Maddox
Bryan finally got his wish. We ended up at the lake just after lunch, sandwiches and picnic stuff in tow. Watching Bryan load the back of the car brought back memories of the first time he’d taken me out to the lake. We’d changed so much since then, but sometimes I had a flashback to the shy, worried guy he’d been back then.
He was still wary about sharing who he was inside and what he needed, but the fear was gone. He didn’t always see it in himself, but I could see how much stronger he was and I was so proud of him. I knew that having people around him like me, Jeremy, and Kevin, who accepted his desires made him feel better, but a lot of it was just how he saw himself.
He would make a hell of a therapist someday.
It hadn’t seemed like we’d overpacked but as we started unloading the cooler and blankets out of the car, it felt like we’d gotten carried away. Especially since the water was probably too cold to go in. Inner tubes and floats were probably overkill. Not that Bryan was willing to admit defeat. He was convinced that it would be fine.
The rest of us weren’t so sure, but lying out in the warm sun and relaxing would be fun no matter what temperature the lake was. Stretching out on the blankets, I was transported back to the summer. We’d spent so many days lying out under the sun after helping around the house or working in Mr. Haslet’s garden. “B, we need a house on a lake one day. Can’t you see doing this all the time?”
He made a little humming sound which seemed to mean he agreed.
“Is Dr. Bryan going to be the one to pay for that lake house or is your business doing that good?” I didn’t even have to look up to see he was teasing; I could hear the smile in Kevin’s voice.
“I plan on being a well-kept house-husband—thank you very much.” My fake-indignant reply had everyone in stitches.
“You’d go crazy in a week. We’d have the most well-organized house on the block. I can see it now. We’d have every can in the kitchen labeled by when we bought it and you’d have the budget planned down to the penny.” Bryan laughed. “Besides, your business is taking off. If anyone is going to afford that fantasy house of yours it will be you.”
“It’s doing that good?” I could hear Jeremy moving around and the cooler being opened. “You said it was growing when you were talking about the tutoring on the drive up but I wasn’t sure how much.”
“It’s doing a lot better than I expected. When it first started, I wanted enough to be able to supplement our income in case my parents went postal. Now we’re able to save money and if it keeps growing like it has been, I’m going to have more work than I can handle before too long.” I couldn’t hide the pride that I felt when I talked about how well the business was doing.
“Sounds like a real business, not just a hobby to pay for school or something to put on your resume. Is that what you’re thinking?” Jeremy closed the lid of the cooler and I heard a bottle of water open.
“We’ve started talking about that. I like the idea of working from home and having the ability to set my own schedule. Working eighty-hour weeks as a junior accountant doesn’t sound nearly as appealing now as it did a few months ago. I still love accounting, but working for myself makes it feel different.” Some people might not understand, but I’d gotten to know Jeremy, and I knew he’d get it.
“Yeah, it’s hard if you don’t have the drive to get shit done, but I like not having to answer to someone else’s schedule. I wasn’t sure how much business I would have at first but between freelancing for my old boss and the new jobs I’ve found, I think I’ll have everything lined up by the end of senior year.” I could hear the relief in Jeremy’s voice, and I knew how stressed he must have been. We still had Bryan’s mom for help in case something went wrong with my family, but they didn’t have the same safety net.
“Kevin, you have a scholarship, right?” Bryan spoke up from beside me.
“Yeah, and as long as my grades stay up it should automatically renew so that helps a lot. Jeremy has everything planned out; he’s just a worrier.”
I heard little sounds, and I knew they were kissing. Bryan laughed. “Public beach, you two.”
Maybe it was because of the holiday week but there were a lot more people walking around the lake than I’d expected. Not many in the water swimming but there were quite a few people in boats and canoes playing around.
“Spoilsport.” Kevin laughed. “I’m starving. What kind of sandwiches did you pack?”
“There’s a little bit of everything: ham, turkey, and even a peanut butter one. Chips are in the red bag and there’s some fruit in the cooler.” Then I heard him sigh. “And the last couple of pastries are in there too, just under the chips.”
Snickering, I opened one eye to see him frowning and lamenting telling Kevin about the treats. I was pleased that he hadn’t hoarded them in our bedroom or something crazy like that, but I managed to keep my thoughts to myself.
