His Accidental Daddy

by Luna, David

  “You might want to call your business partner.”

  Asher bit his lip, eyes wide, grin spreading. “I think that’s a good idea. Wow. Hearing it like that is crazy.”

  Thornton chuckled and leaned forward to grab Asher’s phone from the coffee table. Handing it over, he watched as Asher put the phone on speaker and dialed his best friend. When Madi answered, his boy’s voice was excited and confident. “Yeah, I was hoping I could speak to my new business partner.”

  Excited screaming filled the air, followed by a gasp, and “I’m so sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to startle you. When you check out at the register, tell Lena to give you twenty percent off your order today.”

  The woman’s, “Oh, thank you dear! A bit of enthusiasm is nothing to apologize for,” had them both laughing.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Asher

  It had been four unbelievable weeks since the day his life had irrevocably changed. He’d endured some of the worst physical pain he’d ever known, and the pain wasn’t all gone. His ribs still gave him trouble and, while most of his bruises were gone, a few were being particularly stubborn and taking too long to fully heal. But his mental and emotional wellbeing had never been so stable and in sync. He’d enjoyed a full month nearly anxiety-free, something he couldn’t ever remember feeling. And prior to the accident, happiness had seemed fairly elusive.

  He also realized, as happy as he was becoming, he still had work to do. A lot of fucking work to do. They’d talked a lot over the last several weeks about him going to see a therapist. He’d never felt comfortable about the thought of spilling his guts to a perfect stranger, but when Trent was over one morning for another breakfast meeting, Thornton had asked for the name of his therapist.

  When he’d asked why, Asher had plucked up the courage to explain, and that was when he’d begun to make a new friend. They’d bonded over stories of the worst location they’d ever had a panic attack in, stories about their worst ones and what started them, and about how they’d both learned to deal with them. As new friendships went, it was a fairly unorthodox thing to bond over, but he’d take all the friends he could get. They’d been few and far between in his life.

  He wasn’t exactly ready to take on the world and felt sick at the thought of even getting in a car to ride to the therapist’s office, but he’d made the fucking appointment. It helped that the therapist had a phone intake consultation with him about his biggest fears and triggers and what he wanted to get out of therapy. He’d said, if worse came to worst, Asher could call him if he was unable to get himself to the office. And when it came down to it, the thought of leaving the house the following morning to go back to work had him needing to do his deep breathing exercises, so that wasn’t exactly out of the realm of possibility.

  It wasn’t like they hadn’t left the house in a month. They’d gone on walks, which had gotten longer the better he felt. And he’d eventually caved when Thornton had continued to ask him to get in his new car and go for a ride with him, as Thornton said, “Even if the first one was just around the block.” He’d had a panic attack when he’d stepped into the garage. Though he hadn’t even gotten in the fucking car yet, he’d bent at the waist, hands on his knees as the breath sawed in and out of his lungs.

  Fucking humiliating.

  But he’d moved past it with Thornton’s help. Always, everything, with Thornton’s help. And somehow, he felt no shame about that. He’d leaned into every new thing he could experience with Thornton, and it had been a lot. So much, in fact, it had often felt overwhelming, but only in the best possible ways.

  So many new things brought him joy. Everything from new clothing, jammies, and underwear for his little self from Daddy, to story time, and set bedtimes and bath times. He’d come to love bath time so much. He got to play with toys and Daddy washed him from head to toe, which was always special for them both.

  He’d also been surprised when Daddy started singing him to sleep some nights. His voice was so deep and beautiful, Asher could never stay awake long enough to hear the whole song no matter how much he wanted to hear it. The nights he went to sleep as his little self often ended up being the nights he slept the best. So even if they had adult time beforehand, Daddy had often brought him back into little headspace before sleeping when he saw what a difference it made for Asher the next day.

  Some things had been awkward and embarrassing at first. Like the shorts, all of which were soft, short, small, and tight, and the T-shirts, which were either half shirts or shirts that were fitted with cute little cartoon characters on them. He’d loved them immediately, but the thought of actually getting dressed in them felt scary.

