Chapter 3

Jakob

Should I feel guilty? Maybe. I didn’t, but I knew I should. Inserting myself into someone’s home? That didn’t seem very kind or considerate, but I knew Reed wanted me there. I could feel it down to my toes. He maybe didn’t know it yet, but he did. My parents, obnoxious as they were, hadn’t fazed him or run him off.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice our arrival at my hotel until Reed pulled open my car door. He leaned in and unbuckled my belt. His aftershave smelled delicious, and I tried hard not to bury my nose in his neck for a more intense sniff. My resolve not to come off like a creeper was fading fast. Sure, I could have told him I could handle my seatbelt, but I was more than happy for him to do it. It seemed on point for the Papa I was almost certain he was. It was just a vibe, but I’d made careful observations from my recently downloaded reading app. I had zero practical experience, but I’d read enough romance novels to get the gist of the look Reed gave me.

“Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome.”

Reed offered his hand to help me out of the truck, and I gratefully accepted. Maybe I should have pulled my hand away, but I wasn’t going to do that if he didn’t do it first. What he did instead was entwine our fingers and tug me along. I was all in for that. Reed didn’t let go of my hand until we reached my hotel room and I had to fish my key card out of my wallet. I scanned the card and pushed open the door.

Oh shit.

I’d completely forgotten about the state of my temporary home. Messy was too kind of a description. A disaster zone of epic proportions better covered its scale. My clothes were strewn across every surface. The sink was a mess of dirty dishes because I didn’t know how to use the dishwasher and was worried about breaking it. My work documents were all on the desk, thank goodness, but they were in untidy piles that threatened to spill over if the AC blasted on with too much power. My few possessions were in a couple of boxes haphazardly stacked in a corner.

However, the most important part was carefully laid across the coffee table without any mess or clutter. For years, I’d been asking my family to participate in Christmas. My brothers were much older and long past the age of Santa Claus by the time I cared about him, but my parents always declined. They said I needed to focus on expanding my learning, not on childish foolishness. I’d finally given up but had started a scrapbook years ago of all the Christmas things I wanted to experience. It was laid out front and center, along with my to-do checklist. I’d checked off Choose a Christmas Tree this morning, but obviously, it hadn’t gone as expected.

“Jakob, did a bomb go off?”

Reed’s shocked expression was promising only because he didn’t walk out the door.

“You’d think so. I try to be organized, but then I get distracted, and I don’t like it, but it is what it is.”

I hoped he could hear the frustration in my voice. I knew it looked awful and didn’t want him to think I was okay with it. “I wish I could figure out how to stay organized at home. It’s not like this at work.”

“Oh, there are things that can help you with organization. Have you or someone else ever given you a check-off chore chart?”

“No. I sometimes write a to-do list for myself, but then I lose it. The only thing I never lose is my Christmas plan.”

I gestured to the low table with my Christmas items.

“Oh? What’s in it?”

“All the things I want for Christmas, but I’ve never been allowed.”

“Like presents?”

“Well, sort of. Like having a Christmas tree and decorating it. Uh, having a stocking. Baking Christmas cookies. Hot chocolate with sprinkles.”

Reed’s perplexed expression was too cute. Little lines appeared between his eyes. I forgot to control the urge to smooth them, and I reached out with my uninjured hand. “You looked vexed.”

Reed looked surprised by my unexpected touch but didn’t pull away.

“I’m just confused. If you want to do Christmas things, why haven’t you?”

“My entire life has been dedicated to using my brain. Doing anything remotely not academic was an insult to my ‘gift.’”

I curved my fingers into air quotes around the last word. “So there was never any time to not be useful. If I tried, it was shut down quickly.”

“I thought I heard your parents mention something about siblings. What about them?”

“I barely see them. They are quite a bit older than me. We aren’t close.”

I paused to correct myself. “They were close with each other when they lived at home, and I suppose they still are, but my brothers aren’t close with me.”

“With your parents?”

“Not really. They’re only a year apart. I don’t see them except maybe once or twice a year, even though they live in town. They came to my graduations, so I don’t think they hate me or anything.”

“Oh, Jakob, I doubt they hate you. You weren’t the one who set things up like they are.”

Reed stepped closer to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I knew he intended to give me a side hug, but I wrapped both arms around his waist. Reed must have known I needed it because he hugged me properly, and I snuggled in. The man had been a stranger just hours ago, yet he already knew me so well.

Last night, I’d sat in the employee parking lot and thought about what I wanted for Christmas. The only thought that had entered my head was I wanted a Papa. I’d known for a couple of years now that I was a little—thank you, BoyOhBoy cam boys, you’re the best—but I’d never had the opportunity to explore it. I wanted a Papa for that, and now one had been dropped into my lap.

