But he’d stayed because I wanted it. Maybe it was selfish of me, but all I could think was, Maybe that means he loves me. It was one thing to order someone around and take your pleasure from them, but another to make a sacrifice like this.
“Thank you, Sir,” I said against his skin.
“Oh, you’re awake. I was going to get you up soon so you didn’t burn. And what are you thanking me for now?”
“For this…bringing me here. It was her favorite place. It reminds me of her.” Could Aidan and I have ever been at the beach together? Probably not, since he was so much older than me, but I’d like to think we had.
He cleared his throat. “You’re welcome. Would you like to go in the water now?”
I shot up into a sitting position. “Can we?”
Aidan snickered, then sat up and cupped my cheek. “You are so easy to make happy. I love that about you. No matter what has happened to you, you’re still able to find joy in the smallest things. Don’t ever lose that.”
Love… He’d used the word love. God, I wanted to climb on his lap and tell him I love him, to beg him to love me too because that would make me happier than anything in the world. Instead, I said, “You make me happy. No one has before you,” then pushed to my feet. “Now come on!”
I began to run, and I couldn’t have been more shocked when Aidan ran too. He chased me into the water, where he tackled me, keeping his arms around me to hold me up. I was laughing and then he was too, this loud, passionate laugh I knew began deep in his chest. I felt it radiate out, vibrate through me, and it made me laugh more. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard this sound from him before, this pure, joyous, almost glee. I wanted to do everything in my power to make Aidan do this every day for the rest of my life, because I didn’t think he took delight in many things.
We played in the water together, splashing and swimming and dunking each other. He was never out of arm’s length, holding me and protecting me as if I really was precious to him and he truly did own me. I was Aidan’s, meant to take care of him, and he took such beautiful care of me. Every now and again he would kiss me, sometimes with tongue, others just a press of his lips to mine. Strangely, those felt even more intimate.
When my limbs were tired and I’d laughed more than I ever had in my life, Aidan pulled me close and pushed my wet hair off my forehead. “Are you ready to go home?”
Home. Living with him was the only home I’d felt was mine since my mom died. “Yes.”
“We’ll pick up dinner on the way. It’s been a long day.”
“No!” jumped from my mouth, and when he cocked a brow at me, I said, “Sorry, Sir. I just… I want to cook for you and David. Can I serve you?”
He looked at me for what felt like an eternity, like he had this special way of seeing beneath my skin, deep inside me, before nodding. “You may.”
Aidan held my hand as we walked out of the water. We packed up together, dried off, and once we were finished, walked to the car. When everything was closed in the trunk, I went to walk to the passenger side, but Aidan’s hand wrapped tightly around my wrist. “Thank you, for today.”
“What did I do?” I asked, my heart pounding against my chest.
“You gave me this back—the beach.” And then he simply let go, turned, and got in the car as if he hadn’t just rocked my whole world. As if he hadn’t just made me truly feel like the precious boy he so often told me I was.
When we got home, we showered together for the second time that day. From there I went to the kitchen and began making dinner. I’d decided on baked salmon, roasted potatoes, and salad. David arrived, and he and Aidan sat in the living room while I cooked. This would be the first time I’d serve someone other than Aidan in this way, and I was ridiculously excited about it. I wanted the evening to be perfect so Aidan would be proud of me, so he would be honored that I belonged to him.
I enjoyed being in the kitchen, cooking for them as they visited. It made me feel…like I had a purpose, a responsibility, a way to care for Aidan when he did so very much for me.
Still, my mind was a bit of a mess. I was thinking about what he’d asked me about school and wanting to do something with English or writing. I liked it, yes. Thought I could enjoy it, for sure, but I loved this too. I wanted to belong to him.
Added to that were random thoughts about Jordan and the phone number he’d given me. Not that I wanted him, because all I needed was Aidan, but I still had the number and was still wondering what it would be like to have him as a friend.
Then there was today—Aidan taking me to the beach despite his history. His laughter, and how he held me, and when he told me I gave him something. It made my brain spin in the best way and wish for things I was scared to wish for.
So yes, I was a bit of a mess.
Still, my dinner looked fabulous. I plated the food and opened the wine before walking into the living room, where nowadays I often crawled and knelt on the new, comfortable carpet. “Dinner is ready,” I told them. They both looked up at me, and Aidan smiled.
“Thanks,” Aidan said as they stood.
“It smells great,” David told me, and damned if the praise and appreciation didn’t light me up inside. “Oh, he likes that,” David added.
“Yes. He’s a bit of a praise slut.” Aidan winked, and I trembled.
We sat at the table together, the three of us. They spoke about medical stuff that was over my head, before David asked me about school. I felt…a little stupid, having the conversation go from what they did—saving lives—to me, who took two stupid college courses. “It’s good,” I replied.
“I’m very proud of him. He’s excelling in his classes, and his English teacher is quite fond of his work,” Aidan said, and his compliments filled me up until I feared I might burst. Suddenly, I didn’t feel stupid anymore.
They both raved about the meal, which only made me feel better. Aidan was right. I was definitely a bit of a praise slut.
After we ate, Aidan asked, “Would you like to come to the living room with us?”
I definitely intended to, but leaving the kitchen made me feel like I was going to panic, so I asked, “Can I clean up first?”
“Of course.” He kissed my forehead.
“He’s precious, Aidan. A very good boy,” David said, and my blood pumped through me a little faster. It wasn’t the same as getting compliments from Aidan, but I still enjoyed it.
“Thank you,” I replied.
They left the room, and I quickly cleaned up before joining them. David was laughing at something Aidan said. Aidan sat where he always did on the couch, and I lingered a bit, unsure if I was allowed to kneel for him when David was there, but really wanting to. My thoughts began to spin a bit, and my stomach tightened.
“On your knees, please,” Aidan directed, answering my silent question. I exhaled a breath, feeling at ease again. I knelt on the floor between Aidan’s legs. He pressed my head down against his thigh and began running his fingers through my hair. David didn’t look twice, the two of them continuing their conversation as if this was completely normal…and I guess it was. It was our normal.
They included me in the conversation, asking my opinion on topics, and I realized I really liked David. He cared for my Sir and treated me with respect, making me so glad Aidan had him.