Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Cameron Jacobson

Ididn’t say all that much after Master Greer’s shower. Archie filled him in on our day, and the two seemed to be in agreement that I was “understandably distraught and unsettled.”

They also believed Master and I would work things out.

Master Greer went down memory lane and was all, “You know, back in the day, he was a bit like my Dom hero. He taught me a lot about the Master I am today, and I know him well enough to think he’s just lost sight of what’s important. It sucks, but it can happen to anyone, especially when you’re stressed out and overwhelmed.”

What he’d said made sense—I felt every word resonate—but it was difficult to apply it to a real-life situation. This was what I was going through right now, and it was lonely as hell. I felt like I didn’t matter as much as his job, which, in turn, made me feel guilty because of how hard he worked to provide for us. And that…threw me down a rabbit hole of endless arguments. I didn’t fucking need to be a millionaire. I didn’t care about dining at the best restaurants. When I’d met Noa, he’d pulled me out of a dark void, and we’d found our happiness in cheap pizza slices, BOGO coupons, yard-sale dinnerware, and discounted produce that was a day from expiring.

Noa and I had spent sleepless nights planning a Florida road trip and how much money we had to save. Now…that road trip was an all-inclusive luxury trip to Aruba, and Lucian and KC were taking us at the end of the year.

“Dinner’s almost ready, my love.” Archie pressed a kiss to Master Greer’s cheek, just within earshot of Loki and…I wanted to say Jamie? He’d stated that second grade was the worst earlier, anyway.

Little did the boy know.

“All right.” Master Greer got up from his seat at the head of the table and yelled so loudly that I flinched. “All the kids, go wash your hands! Dinner’s ready! Step on it!”

Jesus.

Jamie and Loki darted out of the living room at the same time as another set of feet padded down the stairs. Or stomped was probably more accurate. And Sloan hollered that he had Kyla somewhere.

Master Greer sat down again, and I finished setting the table. It was all Archie had allowed me to do.

Meanwhile, Archie prepared the last of the fixings for the burgers.

“You need help, baby?” Master Greer asked.

“Absolutely not,” he replied. “I’m almost done.”

I’d delivered the same response to Master so many times.

I was curious about something, though. There seemed to be an agreement between the two that concerned Archie not doing too much.

“Sir,” I said, keeping my voice down. “What is it with Archie’s to-do list? Is he not allowed to complete it?”

Master Greer chuckled and reached down to scratch one of the dogs behind the ears. “Let’s just say you and Lucian aren’t the only ones strugglin’ with trust issues at the moment.”

Ouch. How was that a joking matter? He didn’t appear bothered one bit. He was amused.

“Remember how tired I was at the pasta-making class the other week?” Archie asked.

I nodded. I did remember that. He’d left early.

Archie continued. “There’s a slight chance I neglected to communicate I was too tired, so Master showed me in his own way what he thought about that. And now he’s given me an exercise where I’m not allowed to finish my daily list of tasks. I have to scrap one item and postpone it.”

“Slight chance,” Master Greer snorted. “Boy, you’d do anything but tell me you were tired—and if you couldn’t complete your list, you got all twitchy.”

I smirked a little, understanding now. What a sadistic exercise! I was the same way. If I had a to-do list—and I always did—I couldn’t relax until it was completed.

Then again, I didn’t sub in a household with five children. My lists were undoubtedly a few miles shorter.

“I’m doing so much better now!” Archie said in his defense.

“Yeah, you are, and it’s all thanks to me.” Master Greer grinned.

I huffed a chuckle and folded the last napkin before placing it next to his plate.

Dinner was a loud, rambunctious affair, and it was making me appreciate Noa a lot more. At least he piped down when KC and Lucian gave him the right look; these kids did not. And Master Greer didn’t even try. He was almost as loud himself. This was his time to catch up with everyone, which he did in between jokes and playful provocation. He was such a button-pusher. But the kids loved it. Hell, so did Corey. Only Sloan tried to lower the volume from time to time.

Tasty burgers, though.

By the time I was adding cheese and barbecue sauce to my second burger, Master Greer had two kids on his lap, Kyla and Loki, and all three had more toppings on their faces than on their plates.

Loki was about three years old, and messy eating was clearly right up his alley. He laughed his butt off at Master Greer.

“It’s all in your beard!” Emma-Jo laughed.

