Chapter 8

It was Monday, Rowan's least favorite day of the week. And to make matters worse, Father had said he was staying at Hilary's next weekend because he had a firm coming in to deep clean all the carpets to get ready to list the house, which meant Rowan couldn't stay there either. He'd love to be brave enough to get a hotel, but it wasn't worth one of Mother's moods if she found out.

Daddy Gabriel had asked him if he wanted to bring some things over next weekend as well, which he'd eagerly agreed to, until he got the text from his father a few minutes ago. Now he knew he was going to miss seeing Daddy Gabriel. He was only allowed in the little room on open nights for interested members so Rowan wouldn't even see him at the club, even if he could think of a reason to go.

How was the college visit?

Rowan looked down at the phone he was still holding and warmth spread through him. He was here to explore his options, but he hadn't signed up for any classes.

I've only been here an hour, but it's been good. How is work?

Boring.

Rowan stared at his screen and watched the little bubbles with bated breath.

Do you ever go to the club any other night?

Rowan sighed. He wished. And there was no way he was going to admit he couldn't go because his mother wouldn't allow it. But what could he say? He needed to think, so he pushed his phone into his pocket and didn't reply.

He got two texts the next day and replied politely. One Wednesday. None so far today, and he was miserable. He also didn't know what to do. Mother had announced this morning that she would be away for the weekend again. He knew she wouldn't allow him to stay at home on his own, and he could hardly ask Father to lie for him.

In desperation, he pulled his phone out and started texting.

I can't come this weekend. Father's away and it"s awkward.

Rowan regretted it as soon as it sent, but to his shock, Daddy Gabriel started texting right away.

Assuming your mom doesn't know about the club?

Wow, that was intuitive, but after the debacle with the emergency numbers maybe not. He'd already gotten a message from Charlie offering to be his emergency number at the club so Master Adrian wouldn't get angry. Charlie covered for him with his dad as well. He wasn't about to risk his dad ever needing him on a Friday night and calling his friends from college.

So you'll be at your mom's?

That was the trouble. He didn't know where he would be. Rowan didn't know what to say. He knew what he wanted though, and before he could chicken out, he texted his father. It wasn't exactly a lie. He just asked him not to tell his mother he was going away this weekend. He didn't get a reply for quite a while, but when he did, he was surprised.

Absolutely, so long as you promise me you're safe. Text me both days please, just to humor an old man. You have your bank card?

I promise. It's just a friend, but Mother would worry.

Have fun.

Now what? The weekend stretched out in front of him like a huge cave. He couldn't go to a hotel because mother kept all his bank cards.

Then he texted Daddy Gabriel.

I'm good. I'll bring my things over at the weekend. Let me know what day.

But Daddy had gone offline.

"He said you could call him Daddy?" Charlie said in awe. Rowan nodded and fixed a particularly tricky piece of Lego to the front of the train. They were in the little room. It was Friday and Rowan was concentrating on Lego because he didn't want to start hyperventilating over the fact that he didn't have anywhere to stay tonight. At least the disaster last week had happened on Thursday when the other littles weren't there, and Charlie wouldn't say anything. And he'd brought his car so he could decide where to go when the club closed.

"But not here. Just at home, and Daddy Gabriel, not just Daddy, obviously." Like the word Master, the name was omitted to indicate a relationship, rather than just a play partner or someone else's daddy.

"You went to Master Gabriel's home?" Dash whispered.

"Yes. Father's getting married and the house is up for sale. I was thinking of getting my own place, and Daddy…Master Gabriel wanted to show me where he lives in case I liked the area."

"That's going to get confusing," Charlie said, way too shrewdly for Rowan's liking. Rowan had a feeling Charlie didn't just mean when to call him Daddy and when to call him Master.

"He wants to be friends," Rowan said, a little defensively.

"Who does?" Max said, sitting down at their table.

"Master Gabriel," Dash nearly hissed out. "With Rowan." Max met Rowan's gaze.

"I thought you were already friends."

"But he's to call him Daddy Gabriel when Master Gabriel's not a daddy," Dash added, seeming to be struggling with the concept.

"And I said, that could become confusing," Charlie said.

Max shrugged. "But we know it's sometimes all about the person. I mean, look at me?" Max had wanted nothing but pain until he met Daddy Caleb. "And of all of us, Charlie, you should know that." Charlie flushed and Max reached out and squeezed Charlie's hand. Rowan knew Max was apologizing for the mild rebuke. Charlie and Daddy Patrick had once had a Dominant and submissive relationship before their Daddy and little one.

"It's not like that," Rowan said wistfully. "It's just a name to make me feel more comfortable. He asked me to call him Gabriel or Gabe, but I just couldn't."

"Then I don't think it's an issue," Max said easily. He glanced at Rowan. "Are you coming next Thursday?" Rowan wished he was. Max owned a bookstore and there was a fantasy writer coming for a signing. All his friends were going, and Daddy Caleb was making special cupcakes for everyone. But there was no way he could go. Mother would expect him to be home. Although, she'd been behaving a little oddly recently. Apparently, her new boyfriend had a daughter who stayed over at his house a lot because her mom worked nights, and the little girl had been sick because of all the candy her dad was giving her. Mother seemed to think she needed to visit more often to supervise.

And Rowan wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he felt sorry that this little girl had gotten Mother's attention, but on the other, less attention on him was a good thing.

A very good thing.

Gabriel looked up as Patrick slid into the seat next to him. "This is becoming a habit."

"I could say the same," Patrick teased. "No one catching your eye?" Gabriel shook his head. Although, if he was honest, no one had caught his eye for a while. Well, that wasn't exactly true.

"How's Rowan after last weekend?"

Gabriel frowned. "Isn't he in there with Charlie?"

