Page 33 of A Little Christmas: Rivi
“Did he leave because I left after we started this discussion an hour ago?”
Trent cleared his throat. “He wondered why you left and may have gotten a little upset.”
“And you told him the truth?”
“I told him to take his time.”
“With me?”
“With anyone.”
“If he doesn’t feel safe or welcome now, that’s on you, Trent. Not me. I value our friendship. Dude, I love you. I love my job. But you have to know you’re making this too personal. You trust me. You always have. I understand your protective nature. I share it. I don’t know what else to say.”
“He’s delicate.” The two words came in a whisper.
That was the point of view of a protector for sure. A father-figure. A good man. I didn’t fault him for that.
“You have always trusted me,” I insisted.
He bowed his head.
“Trent, he likes me. I like him. That’s not a bad thing. But if you want me to promise you nothing will happen, at least while we are here in your home, I will. I think it’s a big disservice to Rivi, though. He came here to try to feel like he belonged somewhere with his kink. And now….” I glanced about the room. “It’s as if he’s run away.”
Trent sighed.
“And hey, I’m not that rough. Back in the day when we were younger, we both had a code. We were good together with subs. We didn’t ever go too far. And aftercare was huge for me.”
He said nothing.
“Maybe Rivi doesn’t want those types of games, but he will be at the party on Saturday. If you didn’t want him around that, why did you invite him here?”
Trent let out a rush of air. “Because he begged me to.”
“He begged?”
“He never knew I owned the club. He found out and called me. He confessed his secrets. He wanted to be here.”
“And he’s old enough now to make those sorts of decisions.”
He clicked his tongue. “In his entire life, I could never say no to him. I gave in.”
“You didn’t. You gave him what he asked for. He was so happy today when he came here in his new onesie pajamas. He was afraid for only a minute, then he melted into the room. In his element. He’s family to you. But now he’sfamily. To us.”
Trent turned away from me. I thought I was losing him. I understood when emotion took over. When love for family filled the mind and heart. Logic didn’t always work. Some parents dreamed of keeping their kids under lock and key, wishing them small forever. But that didn’t happen. Kids grew up. They learned from making their own choices, good or bad, and from falling and then getting back up again.
“Trent. Trust me. I’m your friend. I will stay away from him if you make it an ultimatum. But then where will he go? Some stranger, maybe, at the kink store? Or at a club like yours? I am the known factor here. Not the unknown man you’ll never see. I can guarantee you, he’ll be making the first move if he ever gets the courage, not me. I’m patient. I know the daddy role well. It’s part of my identity. It’s me.”
Trent looked up. His dark eyes were swimming. Softly, “Rivi’s just a boy.”
“Not anymore. But he is a little.”
Trent nodded once. Blinking. “It’s difficult for me.”
“I know.”
Trent didn’t usually talk about deep things with me unless he was very drunk, or hurting.
“When I first brought Ozzy here, he was so hurt.” Trent’s voice was low, almost shaky. “I stayed away from him. Later, I found out that hurt him more. I was the rescuer for a little who needed healing. Part of that healing involved a daddy figure. And trust. I stayed away and that couldn’t happen until he broke down right in front of me, letting out all the things he needed that I refused to see. But I’m trained. Ishouldhave seen it. He latched onto me and I pushed him away.”