“Huh?” Master Greer perked up, then touched his pinkie against the corner of his mouth to cover the smallest surface possible. “There. Did I get it all?”

Emma-Jo, Jamie, and Loki guffawed and shook their heads.

I smiled to myself and picked up my burger. KC was like that sometimes with Noa, and I needed that to continue. I loved to watch them interact as Daddy and Little—and how KC treated me similarly whenever I was down.

Christ, I had to go home. Nothing would get solved while I was out here.

I appreciated everything Archie and Master Greer and their family had done for me; they’d been the runaway support I’d needed last night and today. But now…

* * *

The downstairs grew quieter after dinner, thankfully. Sloan went upstairs with the kids, where some had bath time and others wanted to play video games. Corey and Master Greer took a few of the dogs on another walk, and I nagged Archie into letting me help him with the dishes.

“So, um…what are the odds of me convincing Master Greer to give me my phone back?” I asked.

Archie shot me a sly little smirk as he closed the dishwasher. “It depends. Are you calling someone to pick you up, or do you need to talk to Master Lucian?”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t foresee a phone conversation with Master that didn’t end with me falling apart, but I missed his voice so much. I wanted to hear it.

In the end, I’d probably call KC and ask for an update.

“I think I’m too chickenshit to call Master,” I admitted. “But I wanna know how today went. KC would know.”

He nodded with a dip of his chin and tossed me a dish towel. “I don’t think Master has any intentions of forbidding you from speaking to your own Owners, so if you ask when he comes back…”

That was great news. Now I just had to summon the courage to make the call. If Master Greer was like, “Actually, I think you should wait till tomorrow,” I could leave it in his hands. Then I wouldn’t feel like such a coward.

But yeah, great, great news. Yay.

We worked in silence for a beat, cleaning the stuff that couldn’t go in the dishwasher, and we could hear Corey and Master Greer outside when I was drying the last knives.

Archie peered out the kitchen window. “They’re two peas in a pod, I swear.” He could not look more in love with whatever he was seeing.

I leaned over the counter to peer out too, and I spotted Master Greer and Corey wrestling with the dogs. I scrunched my nose. It was dark and muddy and wet and gross.

* * *

I kept getting weepy while Master Greer took his second shower with Corey. The longer I stayed, the worse things got.

Daddy, come get me. Please come get me.

Archie fussed over me, and I felt so bad because it wasn’t working. There was nothing he could do. I just wanted to be with my own family.

I sniffled and wiped at my face, and Archie brought drinks and cookies to the couch.

“Come here, love. Sit down. Would you like some tea? Or coffee?”

I shook my head and sat down in one of the chairs. “Please just ignore me—I’m a mess.”

“I can’t do that.” He smiled sympathetically. “I think we—” Something caught his attention, and he looked toward the hallway.

Corey stood there with a towel wrapped around his hips. “Someone requires your service in the bathroom.”

Ah.

“Of course. I’ll be right there.” Archie excused himself, and I waved him off. That was way more important than tending to my stupid emotions. “Pick a movie till I get back.”

Sure, sure.

I reached for the remote and grabbed a cookie too.

Corey trailed closer, running a towel over his head. “Is there anything I can do? I can offer you dirty jokes and gossip.”

I mustered a weak smile and shook my head. “Thanks, I’m good.”

He lifted a brow and climbed over the armrest of the couch to sit down. Because he couldn’t possibly round the furniture and sit down like a normal human being; he had to climb over it.

“You don’t even wanna know that we’re planning a prank for the cruise?” he challenged.

I furrowed my brow. “Who’s in on it?”

If Noa was game, he would’ve told me, wouldn’t he?

“Sorry, that’s classified information,” Corey replied.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and considered my options. I guessed if I wanted information, I’d have to sell my soul to the devil and be a part of the prank. Been there, done that! I’d bratted off plenty at the Funhouse event last year.

“Are you in?” he asked.

Hmm.

“I’ll think about it,” I said. “Ask Noa first.”

He just smirked, so I guessed Noa was already in.

Corey wasn’t the best at lying.

And I wasn’t the best at handling future plans tonight. Christ, we had the cruise coming up. We had so many plans. So many events. But did we really? Or would Master and I end up canceling everything? Would KC and Noa go off on their own? I couldn’t see them skipping out on the cruise. They shouldn’t have to anyway.

