“The point is that you need a friend, Henry. Why don’t we invite Jakob and Sam over for lunch tomorrow? Do you think you could give them a chance?”
Could I? I burrowed my head further into Caden’s side. When Ava had succeeded in dragging me to the Rainbow Room, years ago, I’d seen Jakob a couple of times. Then I did meet Sam the last time I was there. He seemed friendly and kind, and Caden had promised me that he only dug into my past because he cared. I shrugged again but then nodded. Maybe Caden was right. It would be nice to have a friend to talk to again.
Chapter 14
Caden
The next morning, Henry was not his usual playful and funny self. He didn’t even let me change him. Since Ian left, Henry was quiet. When I finished the dishes after breakfast, he wasn’t at the table. Charlie bolted towards me and yowled as if he was about to die. Little drama queen. Sighing, I closed the dishwasher and bent down and scratched his ears.
“He’s hiding, isn’t he?”
“Meow.”
“Yeah, I thought so.” I looked at the open door of the nursery and sighed again. Questions swirled in my head.
Was it wrong to invite Sam and Jakob over for lunch? Would another day have been better? Maybe dinner sometime during the week? Was it right to pressure Henry into a friendship with Sam?
Henry needed friends, and I was sure it would work out. Sam was a great guy. It was hard not to like him. He could be someone who would be there for Henry, someone who showed him that he wasn’t alone. Someone who could help me teach Henry that family is not about blood but about the people you choose.
“Caden?”
Henry’s small, shaking voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He stood in the door to the nursery. He was biting his lip, and his nose was wrinkled as if he was disgusted by something. Worried, I rushed over to him.
He was looking at the floor, so I signed, “What’s wrong?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything, Henry.”
“Do you regret it? I mean, our weekend?”
“Come with me.” I took his hand and led him over to the sofa, and our blanket fort that sat unused behind. Looking at it, I felt sorry for him. All he had wanted was a weekend with his Daddy, and what he got was…well, some playtime and some cuddling. I sat down and gently pulled him with me. As soon as he sat on my lap, Henry cuddled into me, so I raised my hands and signed, “I don’t regret anything, Cupcake. I know that we had different plans for our weekend, but I don’t regret it.”
“I wanted to do so many things with you. Now, the weekend is almost over.” Henry sighed, sat back, and looked at me. “We didn’t even buy a cock cage.”
Oh, my little sex-driven Monkey. I laughed out loud and patted his diapered butt. Henry wrinkled his nose and stuck his lower lip out in an adorable pout.
“Henry, do you want this to be over after the weekend?”
“What? No.”
“Then why are you assuming that we’re not going to do all the things we wanted to do?” I raised my eyebrow, and Henry frowned. After a moment, a huge smile appeared on his face. The first since the visit from Ian. “How about this. We order one today, and when the package arrives tomorrow, I’ll come over for dinner.”
“Then, we’ll try the cock cage, right?”
“Yes, Cupcake. We’ll try it out. But only if you can be a good Boy for Daddy and leave the package closed until I arrive.” Henry's head bopped up and down, but when he opened his mouth to say something, I put my finger on his lips to stop him. “And if you try to enjoy our time with Jakob and Sam. Can you do that, Cupcake?”
The little brat grinned, stuck his tongue out, and licked my finger. “Yes, Daddy. Can we order it now? Please?”
As if I would wait any longer. I’d never met anyone so eager for a cock cage before, and his enthusiasm was addictive.
“Go get your computer, so we can…”
Henry hopped off my lap and nearly fell over Charlie, who hissed at him.
“Sorry, Charlie,” Henry shouted over his shoulder as he raced away.
“We’ll buy you a toy to play with,” I promised Charlie and gently picked him up to make sure Henry would not trip over him when he came rushing back.
There were grumbles and rustling from Henry’s writing area, and then a shout, “Got it.”
Henry raced back and sat down beside me, put his laptop on the coffee table, and opened the lid. “I know a site where we can get one. This is going to be so much fun.”
It would be interesting to see how long it would take for Henry to realize cock cages weren’t all fun and games. There was still a question I had, so I leaned over and gently tapped his shoulder to make him look at me.
“Are you okay, Henry? You were quiet this morning, and you hid in your nursery. Now you’re all…”
“I’m fine now. I just…” Henry sighed and shrugged. “I think when I woke up, I just realized that it’s Sunday already. I was so happy when you called Friday and said that you would come here earlier. Now it feels like I missed out on two days, you know. Then I wondered, if…if, you regretted it, and I was scared of your answer.”
“I meant what I said earlier. I don’t regret anything, and I’m not running away just because of your past. Being a Daddy means to be there and to help in bad times, too. I’m not a good-times-only Daddy, Henry.”
“I guess I was just scared to lose you. I just found you.”
“Oh, Henry.” Leaning over, I gently pulled him back onto my lap. Then I cupped his face in my hands and
