I scrubbed a hand over my jaw and dove for the coward’s answer. “This week’s gonna be tight. The seminar is in Baltimore, so I’ll be late for dinner too.” Technically, none of that was a lie.
He furrowed his brow. “How come I didn’t know about that?”
Um… I shrugged. “It’s on the fridge. And my parents are picking up Micah and Lily after school on Wednesday. I did text you. You said ‘Roger that.’”
“Oh.” He rubbed his forehead. “It rings a bell.”
Micah peered up at him, beaming. “Nana’s making taquitos!”
“Aw man, I don’t wanna miss that,” Ash said, playing it up. “Maybe I should come with.”
My folks would actually love that. They missed him.
Micah nodded furiously. “You gotta, Dad. Nana always says you’re too busy now.”
That was one way of putting it.
“So it’s settled,” Ash replied. “You, me, Lily, and dinner with Nana and Pop-Pop on Wednesday.”
Micah fist-pumped the air, and I had successfully dodged a miserable lunch with Ash, during which we would hammer out divorce details.
But just as that thought flew past, it hit me like a ton of bricks that it could be something else. For fuck’s sake, he’d had this big revelation for a reason. He’d come here to let me know I’d been right in wanting him to explore his inner Daddy Dom for areason.
Oh, fuck my fucking life, had he met someone?
Had he met a Little?
I was gonna be sick.
This couldn’t be happening.
But it made sense, didn’t it? He’d had moments lately when he’d been happier. He’d reconnected with his friends in Mclean. I had evidently been right about his needing to explore Daddykink…
CHAPTER 2
Ash Riley
No text from Nathan. Just one from Nora and one from Jordan. I went with Nora first.
I was stressing out over nothing! The ball is the second week of May, not the first. Now I have all the time in the world to find a dress. This is my way of saying, yes, of course I can be there when you bring your play partners to Mclean. Name the date and time, and I’ll be there.
She was a sweetheart. And in her defense, the ball was usually the first weekend in May. But this year, they’d decided it would’ve been too close to the previous event.
The online community was buzzing since the details of the ball had dropped yesterday. The ball itself was an annual event, and this year’s monthly Game would be the ball’s sidepiece. In short, it was a costume challenge with strict rules. You couldn’t very well show up as a pirate or a monkey. You could get creative with your mask, and you could make sure it matched your outfit.A set of judges had been announced, and members could be judged individually or as part of a dynamic.
Next time I stopped at a light, I responded to Nora.
First of all, thank you, honey. I want them to feel welcome. I’ll get back to you with a date, but I’m thinking the 5th. Just something quick after work. Second of all, I said they’re my friends, not play partners.
I’d been straightforward with both James and Jordan, and it’d been a brief conversation. Until I talked to Nathan, I didn’t want to move forward too much with a playtime dynamic.
Well, no heavy play was gonna happen, at least. Jordan was still allowed to call me Daddy—as a nickname, as we’d decided—though it hadn’t happened yet. Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe my personal life had made him retreat. I couldn’t blame him if that was the case. I wouldn’t hitch my wagon to my bullshit either.
In the meantime, we were…getting to know each other. Feeling each other out.
I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
Maybe I was having a shit day.
