“Yeah, I need to make sure to do the same. It’s been pretty amazing.” He let Troy go, took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat. “Okay. Expectations. I expect you to do what already comes naturally to you. Use your best judgment as to where you should be and what you should be doing. Or just ask. I have total faith in you.” He winked at his boy. “I just want the Doms to know I’m doing my job, and make sure the subs know how proud of you I am. Easy.”
“I love you too, Master.” Troy’s smile felt like an expression of pure trust.
Saul nodded, then took Troy’s hand and squeezed it. “Ready to show off?”
“I am ready to make you proud, Sir.”
“Prouder… more proud?” He shook his head. “Come on.” He climbed out of the truck and waited for Troy to join him before knocking on the front door.
Geoff answered the door with a warm, happy smile. “You guys made it! Oh, come in!” Geoff pounced on Troy, hugging him tight.
He stepped inside, smiling at Geoff and his boy. “I don’t think I could have kept Troy home if I wanted to. Which, I didn’t.”
“Saul.” Carter appeared in the foyer, offering him a hand to shake. “Welcome. It’s good to see you both.”
“Thank you. You too. We’ve been looking forward to this all week.”
“We have too. We were ready for all our family to be home.” Carter’s smile was warm, genuine. “Ben and Travis are making nachos and margaritas, and we heated up the hot tub and the fire pit.”
“Oh, right on. Sounds great. Do they need help with the nachos? I know a Texan who’s a good cook.” He grinned and winked at Troy.
“I’m sure they could use a supervisor. Geoff and Kris are just driving them mad.”
He laughed. “Go on, boy. See if you can help… if your friend will let go of you.” He raised an eyebrow at Geoff, teasing.
Carter just cleared his throat.
He heard Geoff whisper to Troy, “Never. Never, honey,” but the man did back off.
Saul stepped back as Troy headed for the kitchen.
“He looks good,” Carter said as soon as Troy was out of earshot.
“He is good. Not as good as he wishes he were, I don’t think, but better than the docs expected.” Good enough that Saul didn’t worry much anymore.
“That’s exceptional. We miss him at the diner, here, all over.”
“He misses everything. He’s ready to get his life back. He feels so much better that I spend a lot of time reminding him to take it easy.” His boy growled at him a lot, but it wasn’t angry at least.
“I can imagine. He’s one hell of a hard worker.” Carter pointed toward the back deck. “Come join us?”
“Sounds great.” He liked Carter’s deck; it had such a great view. He’d sent Troy to the kitchen on purpose, to let him feel useful, normal. Hopefully all the how-is-he questions would be out of the way before the boy joined him again.
Doc was out there, along with Matt and David, the three men all in the hot tub, bubbling away. Doc raised a beer to him, nodded. “You made it! Welcome!”
Oh, he wanted in on that party. “Thank you. We’re really glad we could come. Look at all of you!” He grinned, tugged his T-shirt off and tossed it over a chair before shaking hands all around. “Mind if I join?” This month’s invitation included a mention of time in the hot tub so he had worn his suit. His boy was going to have to stay dry, but Geoff had sworn that Troy wouldn’t be the odd man out.
“Of course not. Come on in.” David’s booming laughter filled the air, the sound warm and happy.
He loved a good soak. He’d love it more with Troy, and he’d promised his boy when the restrictions were lifted he’d ask Carter for another evening. “Awesome.”
He climbed in, ending up next to Matt and across from Doc, who had the longest legs of anyone he’d ever shared a hot tub with. He pulled his feet back after accidentally playing footsie. “Oh. Sorry.”
Doc laughed. “Not to worry. My feet are a hazard in tight spaces.”
“They’re canoes.” Matt winked at him. “You need a beer, Saul.”
“I guess I do.”
“Krissy, Master Saul needs a beer, please.”
“Yes, Sir. We have Fat Tire, Coors Light, and Shiners.” Kris pulled over in his chair, more confident every time Saul saw him.
“Fat Tire is perfect. Thank you.” He had to smile. Shit happened, people got better. Kris and Troy were lucky to have people that got it. People that supported them.
Hell, he and Matt were pretty damned lucky, when you got right down to it.
“One Fat Tire, Sir.” Kris handed it over with a smile.
He nodded to Kris, and took a big swig. “Ah. This is fantastic.” He glanced at the others, trying to make eye contact with each of them. “I really have to thank all of you for your help, your boys’ help. I don’t know what I would have done without it and it meant a lot to both of us.”
“We’re family.” Doc nodded at him, so sure, so steady. This was a man who was used to being in control, to being obeyed, it rang in his voice.
“Yeah. We are.” He smiled at Doc and raised his beer before taking a sip. “So what else is going on? What have we missed?”
“David, Doc and I took Little Ben to the Sanctuary for his first visit.”
“He hadn’t been? I love it there. I’m a big fan of the tigers.”
David grinned nice and slow. “I think Little Ben likes the bears best.”
“Yeah? I haven’t been in forever. Do they still have the polar bears?” Maybe he should take Troy. That would be some low-key fun for their next date.
Mike shared a laugh with Doc. “Why do I feel like we need a field trip?”
“You two hooligans be good.” Carter rolled his eyes. “The Sanctuaty is a private membership club in Denver, man. They have a shit ton of parties, scenes, even a TNG group. Hell, you, Ben, and Kris could go to that together.”
“Oh. So… not the zoo.” Saul snorted and shook his head at himself. “Bears. I get it now. Funny.”
David laughed. “I couldn’t resist.”
How did he not know about this club? “You guys are members?” He couldn’t imagine going without Troy, who had apparently aged out of the TNG—The Next Generation--group.
“Geoff and I were for a while, but we just didn’t use it. Our schedules can make it a challenge, and to be honest, public scenes with strangers aren’t my thing.”
He nodded. He’d done scenes with people he knew, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about public scenes himself. He didn’t think he’d be too comfortable in a big club. “But you are a member, Doc? Did Ben enjoy it?”
Doc winked at him. “He hated it. It overwhelmed him. Too loud, too new, too much input. It was actually very enlightening.”
“I bet it was. With that description, I don’t think it would be Troy’s scene either.” And if it wasn’t something Troy would like, he didn’t think he needed to check it out, TNG night or otherwise.
“Troy went once. He won’t go back. He decided he was better off at the gay bar for a pick up.” Carter sounded so sure.