Chapter Twelve

Ezra

Ezra lifted his head at the soft knock on the bedroom door.

"Shh, it's okay." Eric kissed his forehead before moving Ezra off his chest.

Ezra should probably be embarrassed that he'd basically been using Eric as his pillow. They hadn't done anything more than cuddling that night, but it had been exactly what he had needed. Even though Joey Collins was in jail, Ezra's past was coming after him. He thought he'd got himself and Annabelle away safely. He should have known better.

Eric was climbing out of bed as the door opened.

"E?"

"Hey, bro. You okay?"

Brandon still hovered out of sight on the opposite side of the door. "I…"

The shakiness in Brandon's voice was evident. Ezra's heart ached for his friend. That morning had been rough on Brandon as well. Ezra still didn't know what trauma Brandon had been through, but it was apparent that something had triggered him.

"Bran—"

"Can I sleep—" Brandon pushed the door open enough to step inside but froze when he spotted Ezra in bed. Eric still stood beside the mattress, looking torn on what to do.

"I'm sorry." Brandon backpedaled. "Stupid! I should have realized—"

"Hey!" Ezra called out gently before Brandon could run. He didn't want to spook Brandon or wake Annabelle.

Brandon stopped.

Ezra scooted to the far side of the bed. It was probably a good thing that he and Eric hadn't had sex and weren't naked. He lifted a corner of the comforter, knowing this was the right thing to do. "Want to sleep with us?"

Brandon sniffled. "I had a bad dream."

"It's okay. I'm the master of cuddles and your brother isn't bad either. You can lie right here between us. We'll keep you safe." Ezra hoped he was saying the right words. He just knew that being held by Eric had kept any bad dreams away. He felt safer with Eric than anyone else. The same must be true for Brandon.

"I don't want to be a bother," Brandon told him.

"No!" Eric was stern. "You will never be a bother. Not to me. Not to either of us."

"You aren't," Ezra agreed. He patted the soft mattress again. "Come on. Come climb into this big bed with us. Cuddles!" Maybe it would help if Brandon could regress. Brandon had spent most of the afternoon playing in his room once Ezra and Eric had finally made it out of their shower. "We can puppy pile Eric!"

Brandon giggled as he shuffled forward.

"Come on." Eric urged Brandon closer to the bed with an arm around his lower back. He wasn't forcing Brandon but helping him forward.

Ezra waited until Brandon had crawled into the bed and scooted close before he tugged Brandon into his arms. Brandon had a blanket over his head and a small stuffed dog clutched in one hand. A dog that looked exactly like the one that had sat at their feet earlier as if he was personally keeping all the cops away.

Brandon's entire body shook as Ezra held him.

The mattress dipped when Eric climbed in behind his brother. Eric lifted the comforter and covered them back up then settled against Brandon's back. Eric threw an arm over Brandon's waist before he linked his fingers with Ezra's.

No matter what they had to do for Brandon, they would get him through this. He had bared his soul to Eric and knew that he was going to have to share some of it with Brandon as well. He hated the thought of his past harming Brandon.

Brandon continued to sniffle.

"Hey." Ezra pressed his forehead to Brandon's. He took a long slow breath before blowing it out. He did it again. And again. Eventually Brandon began to match his breathing.

"Sorry." Brandon avoided his eyes.

"Why? This is great! Our own little slumber party."

"You don't have to be nice to me," Brandon said. "I know this is weird."

"Not too weird." Not for him. Ezra had basically allowed himself and his daughter to be kidnapped, taken to a near stranger's house, and fallen in love with him. Nope, they weren't weird at all. "And I'm always nice to my friends," Ezra told him. "Remember that Dom already claimed you. You're one of us. One of us."

Brandon giggled.

"Oh god," Eric groaned. "You two and Dominic? No! I can't handle all that sass."

"Too late," Brandon said. "They already claimed me." He didn't sound like he minded at all.

"Don't forget Lake," Ezra added. "He's part of our little boy band of misfits." Ezra liked that name. He was so making matching shirts!

"Doomed! I'm doomed," Eric wailed softly.

"We're going to have a little party," Ezra decided. He should probably ask but it would be perfect for Brandon. They'd talked about going to the club but maybe they could work up to that. Their house was perfect though. He could invite Dom and Lake over where Brandon was already comfortable.

"We are?" Brandon asked.

"Yep," Ezra said. "This needs to happen." He squeezed Eric's fingers with his. Eric had stated that he wanted to be Ezra's Daddy and partner. Ezra decided that if he had the big ideas, then Eric needed to make them happen.

"I'm going to have to go shopping," Eric said.

Brandon squealed. "A party! My first little party!"

"Shh." Eric kissed the back of Brandon's head. "Don't wake the little one. When we get up, we'll start planning your party. Make sure that we have everything we need."

"A little party," Brandon repeated in awe. "Can we get little plates and cups? Like the ones we saw on that website?"

"Of course." Eric kissed the back of Brandon's head. "Remember the small table and chairs? I've been thinking about having something like that made. I'll reach out to the company and see what they can do. We don't have to get them for your party but if this is going to be little central, we should probably think about expanding some."

"A playroom!" Brandon said full of hope.