  He’d blushed all over when Daddy had first started helping him get dressed in his little clothes, but when he realized Daddy didn’t think it was silly at all, he realized how quickly they helped sink him into his little headspace. Asher especially loved the intense, desirous gazes Daddy gave him. That, coupled with his blown pupils and hard cock, made it clear how much Daddy loved seeing him in his little clothes.

  Little things he never thought he’d enjoy became some of his favorites. When Thornton removed the napping bed in his playroom he never ended up using and replaced it with a beautiful, swivel-glider recliner, Daddy rocked him while he read him stories and then held him close as Asher napped in his lap. Every step of the way, with every new thing he was introduced to, Thornton had been there to guide him and nurture him, and Asher had thrived. Really, truly thrived.

  He’d continued to recover, and almost before he knew it, he was getting ready to go back to work. A month had never gone by so quickly, but by the same token, he felt like he’d been there with Thornton forever. Syed had approved his return to work, but only part-time for the first two weeks before he was allowed to return to a full schedule.

  Asher both hated and loved the idea of returning. He was ready. Or at least he was getting ready to get back to his real life. It felt like he’d been in a fantasy world for the last several weeks. And in a lot of ways he had. But for the last week, he’d been thinking about returning home and what that would mean for them. He didn’t know, and if he was honest with himself, it scared him to death.

  Would he lose everything he’d so quickly come to hold dear?

  God, he seriously hoped not. Asher wasn’t sure what he’d do if he did. But real life was beckoning, so while Thornton was on a conference call, Asher was upstairs packing his things to go home. He hadn’t spoken to Thornton about leaving; they’d only talked about him returning to work. He’d waited for Thornton to bring it up, and he never had.

  Asher feared perhaps Thornton wanted him to go but felt guilty asking. So, he’d made the decision to get everything ready and let Thornton know when he was done with work for the day. He couldn’t pretend living with Thornton was a permanent thing. He had no idea where Thornton’s head was at regarding where their relationship would go once he was back at work, but he wasn’t going to make assumptions.

  Besides, what if Thornton, when he finally understood the extent of Asher’s anxiety, decided Asher was more trouble than he was worth? Thornton didn’t truly know how bad his anxiety could be. Asher had told him, but seeing Asher in real life was very different than seeing Asher in the privacy of Thornton’s home. They’d been in a fucking bubble. A gorgeous, well-kept, beautifully decorated bubble, but a bubble nonetheless.

  He was a lot of trouble, too much for even himself at times. He couldn’t expect Thornton to want to take that on permanently. He couldn’t go to the movies, he couldn’t go to restaurants, he couldn’t go to grocery stores, he couldn’t go to malls or busy parks. What could he do, really? Nothing. He couldn’t go anywhere with Thornton in public, and who would want that?

  What, were they going to sit around in Thornton’s house for the rest of their lives? Four weeks in, and Thornton was already changing his life for him: staying home, taking as many conference calls as he could instead of meeting people face-to-face. If things kept going
as they were going, Thornton was going to end up a hermit as well.

  He couldn’t do that to him. He couldn’t… he just… His knees gave out on him in the middle of Thornton’s bedroom, a couple of folded shirts in his hands suddenly a crumpled heap on the floor. Heart racing, dizzy, shaking with chills wracking his body, he tried to slow his racing heart. He heard Beauty whine and felt her snout on his cheek. He closed his eyes, trying to breathe, trying to concentrate on the puppy’s wet nose touching his skin.

  In the distance, he heard a bark, but that couldn’t be right because Beauty was kissing him, and Beast never left her. He shook his head, the edges of his vision blurring. This was what Thornton had to look forward to. This was what he’d saddle the man with. He couldn’t do that to him. He couldn’t…

  He blinked his eyes, tried to focus when he heard Thornton’s voice. “Come on, baby. I’ve got you.” He felt Thornton’s strong arms wrap around him, rocking him on the floor of his room. “I’m here.”