"Of course, but I can't exactly ask him in front of the others, can I? And I don't like putting Charlie in a position where he might have to break a confidence. Not that he would." Patrick chuckled and ordered a beer.

"He came around last weekend," Gabe admitted. "And he's going to come over this weekend. I offered to store some of his little stuff. His dad's selling the house and from what I can gather, neither parent knows he comes here."

"Which explains the accidental wrong emergency numbers from last weekend," Patrick said dryly. "I told Adrian to put me down as his emergency contact. Charlie has already offered and has his home numbers."

"His dad seems okay, but I'm not sure about his mom. She treats him like a small child."

"The problem is that Rowan is very submissive, as well as a little," Patrick said slowly. Gabe looked over at him. "And if he has some sort of underlying medical problem, any parent would be extra protective."

But Gabe felt it was more than that. "You think I'm giving him the wrong idea?"

Patrick shrugged. "I think he needs a friend. Whether that friend should act as a dominant to a submissive is the issue. There's a certain crossover."

Gabriel nodded and looked around the room. He was here to get out of his head, not bury himself deeper in it. He glanced over at a group of four subs. Kyle wasn't looking for a boyfriend of any sort, he just wanted a good time. Kyle looked over and caught Gabriel's gaze. Gabriel nodded to the floor in front of him, and Kyle immediately got up and walked over, keeping his head down, and then knelt in front of him very gracefully. Gabriel never noticed Patrick leaving.

**

It was no good, and he apologized to Kyle afterwards for stopping early because his head wasn't in the game. Maybe he should leave the club? Maybe he needed to get his head straight after the funeral and the mess with his dad's house, and the fact that he hated his job. Patrick had once told him that most people coped if one area of their lives was okay. If, for instance, their job was good but home sucked, or vice versa.

He texted Rowan to ask him to let Gabriel know when he wanted to bring his things. Gabe wasn't doing anything this weekend except having a good think about what he wanted the rest of his life to look like. He was definitely going to Max's bookstore on Thursday, though, after hearing Emily Jade was signing. He had just about all her books. High fantasy, YA, and he loved them. He'd also heard she was self-published, and he definitely wanted to talk to her about that. He pulled into his driveway at the side and glanced up at the dark, uninviting windows. The one upstairs next to him was empty, and he'd seen the couple in the one below but didn't even know their names.

He looked down as his phone rang, and smiling, answered his sister's call. "Hey zoomie." Clare's wheelchair was a source of fond teasing for both of them.

"I got the money," she almost squealed.

Gabriel's smile was huge. "Congratulations." She'd applied for help with her living arrangements.

"So, you know what this means," she added sternly, and Gabe sighed. They'd had this argument over him helping her financially so many times. "I love you brother, but if you don't quit I'm never going to forgive you. You have to let me do this on my own. If you love me you will."

"Only if you promise, absolutely promise, that if you get into difficulty you tell me."

Clare scoffed. "Only if you promise you're finally going to follow your dream." Clare was the only person he'd ever shared his writing with, and she wasn't stupid. He'd never said, obviously, but she knew why he couldn't take time off work.

"Love you," Gabriel said.

"Love you more, baby brother."

Gabriel stared at his phone for a while after she hung up. The word baby reminded him so much of a certain young submissive that his chest ached. Rowan had seemed to like the new apartments he'd shown him last weekend, but then, in view of what Patrick had said, would Rowan dare tell him if he didn't?

Gabe got out and glanced at the street. There were a lot of cars parked in the far corner. The two guys that lived there had a lot of friends every weekend, so he wasn't surprised. He shivered. March was still really cold at night, and he wouldn't be surprised if it didn't snow again. He turned and jogged up his steps, hearing laughter as his neighbor"s door opened, and he glanced over just as he put his key in the lock.

Gabriel stilled, his eyes narrowing as he took in the small blue Chevrolet Bolt he'd seen Rowan drive occasionally. No. That wasn't… But the longer he stared, the more suspicious he got. It had to be a coincidence. One of the partygoers. There was no way Rowan would drive over here and just sit in his car. The car in front of the Bolt drove off, and the street grew quieter. No engine sounds, so the car wasn't on. Gabe pulled out his phone and read the confirmation and okay that Rowan had sent earlier when he'd asked him to say what day he wanted to come over. They were meeting in the morning.

Gabe rubbed his head, knowing damn well there was no way he could go in without checking that Rowan wasn't sitting in the car on his way to hypothermia. He turned and jogged back down the steps and crossed the street, heading for the blue car parked at the end a little apart from the others, and as he got nearer saw the huddled shape in front.

He swore. The door was at least locked when he tried the handle, and Gabe rapped on the door until he heard the locks disengage. He didn't even wait for Rowan to open the door himself before he yanked it open.

"What the hell are you doing?" He took in the wide blue eyes, the pale skin, and the visible trembling because Rowan was clearly about to freeze to death. He didn't wait for a reply, just stepped back and opened the back door, grabbing the suitcase he saw there. "Come with me," he ordered, and Rowan moved. He had a blanket wrapped around him, but there was no way that would be enough. Gabe grunted and marched back to his apartment, hearing the car lock behind him, then cautious footsteps.

He took a breath, and just as he'd been taught by another dominant, let all his anger drain away. The last thing he wanted was to frighten Rowan. He turned and saw Rowan struggling with the blanket. He was going to trip if he wasn't careful, so with his free hand he took Rowan's arm, ignoring the startled squeak.

"Come on, let's get you inside and warmed up, then you can tell me if I'm going to have angry parents sending the cops here." He would make him some hot chocolate and grab the soft fleeces he'd bought this week.

And if one of them happened to have a picture of a toy space ranger on it, no one had been around to call him out on it.