“Don’t you say anything.” He turned his frown at me.
“Me?” I gave him my best wide-eyed innocent expression. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. And I’d never make any kind of comment about you needing to share.”
It earned me a skeptical look. “Sure. You’re so innocent.”
Laughing, I pulled him down for a kiss. I kept it quick but Jeremy and Kevin still started heckling us.
“Didn’t you say something about behaving in public?” Jeremy cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Yeah, yeah.…When did you say we were heading back, B?” I gave Bryan a lecherous look, and he laughed.
“Not anytime soon, so behave.” Scooting over to help Kevin with the sandwiches in the cooler, Bryan gave me a stern stare, but I could see fantasies dancing across his mind so it ruined the whole expression.
After bribes were exchanged to get favorite sandwiches, we scarfed them down quickly. Breakfast felt like forever ago. Bryan was intently focused on his chips and the apple in front of him. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, and I didn’t have to wait long to find out.
Looking up, he glanced over at Kevin and Jeremy. “Do you guys like going to therapy? Does it help? It’s not my business, so you don’t have to answer but—”
Kevin cut him off. “I don’t mind talking about it. The therapist I’d talked to a couple of times right before we left for school thought it would be a good idea. He said that having someone to talk to who understood our relationship would help in the long run.”
Jeremy reached over and rested a hand on Kevin’s knee but didn’t interrupt when Kevin kept going. “With all the stress from my parents and learning to live on our own, it seemed like it would be. I had a lot of therapy after the kidnapping attempt, so I was used to it. Jeremy wasn’t sure about it at first, but he came around.”
Jeremy shrugged. “I couldn’t see how anyone else would understand, but Dr. Sheppard surprised me.”
“We were expecting him to disapprove and judge, but he wasn’t anything like that. He asked a lot of questions, but once he understood things for himself, he was great.” Kevin looked over at Jeremy.
Jeremy nodded. “I wasn’t expecting it to help, but it does. Having someone to talk to makes things easier. It doesn’t matter if it’s about normal living together stuff or something more interesting like the BDSM stuff, he gets it.”
Bryan shifted a bit, but that was the only hint that he was even slightly uncomfortable. “I’m thinking about talking to him about my own…stuff.”
Kevin nodded. “I believe everyone should have a therapist as long as it’s a good one who understands you and listens.”
I had to agree. I’d been considering talking to someone about the age-play part of our relationship and if Bryan was okay with it, I thought talking to Dr. Sheppard would be interesting. I just wasn’t sure how to bring it up to Bryan or Dr. Sheppard yet. Even some kind of a Dom group would be helpful, but I hadn’t found anything online yet that looked reasonable.
Most groups seemed to be more sexual or scene related than I was looking for. I wasn’t looking for a place where Bryan could be little and we’d hang out with other couples. I wanted information and to talk without the other stuff that would stress Bryan and me out.
Being confident in my ability to please Bryan on our own was one thing, but I wasn’t ready to be judged by other Daddies who had more experience than I did. I made Bryan happy, and I was researching topics as they came up, but I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of other more knowledgeable couples.
“You okay?” Bryan’s brows were drawn together and I could see concern on his face.
“My mind was wandering. I’m good.” The muscles on his face relaxed, but I knew he was going to question me later. “You ready to try out the water?”
He glanced out at the water and seemed to be second-guessing his decision. “Let’s go see if it’s too cold. As much as I’d love to swim, I don’t want hypothermia.”
“Good choice.” Laughing and dodging a chip, I got up. Reaching out, I helped him stand. Giving the guys a smile, I pretended to shiver. “We’ll be right back.”
“Have fun.” Kevin grinned but made no move to go anywhere near the water. He seemed to be content relaxing and hanging out.
Taking Bryan’s hand, we walked down to the water. “We need to see if we can find a lake or something like this near school. We’re busy but I’m sure we could find time to go sometimes.”
“That would be fun. When I pictured relaxing, it was always this lake, so I didn’t even look to see what was around school.” Bryan squeezed my hand. “Now that we have the apartment and aren’t going to come back for the whole summer next year, it makes sense.”
