“Dude, I love that cast.” Liam walked over to the bed and tapped gently on the neon-green plaster already signed by some people. “When I was a kid, they were out of all the cool colors, so I had to have orange. I looked like the safety man.”
Anderson beamed at him. “I hate orange. Looks like you’re going hunting.”
Liam nodded, and they began to chat like old pals while Amy pulled me aside. The dark crescents under her eyes and wrinkled shirt gave her away. She’d been working overtime for these kids.
“Along with the broken arm, he’s got some bruised ribs. We haven’t asked him much about it. But he knows his father is in jail and hasn’t protested or asked to go home. That speaks volumes.”
I nodded and looked over at the new friends. Yellowing bruises marred Anderson’s face and neck, and my blood boiled thinking someone could strike a child.
“When can I take him home?”
She smiled but kept her lips pursed. “They are releasing him Monday morning. You’ll need to be here about seven and bring him clothes. I’ve emailed you some paperwork I need filled out. Along with seeing the doctor in a few weeks, he’s going to need counseling regularly. I’m assuming you’re okay with bringing him to appointments.”
“Of course. Anything to help him heal.”
She reached out and squeezed my forearm. “Good to have you back on our team.”
“Good to be back. Is there anything he needs? Other than hospital stuff?”
She chuckled. “Why don’t you ask him?”
I went over to the bed and sat on the side opposite Liam. “What are we talking about?”
“Does he really own a candy store?” Anderson’s face was priceless. It was like one of the kids who saw Willy Wonka for the first time.
“He does. He can make anything you want. Haven’t you seen it? The store with the haunted house display?”
Anderson shook his head.
“Well, we’ll have to go visit.”
Anderson’s brow was furrowed and his fists clenched. I almost cried at the sight of the IV sticking out of his arm. I hated those things worst of all.
“Can you make a dinosaur gummy bear?”
I tipped my head down and chuckled.
“T. rex or brontosaurus?” Liam countered. I’d forgotten he had a whole SUV full of brothers and sisters. He was a pro.
“T. rex.”
Liam leaned down, a smile playing at his face. “Next time I see you, I’m bringing a gummy T. rex—green like your cast.”
Anderson tried to fold his arms over his chest like a big dude, but winced, forgetting his break. “I’ll believe it when I see it, sucka.”
I looked at Liam and laughed. “That sounds like a pretty serious challenge.”
This man that I was quickly falling in love with shrugged. “Pfft, I got this. Anything you need, buddy? The food here probably blows.” He scream-whispered the sentiment then winked at Amy.
“It’s okay. At least there’s food. But I could use a cheeseburger, you know, protein.” The little guy flexed his good arm, showing zero muscle.
“You got it. Edison will be back tomorrow, to take you home if you’re well enough. You need your rest. Are you okay going home with this one?” Liam hooked his thumb at me and rolled his eyes.
“Hush. Anderson wants to come home with me. Right?”
Anderson nodded, and I felt the need to put my arms around him. So I did. After a few seconds of finagling around the tubes and cast, I finally got him into a hug, and he hugged me back—hard.
Everyone in the room ignored abundant tears coming from our eyes as we said goodbye and that we would see him the next day.
Under the safety of Liam’s arm, we walked back to that creaky elevator and rode down in silence. I had so many things to say to this man beside me but thought maybe it was too soon.
“Wanna come check the shop with me? I’m sure Hazel has everything under control, but I want to see,” Liam said, getting back into his car.
“You can just drop me off at my house. It’s okay. I have things to do.” I was trying not to be needy as fuck, but my tone betrayed me.
“No, you don’t understand, omega. I want to be near you today. I’m not ready to let you go. Quick check and then all the things you need to do. I’m assuming grocery shopping and getting his room ready—clothes?”
“Yes to all of those. I want him to be safe and warm and at home.”
Liam smiled. My heart beat faster and my other parts reacted as well.
“What’s that smile for?” I asked, running my thumb along his cheek as he began to drive.
“Those are the same things I want to give you, love.”
