Chapter Sixteen

Nomad

He was doing his best not to think too hard on how they'd failed in ‘keeping their kitty happy' after waking to find Cosmo in his cat form, refusing to shift. Harley had discovered the wet towels and the cartons with scathing reviews on the lack of food inside them. Clearly, Cosmo had shown how underwhelmed he was by their left-over selection and made both Nomad and Harley feel like ‘the worst Daddies in the world'. Cosmo had made that point loudly when he'd hissed at them, projecting his thoughts.

Snoring.

No food .

Scratchy towels.

Cold tiles.

No conditioner.

The list had been long. Subsequently, Harley had gone out and taken the shopping list to make sure they had everything that Cosmo needed. Their kitty, now seven hours later with a full belly, wrapped in a fluffy onesie and smelling like a little piece of heaven while eating a chocolate bar and hugging a rainbow squishmallow that Harley found, was finally smiling.

Thing was, in their situation they'd never thought beyond getting takeout, it had worked for two decades. This current situation evidently would not work despite having access to food in the bar downstairs. Cosmo expected to be cared for by his Daddies, not left to fend for himself. It was unacceptable to both Harley and him that they'd let Cosmo down. So they were going to do better. The shopping trip was the first step. The second was reaching out to Gabai about the possibility of buying some land and building a home for Cosmo.

Gabai, having bought land and property when the town wasn't as populated, said he had a place that would possibly suit their needs. Excited, Nomad had arranged to check it out first so as not to disappoint Cosmo or Harley.

Kissing the top of Cosmo's scented curls, he breathed him in. "Daddy has to go down and do some work. Promise you'll behave for Daddy Harley."

His giggle was joyous. "Daddyyyyy i's a good boy."

"That you are. Now I won't be long." Nomad winked at Harley, who gave him a speculative look that suggested he'd picked up on the excitement Nomad had suppressed or not, as the case was. "I won't be too late."

A one-handed salute and Nomad walked to the door, pocketing the car keys he swiped as he exited past the table he'd thrown them on earlier after picking up the shredded clothes. Out the door and as not to make himself out to be a liar, he went into the bar.

The atmosphere in the club was more subdued than Nomad had experienced. Very few people looked to be in the mood to play. In fact, Nomad considered that they were possibly talking about the up-and-coming events which would squash anyone's ability to get into the correct headspace. Something Nomad and Harley had agreed, they'd give Cosmo another day before they talked strategy. They all needed a little breathing room after yesterday.

"How's everything?" Nomad asked, leaning against the bar, directing the question at Rocco.

The eagle looked twitchy as his gaze swept the room. "Things are a little tense." He glanced back at Nomad. "I suppose it's only to be expected. Everyone in town knows now and has come in, or so it feels like it, to see if they can find out more information. Offer to help."

"Bree would be the one to direct those folks, too. She's coordinating everything. Everyone in town will be edgy. It's not everyday folks discover they are being conned by those set in place to protect them." He kept his voice low, but several heads turned in his direction. "I'm off to meet Gabai, I've got my cell phone if you need me."

It took thirty minutes to get out the door with members stopping him and asking questions. When he got in the car and programmed his GPS to find where to meet Gabai, Nomad had lost his excitement.

Harley

Keeping his features smooth took effort when he was getting all sorts of mixed feelings coming from Nomad. The initial excitement had fled after he'd left the apartment. He ruffled Cosmo's hair and eased him away from his side to go take a trip to the bathroom. He just needed a minute to check in with Nomad and didn't want to jar Cosmo out of little space.

"Where's you goin' Daddy?" His nose wrinkled as chocolate smeared lips pouted.

"Just to the bathroom to get a wet cloth to clean up my cutie. We don't want to get the chocolate on your chin and hands on the new squishmallow." It wasn't a lie, he did need a cloth to get the chocolate smears off his hands and face.

His entire face squished up adorably as he tried to look down at his chin. "Where Daddy?"

Harley came over and licked at the side of his jaw, making him giggle and pull back. "Ewweee." He lifted a sticky hand and rubbed it on his face smearing chocolate everywhere. "Messy Daddy."

"You are messy." He scooped up Cosmo and warmth and love invaded his chest at how he wrapped himself around Harley, still holding his squishmallow. "Let's take you to the bathroom and get you cleaned up."