“I’m just gonna put on jammies,” Corey said. “Can I watch a movie with you and Archie after?”

“Of course. You don’t have to ask.”

“Cool!” He smiled and darted off.

I returned my cookie to the plate, not in the mood, and pressed the Netflix button on the remote.

I was halfway through the list of dramas when Archie reemerged from the bathroom, and he wasn’t alone. Master Greer was on his phone, and the look he sent me had me sitting ramrod straight in my seat. It was worry and sympathy and…something else.

“He’s…” He sighed and disappeared into his and Archie’s bedroom.

Goddammit!

He’s, what? Was he talking to Lucian? Were they talking about me?

Archie reentered the living room, and he righted his clothes and sat down on the couch.

“Is he talking to Master?” I had to ask.

He nodded slightly. “Yeah, he called.”

I swallowed hard.

God, I wanted to listen in so bad. Nerves tightened in my stomach, and I felt closer to him at the same time as he’d never felt so far away. I mean, I could barge into their bedroom right now, rip the phone from Master Greer’s hand, and hear my Owner’s voice. And then what? I’d cry my eyes out. My anger would come out. I’d sob how much I missed him.

Nobody needed tickets to that freak show.

“I can tell you’re impatient to watch a movie, so I’ll go ahead and pick something quick.” Archie sent me a knowing little grin and took the remote from me.

I managed a croaked, “Heh.”

Corey returned to us, skipping in his pajamas—a onesie with a bunch of…fighter jets on it?

“I thought frogs were your thing,” I said.

He grinned and jumped up to sit next to Archie. “Kit and I traded.”

Oh. I should’ve guessed.

“Are you dating?” I wondered.

Corey scrunched his nose and hesitated, then shook his head. “No, that’s not the word. We’re each other’s crushes! We have a playtime dynamic.”

“They’re adorable together.” Archie smiled.

I wouldn’t know. But they had epic banter going on online, and I’d heard a lot about their arrangement. Corey made Kit bolder, and Kit sometimes helped Corey think twice before speaking. Before bratting off, more accurately.

It didn’t always work.

They were living proof that relationships changed over time—and they could still thrive. New rules and boundaries had been decided; Kit, Colt, and Mr. West could find playtime freedom in a restricted space with people they trusted, considering neither of them was into traditionally open dynamics.

They were similar to Master and me in that regard. We considered ourselves close to monogamous, with KC and Noa as the only exceptions. Kit and his Daddies were the same. Their one exception was Master Greer’s family. But even there, they had limits.

Lucian and I faced changes too. I only hoped our boundaries would remain the same, because I didn’t want to share him with anyone outside our foursome.

I chewed on my lip and flicked a glance at the TV.

On the other hand, that was probably the least of our worries. Lucian had never indicated he wanted to explore with anyone else. Our changes would likely be about trust and…I didn’t know. Somehow restricting our play? We kind of had to, didn’t we? My heart couldn’t take a twenty-four-seven total power exchange when I was constantly afraid my Owner was going to drop from a heart attack.

My eyes smarted for the millionth time today, and I clenched my jaw and swallowed hard. Blurry gaze fixed on the screen, I did my best to get my shit together, but I was just getting worse. Everything felt so damn hopeless, and no solution was permanent or long-lasting. Because, yeah, sure, I could ease off a bit. Maybe Master and I didn’t play as intensely anymore, and I would…miss it. Crave it. So would he. Maybe he would be like, “We’ll be careful, slave. You can trust me.” And I would hesitate, knowing what was smarter, knowing that I shouldn’t, and risking it all. At some point, I’d get hurt. The rift was already there, and it would continue to grow.

“Yaaay, I love this movie.” Corey cuddled closer to Archie before throwing a look toward the hallway. Possibly to make sure there were no kids around.

I looked away from them, the painful void in my stomach growing unbearable, and I…instantly whipped my head down the hall when I spotted Master Greer coming out of their bedroom.

Tell me he wants me to come home. Please tell me KC’s coming to pick me up.

Though, why would they? I’d stupidly asked for space, and KC wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize whatever progress I might’ve made out here.

Which was zero.

Master Greer crossed the hallway, peering briefly up the stairs, and then came to a stop in the doorway to the living room. He lifted his brows at me a little, only to furrow them.

