Page 25 of Soothing Little Sylmen

Inside, he had a blanket laid out just like he had done before. He laid me down on it and swaddled me tight. I felt so much better once I was wrapped up. Daddy then pulled me into his arms and reached back behind him for something. When he came back he had a bottle in hand. Tears welled in my eyes. I was so happy. How did he know?

Daddy kissed my forehead, then eased the bottle nipple to my lips. “Don’t you worry, baby. Daddy’s got you. I know what you need. I just wanted to ease you into it all.”

With the bottle between my lips I began to suck, and the warm milk felt delightful. It was perfect in every way, and I drifted so deep that everything else disappeared. It was just me and the bottle and Daddy’s firm grip holding me.

Eventually I hit air and Daddy moved me to his shoulder, where he patted my back. It felt strange because I was so long it couldn’t have been that comfortable. Yet Daddy made it seem like it was nothing. He was so strong, so big. When I did burp, it shocked me so much I jolted. Daddy placed a hand on my back.

“Easy there,” he said, making sure I didn’t fall.

Then he moved over to the bassinet. He adjusted the direction I was lying and then put me down gently, so the pillow was beneath my head.

Once I was settled, Daddy grabbed books from the stack in the corner. They were large picture books, the kind that only have one or two words on each page. He began reading, and I laid there staring at the colorful pictures above the words as my Daddy read them, knowing that I had finally found myself. This was who I was. This was me. It was who I needed, what I needed. I wouldn’t be able to give this up once I left the Ranch. There was no chance.

I had never been so comfortable in my entire life. Never felt so soothed and at peace. Time moved forward with Daddy reading book after book, but I couldn’t have told you a single story because I was in that floaty space—the one where I didn’t have to do anything or think at all.

I loved it. And I hoped Daddy loved it too.

Chapter Twelve

Gael

Watching my boy completely let go of his worries and his Big side felt like the greatest reward on earth. I was still having a hard time believing I got to take care of him, to provide for all of his needs and wants. He had a permanent smile on his face while we were in the room. Joy radiated through his body language. The more I did for him, the happier he was, and the happier I became.

As I read to him while he laid in the bassinet, I knew then and there I would have to find a way to make things work between us. I needed to know that our future extended past the Ranch, because I couldn’t give him up. There was no chance.

He was young so I knew that finding someone who matched your desires was hard, and in our case, damn near impossible. Though I had a few years on him, it was still a struggle to be this connected with another person. I also knew he probably didn’t have a clue how to meet others who shared his interests. He’d come to the Ranch just like I had, in a state of hope, a state of nothing else working.

At least, that’s what I suspected.

We still hadn’t discussed at length what our lives looked like away from here. I knew that no matter what, I would need to have answers for my boy. I would need to have a plan in action, because while I knew he could handle himself—I mean, he’d managed to get here to the Ranch, hadn’t he—I didn’t want him to have to. As his Daddy, I could figure it out for him.

My boy slept soundly beside me as I pulled my phone out to call my friend. Tempting as it was, I wouldn’t take a picture of him or anything. That was a violation of privacy I refused to cross until I got word from him that it was okay.

However, I did need to check in with the one person whose opinion would help me through this. Corrin might not be into the Daddy-Dom life, but he knew me. He knew the business and my schedule. Hell, most of my projects were with him and his band, or people in his network that he set me up with.

Gael

Hey, you got a second to talk?

It took him all of ten seconds to respond.

Corrin

Sure, what you got?

I didn’t want to try to speak because I worried it would wake my boy. Instead I typed out my thoughts.

Gael

I met someone here. Someone who is everything I’ve dreamed of, and I’m trying to figure out how to make this last past the few days I’m here. You know what it’s like for me. Do you think it’s even something I can offer him? BTW can’t talk, he’s sleeping beside me.

Corrin sent back a string of heart-eye emojis. Then it was quiet for several minutes. The message that came through was surprisingly long. Not that Corrin didn’t have the ability to talk. The man wrote love songs for a living. Sure, I helped, but he was the mastermind behind a lot of his hits. I read through his notes.

Corrin

First of all, congratulations on finding what you’ve been hoping for. You always listened to me go on about my love for Austen that I never took the initiative for, and I now return the favor in kind. Even if I don’t know everything there is to know about the lifestyle, knowing that you found someone there who matches you so perfectly is wonderful. Now then, as for your schedule and stuff—I say this: fuck it.

I chuckled at his phrase, then kept going.