Page 59 of Make Believe

He sighs against my mouth and breaks the kiss, rubbing my back and gazing into my eyes. “What do you say, my beautiful boy? My perfect doll. Shall we go home?”

“Home,”I repeat with a shaky laugh. He really means it this time. He wants it to beourhome now.

It’s not like we’re out of the woods yet. We have a lot more obstacles still to overcome. But as he takes me by the hand and picks up my suitcase, I let all those worries fade away. We can deal with them later.

In this moment, all we need is each other.

CHAPTER 22

Rafferty

I can’t lie.Discovering Kadence’s room looking like a crime scene almost stopped my heart. I tore through the house looking for him, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that he was really gone.

That had been unacceptable, to say the least.

I didn’t hesitate to call Audrey on a Saturday morning in order to get Kadence’s address. She knew better than to tease me or ask any questions. She was fully aware of what the deal was when I ‘hired’ him. She understood the significance of me needing to find him.

And find him I did.

Our declarations weren’t what I’d been expecting when I woke up this morning, but damn it all to hell if they didn’t mean everything to me anyway.

As it had been such short notice, I’d simply driven myself to ensure I got to Kadence as soon as possible. The downside of that is I can’t hold him as I drive us back to the outskirts of Albertson. I settle for resting my hand on his thigh, his own hand covering mine as we make the short, quiet journey.

Home.

Obviously, it’s not going to be a simple case of moving him in. I need to speak with Charleen as a matter of urgency. This is still technically her home, too. But I need Kadence with me now. We can work out the logistics later.

All that matters is that he’s mine, really mine. There will be no more talk of ‘when this ends,’ because I’m in it for the long haul now, and so is he. As soon as I’ve briefed Charleen, I want to make our relationship public. There’s no reason to sneak around anymore.

This is who I am. He is who I want.

After I park in the garage and help him inside with his case, he stands in the foyer, looking lost. He glances around, perhaps expecting Logan to pop out of the woodwork. I place my hand on the small of his back, and he immediately relaxes against my touch.

“We’re alone,” I assure him.

He nods. “Good. Thank you.”

I don’t tell him that I plan to have the locks changed as soon as possible, as I don’t want to cause any more stress or drama right now. I’ll tell Charleen of course and get her a new set of keys cut. But Logan is going to have to earn his right to come back in here unannounced.

Kadence asked earlier if I was disappointed. I am in my son, certainly. But I’m not giving up on him. He’s still young. He’s got time to sort his act out and turn his life around. But I meant what I said to him when we last spoke. If it’s a choice between him and Kadence, at least for the time being, I’m choosing my sweet boy.

“Do you want to rest?” I ask him. The urge to feed him is strong. He’s been through an awful shock. But he’s also dead on his feet, and my overwhelming instinct is that he needs sleep. We can spend the rest of the day cozying up, and I can care for him all I want.

He nods as he looks up at me. It’s amazing how well his make-up has survived all that crying, but his eyes are still red-rimmed.

I lead him back up to his bedroom where I open up his case and find the bag with his skin care products. “Go wash your face, gorgeous. I want you to be relaxed and comfortable.”

He offers me a tiny smile as he takes the bag and goes to do just that. In the meantime, I straighten up his dress and hang it back in the closet. Any drawers that had been left open, I close, and I zip up his case again so I can tuck it away in the corner for now.

When he returns, his face is plump and glowing, shining from all the moisturizers. He’s left the products in the bathroom. Good. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

“Come here,” I murmur, slipping my hands against his and leading him toward the bed. It doesn’t matter that it’s early afternoon. I’ve already pulled the curtains to make it nice and dark, and this brave boy is having a nap.

Gently, I lift his T-shirt over his head, then slide his jeans down. The poor thing was in such a hurry that he didn’t even put socks on before he left. He is, however, wearing a very pretty purple lacy jock-strap. He watches me as I hum and run my hands over the globes of his ass.

“Did you wear that for me today?” I ask, already knowing the answer. I just want to hear it for myself from his sweet lips.

“Yes, Daddy,” he whispers.

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