“I reckon I just lied to Lucian.” He scratched his forehead.

“What?” I sat forward with my heart in my throat.

“Well, you haven’t calmed down, have you?” He huffed and ran a hand through his hair. “I told him you’d finally relaxed for the night—you know, Archie said you were gonna watch a movie.”

I frowned. “We are.”

“Right. That’s why you almost jumped outta the chair when you saw me.” He switched to amusement, and he nodded at the hallway. “Come on, let’s have a chat outside. I think I’m about to make you cry.”

Oh God, what had happened?!

“Don’t enjoy it too much!” Corey hollered.

Master Greer laughed.

I hurried out of the living room and stuck my feet into my shoes.

Master Greer trailed outside onto the porch in just jeans and a tee, so I didn’t bother with my jacket. Then I noticed he was switching on heaters.

Was this going to be a long talk?

“How’s he doing, Sir?” I asked nervously.

He smiled a little and sat down at the table, and he patted the seat next to him. “Sit.”

I sat.

I also folded my arms over my chest because the heaters didn’t exactly turn a dreary March evening into summer.

“Before I tell you how he’s doin’, I’m gonna pass along a message,” he said.

Fuck, fuck. I tensed up and wanted to barf. My insides twisted with unease and fear.

“Lucian quit his job today.”

What?

No.

No way.

I stared up at him. No, fuck that—no. The words didn’t compute. Master had not fucking quit his job.

“He also asked me to add that he quit for the right reasons,” Master Greer told me. “He’s not going back there again. He burned all his bridges too, whatever that means.”

Oh God.

No.

Wait, what? Could he really have…

A weird sound bubbled up my throat, and I slapped a hand over my mouth as my eyes flooded with tears that immediately spilled over. No fucking warning. Emotions exploded within me and needed out. Oh my God—oh my fucking God! He’d quit? He was never going back there? I whimpered and couldn’t even begin to keep the sobs at bay. I broke down right then and there, and Master Greer scooted closer and hugged me to him.

“I told you, pet,” he murmured. “Y’all’re gonna work this out.”

I cried like a freaking baby and didn’t know what the fuck was happening to me. Was it relief? Did I believe him? My body sure reacted like we were going with this. Lucian had quit his job—for the right reasons. What did that mean? That he did it for me? Or for himself? Which was the actual right reason. Crap would never work if he’d done such a thing for someone else, regardless of how much he loved me. He’d ended his entire damn career—he better have done it because it was what he wanted. Otherwise, who knew—he might grow to resent me.

“He actually quit?” I cried.

“He really did, Cam.”

Jesus Christ.

I definitely felt the relief now. It crashed down on me so forcefully that I would’ve fallen over if I hadn’t already been sitting. He quit. He’s not going back there. He quit for the right reasons. More than that, he was taking this seriously. If he’d remained dismissive about the dangers, he would’ve stayed at his job. But he wasn’t. He wasn’t going back there.

Master wasn’t going back there.

He was making changes.

I sobbed into my hands, and a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders.

Maybe I dared to hope?

He was making changes. Major changes. Changes I could latch on to and hopefully watch come to fruition.

Hopefully hope, hopelessly hopeful, hope, hope, hope.

I was hopelessly hopeful.

I whimpered and wiped at my cheeks, and Master Greer squeezed me a little tighter and kissed the side of my head.

“Want me to replace those tears with absolute awe?” he asked. “Your Owner and I had a goatee phase back in 2013 or 14.”

What the fuck—that came out of nowhere.

“I know,” I sobbed. “It wasn’t your best decision.”

KC had shown me pictures.

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Master Greer scoffed. “We looked fuckin’ hot.”

“Not because of the goatees,” I wept. I scrubbed at my face and took a couple unsteady breaths while Master Greer pretended to be offended. Or half pretended. I wasn’t sure.

“What do you know—you’re a brat,” he muttered.

I was not!

I sniffled and eased away from him. Deep breaths. Master had quit his job, and he no longer had a goatee. More than ever, I had to go home. I couldn’t stay here. I needed to see him.

“I need to be with him, Sir,” I croaked.

Master Greer’s gaze softened, and he touched my cheek briefly. “I figured you’d say that.”

I nodded once and used the bottom of my tee to wipe my cried-out face.

