Chapter Eleven

Jack

"Daddy!" Vale giggled as his face filled the computer screen. "It's been far too long since I got to see you."

"Same, Sweet Monkey. How's the cruise?" We'd texted the last couple of days, but Vale hadn't had time for a facetime call let alone a computer video chat.

"Boring and busy. It's not a kink cruise this time so instead of taking a break for me at the end of the night to play, I just keep going until my limbs can't move anymore." He sighed. "I miss monkey."

"I'm sorry, love. As soon as you get back I'll schedule a play date at the club for you." Poor guy was probably stressed beyond anything.

"Really? That would be fun. Do you think the other pets will like me? Maybe they'll play with me? I hope they don't make fun of my homemade costume."

"Don't worry about that, sweetheart." I nearly slipped and gave away his surprise.

"Oh, I almost forgot." He nervously fidgeted. "I told my mom about you."

"Good, ‘cause I told mine, too."

Sharing with his mom was a good sign he was serious about us.

"She, um…" he trailed off.

"Spit it out, Little Monkey. I promise I won't get mad."

"She's insisting you come to dinner after you meet me at the docks."

I'd expected nothing less from a mom as caring as Vale's. "Absolutely, not a problem."

"Whew." Vale visibly relaxed.

"What were you afraid of?" Hopefully not me.

"That you'd call it off. Not want to be with someone who's as close to their mother as I am. Momma's boy, I've been called."

"Then I'm one, too. I'm still here at my parents' place, thoroughly enjoying our time together."

"Momma's boys are the best!" my mom shouted from behind me.

"See what I mean?"

"Jackson, give me the phone. I want to see that beau of yours."

"Beau? Really, Mom?" She tapped my shoulder in a mock slap, and I handed the phone over.

"There you are. What a cutie. Hello, Vale, I'm Linda, Jackson's mother. It's so nice to see you. I can't wait until Jackson brings you out to visit us."

Poor Vale's face went a dangerous shade of red.

"Um, hi?" He waved at the phone, so freaking cute. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Barrett."

"There'll be none of that Mrs. nonsense. Please, call me Linda."

"And I'm Jackson Senior." Dad waved from behind us. My poor boy didn't know what to do.

"I think the screen is frozen, Jack, his face hasn't moved."

"No, it's not frozen, but you've scared the hell out of him."

"Oh, sweetheart, I didn't mean to do that. We're really nice, I swear," Mom pleaded with Vale who finally smiled.

"Sorry, I've never met anyone's parents before besides Darcy. She's my best friend." Just then her cherub face appeared.

"Hi everyone!" She waved at the screen. "I love that you embarrassed Vale."

"Shut up, Darcy," Vale tried and failed to whisper.

"I'm gonna tell your Daddy on you," she retorted, and I choked back a laugh.

"Heard him loud and clear. That's not too nice, Little Monkey."

"Oh my God. Your parents are hearing all of this." His head hit the top of the desk. "Mortified." Darcy was behind him dancing with laughter and I nearly did the same. My parents were more than aware of my lifestyle and had no problems with it.

"No need for that, Vale. We know about our son's kinks."

"Did your mother just use the word kink?" That only seemed to draw Vale further down. "Could the ground, or the sea please swallow me whole?"

Poor guy, everyone but Vale was laughing now.

"Here," Mom handed the phone back. "I think you need to talk your boy off the ledge."

Once everyone on both sides of the call wandered off and left Vale and I alone, I walked down to the shore and flipped the camera around. "Look at this gorgeous view. So relaxing. I can't wait to share it with you."

Another sigh. "Me, too, Daddy. Do your parents really know about us and the pet stuff?"

"They do and they know about littles and bit about other kinks, too. They're no shamers. They're good, down to earth people. You'll love them. Fair warning, though, my mother loves to cook and insists we all need to eat more." That got a smile. "There's my gorgeous boy."

"I miss you so much. Thankfully I have a different cabin assignment this trip. I just don't think I could clean your cabin for someone else."

"My heart aches without you near, sweet boy. Just a few more weeks until we'll be together again but know that I'm gonna have a hard time being away from you after that." That was putting it mildly, but I didn't want to come across stalkerish.

"I hope so because I plan to become that annoying pest that never leaves his Daddy's side."

"I look forward to it."

"Shoot. I have to go. I love you."

"I love you, too, Monkey."

Being the Daddy wasn't always easy. Take for instance, having to let my boy go when all I wanted to do was send a helicopter to pick him up and bring him to me.

"Does my boy need a warm brownie and a glass of milk?"

"Mom, while I will always be your boy, I'm past the age of milk." Was I really, though? Because that combination sounded damn good, and the knowing glance Mom gave said she knew that, too. "You win. Yes, please and thank you."

It did pay to come home every once in a while, if only to get a bit spoiled.

"I like your friend, Jack," Mom said, as she set a plate with a warm brownie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream in front of me while Dad poured us each a glass of milk. "He seems sweet and very young."

"Linda, you know our boy has a penchant for them in a certain age range. Not that there's a problem with that. Vale's a bit timid. Handsome young fellow, though."

"From everything he's told me, he hasn't had it very easy dating wise. I mean, I know people have had an issue with his energy, but men have really treated him like shit, to be honest, which I'll never understand. Vale's sweet, kind, adorable and I had so much fun watching him find himself and just be free. But what the others missed, I found so honestly, I should be thanking them, though if I ever run into one of them, thanking them isn't exactly what I'd do. But I'm the lucky one here, the one that gets to be with him." Wow, I can't believe I let all that out. The thoughts had been in my head but not necessarily meant to be shared.

