11. Stanton

11

STANTON

O ne night while Beckett and I had soaked in the bath before bed, he'd mentioned something he'd always wanted to do. I'd asked him to list some silly things that would be on a bucket list—ones he'd never seen coming true—and I made note of each one of them. At least once a week, I planned a fun activity where we both turned off our phones for the entire evening or day. Like the Rage Room I'd taken him to because he'd had a bad day and was cranky, so I allowed him to be destructive to get all of it out.

I'd never assumed a man with a baseball bat, sledgehammer, and safety gear could be adorable. But the smile through the clear protective face shield had been so cute. That had gone on a list of things to do when he had a bad day. Which led us to why I'd packed him into my car at six AM when he was still half-asleep and took off for a weekend. I'd been surprised when he'd agreed to take a Friday off without explanation.

He'd told me he wanted to learn to ride a horse. When he was a kid, he'd asked his parents for a pony or at least riding lessons, but they'd brushed him off with a they'd think about it and never mentioned it again. I'd found a dude ranch with private, isolated cabins and booked it for a weekend, along with a visit to a petting zoo with miniature horses and cows. I couldn't wait to see how his face lit up when we went to the animal sanctuary the next morning.

He and I had started dating almost four months before. Even though it seemed fast, I'd been dying to confess my feelings and see what he'd think about moving out of his apartment into my home—our home. The unknown had me nauseated because I didn't know if he was ready for a step like living together, but I had to tell him I loved him first.

I'd never said that in a romantic relationship before. Would he think it was too quick? Beckett was a cautious man due to his past experiences. I wanted to be understanding, but impulse-control issues weren't helping with my patience. My baby was absolutely ideal for me. Everything I'd ever wanted in the person who would become my man—my boy.

For months, I'd watched and listened closely—learning everything about him. The way his lashes fell to conceal his beautiful eyes from me when I pinched his chin to get his attention. How his shoulders relaxed when I massaged his scalp as he sat tucked between my legs. Daddy whimpered in a shaky breath when I sank into his tight ass as he dug his short nails into my back. My public displays of affection no longer shocked him or made him tense up.

He'd met all my friends. My mother adored him and told me every time I saw her how much happier I looked since I'd made him mine. I was all in, and I wanted him to know that so we could start our lives together. A deep groan came from the passenger seat, and I glanced over at him to find his eyes fluttering open. He sleepily glanced around at the wide-open pastures and groupings of trees.

An hour earlier, I'd turned off the highway to take a series of country roads that led to the dude ranch.

"Hey, baby boy, how was your nap?" I asked, as I stretched my arm over the console to rest my hand on his thick thigh. Legs I'd tucked my hips between only hours earlier when I'd awakened him for some loving.

"Okay. Where are we?" He laid his hand over mine and twined our fingers.

"Almost there. You'll find out soon enough." I chuckled as I caught his bratty eye roll and pout. My boy had learned quickly the power he wielded with that damn lush bottom lip of his poking out. "You like surprises."

"I'm hungry." He relented when he knew he wasn't getting what he wanted from me.

"Check your backpack. I put some snacks in there for you. Also a few of those espressos you like."

I had a special bag I packed whenever we went somewhere with snacks and drinks, and activities to keep him occupied so he wouldn't get bored. At first, he'd been a little skeptical of what he called my baby boy bag. He hadn't complained about it yet.

"I slept three hours." He shot me a glare.

"I did wake you up two times before our alarm went off. Are you complaining?"

"You know I'm not," he muttered as he dug through his bag to find what he wanted. He pulled out a bag of chips and a soda, and lifted his legs to cross them, which made my hand slide to his inner thigh.

"We're about a half hour out, and I already let your executive assistant know that you won't be coming in Monday so we don't have to rush back."

"You didn't ask me?"

"No, I didn't, but Sandra told me you had no meetings, and anything you had on your schedule for Monday could be taken care of Tuesday. Besides, I told my mother I was kidnapping you."

"So you made her an accomplice?"

"She loves it. "

He had his snack, and we shared a bit of catch-up about our weeks. I'd put in extra hours so that my assistants and other planners were prepared to take on the four events we had going on that weekend. By Thursday, everyone was ready to see me gone, and I'd pouted all the way out of the door, but I couldn't get home quickly enough to meet Beckett.

The sign for the ranch came into sight, and I waited for him to notice it. As I went from the asphalt to a gravel drive with my baby straightened to look around. He set his soda bottle in the cup holder. Horses ran around one pasture, and cattle were in another.

