Daddy's Boy

by T C Heffer

  Adam gapes. He really didn't need to know that. "Oh."

  "Sorry. Was that too much?"

  Adam shakes his head in denial. "No…"

  "Look." Elaine reaches out and takes Adam's hand in hers. "There's not much else I can say, and there's only so much we can speculate. The only way you're going to find closure with this is if you talk to both of them and get the story straight from their mouths. My advice? Just bite the bullet and do it—and when you do, don't act like you did yesterday. Absolutely no alcohol, you hear me?"

  Adam swallows tightly. "I hear you. No alcohol," he echoes.

  "Good. I hope I helped you. I really do."

  Adam puts his other hand over hers and squeezes. "You did. You've given me a lot to think about."

  "I hope it goes well, Adam. You deserve happiness, and so does Pete."

  Adam hears what's unsaid. Elaine means that Pete deserves to be happy, and if it's Jeremy that gets him there, Adam needs to accept it.

  A few minutes later, he leaves Elaine's house and reenters his own. He stands with his back to the front door after closing it and stares up at the ceiling. He still has a lot of thoughts and feelings about Pete's choices, but they're no longer quite as confused. "I'll make this right, Vanessa," he whispers, pushing away from the door to retrieve his phone from the living room. He has a friend to contact.

  — CHAPTER FIFTEEN —

  - Monday, December 2nd, 2013 -

  Just after midday, Jeremy taps his finger against his steering wheel as he drives toward the Campbell residence. Shortly after his boy left for school, Jeremy received a text message from Adam, asking him to come over at around lunchtime so that they could talk. As he promised Pete, Jeremy had already planned on visiting Adam to discuss the state of their friendship and his rapidly developing relationship with Adam's son, so to him, it was almost kismet. He's still nervous, though, because the wording in the Chief's text hadn't revealed much about how he was coping.

  When he arrives at the house, Jeremy pulls up to the curb and cuts the engine of his Porsche. He sits there for a minute, bracing himself, and then gets out and walks up the path to the front door. It opens just before he reaches it.

  "I saw you pull up," Adam explains, stepping aside to let Jeremy in.

  When the door is closed again, Jeremy tries to gauge how Adam is feeling. Adam stares back, his hair recently washed and his jeans and white T-shirt both clean and free of stains or wrinkles. He's obviously dealing a bit better than he was when Pete left the house yesterday, but his face is an inscrutable mask. Jeremy curses that Adam has tons of experience hiding his emotions thanks to his job.

  "So…" he says.

  "So."

  "Should we sit down?"

  "I don't know. Should we?"

  Jeremy frowns. He's not used to feeling this uncomfortable or unwelcome in Adam's home, but he supposes it's to be expected. He hesitates for a moment and then walks into the kitchen, deciding that, to start with, he should follow through on the other promise he made to Pete.

  "What're you doing?" Adam asks, tailing him with a frown of his own.

  "Checking for leftovers," Jeremy answers as he opens the fridge.

  Like Pete said, there's a Tupperware container of leftover food on one of the shelves—spaghetti bolognese. He takes out the container, sets it on the counter and rummages around in the cupboards for a plate to dish the food out onto.

  Adam huffs, displaying his first hint of emotion: annoyance. "I didn't say you could eat my food. You're not exactly in my good books right now."

  "That's fine. It's not for me."

  "Then who's it for?"

  Jeremy glances at Adam over his shoulder. "You."

  This erases the Chief's irritation, surprise taking its place. "Me? Why?"

  "Because Pete asked me to make sure you were taking care of yourself while he's not here," Jeremy answers calmly. Once the plate is filled, he sticks it in the microwave.

  "He did?"

  "Yes. He also asked me to stop you from drinking if you still were. From the state of you," Jeremy looks Adam up and down again, "I don't have to do that part. Do I?"

  Adam shakes his head. "No. I've got a bit of a hangover, but I haven't had a drop since last night."

  "Good."

  The frown appears again. "Where would you get off judging me anyway? I'm the one who has the right to be judgmental here."