  They sat there for several minutes as he got himself back under control. Thornton rocked him, and he concentrated on breathing. Finally, he shook his head and tried to pull away. “What are we doing?”

  The confusion on Thornton’s face was reflected in his furrowed brows. “What do you mean?”

  He sighed. “My time with you here. It’s been… Thornton, it’s meant more to me than I can even express. But what am I even bringing to the table? You’ve been stuck in this house with me for weeks now. This can’t be your life.”

  Thornton narrowed his eyes. “First, it’s my call what I want for my life, and if I haven’t made it abundantly clear, you are what I want. I haven’t once considered myself stuck. I’ve left the house when I’ve needed to—”

  Asher shook his head. “But you—”

  “Boy, do not interrupt me when I’m speaking.”

  He held his breath at Thornton’s admonishment, but nodded. Thornton was in Daddy mode, that was clear, and Asher was frozen to the spot as the authoritative deep voice held him in thrall. He’d never spoken to Asher that way, and as a shiver wracked Asher’s body, he couldn’t say he hated it. “Yes, Daddy.”

  Thornton took a deep breath at his response, perhaps to center himself; Asher wasn’t sure. “I’ve taken meetings at home when I could because I wanted to. My focus has been getting you well because it is imperative to me that you are made whole after what happened. Not only that, but I also want you happy and thriving.”

  Asher nodded, knowing that was true. “I know.”

  “I cannot operate my business from home all the time. A lot of what I do needs to be face to face with my clients. But as I am an investor, I don’t work at the businesses I invest in because they are not my home base. This is my home base. It was my home base before you came into my life.”

  Some of the tension he’d been holding in released. He breathed in deep and closed his eyes, laying his head on Thornton’s chest, his body relaxing into the strong solid man holding him so securely. Thornton kissed the top of his head and continued. “My being home with you hasn’t felt like some kind of sacrifice I’m willing to make. I’m here anyway because I have chosen to make my home my workplace.”

  Asher sighed, annoyed at himself. “I thought maybe you were only here because I was forcing you to be here.”

  “Hmm mm. Come on. Let’s get off the floor.” He helped Asher stand and then got up and led him to the chaise lounge in the corner. He sat and pulled Asher right back onto his lap, wrapping his arms around him and settling them in. “This isn’t something I’ve chosen lightly for myself or my employees. Trent and my assistants, Jason and Laura, have all made it clear they want the flexibility of working remotely. That works just fine for me. I prefer it, actually.”

  He pulled back to look up at Thornton. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

  With a smile and a kiss to Asher’s nose, Thornton nodded. “It’s true. I’m what you’d call a social introvert.”

  Asher chuckled. “That’s an oxymoron.”

  Thornton shrugged. “You’d think. But somehow it works for me. I like people. I want to help them achieve their goals and, in turn, reach my own by helping them. That takes a lot of people skills and interaction with my clients. I love that. But most of that comfort is derived from interactions one-on-one or in small groups. I’m not one for big parties and tons of people I don’t know.”

  “Really?” That surprised him because he thought of Thornton as larger than life.

  “Really. So the guilt you’ve been feeling for keeping me here is absolutely unfounded. Sure, I’ve cancelled a few face-to-face meetings, but the work was done easily over the phone. I just prefer to meet my clients face-to-face to check on them and see firsthand how things are going with them. They like seeing that I’m involved and willing to jump in if needed, and I like seeing their hard work and passion in person.”

  Thornton shrugged that off like it was no big deal, and Asher’s heart tripped with so much affection for him. “You’re kind of amazing, you know that?”

  Thornton shook his head. “Not really. But, Asher, I need you to understand even if it was a sacrifice, that is my choice to make, and I’d make it again and again for your well-being because your health—mental, physical, and emotional—means everything to me.”