“Do you regret that? Not the living together part but not getting to live here anymore?” I didn’t have the same fond memories of my house, so it wasn’t the same for me. My best memories revolved around Bryan. I would be happy wherever he was. For me, home was Bryan, not a place.
“No. I like knowing we’ll be together over the summer. There isn’t this big cloud hanging over us. I like the certainty and I like making a home with you.” He blushed a little, and I thought it was cute.
“Me too.” I stepped into the lake, focused more on Bryan than the water. “Wow!”
It was just a little colder than I was expecting.
****
“Come on, B. No more zombies.” Pausing the show, I turned off the TV. Jeremy nodded, poking a sleeping Kevin.
Bryan jerked. He’d been half asleep, in that hazy area where he could almost convince himself that he wasn’t snoring. “But we don’t know who died yet. Someone said somewhere that…that someone died by something…” Bryan looked at me, confused.
I snorted, laughing and shaking my head. “You’re too tired. We’ll finish that episode tomorrow.”
We’d probably have to start it from the beginning because he’d been fading for a while. Between one attack and another Bryan had gone from intense and crazy to completely asleep. Between the sun at the lake and helping his mom get things ready for Thanksgiving, we’d all had a long day.
“But…” He looked like I’d kicked his puppy or something.
“Bed.” I let my voice drop just a little. Not enough for Jeremy and Kevin to even notice but Bryan must have seen something in my face because he shivered and nodded.
“Okay, bed.” Standing up, he grunted and I could hear things popping.
“You sound like you’re ancient.”
Bryan didn’t think it was funny. “How long have we been watching TV?”
“Too long.” I wasn’t much for binge-watching but everyone else had been sucked into the storyline so I’d gone along with it.
Stumbling up the stairs, we called out a soft good-night to Jeremy and Kevin then went into our room. Bryan started heading for the bed but we were going to have at least a quick evening routine before we went to sleep. His brain had been all over the map when we’d woken up, and I didn’t want a repeat of that.
Yes, some of it was because he’d been overthinking, but he was always more settled and comfortable with himself when we had plenty of playtime. “Baby, we’re going to put your pajamas on in just a minute but if there’s anything you need to do in the bathroom first, do it now.”
He blinked at me until it clicked. Nodding, he shuffled into the bathroom. I gave him a minute or two then knocked at the door.
“Come in.” It was muffled and had taken too long for him to respond so I peeked in carefully. He was standing by the sink looking down at the counter. “Is my toothbrush blue or red?”
Coughing, trying not to laugh because he was a lot more tired than I’d realized, I picked up the yellow one. “Let me help, Baby.”
He nodded, blinking at me sleepily. “Yes, Daddy.”
Standing behind him, I helped him brush his teeth. When he was finished, I walked him back out to the bedroom. Bryan was letting me lead, brain only half on if that. I stripped him down and grabbed what I needed before laying him on the bed.
Dressing him in his diaper and T-shirt, I put our sleep pants at the end of the bed. After turning off the lights and double-checking I’d locked the door, I helped him into bed. He crawled under the covers, uncoordinated and confused. He was so cute when he was tired. He could go for ages, but when he crashed it hit him hard.
Stripping off my clothes, I climbed in behind him, wrapping him in my arms. He pushed back, tucking his bottom against my cock. He was probably trying to get comfortable, but the wiggling was making me decidedly uncomfortable. He was too tired for sex, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to tease him.
Letting my hands slide down his stomach, I cupped his soft dick over his diaper. “Shh, bedtime, Baby.”
He grumbled but nothing that made real sense. His eyes closed but his hips canted back and forth trying to decide where he wanted the touch more.
“Still. No playing tonight.”
“But, Daddy.” Not willing to open his eyes, he frowned and shivered as I caressed his hardening length.
“No. You’re not going to get to come. It’s bedtime. Shh.”
He made the sweetest little noise in protest but was too exhausted to grumble much. Well, most of his body was too tired to argue much. His cock was nice and hard even as the rest of his body relaxed and he sank into a deep sleep.
Cradling him in my arms, my hand still caressing his thick erection, I stopped fighting my own exhaustion. Bryan slept better when he was tucked in and dressed in his diaper, but I’d gotten so used to cuddling him when he was dressed as my baby, I knew I probably slept better too.
Baby or not, he was mine, and I always knew this was how we were meant to be.