  Jeremy takes a deep breath to prevent himself from leaping straight into defending his relationship with Pete. He'd go too hard and likely end up just making Adam even more angry with him. He hasn't been punched yet, so that bodes well. "How about we wait to hash all of that out until you've eaten your lunch?" he suggests, just in time for the microwave to beep obnoxiously. The kitchen is filled with the aroma of tomatoes, beef and spices as Jeremy gets the plate out and forces Adam to take it from him.

  "I never said I was hungry."

  "Tough. Like I already said, Pete wanted me to make sure you're taking care of yourself, so that's what I'm going to do."

  "Like you care. If you did, you've wouldn't have gone behind my back and gone after my son."

  "Adam, seriously," Jeremy says, not above pleading. "Food first. Then we'll talk."

  Adam doesn't seem impressed, but he doesn't offer another argument and instead traipses into the living room to sit down on the sofa. Jeremy joins him, sitting awkwardly at the other end and staring off into the distance as he ruminates on how he should go about repairing their friendship. Adam still evidently harbours some negative feelings toward him, and Jeremy understands them to an extent. After all, he doesn't know how he'd react were their positions reversed; if he had an eighteen-year-old son and he found out that Adam was in a relationship with him.

  Jeremy also played it off when Pete first came to his house that fateful night, saying that he'd deal with the fallout of Adam finding out about them later. Now that the fallout is here, Jeremy wishes he'd taken the time to think things through properly so that he was better prepared. He doesn't for a second regret his decision to involve himself with Pete, but the way he did it wasn't really the best.

  Okay, good…maybe he can open with that. If he shows his genuine remorse that he hurt Adam, then maybe Adam will be more receptive to hearing the rest of what he has to say.

  It's a start, at least.

  "Alright, I'm done," the Chief announces suddenly, putting his empty plate on the coffee table.

  Jeremy sits up straighter and faces the other man.

  For a moment, Adam says nothing else, just stares down at his own lap, but when he looks up, his expression is determined. "I've done a lot of thinking over the past twenty-four hours, and I had a good talk with Elaine about what I should do about you and my son…"

  "Who's Elaine?"

  "She lives next door. She's the one who saw you leaving with Pete."

  Jeremy nods slowly. "I see."

  "She helped me come to terms with a few things, but I haven't reached a decision yet," Adam responds. "That's where you come in."

  "Okay."

  "I love my son more than anyone else on this planet, Jeremy," Adam says. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for him. I also care about you, despite what you've done. When Elaine told me what she saw and then when Pete confirmed it, I honestly didn't know what to think. It was like you were playing some sick joke on me, because there was no way you'd ever do something like that, right?"

  Jeremy is still saddened that he upset his friend, but he refuses to feel bad about his very real feelings for Pete. "Adam…"

  "I was so angry at you, but Elaine talked a lot of sense," the Chief continues like Jeremy hadn't spoken. "I'm still angry, but my mind is clearer now. I know that me reacting the way I did hurt Pete a lot, so I want to sort this out."

  "I want that too. I'd hate to lose your friendship."

  "Even if we do reach an understanding today, I doubt we'll ever be friends like we were," Adam warns. He visibly regrets saying it, but he doesn't take it back.


  Jeremy sighs, but he can't blame Adam. If he has his way, Pete is going to be his boy for a long time yet, and it's reasonable that things between him and Adam would shift because of that.

  "Anyway, I have some reservations and hang ups, and I need you to answer some questions for me before I talk to my son," Adam says.

  "I can do that."

  "I want honest answers."

  Jeremy arches an eyebrow at him. "Even if you don't like them?"

  "Yes."

  "I'll try my best, then."

  "Good." Adam is silent for a moment, pensive, and then he speaks again. "What are your intentions with my son?"

  Jeremy's eyes go wide. "Wow, we're jumping right to the important stuff."

  "Just answer the question."

  Jeremy fumbles to gather himself. "I'll admit that when I first saw him, I thought he was cute and wanted him."

  Adam wrinkles his nose, obviously not wanting to hear about his son being viewed in a sexual light.