Christ, what a freaking day. And it was insane how quickly some of my fears and even most of the anger just evaporated. Because this was it. He’d quit his job. He was finally listening to his doctors, to KC, and to me. He was listening to his blood pressure. No words could describe the relief.

“Couple options,” Master Greer said. “I’m not comfortable lettin’ you drive off at this hour when⁠—”

“Excuse me?” I scrunched my nose and glanced up at him. “Please, Sir, before you say something absurd, let me just borrow Corey’s or Archie’s car. I can return it tomorrow.”

“That’s the part I ain’t comfortable with,” he replied. “You’ve been cryin’ your eyes out, you’re vulnerable, and drivin’ off on your own⁠—”

“I’m a grown man,” I pointed out. “I’m practically thirty.”

He nodded once and scratched his beard. “You know what comes before thirty? Twenty-five. You worry about turning twenty-five first, and then we can discuss—” He was interrupted again, this time by someone speaking up from behind us.

Corey. “Take my car, Cam.”

“What is it with brats interruptin’ me?” Master Greer grated out.

I pulled up one leg and twisted in my seat so I could see Corey in the doorway.

“It’s not my fault,” he said sheepishly. “Archie asked if I could eavesdrop.”

Oops?

“That doesn’t surprise me one bit,” Master Greer told him. “He didn’t tell you to offer up your car, though.”

“But it makes the most sense,” Corey reasoned. “I know you, Papa Bear. You’re gonna offer to drive him, and then you’ll spend the night alone at the condo—or you’ll drag one of us with you. But you’ve worked all day, and everyone’s tired.”

“That,” I said, totally agreeing.

“Also, I don’t need my car till the weekend,” Corey added. “Also, also! Cam drives a Mini as well, so he’ll be used to Froggy.”

He had another point there. Only, my car wasn’t green or nicknamed Froggy.

Master Greer wasn’t too happy, but he knew this was a fight he couldn’t win. I wasn’t going to let him exhaust himself further by driving me. It was nuts. I was perfectly capable of getting home on my own.

* * *

I figured out the best way to thank Archie for their hospitality when I loaded up my overnight bag in Corey’s car.

I trailed up the porch steps to where they all waited for me. Corey was literally piggyback-riding Sloan.

“Next time we see each other, I’ll have a bit of my sourdough starter for you,” I said.

Archie lit up in a way that was probably comical to most outsiders, but I knew it meant a lot to him. He was bizarrely good at baking and cooking, but there was something about sourdough starters he couldn’t handle. He claimed they always died on him.

“With instructions, please.” He hugged me to him, and I chuckled and hugged him back.

“I promise.” I went to hug the others as well, and they told me to drive safe. And I was ordered to text Master Greer the moment I killed the engine.

“He means that figuratively!” Corey exclaimed. “Please don’t kill Froggy.”

“He’s safe with me,” I assured. “I’ll just pour gas down his throat.”

Corey nodded. “He likes that.”

Before long, I had the Finlay Ridge Family Farm in the rearview, and my stomach was tight with nerves. And soon, caffeine. After everything they’d done for me, I’d declined a to-go cup. What I needed was to find the nearest gas station where I could buy a big-ass Mountain Dew.

KC and I so rarely allowed any soda in the house that he and I suffered. Noa ate enough sugar, so KC limited him to weekends and occasional dinners—one glass maximum—and Master was certainly not allowed to drink it. I mean, he wasn’t the biggest fan of soda anyway, but if things got desperate, he’d hunt down any source of sugar.

Every now and then, KC and I snuck soda and dessert together, just the two of us.

Maybe we’d do that again.

I had hope.

I could see the future once more.

* * *

I pulled up to the curb since our driveway already had four cars. Mine, KC’s, and both of Lucian’s. His little Jaguar was back under its tarp after Sloan had gotten it ready for spring. Lucian didn’t drive it in the winter.

I blew out a breath and typed out the message.

I’m home. Thank you again for everything, Sir.

I sent it off to Master Greer and sucked on the straw to my giant soda.

Maybe not my best call to get hopped up on sugar and caffeine at… I checked the time. One-thirty in the morning. Hell, I was bordering on jittery. But that could also be the nervousness of currently being perhaps twenty, thirty feet away from Lucian. Was he asleep? Was he in KC and Noa’s bedroom or ours? Had he taken his medication?

