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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ELLIE

Daddy B

Kiddo, kiddo, kiddo

Ellie

Are you trying to remember my name?

Daddy B

I know your name, but I was trying to get your attention.

Ellie

Always. What’s up?

Daddy B

There’s a team meeting with coaches tonight, and we won’t be done until around 8.

Ellie

No worries. I’ll see you tonight when you get home.

Daddy B

BUT has a party tonight.

Ellie

Ha! That name makes me laugh every time. When they were naming Beta Upsilon Tau, did they not think about it?

Daddy B

Who even names fraternities?

Ellie

That’s a good question. I’ll put it on the list.

Daddy

How did I not know about this list? What is the list?

Ellie

It’s where I put questions I want to look up but can’t because I know I’ll end up on a tangent. So they go on the list until I can go back and look them up later.

Daddy B

That’s a smart idea. Consider it stolen.

Ellie

You don’t have to steal it. I’ll share.

Daddy B

So you wanna go to the party? I can pick you up after the meeting.

Ellie

Yes, I’ll go, but it’s silly to pick me up. I’ll meet you there.

Daddy B

By yourself?

Ellie

It’s literally around the corner smile emoji

Daddy

Baby boy, you sure?

Ellie

Yeah, I can do this, Daddy B.

Daddy B

You’re my brave boy.

Ellie

Does walking around the corner *really* count as brave?

Daddy B

It does when you’re super shy.

Ellie

Then I’m going to make that my affirmation today.

Daddy B

Oh yeah? Let’s hear it.

Ellie

I am brave.

Daddy B

Don’t forget to put a sticker on your chart.

I can do this. I can do this. I am brave. I can do this.

The walk from the apartment to the BUT house was less than ten minutes, but it felt like a world away from the cocoon Daddy B and I had created in our apartment.

The sidewalk outside the frat house was already littered with partygoers.

Most of them had red solo cups in their hand while talking loudly and gesturing wildly.

The one saving grace was that they were regular-sized people, not the hockey giants I was surrounded by at the rink. It felt slightly less intimidating.

I hadn’t been sure what to wear to a party, but I couldn’t imagine that anything besides my jeans and hoodie would be required.

I mean, it was college after all. I got a few curious looks, probably because they didn’t recognize me when I got to the gate.

It was crowded, but I was able to maneuver around them and get through the front door.

Once inside, I looked around to see if I recognized anybody.

Fate was not smiling on me today because I didn’t recognize anyone, not even from my classes.

I decided to start on my left and work my way around until I found either Daddy B or someone I knew.

I hadn’t left the apartment until after eight to make sure I wouldn’t arrive before Daddy.

I started in the kitchen, which was a bust, and after a few more speculative looks, I grabbed a red cup as a decoy.

If I looked less like an impostor, I would be able to find Daddy B without any issues.

My next stop was the lounge area, and again, there was no one in there who could help me find Daddy.

I moved into the secondary living space.

From there, I could see the backyard, which had a ton more people, so I headed out there next.

The jostling and pushing needed to get through doorways was getting to me. I didn’t want to be rude, but I also wanted to get by them. It seemed like half the people in here were making out, and I definitely didn’t want to interrupt them because that seemed rude.

The wall of bodies blocking the door to the backyard was somehow less penetrable than the one on the sidewalk. I tried to skirt around, but each movement seemed to be blocked by another body. I misjudged the space and accidentally sloshed a guy’s beer onto his hand.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I was trying to get by.”

“Bruh, what’s your problem?” The frat bro in front of me turned around and snarled when I tried to get past him. I recoiled at the fumes of alcohol on his breath that blasted my face. He gave me a rude up-down. “Who the fuck are you? Are we just letting anyone come in now?” he sneered.

“Uh, yeah, sorry. I was just looking for someone. Sorry again about the beer.”

“Okay, and…?” Even drunk, the delusions of main-character energy radiated from this guy.

“And they told me to meet them here, and I’m just looking for them.”

“Yeah, but these fucking freshman think they can just wonder into our parties and drink our shit.” He popped the solo cup out of my hand. Thankfully, it was empty, so no one else was splashed. “Oh, and now he’s not even drinking. Are you from the college, you fucking narc?”

“What? No! I just…I just…”

“You just what?” The drunk guy got within two inches of my face, and I tried hard not to gag from the stale smell “You just want to stir shit up.” Somehow, he moved in even closer, probably because he’d stumbled more than intended. “Why are you tryin’ to start shit with me?”

