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“I’m glad you’re still able to have a relationship with him,” Sloan said. “My kids aren’t really on the same page about their mother moving. Loki’s too young to understand. Emma-Jo doesn’t quite get it either. Jamie goes back and forth between saying it’s okay and being upset about it, and Jason is pretending not to give a crap.”
I’d imagine it would do them good to have a long weekend with their dad after she left, then. Sloan was a natural at comforting.
“You’ll have to tell me if I should make myself scarce by then,” I said. “If they’re upset, they don’t need a stranger hanging around.”
“Hmm…you leave that to me, boy.” He narrowed his eyes at me, part playful, part serious. “Your job is to relax and let us be there for you.”
“But I had to say it, Sir!”
“Now you’ve said it.” He leaned closer and narrowed his eyes even more, into thin slits, and I couldn’t help but giggle. He was being a clown with me! “For the record, the only thing that changes when our children are here is that we don’t showcase anything overly intimate.”
I did remember that Greer and Archie were officially together, and Sloan stayed here as “Greer’s best friend.”
“When you feel like you need to be little—when they’re around—just signal to me somehow,” he added with a yawn. “This part of the downstairs is pretty much off-limits to the kids during the day. We can set up a blanket fort for you in here if that’s what it takes.”
I snickered and yawned too. Couldn’t be helped. They were contagious. “I’m not that little, Sir. I don’t need a blanket fort.”
“What do you need in your Little space?” He got comfortable on the pillow and closed his eyes.
“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it. I have a couple stuffies, but now Chuck is my favorite.”
I stretched out and groaned comfortably.
“Add that to the list of things to consider, then,” he ordered tiredly. “Whether it’s just a favorite color for the sheets or a setup of Disney movies and a bed full of stuffies, there’s gotta be something you want.”
I blinked sleepily and had nothing to say. He was opening the door to a world I wasn’t sure I had experienced.
I thought back on my own room at Marcus’s place. It looked much like his. He liked his interior design with straight lines and a lot of black and white. Although, I did have my old Xbox there. And one teddy bear.
A thought struck me, and I winced. I had to wonder. Was I the only one who called that room mine?
“Sir?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“What’s your relationship deal? Can Greer play with whoever he wants and Archie can’t?”
Sloan cracked one eye open. “No. I mean, not really. It has to be a unanimous decision in our house if we’re going to include anyone for playtime—for any of us. Greer and Archie also have an understanding to always play together outside our dynamic. So if Greer, for instance, is demonstrating something at an event and the kink is remotely sexual, he wants Archie there.”
I blew out a breath. “See, that—I would’ve been much more comfortable with that arrangement. It’s like, you’re not automatically open, but you’re flexible…? And everyone has a say.”
He smiled softly. “That’s what we call it. Flexible.”
They were so fortunate.
CHAPTER SIX
The domly protectors are starting to get worried. You almost back, love?
I’d have to respond to Archie’s text, well, never, because I was two minutes from the house.
After waking up from a two-hour-long nap with Sloan—although he’d woken earlier—and seeing what they had been up to while I’d been lazy, a fire lit under my butt. Disoriented and too well-rested, I’d spotted Greer raking leaves in the yard, Sloan had been under the hood of their truck, and Archie had been knee-deep in cleaning and preparing for tonight’s dinner. So I’d asked to borrow Archie’s car for a quick errand, a secret mission, and then I’d headed straight for Winchester and their selection of grocery stores.
I was mature enough to admit I’d gone a little nuts.
Bobbing my head to the quick beat of the song blaring out, I stuck another carrot stick into my mouth and drove a little faster. ’Cause I loved driving on dirt roads.
It’d gotten dark while I’d been in town, and now I was so looking forward to dinner. I’d almost stopped at a drive-thru on the way back, but then I would’ve spoiled my appetite. So I’d just had a snack while shopping. Carrot sticks, a bag of chips, a churro, some Sour Patch Kids, and a slice of pizza.
Finlay Ridge appeared with a warm glow in the darkness up ahead, and as I got closer, I could see Greer and Sloan on the porch. How could they sit there? It was freezing outside!
