Page 78 of Baby Boy

“I think that’s a great idea,” Jace praised. “You can play and have a snack.” He reached over and grabbed a car from behind him and passed it to Avery as naturally as ever.

Avery smiled and began to run the car over the changing table as Jace unfastened the diaper. Keeping Avery in his little mindset was important for their weekend and he didn’t want Avery to start to worry.

The boy had way too much stress in his life. Jace needed to find a way to approach his work schedule and money issues. With every ounce of him wanting to demand that Avery move in and allow Jace to take care of him fighting with his knowledge of Avery’s strong independence, he knew he had to wait. Still a schedule would be better so Avery had plenty of time to be little.

Once he had Avery in a clean diaper and his jammie pants back on, he patted his boy’s cock to tease.

“I wanted to ask if you thought you could get Valentine’s night off,” Jace said.

“I think so. I’m not scheduled anywhere. Although the restaurant always calls the evening they need me.”

Jace held in his growl. He still didn’t like Avery working there.

“You…are… Are you…”

Concerned that he’d pushed Avery out of his little space, Jace picked him up and carried him to the chair in the corner.

“What’s wrong?” Jace questioned.

“Will you still look at my papers? You know…my financials?”

“Yes, boy,” Jace assured him. “I still plan to do that this weekend so we can set up a better schedule for you.”

Avery was still clutching the small car in his hand. He ran the wheels over Jace’s arm, not looking at him.

“What is it, Avery? Talk to me.”

“You saw my apartment,” Avery muttered.

“I know you didn’t want me to,” Jace said. “I tried to respect your privacy but when you weren’t answering my calls or texts, I was really worried. I’m sorry if I crossed a line.”

“No!” Avery dropped the car and grasped Jace’s shirt. “I’m glad you came. I’m just embarrassed. I didn’t want you to see how…poor I am.”

“You’re not poor,” Jace told him. “You’re a struggling student and I’m amazed with how much you’ve accomplished on your own.”

“You are?” Avery peered up, trust reflecting in his eyes.

“I swear I am.” Jace hugged his boy. “I told you how my dad is. That he was never really a father and only cared about the company.” Their late-night talks had helped both of them open up about their families. “He might not have been the best father, far from it, but he did give me everything I ever needed. I didn’t have to figure out how to pay my bills, school, and still work full time. You are doing an amazing job.”

Avery blinked back tears, but if he needed to cry, then Jace wanted to offer him a safe space.

“I…I want more weekends like this,” Avery confessed.

“You’ll have them,” Jace promised.

“Thank you.”

“Now, how about some playtime?”

“Please.”

Jace rose, still holding Avery close. He didn’t ever want to let go of his sweet boy. Jace carried Avery down and set him on the rug before going back into the kitchen for a sippy cup of flavored water and snacks.

He took the snack tray from the fridge before grabbing one of the clean sippy cups from the cabinet. Once he had everything Avery needed, Jace returned to the living room. Avery was lying on his stomach as he grouped his animals together. Blocks made up enclosures, keeping the different species separated.

Jace enjoyed the way that Avery’s mind worked.

Avery always made sure that the smaller timid animals were on the other side of the rug. It was cute that Avery worried about his little animals.

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