Page 8 of Soft
Even those who didn't participate in the lifestyle in the Daddy sense were affectionate with one another. Everyone here understood what it was like to be a bit different, and they embraced it. I was thankful for them.
What I wasn't thankful for was my lack of gossip. I didn't really know anything other than my own drama, and really that wasold news. If Doyle had seen the video, I had no doubt the others had as well.
I was contemplating what I would use for my turn when another person popped up. This time it was Donovan.
"Hey, Uncle Paxi, it's good to see you." His voice came out soft. I wanted to bundle him up and tell him how precious he was. It would probably be overstepping, considering his Daddy, Grant, was a few feet away, his eyes on his boy rather than the person he was speaking with.
"Good to see you too, Donnie," I said, my smile genuine as I patted his shoulder.
After that it was like the floodgates were open. More people approached, greeting me and telling me how they were. Princess Aster and Charlie went around to check on everyone like the amazing hosts they were. By the time it came around to what would have been the present portion of the night, I decided on giving them really old gossip—something I hadn't shared with anyone other than my pops.
Every person's news was jaw-dropping. People would gasp or stomp their feet excitedly. Some got up and paced around in disbelief at what they heard. It wasn't anything malicious, just surprise after surprise of unheard tales. I was thoroughly entertained by it all.
And when it came to my turn, I shared the main reason I left my agent and how I had a crush on the agent I was meeting with tomorrow. I had replied with my chosen date before coming over, which meant I was now just waiting to see what would happen.
No one gave a raucous expression at my words. Instead, I got a bunch of wide, curious eyes and knowing nods from the Daddies. Of course, that was quickly followed by wanting to know his name, along with details about his looks.
"What if you meet him and you both like fall in love with each other and then he helps you become super famous and then you get to live happily ever after?" That came from Princess Gracie. He was adorable in his little tutu next to his caregiver Shiloh.
I smiled over at him. "That would be the dream. We'll see how it goes. I imagine I’ll have to keep you all up to date."
"Of course you will," Ean demanded. "This is not necessarily the kind of gossip I was thinking you would bring tonight, but it’s now a constant source of news. You’ll have to tell us how it goes from the meeting tomorrow all the way up until you get there."
"Until I get there? Isn't that quite bold of you?"
There were scoffs all around. Xander, Neil's Daddy, shook his head. "I work with college kids, and I've seen how dedicated they can be to something, even the athletes. And let me tell you, you're a shoo-in to go pro, kid, and Grizzly is a fool to not take this ride with you."
His comment was followed by Ean saying, "Yeah, exactly what he said. There's no chance you don't get to live out your dreams. The whole falling in love part would be great too, especially if he's queer."
"He is," I said definitively. I had more than done my research on him. While he didn’t date often, he had been seen out on a rare occasion several years back—really more like a decade. Our age gap meant he had more of a history than I did. Besides, I was too busy with baseball to be out there like the other guys were.
I knew my future, and I knew what it would take to get there.
I could fuck around later.
The rest of the night was mostly everyone eating cake and sharing old stories of how they met. I knew they were trying to encourage me about meeting up with Grizzly. It was as if every new tale was a manifestation that I'd get my own happily ever after with my dream man.
Time would only tell, but I had a good vibe about it all. Call it being hopeful, but I was a man of action. If there was even a chance that Grizzly would look my way and let me be his Daddy, I was going to grab it with both hands and hold on.
CHAPTER 4
Grizzly
The morning after my late-night working with Moseley had me in a better mood. My eyes weren't straining as much, and I felt a renewed sense of excitement with work. It had been nonstop for the last several months with all the changes happening in Bellport and the queer athletic community coming together to show support. My email was flooded with offers from people wanting to help out, to companies wanting to donate, sponsor, and invest.
While I was happy to have all the attention, it also felt rather daunting. How could I make all these decisions by myself?
At night I would go home and lay in my playroom for as long as I could before the need to get up and go to bed would hit. On the occasional night when things were really rough, I would shower, put on my pajamas, and sleep in the playroom. It was hell on my back, but it was what it was. When you had a place of comfort, you used it when needed. That’s how it was by design.
Cheyenne greeted me with a smile and pointed to the small bottle of orange juice on the corner of her desk.
"Grabbed that for you this morning. I know how much you like it."
I smiled, taking it and cracking it open. I took a sip before I even thanked her, because orange juice first thing—when it was cold and crisp—was hands down the best feeling. I made a sound of approval and smiled.
"Thanks so much. I needed this after yesterday."
She nodded. "Yeah, Moseley was telling me all about your late night. Kid was ecstatic."