  "Hey, you asked for the truth!" Jeremy defends himself, holding up his palms.

  "Just don't go too far," Adam cautions. Jeremy gets the impression that Adam would really like to have a beer in his hand right now, but he doesn't leave to get one. "Aside from him being safe, there are some things a father doesn't want to know about his child."

  "Right. Well, I liked him on sight, and after spending a bit of time talking to him when you had me over for dinner and then bumping into him at the movies, I found that I liked Pete's personality too. I could tell that he was affected by my presence just as much." Jeremy trails off, wondering how much he should reveal without checking with Pete first. Adam gestures for him to get on with it, though, his impatience showing, so Jeremy keeps talking and hopes that Pete won't be mad at him when he relays this conversation to him later. "When Pete came over to my house to return the credit card I dropped here," he says, unable to stop himself from smiling at the memory, "he actually made the first move, and I just…let him."

  Adam seems confused, like what Jeremy is telling him doesn't quite match up to what he'd envisioned the start of Jeremy and Pete's relationship being like. "Pete came on to you first?"

  Jeremy nods. "Yes. Why?"

  "It's nothing," Adam says, evading the question one moment and then elaborating anyway the next. "I just…I know that Pete is stubborn and determined sometimes, but I didn't think he'd be so bold. He's never really talked about romance or crushes or anything—aside from the crush he had on a girl at school for a while a couple years back."

  Sensing that it would be wise to move on, Jeremy keeps talking. "Anyway, the next morning, we had a discussion over breakfast about—"

  "Wait," Adam interrupts, going tense. "He spent the night?"

  Jeremy blinks. "Yes?"

  Adam grimaces. "I'll have to talk to him about that."

  "Why? He's a legal adult," Jeremy reminds his friend.

  "Yes, but while he's still living at home and in high school, I'd like to be told where he is just in case anything happens," Adam asserts. He looks at Jeremy as if daring him to contradict him.

  Jeremy doesn't. He doesn't address it at all, in fact, just carries on his tale. "The next morning, we had a discussion over breakfast about what was going to happen next and the type of relationship we were going to have—whether we wanted to leave it as just one night of fun, or if we wanted more. We both wanted more."

  Adam takes this in but doesn't respond to it yet. "You still haven't really answered my first question."

  "My intentions with Pete are simple," Jeremy says firmly. "I like him and could easily see myself actually falling for him, and I know that Pete feels the same way about me too. So I intend to keep seeing him for as long as he wants me."

  The frown returns to Adam's face, and he bites the inside of his cheek. "How do you know that Pete feels that way about you? He's young. He could change his mind very quickly."

  Jeremy smiles again, recalling the words Pete said to him at the end of the previous night. "I know because he told me."

  "He told you what?" Adam presses, searching for specifics.

  "That he loved me. It was right before he fell asleep last night, so I don't think he meant to say it. He didn't remember it this morning."

  "Isn't that a bit soon? You've only known each other for just over two weeks!"

  "For a conventional relationship, I'd agree with you. But not for us. The type we have requires a lot more trust, which we have in spades, and that sort of trust creates a quicker bond. It's the same with BDSM relationships. And anyway, feelings can just develop quickly for some people, everything else aside."

  "I suppose I see your point."

  "As for Pete changing his mind about me further down the line, if he eventually did, well…I'd just have to let him go."

  "You'd do that?"

  "Adam, despite what's happened, you still know me. I see myself as a good man. It might end up breaking me, but if Pete ever wanted to leave, of course I'd let him go."

  Adam watches Jeremy for a long time after this, but Jeremy doesn't really notice. He's too caught up in his own head, reliving the moment he heard those wonderful three words over and over again. He wanted to reciprocate over breakfast this morning, but when it became clear that Pete had no idea what he said while half-asleep, he resolved to wait until Pete said it for real.

  "You really do care for him, don't you?" Adam enquires after a few more seconds, amazement in his voice.

  Jeremy tears himself from his memories and reenters the present. "Hmm?"

