Page 17 of Their Little House Tristan (Five Little Roommates #2)
Bellamy
It had been a couple of weeks since James asked us both to move in with him. We spent most nights there, but last night, we’d stayed at the little house. It was a bit nostalgic for me and Tristan. After all, this was the place Tristan found safety, understanding, and belonging when it seemed the rest of the world had turned their backs on him.
“Any more boxes?” James asked from the front door.
I shook my head no, but Tristan gave him one last cube of a box labeled bathroom stuff . “This is the last one.”
All that was left was to say goodbye to our friends. We would see them again, of course. At the club, we all promised to see each other in between and keep in touch, but it was still a bit sad.
More than anything, I was happy. Tristan and I found a place to belong with a daddy and partner who loved us for who we were. And as a bonus, we’d found each other as well.
“Give us all hugs,” Monroe announced. Goodbyes were hard, but he was trying to keep a smile on his face. I didn’t know if that was for us or for him but, either way, it worked. We all shared hugs while James stood by the door, arms crossed over his chest, a huge grin on his face. I knew he looked incredible on our dates and in the club but today, with a plain white T-shirt on and worn jeans that cupped his ass, I thought he looked the handsomest. A bit red-faced. A sheen of sweat made his face glisten from all the hard work.
James might’ve been the happiest of us all.
He’d made room in his house not only for the three of us to be comfortable but already had a playroom ready. He stocked it with all the things we liked and promised us a shopping spree when we all had a day off. He was simply the best, and the fact that I got to share him with Tristan made that even more special.
We got into the truck, and James treated both of us to a smoothie. It was getting hot out, and we’d worked hard to get everything moved in one day.
That night, after we’d unpacked all of our things and gotten fully settled, we sat on the couch, blissfully exhausted.
“How about some dinner? Anything you want. We’ll have it delivered. We’re all beyond tired.”
Neither of us spoke.
“Come on. I know there’s something you two want. You’re pretty much always in sync. What is it? Thai? Indian? Pizza?”
“Thai,” Tristan and I both said at the same time.
“That’s what I thought. Thai sounds amazing. The spicy, crispy chicken?”
We nodded. That was one of my favorite dishes in the world.
“White rice or fried?”
Jamies got out his phone and put in the order. He didn’t like us to eat out all the time, saying it wasn’t healthy for us, but tonight was special. I agreed with him. My meals of takeout had begun to get stale, but now that the three of us were living together, we could share the meal making. But James loved to cook for us. Especially breakfast. Silver dollar pancakes were his specialty.
“It’s going to be about an hour. What should we do until then? How about some playtime while I clean up the kitchen. It needs a deep clean.”
“We can help you,” Tristan offered.
James ruffled his hair and leaned over to kiss his temple. He was always affectionate with us, and we both soaked it up. “I know you can, but I think after the day we’ve had, you two need some downtime. Don’t you agree?”
Tristan looked at me. “Bellamy?”
“I could use a breather,” I replied. “But we can clean the kitchen afterward.”
“I’ve got it. Don’t you worry.”
We changed into our soft overalls, and Tristan had a onesie underneath. We held hands going to the playroom and made a beeline for the new record player James had bought us. He’d also gotten us a collection of little music that brought smiles to our lips and helped us settle in. James was the best daddy. He thought of everything to make our lives as easy and calm as possible. Once we chose a record that told stories about trains, we sat with our new train set and set up the tracks to be as silly as possible. Tristan pulled back the train once the tracks were set and let it go. It wrecked over the bridge we’d built, and we both laughed at our silliness.
“I think we made it too high. It can’t go over the top.”
We were immersed in play when the doorbell rang. We listened in while James greeted the delivery person and as we knew from experience, probably gave him a generous tip.
“He’s the best,” Tristan said, leaning his head on my shoulder.
“He really is. We should do something special for his birthday.”
For a few minutes, we planned James’ birthday. We both had good ideas, and it would be one heck of a celebration.
“What are you two conspiring about?” James chuckled. I hadn’t noticed he’d come in. And from Tristan’s surprised expression, neither had he.
“Something special, but it’s a secret,” Tristan answered him.
“A secret from me? That’s not nice.”
“It’s a good secret,” I intervened. “Nothing bad. We promise.”
“Of course,” James said. He opened his arms for us and we ran to him, again, so eager for his embrace and affection. I didn’t think I would ever get enough. “You two are so sweet. I’m sure it’s something very special indeed. Now, who’s hungry.”
We went to the kitchen and ate together, and James promised us a long bubble bath but only if we ate our veggies. That was him, always taking care of us.