix it. I won’t have you treating him like he’s a ‘Tommy Replacement.’”
Cash flinched that time, and Mattie nodded. “That’s what he called himself, a ‘Tommy Replacement,’ so if you have any feelings for your ex, don’t string Liam along. He doesn’t deserve it. Do you realize there was only one day you didn’t hurt Liam? One. Fucking. Day. You drove to find him and helped beat the shit out of those fucking assholes that were assaulting him then you took care of him like he deserved, and he thought right then that you were the one. You held him that night while he slept then the next day you crushed him with your rules about sleeping apart and making your relationship sex only. Crushed him, Cash. If you hurt him again, so help me god, I’ll—”
Jake pulled Mattie down onto his lap, and Mattie broke off as Jake kissed his head and said, “Shhh, shhh, little one.” Tears streamed down Mattie’s face and his breath hitched as he tried to get control of himself. Cash’s heart dove into his stomach that things had been even worse for Liam than he’d thought.
He reached out and gently took Mattie’s hand between his own and smiled gently at the fiercely protective boy being held by one of his closest friends. “Thank you for telling me all of that. He wouldn’t have. Mattie, I won’t rest easy until I make things right with my boy. He’s my life, and I’m so in love with him I can hardly breathe with the pain of knowing what I’ve done to him. It’s only ever been Liam for me. I know you can’t trust me yet, but one day you’ll be able to. I’ll make it up to him, I promise.”
Mattie nodded and sniffed, glancing at Jake when the bigger man squeezed him and kissed his temple. “Cash is one of my closest friends, and I trust him completely. I know you can’t trust him right now and that’s understandable, but he’ll prove himself to you, and more importantly, he’ll prove himself to Liam. All right?”
Mattie nodded and said softly, “Okay.”
Cash glanced up at Carter who stood hovering beside Jake’s chair, not wanting to be too far away from Mattie if he was needed. Cash smiled up at him and said, “I appreciate both of you boys. You were exactly what he needed when he needed it, and I’ll be forever grateful he had you.”
Mattie reached back and held out his hand, and Carter took it and held it. All of them glanced over at Liam when he walked in, a huge smile on his face and his backpack hooked over his shoulder. When he saw them all in their strange little huddle, he dropped his bag and the smile and sat on the coffee table facing his friends. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Mattie glanced at Cash, chewed on his lip, and admitted, “I yelled at him.”
Liam’s lips twitched, and he asked, “You did?”
Mattie merely nodded and looked up at Carter. Liam followed Mattie’s gaze to Carter who was trying to hold back a smile as he nodded as well and said, “He did.”
Liam leaned his elbows on his knees and stared back at Mattie. “Well, he kind of deserved it, didn’t he?”
Mattie let out a half laugh, half sob and nodded quickly as a tear rolled down his face. Cash’s heart constricted at how much love these boys had for each other in such a short time. He watched as Liam leaned forward and brushed the tear away then rested his hand on Mattie’s knee.
Mattie whispered, “Don’t let him hurt you like that again.”
Liam shook his head, a sad smile on his face. “Oh, Mattie. No, I won’t. I’m not worried. He’s not the only one that did things wrong. I don’t know what our future holds, but I trust that he’ll do everything in his power to make things right, and so will I. We have a lot to work out, and he has a lot to make up for, but I believe him when he says he loves me. I trust him when he says he’ll prove himself to me. You can trust him too, all right?”
The bone deep certainty that Liam had in his voice humbled Cash. He glanced over at Mattie when he saw Mattie had turned his gaze back on him. He smiled and said, “He’s everything to me, Mattie. It took his leaving to make me realize what I’d done. I’ve been looking for him since the moment I realized he’d left.”
Mattie hesitated, and long seconds passed as Mattie’s eyes narrowed on him in assessment. Finally, Mattie sighed and slowly nodded and said, “Okay.”
Cash let out a relieved breath, knowing he had one less obstacle to overcome towards gaining his boy’s absolute trust back. He stood and shook Jake’s outstretched hand. “We’re gonna go. Jake, if you’re free, and the boys are free as well, come on over to the house Sunday night, and we’ll have dinner together.”