Eric chuckled. "We can make these plans in the morning. We need to get some sleep now."

"Oh yeah." Brandon deflated.

"It's gonna be great," Ezra promised. "We can dress up and play. Have snackies. You close your eyes and think of everything you want for your party." He lowered his voice. "And the playroom that we are totally talking your brother into."

"I can hear you," Eric groused.

"I would hope so," Ezra teased. "You're, like, only a few feet away. You're not that old yet where you would be losing your hearing."

Brandon gasped, then snorted out a laugh.

"Boy, you better behave."

"I am! We have a party to plan after all."

"I am so calling in backup for this," Eric stated. "Just so you know."

"Call in anyone you want, Daddy," Ezra teased. "It's got to be epic. This will be our first party."

Eric's fingers flexed in his. Oh! That was the first time that Ezra had called him that when they were around someone.

"An epic little party. You got it. Now both of you need sleep. I have to be at the station in a few hours. You two can sleep in."

Yeah, sleeping in wasn't really a thing when he had a kid. Maybe they could at least have a nap later. Actually, he and Brandon could start looking into the playroom because now that Brandon had mentioned it, Ezra couldn't get the thought out of his head.

An adult playroom that could give Ezra a place so that regression could be frequent. Eric had promised to come up with a way that Ezra could detach himself from his responsibilities when he needed to. Having a designated space might be just the solution that they needed.

Following his own advice, Ezra closed his eyes as he pictured what the perfect playroom would look like. It would need bright walls. Maybe he and Brandon could even fingerpaint or something fun like that. Oh, the possibilities!

* * * * *

Eric

He really did need backup and Eric wasn't too big of a man to admit it. He'd thought buying drinks, juice, and some more toys would be what the boys needed. Ezra and Brandon had other ideas.

"Why do you need matching shirts?" Eric asked for a second time.

"We're starting a club!" Ezra told him.

"A club," Eric repeated.

"And clubs have matching shirts!" Brandon added. He was bent over the pink cotton garment with a hot glue gun. The amount of glitter horrified Eric. Yep, he was calling in his backup.

He strolled out of the room as he dug his cell from his pocket. He dialed Dane and waited for his friend to answer.

"Lo?"

"Where the hell are you?" Eric demanded.

Dane chuckled. "Brandon sent me to the craft store."

"The craft store?"

"Apparently he needs different colors of glitter."

"Glitter?" Eric repeated. "Don't you dare bring any more glitter into this house!"

"I'm already on my way with it."

Eric sighed. Great, he was pretty sure that he would be finding glitter for the rest of his life around the house. "Just get here. Have you heard from Remi?"

"He's neck-deep in paperwork dealing with closing your case. He doesn't think that he'll be able to make it," Dane said.

"Jesse can't make it either," Eric informed him. "The casino is facing backlash with what Collins pulled. He's dodging reporters and trying to get staff in order."

"It sounds like it'll just be the two of us," Dane said. "When are Dom and Kale supposed to be there?"

"Any minute now," Eric told him. He heard Annabelle call for him.

"I'm coming, baby girl!" Eric told her. "Alright, man, just hurry up and get here. I need help setting up the surprise in the back yard for the boys. I think the sandbox is going to be a hit."

"I can't believe that you're hosting a little party."

"We, you fucker—you're helping me. And Annabelle, she's in charge of juice boxes."

"Maybe we'll just put Maverick in charge of them," Dane suggested. "Lock them in the room and tell him to guard."

"Don't give me ideas. I have to go. See you soon." Eric hung up as Annabelle raced into the room. "Hey, pretty angel! Don't you look beautiful."

She spun in her princess dress. "Pretty!"

"Very pretty," Eric agreed as he lifted her into his arms. He'd surprised her with the blue dress to wear for the day. Ezra had accused him of spoiling Annabelle and Eric didn't have much of an argument. It was true. Now that Eric knew what having a real family felt like he never wanted to give up how happy be had become.

They'd decided that Annabelle was young enough that she wouldn't find it weird for the boys to be playing with toys. As she got older, they would have to be careful that she didn't find out Ezra's secret. Not until it was something she could understand.

He had found use for the finished basement that Eric hadn't thought they would ever use. It would take a little construction, but the basement would make a perfect playroom. They could even lock it up so Annabelle wouldn't stumble across the space.

Eric carried Annabelle back into the living room. Ezra and Brandon were still working on the shirts.

"Did you really need more glitter?" he asked his brother.

"You can never have too much glitter," Brandon told him.

There needed to be rules. Boundaries. Eric didn't have the experience, but he needed to learn fast. Eric already had a hard time telling Brandon no because of everything that he'd been through. Annabelle had him wrapped around her finger. And Eric wanted to give Ezra the world.

He was totally screwed.

In the best possible way.

No question there would be more therapy in his future. Brandon wasn't the only one that still had issues to work out. Ezra's family concerned Eric but also reminded him that sometimes blood relatives were worse than strangers. He'd protect Ezra and Annabelle just like he looked out for his brother.

Eric grinned when he heard Dane pull up in his truck. At least he wouldn't be alone in this new journey. There was no way that Dane would have ever gone to the craft store for anyone other than Brandon.

His brother held his own power over Dane and their story was just getting started.