I wasn’t sure Reed knew he was a Papa, but he had everything a good one had. A Papa was patient and kind. He wouldn’t laugh at his boy when they made a mistake, and he had helpful ideas to improve their life. Reed was perfect for me and would make an excellent Papa. He was exactly what I had on my Christmas list.

Reed’s presence was the calm I needed to tackle the disaster of my hotel room. Once I felt steady, I pulled away and looked into Reed’s eyes. We were almost the same height, and I liked that. There was a size difference in most of the videos and books I read about Daddies and boys, but I liked this better. And even though I’d only read about the dynamic, I knew what I wanted. I wanted a Papa all the time.

“All right, Jakob, let’s organize this place so we can move you out of here.”

Reed had me fixed up in no time. He helped me pull out my bags and put my clean clothes into one with my dirty items in another. We put my toiletries in another one. Last, and most importantly, he had me put my Christmas wish book in my computer bag to protect it. Within thirty minutes, everything was packed and ready to go. Reed insisted on doing most of the physical packing because he was worried about aggravating my hand injury. Perfect Papa material.

#

“I don’t want to get your hopes up about the house,”

Reed said when we pulled into his driveway. “I bought the place for its location and view, but I haven’t started any of the renovations. It’s a work in progress.”

Reed sounded like someone trying to project confidence, but I could hear the hints of uncertainty.

“Well, you’re looking at someone who was hoteling it until about twenty minutes ago, so I don’t think I have much room to complain.”

I smiled over at him, and he returned my grin. My almost-new Papa would learn I was pretty easy to please and didn’t need fancy anything. Reed, once again, unbuckled me and came around to get the door. I put my good hand into his and let him help me out of the truck. Reed moved to withdraw his hand, but my fingers tightened around him, and he left his hand tangled with mine.

Papa was a fast learner.

Reed slung my work bag over his shoulder and then led me up the steps to the house from the side portico we’d parked under. The outside of the house was midcentury modern, but the inside was a nineties reno that had removed almost everything interesting. There was no need to be brutal with my honesty, so I just looked around and smiled.

“Alright, sweet boy, let’s get you situated. You’ve had such a long day.”

“You were in the accident too. Wasn’t your day just as long?”

I responded. Reed had called me sweet boy, though, and my insides melted the moment I heard the words, so it was hard to concentrate on his answer.

“My truck was barely dinged. I’m fine. I also wasn’t living out of a hotel and dealing with family stress. Big difference.”

He hung my bag on a hook before turning back to me. “How about I give you a house tour? Or I can get your bags while you take a shower? It’s dinner time, and I’m not sure if you had lunch?”

He waited for an answer, so I shook my head, and he kept on. “Tomorrow is Sunday, and I have a few days off. If you’re up to it, I have a suggestion we can talk about over dinner.”

“That sounds great, and you’re right. I didn’t have lunch. I was going to get some takeout on my way back to the hotel, but obviously, that didn’t happen. The nurse did give me a package of crackers at the hospital.”

“Oh, that doesn’t surprise me. She’s a sweetheart, but crackers will only take you so far. Any allergies I need to worry about?”

I shook my head again. “That makes my job easier then. Anything you hate?”

Another head shake. “Anything you love?”

“Grilled cheese!”

I shouted exuberantly. Reed laughed but didn’t tell me to stop shouting, settle down, grow up, or stop being silly. He only squeezed my uninjured fingers and smiled at me, which I returned happily.

“No worries. I think we can make that happen for you tonight.”

With a tug, Reed showed me around the house. There was the kitchen where we’d entered, as well as a formal living and dining room, an office, a toss-everything-then-forget-it room, and a family room on the main level. If the family room had better windows, it would have a spectacular view of the Sound.

There were a couple of bedrooms upstairs, including the guest room Reed said would be mine. I was surprised to see an attached bathroom, but I wasn’t going to argue. The guest room was directly across the hall from the primary bedroom. My room was plain and boring, like most guest rooms, but it was at the back of the house with an even better view of the Sound. In the far distance, I could see the cargo ships and the Almstead Island ferry. The best part of the room was the daybed built into the window alcove. I could imagine myself creating a pillow fort with my stuffies, which I didn’t yet own but could figure out how to get them now.

My daydreaming distracted me from noticing Reed had left the room to fetch my suitcases. I didn’t catch on until I heard him banging them around in the hallway. I rushed out of the bedroom to assist him, but he waved me off. “Jakob, I’ve got it. Let’s get you taken care of and then have some dinner.”

When I started to insist he held up a hand and said, “Be a good boy, no arguing.”

Swoon.