  "The expression on your face just now…" Adam sighs, all the fight leaving him with his breath. "My son is really in love with a forty-one-year-old man, and there's nothing I can do about it, is there?"

  It's a rhetorical question, so Jeremy doesn't answer.

  "Alright," Adam says soon afterward. "I still have to talk to Pete, but…as long as you don't hurt him, I won't interfere."

  Jeremy is surprised. He thought it would take more than this to bring Adam around. "Really?"

  "Really. This wasn't what I envisioned for Pete's life at all, but if you really make him happy, I won't stand in your way."

  "Thank you, Adam," Jeremy says earnestly, feeling great relief. He would have been with Pete regardless, but it's nice to know that Pete won't be on the outs with his Dad anymore. He'd felt awful when his boy showed up on his doorstep in tears.

  Adam picks his plate up from the coffee table and takes it into the kitchen, leaving Jeremy on his own in the living room. The bearded man hears Adam put the plate in the dishwasher and the tap running, and then the Chief walks back into the room with a tall glass of water in hand. He doesn't offer to get Jeremy one, but Jeremy doesn't mind. He's already asked a lot of Adam today, and their friendship will take a while to get back to a solid place. They're already starting to do that, so he's satisfied.

  "Maybe you can help me with something else," Adam says as he sits down again.

  "Anything," Jeremy assents easily.

  "This whole…'Daddy'…thing, what's that about? I don't want to say anything to offend Pete when we reconcile."

  "Ah, yeah, that would be bad. Once was enough." Jeremy chuckles, the sound mostly humourless.

  "Was he really upset after what I said before?"

  "You asked for the truth, so…yes, he was pretty affected by it. He cried."

  "Goddammit, Adam…" the Chief murmurs, shaking his head at his past self.

  "It'll be fine," Jeremy comforts him. He feels they've reached a place where he's allowed again, so he reaches out and pats his friend's shoulder. "Just apologise and he'll forgive you. He's that kind of guy."

  "I will."

  "As for me being Pete's Daddy, it means what we want it to mean. How much do you already know?"

  "Not much, to be honest. That's probably why I was so judgmental at the beginning, because I didn't understand and was imagining all of these horrible things."

  Jeremy is unfortunately used to getting suc
h reactions, so he takes this one in stride and doesn't hold it against Adam. "Well, for Pete and I, all it means is that I look out for him. If he has difficulty handling something, then I step in and help him. He still has his independence, if that's something you're concerned about. That was one of the things we discussed, that he'd still go about his life as normal—go to college, get a job, etcetera—but I'd be there whenever he needed me. It would just be in a slightly different capacity than a more conventional relationship."

  "So you don't…" Adam shifts uneasily.

  "Don't what?"

  "You don't treat Pete like he's a baby or a toddler or something. Right?"

  Jeremy shakes his head. "I don't. He does act a bit younger than his age when we're alone together, but he's still in full control of himself. There are also no diapers, pacifiers, bottles or anything like that. Pete didn't want to go that far."

  "Oh. Good."

  "There wouldn't have been anything wrong with him if he did," Jeremy says firmly. He can't rule out the possibility that, in the future, Pete's wants and needs could become more involved as he continues to explore and discover his likes and dislikes. Jeremy has to make sure that Adam won't say the wrong thing or act the wrong way again if that day ever comes.

  Adam peers disbelievingly at Jeremy. "There wouldn't?"

  "No," Jeremy affirms. "I'm not saying it's common, but there's an entire community out there filled with men and women who want that. I experimented a bit with it myself before I realised that a more intense arrangement wasn't really for me. But, to me, as long as everything is between consenting adults, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Does that make sense?"

  Adam inclines his head, conceding that it does, at least vaguely.

  "Anyway, I doubt you'll have to worry about hearing Pete call me Daddy or anything for quite a while at least," Jeremy goes on. "He's not comfortable saying it around other people yet. It's just when we're alone for the time being. And if Pete ever reaches the point where he does want the things I just mentioned, there's no doubt in my mind that he would never let you see him like that. It would only be in private, just between me and him."