Jake nodded. “I’ll make sure I’m free. Boys?”
Both of the boys nodded their heads and smiled. They hugged Liam and huddled together, whispering for a minute, giving Cash the chance to say, “We’ll chat on Sunday about the housing situation, but tomorrow, I’ll send you the blueprints so you know what furniture is required. They’ll need household appliances too, so add that to the list, and I’m sure some new linens and bedding would help. Fuck, kitchen supplies, too. I don’t want them bringing anything but their clothing and personal items.”
Jake thumped him on the back and said, “I’ll get Sammy started on it as soon as I have the info. Maybe he can take them shopping for the smaller things they’ll need.”
Cash nodded, knowing Jake’s personal assistant would be well suited for the job of furnishing the place and getting the boys set up. “Sounds good. Guys, it was good to meet you. Come on, baby boy. Let’s go home.”
Liam grinned at him. “Yes, Daddy.”
Goddamn, he’d never tire of hearing Liam call him that. He hauled his boy against him and kissed the breath out of him then ushered him to the door. He buckled his boy back into the car when they got down to it, and they drove quietly to the house, Liam turned sideways in his seat, gazing at him, holding his hand in his lap and playing with Cash’s fingers.
When they got home, Cash could smell the remains of the late dinner he’d abandoned the second Jake had called. “Go on upstairs, now. Draw yourself a bath in our tub and add a bath bomb. Everything’s still there. I’m gonna clean up my mess from dinner and be up to join you.”
Liam looked at the mess on the kitchen’s island bar and said, “Daddy, I can hel—”
Cash took hold of Liam’s chin and tilted his head up so their gazes locked. “We’re going to be changing a lot of things about our dynamic from now on. First and foremost is control. Do what I said now, baby boy. Daddy will be up in a bit to join you.”
He watched his boy’s eyes dilate and his dick get hard as his face turned rosy, and he nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”
“That’s my good boy. Go on.”
Liam turned and made his way out of the kitchen to obey him, and Cash made quick work of the mess so he could go up and be with his boy. When he walked into his bathroom, he sucked in a quiet breath at the sight of the flickering candlelight playing on Liam’s skin from the candles lit around the darkened room. He was reclined in the tub, the water pink from his favorite bomb and frothy with bubbles he must have added as well. His eyes were closed, and he was completely relaxed.
Something stirred in Cash, and he realized he wanted to push the boy’s boundaries and try some of the role play they’d yet to make a part of their sexual explorations. He knew their kinks aligned perfectly, but he also knew how much trust it took to delve into what they both needed and wanted from their role play, and he hadn’t felt like they were ready. Obviously, holding back had backfired on him and had made his boy’s distrust grow.
He was Liam’s Daddy, that role was set in stone. It was fact. But role playing different variations of their kink was something they’d both talked about wanting to explore together. Something they’d both been adamant was a requirement for their relationship to flourish and grow. Why he felt like it was too early, he had no clue. Just one more of the litany of rules he’d created that were just so much bullshit. Liam deserved to spread his wings and try out what he’d shared with Cash.
They’d talked many times, late into the night, about their ideas, the things that turned them on, the roles they wanted to try out. Roles that would take their Daddy kink to a whole new taboo level. And he’d denied his boy what he needed and denied his own needs as a result. That would stop, now. He’d ease them into it, stepfather sounded right for their first time. As time went by, they’d delve further into their taboo preferences, but for now, it was perfect.
He hoped Liam remembered the bit in their contract about using different names to signify the start of a scene. He knew he’d startle Liam, but he wanted to make his intentions very clear with him, so he made his voice stern when he asked, “Nicky, what the hell are you doing in my tub? I told you when you were done with your homework you needed to go upstairs to your room and get ready for bed.”
Liam jumped at his harsh tone and sat up, the water sloshing over the edge. The wide eyed, startled look not a pretense, but when he realized what Cash had said, he gasped and let out a little whimper, letting Cash know exactly what he needed to know. His boy was ready for what he had planned for them.
