Page 6 of A Little Christmas! 4: Song

“I’m glad you made some new friends tonight.”

“Did you know Ajay played guitar?”

She frowned and looked thoughtful for a moment. “I think I did hear something about that.”

“He wants to get together and jam sometime when we’re both free,” Song explained. “When I told him the garage was soundproof, he said he’d bring his guitar over here since it was easier to carry than my drums.”

“Let me know when he’s coming over, and I’ll make sure there are sandwich fixings and snacks in the fridge. If he’s anything like you, it’ll turn into an all-day thing, and I don’t want either of you going hungry.”

“Thanks, sis,” he said as he added a pod of dishwashing liquid before starting the machine.

She hugged him before sending him off to take a shower and go to bed, not that he got beneath the covers when he reached his room. As he’d done since he was in middle school, he pulled out his journal and wrote about his day, the good and the bad things, like the scary Daddy who’d snapped at him about the noise at the club. It had been hard, but Song was proud of himself for not letting it show just how much the big man’s tone had hurt his feelings. He’d just been so excited to have fun, and yeah, maybe hehadbeen showing off a little, but playing music was the only way he really knew how to get people to notice him.

Unfortunately, being noticed and meeting people who genuinely wanted to get to know him were two very different things. He’d discovered that early on, back when he and a different set of friends had dabbled with putting together bands. None had stuck for long, not until he and Decon connected and put their current band together. Even then, most of the people he met were more interested in hanging out and partying. Theyweren’t the kind of people Song could trust with the knowledge that he was a little and really didn’t care for alcohol or grinding on people he was just getting to know. Decon knew, but only because he was a middle and had shared his truth first, opening the door for Song to tell him. Mark gave off serious daddy Dom vibes, but neither knew if he really was one or if it was just the energy he put out to keep others from being too pushy.

Though he was new to the actual lifestyle scene, Song already knew that he wanted a daddy of his own, or daddies, like Zachy had. Sharing with people who truly cared about him would never be an issue. His upbringing hadn’t been traditional, so he saw no reason why his relationships had to conform to anyone else’s views of what was right or proper. Not when they were the same type of people who’d constantly meddled in him and his siblings’ lives as they’d struggled to finish raising themselves after losing their parents.

There were many times when Song wished he hadn’t been so young when they lost them. Maybe then, Solo and Suede wouldn’t have had to do so much for him that they’d lost out on things others got to enjoy. Now that they were all adults, it was a little easier. Though they still worried and fussed over him the way they’d done when he was small. Someday he’d find a way to help them explore the things they were passionate about the way they’d done for him and his music.

Yawning, Song placed his pen and journal back in the drawer of the end table beside the notebook he wrote his music in. Reminded of the song title Solo had given him at the table, he quickly jotted it down before he closed the drawer, turned off the lamp, and lay back on the pillows, watching the solar stars attached to the ceiling.

Watching them glow was his favorite way of falling asleep, only tonight, he kept staring up at them, blinking and fighting sleep as words tumbled through his head.

The fates had dealt him and his siblings a difficult hand; there was no denying that, but he’d been raised with love, compassion, understanding, and encouragement. To his way of thinking, that was a gift from the same fates. Religion had never been part of his upbringing, but spirituality was. The universe was a giant cosmic river, calm at times, turbulent at others. Sometimes there were rapids and turbulent moments that were difficult to overcome. But there were moments, like tonight, when it brought a flood of good things and warm, welcoming people who embraced him simply because they wanted to.

Those were the best moments. Ones he hung on to when he felt lost and out of his element. The gift of friendship Zachy had bestowed upon him tonight was something he’d cling to the next time he felt shy and uncertain in a room. Because Zachy had seen that he needed it and hadn’t left Song to stand on the ledge of that ball pit alone.

Chapter 3

(Cooper)

“I’ll get it!” Cooper called out over the excited squeals of a squirmy Zachy, whose hair Gage was still attempting to dry after his shower.

The last thing he expected to see when he pulled the door open was a badass biker chick standing beside Song on the doorstep, both in leather riding gear. It was mid-November and cold as fuck outside, but the sweet-ass black and purple bike on the sidewalk was clearly the means of transportation they’d used to get here, and Cooper wasn’t sure what to think about that.

“Hey Song,” Cooper said, deciding to greet him first and hope for an introduction. “Zachy is super excited for your playdate; why don’t you come in? He’ll be ready just as soon as his hair is dry.”

“This is my sister, Solo; she’s going to pick me up later, so you won’t have to take me home.”

“Come on in out of the cold,” Cooper said, stepping aside and holding the door open. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Solo. I’m Cooper.”

“Okay, I knew the name but hadn’t seen you at Velvet Illusions,” she said as she wiped her boots on the mat and stepped into the living room, which was already set up for movie time once Zachy and Solo had the chance to exhaust themselves in the playroom.

“Unfortunately, my job makes it next to impossible to join Zachy and Gage as often as I’d like to,” Cooper admitted. “Song, you can hang your jacket here and put your boots on the bench just beneath it. If you need to change, I can show you where the guest bathroom is.”

“Yes, please,” Song replied as he took off his jacket and hung it where Cooper indicated.

“What time would you like me to come back for him?” Solo asked.

“Nine, if it’s not too late. Zachy has the whole day planned out for them, including homemade pizzas for supper and movies and strawberry shortcake for dessert.”

“I love strawberry shortcake,” Song replied as he knelt to take off his boots.

When Solo did the same, Cooper knew she planned to stay for at least a few minutes, maybe to see how Solo settled in.

“There’s a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen if you’d care to join me for a cup,” Cooper offered, squirming a little beneath her intense stare, even though she was looking up at him as she unzipped her boots.

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”