Page 202 of Daddy's Pride

“One Dom invited me to his house to experiment with domestic serving. It made me feel like an unpaid housekeeper. That wasn’t his intention, don’t get me wrong. He was good about it and wanted to help me find what did it for me. But after that failed too, word got around that I was high maintenance, and the Doms stayed away from me. One Dom even questioned whether I was truly submissive.”

His voice broke, and Brody wanted nothing more than to beat up anyone and everyone who had hurt his boy. How had they not been able to see below the surface? How had they missed what was so obvious to him? “You are, baby boy. Let me assure you of that right here, right now. You are absolutely one hundred percent submissive.”

“Then why didn’t it work out with any of those Doms? Some of them had years of experience.”

“That wasn’t you, baby boy. That was them. They couldn’t see what you needed. I’ve been around long enough to know the difference between someone who’s high maintenance and someone who has specific needs. And you”—he squeezed Josiah’s hand—“are not high maintenance. You’re just waiting for a man who can meet you where you are.”

Josiah swallowed. “How do you know?”

“It’s not that hard, baby boy. You need a Dom who’s much softer, who takes care of you. You like to serve sexually, and I suspect you like to be used, but you don’t connect with any particular kink, and that’s fine. What you need is an older Dom, someone who will be your…”

Lightning struck his brain, the solution so clear he couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it sooner. How had he missed it? How had everyone else? Hell, he’d even started calling him baby boy. It had been right there in front of him, and he hadn’t seen it.

“Brody?” Josiah sounded small. “Is something wrong?”

Was his boy having flashbacks to Brody walking out on him? Brody took Josiah’s hand in a firm grip. “I just had an epiphany. A profound one.”

“A good one? Can you tell me?”

Should he? Ideally, he would’ve taken a little more time to think things through, but how could he when Josiah needed him? “Can you come sit on my lap for this, baby boy?”

“But our soup will get cold.”

“I’ll reheat it. Please. This is a conversation I want to have with you close.”

Josiah looked apprehensive, but he slid off his chair and sat on Brody’s lap. Brody wrapped his arms around him, breathing in the faint coconut smell of Josiah’s hair product.

“What you need, baby boy, is a Daddy,” he said softly. “I don’t know if you’re a boy or maybe a little or a middle, but you’re looking for a Daddy.”

“Oh…”

Josiah sat frozen after uttering that one word, more a cry of surprise than anything else. But Brody waited patiently, giving his boy the time to sort his head. This had to come as a shock.

“Denali has a friend, Kenn, who has a Daddy,” Josiah said. “Kenn and his Daddy live on another floor of Denali’s house. Well, it’s Milan’s house technically, but whatever.”

“Have you seen them together?”

“No, he’s… They’re very private.”

“Okay.”

“But I know it’s a real thing. Daddies and boys, I mean.”

“What are you thinking, baby boy? Tell me what’s going through your mind.”

Josiah played with the hem of Brody’s shirt, his head bent, and Brody didn’t like that he couldn’t see his face. Something was bothering Josiah, but would he be brave enough to voice it?

“A-are you…?” Josiah swallowed. “Is that something that appeals to you?”

It took Brody one second to connect the dots, and everything made sense. He’d omitted one crucially important detail in his explanation. “Baby boy, I already am your Daddy. What we’ve been doing this past week, the dynamic between us, that’s me being your Daddy and you being my special boy.”

Josiah slowly raised his head, his eyes wide with shock. “You are?”

“Yes, baby boy. The question isn’t if I want to be a Daddy. The question is if you want to be my boy, if you want to continue what we’ve been doing this week.”

Josiah blinked. “I’ve never felt safer. Or more treasured and seen. You…” He swallowed again. “You cooked for me and cleaned my room and made sure I ate healthy and showered and did my work. You’ve been…” He bit his lip.

“What is it, baby boy?”