His boy took a deep breath, and Cash could practically see him turning into Nicky. He put on a pout, falling into his role perfectly. “You take a bath every night. I just thought I’d help you.”
“Help me, huh? And how would you do that?”
Nicky got up on his knees. “I-I could scrub your back, and…and I could make sure you didn’t miss any-anything.”
Goddamn, his boy was a natural. “You’re worried about my cleanliness, are you?”
The boy blushed down to his roots and stammered as he stood up. “Never mind, Daddy. I’ll just go.”
“Don’t you dare move, boy. You started this, you’ll finish it.”
Nicky shook his head and began to crawl out of the tub. “Forget about it, Kris.”
Kris, huh? I guess their names were set. “I said. Don’t. You. Dare. Move.”
Nicky froze. “Yes, Sir.”
“First you call me Daddy in your sweet voice and then you call me Kris. Which is it? What did I ask you to call me when your mother left?”
“Dad.”
“That’s right. Dad. But you always insisted on calling me Daddy, instead. And now you’re calling me Kris. Why is that?”
Nicky’s voice grew louder, “Because I felt stupid, okay? Are you happy now?”
“I’m not happy about any of this, son.”
“I’m not your son.”
“I’m the closest thing to a Daddy you’ve ever had, aren’t I? She left us both, and I told you I’d always take care of you.”
A tear rolled down Nicky’s face, and he nodded. Holy fuck, his boy was a born role player, and Kris’s dick grew at the thought of all the fun they would have in the future. “That’s right. So, tell Daddy why you really got in his tub, and why your little cock was hard when you stood up.”
Nicky gasped and covered his cock and balls with his hands. “I just wanted to help you take a bath.”
“Try that again.”
“I-I wanted to take a bath with you.”
“That’s more like it. Why did you want to take a bath with me?”
Another tear rolled down Nicky’s cheek. Jesus his boy was going to do him in. “Because I love you, okay? Are you happy now?”
Kris shook his head and took off his shirt. “You keep asking me if I’m happy. You know what would make me happy? If my boy told me what was really going on.”
He took off his pants and watched his boy’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. He pulled off his boxers, and his hard cock jutted straight out from his body. Nicky gasped again and whispered, “Ohmygod!”
Kris’s cock jumped at that and Nicky looked up at him and licked his lips. “I-I…”
“Spit it out, boy.”
“I’m in love with you, okay?!” A sob broke free. “I’ve been in love with you since mom and I moved in with you.”
Kris approached, his voice softened when he said, “You’re shivering, baby boy. Sit back down in the tub and make room for me.”
Nicky gasped and sat down quickly. “Yes, Daddy.” His movements had more water sloshing out of the full tub.
Kris tsked Nicky. “You’re going to have to clean that up when we’re done. Understood?”
Nicky nodded, eyes wide. “Yes, Sir.”
“That’s my good boy. Now come sit on Daddy’s lap.”
“Aren’t I too big for that?”
“Never, baby boy. Come.”
The boy moved slowly that time, trying his best to avoid making more of a mess. Kris lifted him up so he was sitting across his lap, his ass cheeks and upper thighs pushing Kris’s rock-hard cock down. Kris sunk lower in the water, so his boy was mostly covered and was able to stay warm. “Tell Daddy more.”
Nicky sighed and rested his head on Kris’s shoulder, forehead tucked against his neck. “I’m usually pissed when mom finds another guy to shack up with, but when I saw you, I wanted to move in right away. Do you remember?”
“I remember the day you moved in. I thought you were beautiful, and you were really sweet to me for a boy your age. I expected fifteen-year-old angst and a shit ton of anger. You seemed happy.”
“I fell in love with you the moment I saw you the day Mom introduced us. I wanted to be here.”
“You’ve been in love with me for three years?”
“Yes, Daddy. Are you going to make me leave, now?”
Kris started rubbing up and down the boy’s legs. “I never said I wanted you to leave, baby.” His hand brushed up against the boy’s hard cock. “Nicky, why is your cock hard?”
“I’m so sorry, Daddy.”