"And that, Jack, is one of the sweetest accolades I've ever heard." Mom kissed the top on my head as she sat down. It was like I was ten all over again. "You have a heart of gold, my boy, and I'm glad you finally found someone to treat you with the respect you deserve."

My gaze set on the water through the sliding glass door. "It's so beautiful here. It's like once you drive off the ferry you're in a whole other world, one where you've left your troubles behind. I'm never more relaxed than I am when I'm here."

"You know, the land next door is for sale. Have you ever thought of building a home?" My head whipped toward my father so fast I feared I'd throw my neck out. "I was just saying, son, no need to get your hackles up."

"Quite the opposite, Dad. I've been thinking about buying land and building a house on it." But would having my parents as neighbors be good or bad? Definitely something to consider.

After the heavy snack, I took a walk down along the water. Just me and my thoughts. Ironically enough, my feet led the way while my mind wandered and when I stopped I faced the sale sign for the lot and snapped a picture of it. Once I was home I'd think long and hard about my options. It wasn't like I was in any rush. But by the same token, I wasn't in love with where I was at, residence wise.

A chill filled the air as the sun began its descent and I returned to my parents' house. Mom was at the stove starting dinner and Dad was in front of the TV watching a documentary. On what I had no clue, but I took a seat on the couch next to his recliner.

"I guess we're not barbequing."

"Didn't have any steaks. Are you all right, son?"

"Yeah, I'm just struggling a bit with this rush of emotions. It's overwhelming. I mean, I'm moving at an unstoppable pace and desire things that generally don't come until a year or two into a relationship. It's like I'm trying to cram ten years' worth of getting to know somebody and everything associated with that into a few weeks. I looked at the land next door, and I'm not gonna lie, I would absolutely love to buy it and build a house there. But I don't want to freak Vale out." Fuck, what was wrong with me? "I'm moving too fast."

"Understandable. It might feel fast now, but by the time he gets back you'll have maintained a long-distance relationship for a few months. And from the sounds of it, he's all in. They always say absence makes the heart grow fonder and in this case, that might work in your favor. Only you and Vale can determine if you're moving too fast. Not a calendar. Not society. Not anyone outside of the two of you."

I hadn't thought of it that way. Each day apart grew increasingly harder for me and if it was the same way for him, he may never want to be apart either. Vale was his own man. He made his own decisions, and he was the one to ultimately decide what he wanted to do. All I could do was make the offer and share my dreams and see if Vale's aligned or if we could find a suitable compromise.

After dinner, my parents met some friends for drinks. While they asked me to come, I decided I'd rather not. My mood wasn't the best and bringing their evening down I'd never do. I spent a few more days at their house, having only heard from Vale via phone once and the rest of the time by text. I wished every call would be facetime so I could see him, but I understood that wasn't always possible. Though the simple I'm thinking of you, Daddy and I love you texts would carry me through until we were together again.

Everything returned to normal, or how it was pre-Vale, as soon as I got home. Going into the office daily I quickly learned was a waste of time, but I had nowhere else to be and I hated being alone now. With Diana in charge, there were no worries, which only intensified the desire to live on the island. Rarely would I need to be in the office and if I did Vale and I could make a trip of it and spend a few days in the city, get a hotel and live it up and play at Blush.

"What happened to the happy Jack that I talked to when he got back from his cruise? All we're getting now is mopey Jack, and you're bringing morale down," Diana teased, though there was truth in her words.

"I miss him. The house is too empty, too quiet. He calls when he can, and I understand his job comes first but what the brain understands, the heart does not." Would those two organs ever live in peace and harmony?

"When my husband was stationed overseas, had the kids and I not stayed with family I would have been lost and overwhelmed, to be honest. It's a lot to raise two kids on your own and even more so when you don't hear from your spouse or significant other for months on end. When he deployed there were times he wasn't allowed to contact us and all I knew was that he was out there fighting for our country and putting his life on the line and there was nothing I could do. Now while Vale isn't in the military and it's not exactly the same, I do understand the heart and the brain not communicating or being on the same page."

Now I felt like a whiney baby. "I'm glad everything worked out fine and your husband came home." Diana had shared with me in the past about the PTSD her husband suffered from since retiring from the military and returning home. I couldn't imagine what our soldiers went through. Just thanking them for their service would never be enough. Not only did they put their lives on their line, but their minds never forgot the horrific things they witnessed.

"Doesn't Vale get back soon?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it's next week." Not that I was counting the days, or the hours…

"And you're taking time off, correct?" She gave me that warning eye, the one that said if I hadn't planned to she'd make sure I did.

"As well as can be expected of me but you know I'll still be available to you."

"I do, but make sure you put him first. Show him the true Jackson Barrett, the wonderful man that I've worked with for over a decade and wouldn't have it any other way. You've got a heart of gold, Jack, and if Vale isn't head over heels for you already, he soon will be."

"I don't think I pay you enough, Diana."

She laughed. "You pay me well, but I'd never say no to a raise. Now go on, get out of here and get everything ready for when your boy comes home."

Home.

I was so ready to have that with Vale.

I took her advice and spent the next few days getting the condo in order, ensuring groceries were stocked and the place was clean even though my cleaning lady made sure it was. Of course, I did far too much shopping. The dining table was covered in packages waiting for my boy to unwrap them. The night before his return, I hardly slept.

Far too excited, I arrived at the docks too early, even though I knew the staff were the last ones to disembark. But when I saw his face appear in the crowd it made the long, excruciating wait more than worth it. Long gone and far behind us were the late-night chats that had become few and far between.

No more.

I had my boy back.