Cosmo kept him distracted, giggling and squirming, making it take three times as long to get him clean. By the time he was settled back on the couch with his sippy cup full of juice, it was at least an hour, and Nomad was back to feeling excited.

When the door opened two hours later, Cosmo had snuggled on Harley's lap, having fallen asleep watching cartoons. Harley hadn't bothered to switch channels and put it on low, just content to hold Cosmo and stroke his soft curls, enjoying the closeness.

He arched a brow at Nomad and raised a finger to his lips to keep him quiet.

When did he fall asleep?

About thirty minutes ago.

He looks real peaceful and as much as I want to wake him, I'll leave him.

Harley eyed Nomad, and a slow smile spread over his full lips. You bought a house.

Fuck! I hate that you can read me that well. I was shielding, you fucker.

Grin widening, he cocked his head. You're radiating your happiness and it's easy to piece together where you've been when you smell like bear. So what does the place look like?

Nomad chuckled. "Fucking mind whisperer!"

"I am," Harley murmured.

Cosmo twitched and his eyelids fluttered open. "Daddies' shush, no mind talkin' Cosmo sleepin'."

More chuckles followed as Nomad came and sat beside Harley, throwing his arm around them both and hugging them into him. "Cosmo sounds awake to me. Do you want to go see the house Daddy found?"

Cosmo

Go see the house, or continue napping on Daddy, that was the question?

A hazy question buzzing in his sleepy brain.

So ‘eepy.

Wasn't nice of Daddies to want him to move when he felt like this.

Huffing he squirmed in Daddy's lap, drew his knees up and tucked his head beneath Daddy Harley's chin .

"Come on, cutie, you can sleep in the backseat with me cuddling you," Daddy Harley offered.

Cosmo huffed and burrowed against Daddy Harley's skin a little tighter, his nose growing warmer the longer he breathed against it.

"I see house if you carry!" Cosmo hissed against Daddy Harley's skin.

"I don't know if I can get up with you in my arms like this," Daddy Harley admitted.

"Then we no go."

"A little help here," Daddy Harley muttered to a snickering Nomad.

"And upset our cutie?" Daddy Nomad grumbled as he stroked his chin, his hand brushing over the back of Cosmos' head. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

Cosmo could only imagine the look that Daddy Harley was giving to Daddy Nomad when he growled, "I wanna see that house."

"Then you'd better find a way to convince cutie," Daddy Nomad replied sounding more amused than annoyed.

Cosmo kept listening, even as he nipped Daddy Harley's neck and laved his tongue over the spot to ease the sting and lap off the blood his fang had shed.

Cosmo felt as well as heard Daddy Harley growling. One big palm landed on his ass, while the other pressed against the small of his back. Muscles Cosmo wished he could lick over flexed as Daddy Harley tightened his core, slowly rising to his feet with Cosmo clinging to him.

"Alright, now show me the house," Daddy Harley said as Daddy Nomad steadied them.

Cosmo didn't need to see to know that Daddy Nomad was opening every door for Daddy Harley as they headed downstairs, then outside where the air smelled like a storm was coming. A bad one. Cosmo could smell it even over the Amber and Bergamot scent of Daddy Harley's bodywash, that's how intense it was. His sleepy brain suggested he warn his mates, then laughed at itself because of course they could smell it as well as see the sky and would know how long they'd have before the rain started falling.

He settled for snuggling, passing out completely on Daddy Harley, and only jarred awake when the rumbling bounce of the car's motion stopped with an abrupt screech. Every shred of softness fled as he jerked upright, yanking a knife from the pocket of his onesie, instantly on alert and scanning the road in front of them through the windshield before turning to peer through the windows on his side of the SUV while Daddy Harley did the same.

The only thing they spotted that didn't belong was the tree that had fallen across the road.

"Stay here Cosmo, while Daddy Nomad and I move the tree," Daddy Harley instructed, which was the worst thing he could have done in that moment. Cosmo wasn't little right now, but he was stronger than he looked and with a hiss at his daddy, he slid out the door before Daddy Harley could say anything more and started shoving at the tree trunk before Daddy Nomad reached his side.

"Daddy Harley didn't think before he spoke," Daddy Nomad said as they started moving the branch together. "He'll work on that, as will I since I'm sure I'll fuck up the same way in the future."

"I'll always be a good boy for you both as long you never forget that isn't all I am," Cosmo said as they finished clearing the road.

"We'll do better."

"I hope so."