“I don’t want your apologies, boy. Tell me why you’re hard.”
“I don’t know, Daddy, because I love you?”
“I love you too, boy.”
“Is that why your big cock is so hard, Daddy?”
Goddamn that sweetly innocent voice was going to be the death of him. “Maybe it is. Maybe my cock is so hard because my sweet boy is being bad, sitting naked in my tub with an erection.”
“I’m glad, Daddy.”
Kris chuckled. “Glad I’m hard because you’re here?”
“Yes, I think about you sometimes. I-I think about you a lot.”
“When do you think about me?”
Kris softly brushed his fingers over his boy’s cock. Nicky shuddered and whispered, “I think about you when I’m touching myself.”
“How do you touch yourself when you’re thinking of me, baby boy.”
“I t-touch my cock, Daddy.”
“You touch your little cock? Does it feel good, baby?”
“Yes, Daddy. It feels so good. I always wish that it’s you, because I love it when you touch me. I think about it all the time.”
“What happens to your little cock when you touch it?
"I-I-I'm sorry, Daddy."
Kris lightly gripped his boy’s cock and stroked it. "Why are you sorry, baby boy?"
Nicky’s voice shuddered out, and he whimpered. "Because when I think of you, I think of you touching me and…and…"
He gripped his boy’s cock tighter. "And?"
Nicky’s hips began moving with his hand. "And it makes me come, Daddy. I'm sorry. I know I'm a bad boy."
Kris shook his head. "You're not a bad boy for masturbating, baby."
Nicky whimpered and gasped out, "But I do it when I'm thinking of you touching me, doing things to my body."
He turned Nicky so his back was to Kris’s chest and moved Nicky’s legs outside of his own, so they were spread. "What does Daddy do to your body?"
Nicky groaned. "You touch me all over, and you use your mouth on me… Down there. And…and…you lick my hole."
Oh, fuck, Nicky was going to kill him with that breathy little voice. "Your hole?"
His boy moaned and nodded. "Yes, Daddy. I think of you touching it and filling it."
His strokes moved faster. "What am I filling your hole with?"
"Your tongue and your fingers and…and…” Nicky broke off and whimpered, humping into his hand.
"And what, baby?"
"And your cock, Daddy."
He let go of Nicky’s penis, and the boy whimpered as if in agony. Kris quickly pumped some lube onto his fingers and admonished, "But Daddy's penis is too big for such a small boy. Have you had a cock in your hole before?"
Boy shakes head vigorously. "No, Sir.”
“My sweet boy is a virgin?”
Nicky groaned and nodded, “Yes. I’m a virgin, Daddy. I don’t want anyone’s cock in my hole but yours.”
Kris growled and bit Nicky’s neck, making him shudder. “But Daddy’s cock would split your little virgin hole wide open.”
“M-Maybe we could practice. But it hurts. I tried putting my finger in there, Daddy, and it burned, so I stopped."
Kris’s voice was stern when he asked, "When did you do this?"
"I tried it this morning, when I woke up with a hard cock, Daddy. But it was painful."
Concern clouded his voice. "Did you hurt yourself, baby?"
Nicky shook his head. "I don't think so.”
“Maybe I should give it a try, so you don’t hurt yourself again.”
“Will it hurt when you do it?”
“I’ll try not to make it hurt, but if it does, it will hurt so good that you’ll like it. Okay, baby?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“That’s my good boy. Lift your knees up just a little bit. There you go, boy. Now you’re open to me and look at your little cock, bobbing so prettily in the water for Daddy.”
Nicky turned his head into Daddy’s neck. “The guys in the school locker room make fun of me because I’m so small.”
“Fuck ‘em. They don’t matter. Your pretty little cock belongs to Daddy now, do you understand?”
Nicky threw his head back and moaned as Kris gripped his little cock and tugged on it as he pressed a slick finger against that little hole. Nicky gripped onto his wrist, but Kris wouldn’t rush his pace.
When Kris finally breached Nicky’s hole his boy moaned, loudly, and panted. “Daddy, it hurts.”