“Dude, I’m not! I’m just looking for my friend, and then I’m leaving.”

“Fine. Who’s your friend?” His friends made a halfhearted effort to pull him away from me, but he shook off all attempts to distract him from his chosen target.

“Brennen Tate. He’s meeting me here.”

“Bull-fucking-shit. There’s no goddamn way you’re hooking up with that fucker.” Once again, Drunk Frat Bro stumbled in his attempt to make his point. This time, I sidestepped out of the way, and he pitched forward.

“Why’d you make me fall?”

“I didn’t touch you!”

“Bro, come on, man, just leave him alone,” one of his buddies said to the drunk. The friend put his hand on his arm and tried to pull him away, but the drunk guy shook him off and stayed where he was in front of me.

“Get the fuck off me,” he hollered. A few more of his friends stepped forward, some of them telling him to calm down while others said to leave me alone.

A few of them muttered about randos showing up at their party.

As the center of what appeared to be a budding frat argument, I just wanted to leave.

Being brave was all well and good, but I wanted out of this place.

“The fuck…” Daddy B growled behind me before I was yanked out of the center of the frat bros and hauled against something hard.

And warm. Once I’d oriented myself, I realized that in addition to Daddy B, I was flanked by about half the hockey team.

“What’s your goddamn problem?” The rest of the team present stayed silent.

Daddy B maneuvered me so I was safely behind him.

“That rando said he was with you.”

“Yeah, he fucking is. He’s my boyfriend.”

“This asshole?” The drunk slurred so much that it was hard to even tell what he said. “I thought you had better taste.”

Out of nowhere, Matty stepped out of the line and laid the drunk guy out with one punch.

He staggered back, tripped over his own feet, and landed on his butt.

Unfortunately, his flailing arms also knocked someone’s drink out of their hand, which ended up spilling down the front of him.

The shouts of everyone around the room drowned out my gasp.

I caught the fist bump between Matty and Daddy B from the corner of my eye.

This was going to be their bonding moment? Figured.

“Keep his fucking name out of your fucking mouth,” Matty ground out.

While I appreciated his defense, it hadn’t lessened my confusion.

He was always friendly at the rink, and despite Daddy’s silliness, he’d never actually made a pass at me.

I didn’t quite understand where his willingness to punch someone over me came from.

“You okay?” Daddy B murmured in my ear. His oversized body surrounded me and it felt like the jackass bro was miles away. “Did he put his hands on you?” I heard the barely controlled rage in his unnaturally quiet question.

“No, he didn’t put a hand on me, and no one else did either.” Daddy B looked wholly unconvinced. “And even if they had, which they didn’t, you aren’t blowing up your future over some drunk frat bros at a party. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Daddy B answered with a cheeky grin. “I don’t think you’ve ever talked to me like that. I could get used to it.” My narrowed eyes spoke volumes. He burst out laughing, then grabbed me for a bear hug, “Okay, maybe not, but it was kinda hot.”

“You’re ridiculous.” I’d tried to put my stern librarian over the age of ninety into my tone, but I ruined the whole thing with giggles.

The frat guys and hockey team decided a fight wasn’t going to work for keeping campus security out of here, so they’d calmed themselves down.

A few of the hockey boys ruffled my hair or gave me friendly arm punches.

The potential meaning of their behavior overwhelmed me, so I shoved it out of my mind and returned to the here and now.

“Cooper, Tate, a few of us are going to The Diner. You wanna come?”

Daddy B looked at me, and I shrugged but left it up to him. “Yeah, sure. We walkin’ over?”

The guys nodded, and we headed out the door. My first college party, three years in, was kind of a bust but also great because it felt like a story to tell later.

What I liked best about being around Daddy B was that he was a guy who liked to handle things.

He was most happy when he was figuring something out, organizing, or herding cats.

Daddy B thrived on it, and he was really good at it.

With my hand in his, I half-jogged and half-walked to my very first outing in college as his boyfriend.

“You can’t be serious. Like how? There’s no way.”

“What’s your criteria for figuring out the best option?”

“First, you have to think about the songs. Are they catchy? Are they good? Do you want to sing them in the shower? If the songs aren’t good, I don’t care what the story is about.” His logic was sound. It was the shock of the discussion that threw me off-kilter.

“But if it’s not a musical?”