  God… “How did I get so lucky?”

  “I think we’re both really fortunate to have found each other. I also think your anxiety about going back to work and what that means, from the physical act of leaving this safe space to the aspect of becoming part owner of The Glasshouse, has you feeling really out of your depth.”

  Asher huffed. “I think that’s the understatement of the year.”

  Thornton chuckled, hugged him a bit tighter, and kissed the top of his head. “Come on. I think you need some playtime to get you out of your own head. Why don’t we go downstairs, and you can play for a bit in your playroom while I make you lunch?”

  His playroom.

  That hit home, hard. Thornton always knew what Asher needed, and with that came a sense of confidence in them and in himself he’d been lacking just moments ago. How he could do that with such ease, Asher had no idea, but Thornton was coming to mean everything to him, and Asher was about a breath away from falling head over heels for the man. And while that did scare him a bit, it didn’t petrify him as it would have in the past.

  That was something, right?

  For the second time in so many minutes, Thornton helped him to his feet and followed after. As he led them towards the door, Thornton stopped them, his gaze serious when he stood to face Asher. “And, boy?” That deep, commanding tone had a thrill racing through his body but also had him on high alert. It was no-nonsense and stern, and somehow that both thrilled and terrified him.

  But he met Thornton’s gaze head on. “Yes, Daddy?”

  “Don’t think I didn’t notice you were packing your things in preparation for leaving. We’ll be talking about that later, after playtime, because if you think for one minute I’m going to let you leave without a fight, you’ve got another think coming.”

  He gulped, eyes wide, and nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”

  Once downstairs, he settled quickly into his little headspace and dragged all three of his train bins out at once. Daddy had surprised him with new pieces and some super cool additions that helped him create a really big track, and every single time he made one it was unique. When he was allowed to regress, he lost himself in his own little world.

  Unbeknownst to him, he began to hum as he strategically linked piece after piece of wooden track that looped around, over, and through itself until it was a maze of interconnected pieces making a whole. It zigged and it zagged, went under trestle bridges, through a covered bridge, and over a drawbridge, and included curved hills and valleys. He continued until the very last piece of track slid into place, his heart racing in excitement as he realized it was the first time he’d been able to use every single piece and still have all the pieces connec
ted.

  He stood to take it all in, bouncing on his feet as he clapped, a huge grin on his face. Then he got to work again, adding little houses, stores, a coffee shop, a fire station and police station, and a farm with a barn, farm animals, and fencing to keep the animals from going on the track. He added cars stopped at the railroad crossing and trees on the outskirts of town. And finally, he added the people.

  When it was all done, he surveyed everything and giggled when he realized there was hardly any free space on the floor. And it was a really big room. He made a couple of adjustments and then gasped when he realized he’d forgotten to add the trains.

  “Oh my gosh!” He crawled over to the mega train pile he’d created as he’d gone through the three bins for train track. Sorting them into separate groups, he began adding trains to various sections of track.

  “Sorry it took so long, baby. Daddy got a phone—” Thornton cut himself off and just stood in the doorway, awestruck. So involved in what he was doing, he hadn’t heard Daddy approaching, and he startled, letting out a squeak and bringing a hand to his racing heart. “Ash, this is amazing!”

  He pouted. “Daddy, you scared me!”

  Thornton chuckled and approached, crouching down beside him and ruffling his hair. Daddy’s hand continued down and rubbed his back. “I’m sorry. I fixed our lunch, and then I had a work call I had to take. When I peeked in almost thirty minutes ago on my way to my office, you were so busy I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

  “It’s okay. But look! I used every single piece. The bins are even empty. And—and…” He was so excited he crawled over to a looped section that smoothed out into a straight stretch leading into town. “Oh no, there’s a fire at the diner!”

  He leaned over and pushed the siren on the fire engine, drove it towards town to the railroad crossing, and pushed the button when he got there. The bells rang as he lifted the gates so the engine could pass through on its way to the fire.