While I’d packed up my stuff at Master Greer’s house, he’d let me know that Lucian wasn’t feeling well without me. He missed me a lot. He didn’t want me to feel bad for leaving, but he missed me.

I did feel bad for leaving, and I probably always would, even though I’d needed my escape.

If I’d known Master was going to do a complete 180 and quit his job…

He’d actually quit. Part of me still couldn’t believe it.

Enough stalling.

But I was nervous!

I sucked more on the straw, until it was making gurgly sounds at the bottom of the cup.

Okay, time to reunite with my future.

We had a fucking future.

I released a breath and gathered my stuff, then climbed out of the car. Just in time for Master Greer to respond to me.

Glad to hear it. Go take care of your Owner, and let him take care of you too.

I smiled as a flurry of butterflies whooshed around in my stomach, and I hurried up the driveway and got my keys ready.

The moment I’d unlocked the door, I poked my head in and turned off the alarm so I didn’t wake up the entire house.

It smells like home.

I left the lights off and relocked the door. Alarm reactivated. Shoes off, bag dropped on the floor, keys in the bowl on the side table. The house was quiet and dark, aside from a single light in the kitchen.

I peered in there on my way to the stairs, and I wasn’t surprised one bit to see takeout containers on the kitchen counter. However, they’d ordered from a healthy place, so it appeared KC was in charge.

Another relief.

Goddammit, Noa. He’d dumped a bunch of laundry at the foot of the stairs, and it took all my willpower to walk over it. I’d deal with that tomorrow. Not now. Instead, I padded upstairs and glanced into the first bedroom. KC and Noa were asleep, and I had to smile. They were so wild in their sleep, both of them. Covers twisted, KC had one arm thrown over his face, his other arm acted as Noa’s pillow, and Noa had a leg draped over KC’s thigh.

A handful of glow-in-the-dark lizards and spiders shone on the ceiling above them, in the otherwise KC-decorated room. As in, very little character. Just practical stuff. One of KC’s wheelchairs, a couple dressers, and their shared closet… On the other hand, KC needed room to move for the days he was more dependent on his chair, and have mercy on anyone who suggested he and Noa took the guest room downstairs as theirs instead. It’d been KC’s bedroom before, so he could avoid the stairs.

I was going to make us all the best breakfast in the morning. My entire soul cried to return to servitude. A two-day break had been too much.

Past the bathroom, I came to a stop outside the bedroom I shared with Lucian, and the sight solidified my resolve. It made my heart clench. He’d kept the light on in the window, and he’d stretched out across my side of the bed. His head was on my pillow.

My vision blurred a little.

He’d really left his job.

I didn’t need further proof to know he was serious. He’d done the right thing, for himself, for us, so that we could spend the rest of our hopefully long lives together.

I pulled my hoodie and my tee over my head, and I draped the clothes over the back of Lucian’s chair. Socks next. It was where he sat when I polished his shoes and helped him get dressed in the morning. My sweatpants followed, and then I dove for the bed. My emotions, the intensity of my hope, flared up like fireworks, and I crawled under the covers until I was on his side of the bed.

“Master?” I pressed a kiss to his shoulder and got comfortable next to him.

He hummed in his sleep, smacked his lips a little, and then I suddenly had his arm around me, and he was pulling me closer. I grinned, unable to help it, and I was beginning to realize he wasn’t waking up. What were the odds of his having taken a sleeping aid? KC had mentioned Ativan after the hospital, and I didn’t know if they’d prescribed that for the newly released patient too.

I touched his cheek gingerly, not used to seeing him with that much stubble.

I liked it. It had a fair bit of silver in it, which was just sexy as heck. All of him was sexy. And beautiful. Every cut line, from the sharpness of his jaw to his dark eyebrows and the shapes of them. He could look so stern and unyielding, and yet he had the most generous heart. For every time he claimed not to like brats very much, there was a moment when Noa’s antics cracked him up. I’d caught him so many times, trying not to laugh when Noa got going. He failed more often than not. And same with me. Lucian had this reputation for being very strict and demanding, a typical high-protocol Master, and sure, he was. But he was also extremely caregiving and doting. Protective and considerate.

I carefully ran my fingers through his dark hair, and he let out a breath and relaxed into my touch.

I’m here, Owner. I’m never leaving your side again.

I was so tempted to wake him up, but he needed his rest.

“I love you more than anything,” I whispered.