He covered Nicky’s mouth. “Shhh, shh, shh. You gotta be quiet or you’ll wake your sister. Be Daddy’s good boy and take it. Can you do that for me?”
Nicky nodded his head, his mouth still covered by Kris’s hand, his fresh moans muffled behind Kris’s grip. “That’s good, baby boy.” He turned and whispered in Nicky’s ear, “I’m almost all the way in. Do you feel full?”
Nicky nodded his head again and managed, “Mmmhmm.”
“Daddy wants you to feel much fuller. I think you’re ready for more, baby, don’t you?”
Nicky’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head, and he nodded yet again. Cash slowly slid the tips of two fingers in and damned if Nicky didn’t gasp and try to pull away. He lifted his hand but whispered, “Shh, shh. What is it?”
His boy moaned quietly and pulled away from his fingers again. “Hurts, Daddy.”
“I know. I know it does. But I’m going to go slow, and you’re going to be quiet and take it like a man, aren’t you Nicky?”
With a whimper, Nicky nodded, and Kris breached him again, deeper that time with two fingers, and Nicky bucked against his hand. “You’re being Daddy’s good boy, Nicky. I’m proud of you. Deeper now, ready?”
Nicky shook his head no, whimpered, and then nodded his head yes. “So good, baby boy. Take it, that’s it, deeper still. Aww, so good. Look down.” Kris got right up against his ear with his lips. “Look down at Daddy’s pretty little cock. He looks so red and angry. He needs some attention, but Daddy isn’t sure he can trust you to keep quiet. Can you keep quiet, baby?”
Nicky nodded vigorously against his hand, “Mmmhmm.”
“Boy, if I trust you and you make noise, I’m going to have to punish you, and you’re not gonna like it if I do.”
He let go and Nicky whispered, “I promise, Daddy. I’ll be quiet. Please, touch my cock.”
Kris growled and bit Nicky’s ear, hard. “Whose cock is it? I thought for sure you said it was yours, but I can’t be hearing that right, can I? Didn’t we go over whose cock this is?”
“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck.” He nodded, head still thrown back against Kris’s shoulder. “Yours, Daddy. Oh god, it’s your cock, Daddy, please.”
“Please, what?”
“Please touch your little cock.”
“Ah, ah, ahhhh. You forgot to call it pretty.” He pulled out his fingers and breached the boy with three fingers instead of two, cutting off his boy’s cries with his palm again. “When you refer to Daddy’s little cock, refer to it properly. Say, ‘Daddy’s pretty little cock.’”
Nicky nodded, and Kris let go. “Daddy, will you please touch your pretty little cock?”
“That’s much better, baby boy. So much better. You’re a fast learner, Nicky. And I’m three fingers deep in that sweet, tight, virgin hole of yours. I bet it feels tight and full, doesn’t it? So very full. And there’s a little pain there still, isn’t there?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“But I’m not going to ease them out because dirty, bad little boys like you deserve some pain, don’t you? You don’t want Daddy to pull them out, do you?”
Kris watched as his boy’s eyes rolled back in his head again, and he shook it hard. “No. No, Daddy, please, don’t pull them out.”
“Good boy, Nicky. Fuck yourself against my fingers, now. There you go. Keep those hips going while I play with my pretty little cock.”
Kris moaned when Nicky started rocking back and forth, the friction against his own hard cock making his eyes cross. He got some fresh lube on his other hand, gripped his boy’s cock, and squeezed it hard. He watched his boy close his eyes and bite his lip, undulating hard against Kris and moaning as quietly as he could. He began to pick up the pace then Nicky groaned, “Daddy, please!”
Kris’s lips grazed Nicky’s ear when he whispered, “Be a good boy and come for your Daddy.”
That was all it took. Nicky gasped, the movement of his hips faltering as he fucked hard against Kris’s fingers, and proceeded to come all over his smooth, hairless chest.
Cash slowly slid his fingers out, brushed Liam’s ear with his lips and continued praising his boy as he eased his grip but continued to pull lightly on Liam’s little cock. “You did so good for me. Such a good boy, Liam. I love you.”
