Page 109

Henry nodded, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. “That’s a great idea, baby. Let’s go.”

We stood, and I let him follow me into the bathroom so he could get a good view of my naked ass that I definitely didn’t swish in front of him.

Before we made it under the water, he smacked my right ass check, hard, making me jump. “Stop it, baby. We just came.”

Pulling him into the glass enclosure with me, I smirked and pushed him under one waterfall stream to wet his hair while I took another. “I know, Daddy. Doesn’t hurt to keep your mind on it so you’re ready to go again later.”

Henry pushed his now dark hair back against his scalp and caught my gaze. “Oh, my sweet boy, my mind is always on your ass.”

My laugh, though it didn’t sound as wholehearted as I was going for, echoed in the bathroom. And I knew we were going to be okay eventually.

First, we had to get through this. And we would—together.

I had to believe that.

Chapter thirty-nine

Henry

Rowan didn’t have much to say other than he’d start looking into it, that he would make it a top priority. After reassuring me he’d get this resolved as soon as possible, he told me he’d keep in touch before hanging up.

Now all I had to do was wait, and I didn’t have work to distract me.

Except . . . well, there were the employees to call. Sitting at my kitchen table, Tris started pulling all their contact info from the online system on my laptop while I made a list of to-dos on a notepad. Vendors needed to be called, standing orders needed to be cancelled. And—shit. Pride in the Mix was happening in a few short weeks, and I needed all the time I had to plan it. I supposed I could do some prep for it while we were closed, but could I be sure we’d reopen in time to host it? Did I cancel it preemptively or move forward with it as if nothing was wrong?

Fuck. If I ever got my hands on that motherfucking bastard . . .

Well, I’d do nothing. I wasn’t a violent person; never had been. But in this moment, I almost wished I was.

“Daddy? Come back to me. I can see you spiraling.”

I glanced up from the handwritten list I was making, my shoulders tight. Tris must’ve noticed, because he stood up, moved behind my chair, put his hands on my upper back, and started rubbing out the tension.

“It’s gonna be okay, Daddy. This sucks balls, but you’re not alone in this. I’m here, for one, and I’m sure Ben will be willing to do whatever he can to help, too.”

I placed my hand on his, where he’d moved to massage my neck, and glanced up to find his gaze with a grateful smile. “Thanks, baby. I’ll start calling everyone. This shouldn’t be communicated over text.”

He nodded, moving to my side so I could see him better. “I’ll make us some breakfast. No need to make all these calls on an empty stomach.”

Despite the dire situation, I laughed inordinately hard at Tris’s ridiculous assertion. It probably wasn’t even funny, but I needed the levity to break the tension so I didn’t explode.

I made calls to all the staff, most of whom offered to do what they could to help when I explained the situation. Ben, as Tristan had said he would, offered to call the vendors himself—he’d taken over a lot of the ordering in the past few months, anyway. A way to give me time to spend with Tristan, he’d said. I found myself grateful for Ben for the millionth time since I’d hired him.

My next call was to Shawn’s office to schedule an emergency appointment. Tris had suggested it, saying it couldn’t hurt to have some extra support. He couldn’t get me in until tomorrow, but that was fine. For now, I’d lean on Tris and my other friends. Speaking of . . .

“Hey, Tris?”

“Yeah, baby?”

I smiled. “Would you mind calling Ethan to explain he’ll need to find another meeting place for DASC next week? And maybe . . .”

I trailed off, considering what Shawn and I had discussed in our last appointment. He’d recognized how closed off I’d been, keeping everyone at arm’s length, and he’d given me a suggestion that would help remedy that. Now was as good a time as any, I supposed. I could definitely lean on my friends right now.

“What do you think about seeing if everyone wants to meet for dinner or drinks tonight? A night off with friends might be just what we need. And if you’re okay with it, I think I want to tell them I’m a Daddy and would love to attend your club meetings when I can. Ethan’s been asking me to join for years, and maybe it’s time. I’ll keep our relationship quiet if that’s what you still want, but with your blessing, I’d like to . . . well, open up a little more. Shawn’s been working with me on that.”

Tristan’s smile widened until it was brighter than the sun fighting against the clouds outside. “That sounds amazing, Daddy. Of course I’ll call him. I’ll let Cameron know what’s going on, too.”

He stepped away from the table, probably to go start breakfast, but I grabbed him by the wrist before he could get out of reach. As hard as it was, I needed to say this before I talked myself out of it. Now that I’d inadvertently brought it up, my brain wasn’t letting it go. “Hey, Tris? You know how we agreed not to tell everyone about us?”