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“You were so brave,” Caden said. “But never do that again! I was so scared. I might have peed a little.” He said that last part where only Sam could hear.
Sam hugged Caden even tighter. While he loved being little and finally having a Daddy to take care of him, Sam also loved his relationship with Caden, and how he felt like a protector for once in his life. “Come on,” Sam said. “Let’s get away from the windows.”
“Kitchen,” Adam ordered, hustling them all into the back.
Sam agreed. No one was getting inside the shop while all the commotion was happening out front.
“What is going on?” Mickey asked, wide eyes as he huddled close to the large counter in the middle of the kitchen.
Sam hated, fucking hated, how all this drama was affecting those around him. It wasn’t fair. Sam had been forced from his home, had to start his life with just his grandmother by his side, and he hadn’t done too bad for himself. Now just because of his father’s decisions, Sam’s life was being turned upside down, and right when everything had been going so great.
The fear that his father would find him and mess up everything Sam had been working for was hard to push down, but this wasn’t the moment to panic.
Even though his stomach was in knots and he wanted to hide, Sam lifted his chin. “My father is running for president and even though I haven’t seen him since the night that I graduated from high school and ran away, it seems like people might have been looking for me.”
“You ran away? And your father is running for president?” Mickey repeated. “How? What?”
Sam shook his head. “My father never cared about me and hated that I was gay and spent most of his time trying to make a man out of me.”
Mickey winced. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“It wasn’t,” Sam admitted. “But I did have an amazing grandmother who helped me get away and I moved here with one of her friends. I always dreaded the day that my father found me. It might not be him, but with that reporter nosing around, I’m not sure how my father will respond.”
“What can I do to help?”
Someone banged loudly on the back door. They all jumped, even Adam, before Sam turned wide eyes to the locked door.
“Stay here,” Adam demanded as he stomped forward.
Part of him thought that he should be handling whoever was banging on the door, but he huddled close to Caden and Mickey to watch Adam.
Adam opened the door enough to peer through the crack. His shoulders relaxed. He swung the door open the rest of the way and Carson stepped in.
“Daddy,” Sam whispered.
Carson was by his side in an instant and Sam fell into his arms.
“That’s right, baby doll,” Carson murmured, cupping the back of Sam’s head and pressing Sam’s face into his chest. “I have you. It’s all okay.”
Wasn’t Sam just trying to convince himself of those very same things? Now that he was being held by his Daddy, Sam didn’t know if he could hold it together any longer. He was scared. He wanted the world to go away and just leave him alone.
“You should take him home,” Caden said quietly.
“I pulled around the back,” Carson said. He drew Sam back. “Want to sneak out of here?”
He hesitated. Sam had left earlier the day before. He couldn’t keep relying on his friends. He was the boss and—
“Don’t even think about arguing,” Adam pressed up against his back. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s already at the end of shift. We’ll stay until things calm down, but you go.”
That was true. Sam had worked his full shift plus finished all the paperwork. Looking up, he nodded at Carson.
“Good.” Carson kissed his forehead then addressed the others. “Stay in here until Lincoln or Nash give you the all-clear. They’ll wait until the news crew is gone before they come in. Lucas has some of his guys stationed in front of the door, keeping everyone else out.”
“We’ve got this handled.” Adam patted Sam’s back. “You two get out of here while you can.”
Sam was ushered quickly out of the shop and into Carson’s SUV, which was still running. Wrapping his arms around his stomach, Sam rocked himself in his seat after Carson closed him into the warm vehicle.
He hated being so wishy-washy about things. He knew that he could depend on his friends. It was a constant reminder lately that he couldn’t do everything on his own, but he worried that all of this was going to be too much so soon in his relationship with Carson.