"You remembered?" The question was low and a bit broken.

"There's nothing I don't remember when it comes to you. You're getting your riding lessons, and I booked a private cabin for the entire weekend. Do you know what else I booked for you?"

"N-no, what?"

"A visit to an animal sanctuary where they have miniature cows and horses."

"But all that's silly, Stanton."

I recognized that tone of his which told me he thought he was being a bother. That was something Beckett would never be. If it was within my ability to get him something or take him on a special trip, I'd do that. I wanted to make sure my baby boy always knew I valued him—even the things he thought were impractical.

"Nothing you want to do is silly. So don't think that."

We'd had our discussion about what our relationship would be—was Daddy and boy just for the bedroom, or would he like age regression? He'd answered honestly that he didn't know. We made sure to keep communication open on anything from making sure we had a date night to when we might need to take a breather from each other. Not that I was fond of the nights we spent apart. I couldn't hold him hostage, though, but the thought of having him at my mercy had its perks.

"Do I have the right clothes and shoes?"

"Baby, I packed for you, remember? Everything you need." I squeezed his leg to reassure him. If I didn't distract him, he was going to start worrying about every little thing. "You don't have anything to worry about this weekend."

As soon as I pulled to a stop beside a row of cars and trucks and put the car in park, he leaned across the console and stole a quick kiss. When he tried to retreat, I grabbed the back of his neck and kept him in place. The curl of his hand around my wrist tightened as I savored the give of his soft lips and the little catch in his breathing when I deepened our kiss.

I promised him we'd finish that later as I released him. The loss of his touch and warmth made my chest tight. I craved him back in my arms and behind closed doors so I could love on him and get to the portion of our weekend where I confessed how I felt.

Telling him to stay, I got out of the car and walked around the front to open his door. People were roaming the yard and around the corrals. When I'd booked the weekend, I was told the office was near the largest barn. Holding hands, we crossed the dirt trails.

"I can't believe you did this, Daddy."

"Of course, I was going to do something to make my baby happy. Once the craziness of summer is over, we'll plan a longer trip. Somewhere tropical where I can keep you mostly naked the entire time." I winked at him as I raised our linked hands so I could brush my lips to his knuckles. "Or just naked."

The way he nibbled at his bottom lip teased me to replace his teeth with mine. We'd have plenty of time for that later, first, we needed to get settled in our cabin.

Once we checked in, there would be a tour, and he'd pick the slots for his lessons. I wanted time for us without work or my friends demanding we come hang out. With both our schedules, we struggled for time together outside of curling up in bed.

That would happen soon enough once my plans to hire more people panned out. I reluctantly released him to open the door and motioned him inside. There was a pretty brunette behind a large desk.

"Hi, how can I help y'all today?" she asked.

"Sanderson reservation." When I stepped up beside him—because I hated being separated from him—my arm slipped around his waist. He leaned into me.

"Of course, you were very specific." She smiled at me, then turned her attention to Beckett. "Your husband was very detailed about how your weekend should go."

I internally panicked for a moment at her saying husband. Yet I chuckled as he groaned and leaned heavier against my side. I wanted my baby to have the best weekend, but I also knew he was very schedule-oriented and liked things to be a certain way.

"Sorry," Beckett muttered. "He likes things to be a certain way."

"Don't be. It was extremely sweet," the receptionist said with an endearing smile as she pulled out the paperwork and set it in front of Beckett.

I stayed quiet, allowing him to talk to her and finish with the details. He picked a time on Saturday and Sunday for his lessons. I'd ordered a special dinner for that night, and groceries were being delivered so we could cook in our cabin. With everything settled and a map to the cabin we'd be staying in handed over, she called someone to the office to give us a tour.

A man built on the same scale as my baby arrived. I knew what it looked like, like I was the so-called boy toy, but that was far from the truth. That didn't help the surge of possessiveness I felt at the stranger ignoring me. I couldn't blame the guy. Who wouldn't want Beckett? He was sweet and intelligent, sexy, and I loved everything about him. Every time the guy seemed to start flirting, Beckett stepped closer to me, and I took his hand to offer comfort. He wasn't the greatest with accepting flattery and attention.

Not soon enough, we were back in the car and headed toward the cabin. Someone would drop off dinner, but they told us we'd have plenty of supplies for lunch. No phones. No Wi-Fi. I was going to take advantage of every second of it before we had to get back to our real lives.