That was all it took, Liam was back to himself, and the dam broke. Liam’s body started shaking, and Cash saw the tears falling. He wrapped his arms around Liam, sank them down into the still warm water and proceeded to wash off Liam’s chest while whispering more words of praise. He was so damn proud.
He knew that was the first time Liam had ever role played, and he’d done brilliantly. Cash made sure his boy knew that. He washed them off then stood and quickly toweled himself dry enough to get out. He wrapped his towel around his waist and helped Liam out, wrapping his boy in a warm towel and drying him.
He got behind Liam and wrapped the towel around his waist, walking them towards the sinks. They brushed their teeth, and he could see the hesitance on Liam’s face when he was done. That Cash had done so much damage that, even after he’d promised his boy he’d always be sleeping with him from then on, Liam still worried, said so much about the work Cash needed to put in to make up for everything.
He leaned down and took Liam’s towel and his own off, hanging them on the rack. He kissed Liam’s minty fresh lips then picked him up and carried him to their bed. Pulling back the covers, he put Liam down and covered him up. He blew the candles out in the bathroom, turned the lights off in the bedroom, and walked back to Liam, who was huddled under the blanket, watching his every move.
Crawling in beside Liam, Cash pulled him against his side. When Liam’s hand snaked down to grip his still very hard cock, he grabbed his boy’s hand in his. “It’s not time for that, now.”
Liam pushed himself up on his elbow and looked down at him. “Daddy, you didn’t get—”
“I’m all right, baby. I don’t need to. Tonight was about giving you pleasure and showing you the trust I have in our relationship with the role play. That’s all.”
Liam sat all the way up and turned towards him, shaking his head. “But—”
Cash sat up and maneuvered Liam onto his lap to straddle him. Liam’s palms came to rest on his sides as he gazed into Cash’s eyes. Cash gripped his boy’s beautiful face in his hands and brought him in for a gentle kiss and leaned their foreheads together. They sat for several moments in silence then he pulled back and gave Liam a sad smile. “Tonight was about you, not me. We won’t be having sex until we’re in a better place.”
Liam shook his head, clearly bewildered. “I don’t want you punishing yourself.”
The pained look on Liam’s face required another, deeper kiss to wipe it away. “Oh, baby, I’m not. But, there’s so much to be said between us, so much for me to make amends for. I don’t want to cloud the issue with that.”
Pouting, Liam pointed behind him to the bathroom and asked, “Then why…”
“Because you needed the emotional and physical release, because I wanted to, and because role play takes an enormous amount of trust between partners, and I needed and wanted to show you how much trust I have in you. In us. I’m not saying we can’t do other things, just that I think sex should be off the table until we’ve had a chance to get on the same page.”
Liam clasped one of his hands and placed it over his heart making Cash’s breath catch. “I gave you this, probably before I even met you, and when I ran, I left it here with you. I love you, Cash. And regardless of what happened, I trust you. I trust us.”
Cash’s breath hitched, and he blinked the tears back. Using his free hand, he trailed his fingers softly down Liam’s forehead, watched his boy close his eyes at his touch, and continued to ghost them over his eyelids, down his cheeks, and gently over his lips that parted on contact. He gripped Liam’s chin and pulled his boy forward, and they kissed each other sweetly, and ever so softly.
“That’s a gift I’m not sure I deserve, but I won’t give it back, and I’ll do my best to earn it.”
“I know you will, Daddy.”
They gazed at each other a few more moments until Cash quirked a smile at his boy. “Now, I know you’re a young boy, and it probably doesn’t phase you, but this old man needs to sleep. It’s late, baby.” He leaned them back. Liam, lying on top of him, maneuvered himself onto his side, leg still thrown over Cash’s thigh, head pillowed on his shoulder.
“You’re not old, Daddy, you’re the perfect age for me.”
“Mmm, well it turns out you’re perfect for me, too.”
He both heard and felt Liam’s deep sigh of contentment. “I love you, Daddy.”
He kissed the crown of Liam’s head. “I love you too, baby boy.”