Page 15 of Brighton

Edward chuckled. “I can promise you it will never be too much for me. I enjoy your company as well, Brighton, and I feel the same way. The great thing about our relationship is that there are no guidelines or timeline. It’s whatever the two people involved, meaning us, feel and how we want to move forward. If we choose to move in together today, then that's our decision. If we want to wait a year then again, it’s our decision. Whatever we do is between us, and we both need to be comfortable with it and right now it sounds like we're on the same page. Am I wrong?”

“Not at all.” His words had my brain zooming all over the place. Moving in together? Tomorrow or a year from now was a huge decision. Could I see it happening? Clear as day, though I wouldn’t lie, the idea was a bit scary with us being as new as we were to each other. As I thought on all this, so busy staring blindly at the skaters, I hadn’t noticed it was snowing again. “Edward, it's snowing!” I turned my face upward and stuck out my tongue to catch a few flakes.

“There's something magical about it, isn't there, Brighton?”

“There really is. I’ve always wanted to make a snowman. I tried many times when I was little and just couldn't get it. Then as I got older, I lost the desire to go out and told myself it was too cold. It would be more fun with a friend, had I had any.” And there I went, diving back into my lonely black hole.Way to bring the evening down, Brighton.

“Well, sweet boy, that's something we must fix. How about next weekend you come to my house? Pack a bag if you wish and stay over. The girls will be fine overnight with the feeder and waterer they have. Then you can see where I live and meet Simon and if there's enough snow, we'll build a snowman. You can sleep in the guest room if you wish. There's absolutely no pressure whatsoever, but I'd like to have more than just a couple of hours with you. Call me selfish if you will.”

Selfish? A giggle escaped, such a silly word. Edward was the least selfish person I’d ever known. “I'd like that.” As the crowd cleared, we completed the circle then returned to the restaurant and waited for the valet to bring up Edward’s truck. The ride back to my place went far too quickly. I wasn't ready to say goodnight. Edward walked me inside and the girls immediately circled our legs with sharp meows. I imagined we got scolded for leaving them alone. We gave them some pets and said our hellos then Edward rose to leave.

“It's time for me to say goodbye and check on Simon. Brighton, would it be too forward of me to ask if I could kiss you?” I nodded and Edward tugged my lip free from between my teeth. I didn't even realize I was chewing on it. His warm hand cupped the side of my face, and he gently tilted my head and pressed his lips to mine. I was gone, my first kiss. I’d had so many firsts with Edward with so many more to come. When he drew back, I chased his lips with mine and he grinned and kissed me again.

“I don't want to get too far ahead of myself here, so I need to stop while I can.” Edward adjusted himself and it dawned on me what he meant. I, too, was hard and honestly that wasn't something that happened very often. It's not that I hadn't ever masturbated, it just wasn’t a regular occurrence for me. My mind was always off in another direction or locked on something other than sex. That was until Edward came along. He kissed me one last time and drew me in for a hug. I loved how his arms felt wrapped around me. Safe, warm. Maybe one night I’d get to sleep in them, maybe even as soon as next weekend. I liked that he’d asked me to call the shots regarding how fast we moved, but I already knew I wasn’t sleeping in his guest room. I wanted to sleep with Edward, and I wanted Edward to be my Daddy.

“Goodnight, Da—” I paused as I nearly called him Daddy. I knew that's what Edward desired, but were we there yet? I panicked as Edward’s eyes lit up and appreciated he didn’t fixate on it.

“Goodnight, my sweet boy. I'll let you know as soon as I'm home. Lock up behind me.”

With the door securely shut, I whimsically spun around the room. I was falling for Edward, hard and fast, and I’d do everything in my power to make it last. I showered, slid into my warm PJs, grabbed my stuffie Ollie and a favorite blanket off the back of the couch and put the TV on Christmas movies. It wasn’t long after that Edward’s text came through. He thanked me for a wonderful night and let me know he was home and wished me sweet dreams. That was a guarantee.

Chapter Eight

Edward

I had plans for my boy this weekend and while I wasn't one to buy a live Christmas tree, I did. It was such a waste of a perfectly good tree to me. With it being Brighton’s first time decorating one, I opted to purchase one we could plant in the yard come spring. Yes, I said we. I wanted Brighton to be a permanent fixture in mine and Simon’s lives. I brought down the boxes of ornaments stored in the attic and had finished staging the area right as the doorbell rang. My boy was there, and Simon let out a quick bark and followed me to the door.

“Hello, Edward,” Brighton greeted me as he stepped inside. I immediately drew him into my arms and kissed him. It had been a long, lonely week without my boy near.

“I missed you this week.”

Brighton laughed, “We talked every day, but just for the record, I missed you, too.” He stood on his tip toes and stole another kiss.

“Come, let me put your bag in the room.” I placed it on the bed in the spare room with the hopes it would find its way to mine later. Brighton stopped in the foyer to play with Simon and the old boy ate up the attention and licked Brighton's face. Brighton slid to the floor in a fit of giggles. Those two silly boys were quickly becoming my entire world. “Simon, how about we give Brighton the grand tour?” Simon barked again. “Okay, tour it is. Well, as you guessed, this is the spare room and across the hall is the master suite.”

“Edward, this room is huge.” He scanned my bedroom as I walked toward theen suitebathroom. “That tub is big enough for four people.”

“Good to know, though I'll likely never find out. I think two will do just fine,” I winked. “Come on,” I waved and led him back down the hall and into the open space. “You've seen the living room, there's the kitchen and dining room and to the back is my home office. Let me show you the backyard.” We walked outside. I’d been so busy getting ready for Brighton’s arrival I hadn’t realized the snowfall had picked up. There wasn't enough yet, but hopefully by morning there would be to build a snowman. Simon ran around doing his business while Brighton stared out at the frozen tundra.

“I love your house and the yard, it's perfect for Simon.”

“Yes, though I wished I'd pulled the trigger on him sooner. But at least I've got him now.” I regretted that year Simon spent caged at the rescue. He’d been well taken care of but just as depressed as I was. Had I put two and two together sooner, well, hindsight was always twenty-twenty and now he was a full-time fixture in my life.

“Looking back will get you nowhere, looking forward will.” Such a smart boy and so full of heart.

“No truer words have been spoken, dear boy. Let's go inside where it's warm. I started a fire just before you got here, and I've got lunch ready. Homemade beef stew and fresh baked bread.” I was more than ready to feast on one of my favorite cold weather meals. I always made enough to freeze for quick meals throughout the following weeks.

“It smells wonderful.” Brighton drew in a deep breath and exhaled and his stomach grumbled.

“Here,” I handed him a treat from Simon’s container. “Why don't you give this to Simon while I get lunch on the table.”

“Sit, Simon,” Brighton said as he dangled the treat. “Look, Da, err, Edward. He sat on command.”

“He's a very smart boy and so are you. I would love nothing more than to have you call me Daddy, but only when you're ready.” Brighton nodded. He’d let the full word fall from his lips in due time.

“I'm gonna go wash my hands. I'll be right back.” By the time I had the soup and bread on the table, Brighton returned.

“What would you like to drink? I have water, milk, beer, soda, juice.” Jeez, what didn’t I have? Guess my grocery order was fully loaded without my having realized when I placed it.

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