Chapter Eleven
Liam
It was so easy, it almost felt like cheating. Giant gummies were a “thing” lately, and I’d had a few molds made, including a whimsical dinosaur in a Santa hat, planning to use it for the Christmas holidays, but why not do them now? While Edison chatted with Hazel and sampled the raspberry swirl/bittersweet chocolate fudge in her current batch, I slipped into the kitchen area and gave instructions to make me a green one for Anderson along with some others tweaked to be more suitable to the fall holiday. If all went well, we could bring him by to see the updated window display.
Monstrous gummies would fit right in.
With that handled, I grabbed Edison’s hand and tugged him out the door before my staff could get me involved in anything time-consuming. I spend almost all my time there, and even at the busiest time of the year, I needed a break.
I’d just never had such a good time taking one.
Buckled into the car, we headed down the street. “I am no expert with kids, but should we head to the local superstore?” I asked.
Edison tucked one leg under him to turn toward me. “Yeah. We only have today to get ready, and they should have everything we need.” He dug out his phone and brought up a list app. “Shirts, pants, a jacket...shoes and socks. Undershorts. Cereal, milk…” He muttered each item as he clicked on it.
“That’s really handy. You don’t have to type each one in?”
“Nope. I use it for the center. You wouldn’t believe all the things I need to order for that place. Comes in handy for groceries and things for home, though, although I don’t usually keep a lot of food around, for just me.”
The store loomed at the edge of town, and I steered into the crowded parking lot. Lots of people only had the weekend for errands, I supposed. “No, I don’t, either. But you’ll have a growing kid to feed, now.”
“Right.” He paused a moment while I turned off the engine. “And this one has probably missed too many meals.” His voice cracked. “I’m really glad to do the job I do, and most of the kids, even if they come from families that are pretty broke...they do okay because they are loving homes. Those moms and dads skip their own meals to make sure their children eat. But the ones that stand out are the cases like Anderson. Where somebody gets hurt.”
We trailed into the store, grabbing a cart from a collection area because we didn’t think there’d be one available inside. But as we walked, I pictured Edison’s day—then mine. “You do a very worthwhile job,” I told him. “You give kids a safe place to be no matter what else is going on in their lives. They trust you—look at how Anderson feels. If I was his age and my parents were gone or in jail and not able to take care of me, I’d never be as calm as he is. And that’s on you.”
“I try to be their friend so if something goes wrong, they have someone to come to and talk. The social workers, like Amy, are great, but they are overburdened with cases and sometimes the children are frightened to speak with them. I think their parents’ reactions cue their distrust. But I’m just the friendly after-school program guy who has lots of craft supplies, a basketball court, yummy—healthy mind you, but yummy—snacks. What’s not to like?”
Still, the difference between doing good for needy children and worrying about tempering chocolate loomed.
The child
ren’s section was packed with barely room to steer the cart between the rows. Edison selected a modest number of items, but I piled more in, checking sizes as I went.
“This is too much...I only get so much as a foster parent and…”
And he wasn’t getting rich running a kids’ after-school club.
“It’s on me.”
He opened his mouth as if to protest but I waved him away.
“I am having the best October in my history. I can certainly afford a few discount store T-shirts for my new friend Anderson. What else can we get?”
We filled two carts with clothes, shoes, kid-friendly food, first aid supplies, and a gaming system because I insisted no boy his age could live without one. I realized it wasn’t a priority in a life where food had been at a premium, but I wanted to give him something to make him feel special.
I had my debit card out at the register and managed to pay for it all over Edison’s protests.
“You’ll have plenty of expenses,” I told him as we risked our lives dodging drivers more focused on their phones than pedestrians in the parking lot. “Let me help make him comfortable. Oh, and when you pick him up tomorrow, bring him by the shop, if he feels well enough.”
Edison, loading bags into the car, stood up so fast he nearly hit his head on the trunk lid. “You figured out how to do the gummy?”
I handed him two more bags, brimming with every kind of “healthy” cereal I thought might taste better than sawdust. “I did. But after we drop these things off at your place, we have the rest of the day ahead of us. What would you like to do?”
His smile told me exactly what I wanted to hear.
We managed to stow the perishables in Edison’s refrigerator before dropping everything else in the kitchen and racing for the bedroom, tearing off our clothes as we went. I wasn’t sure when we’d be alone once he brought home his foster child, and while I also hoped we’d be together many more times, we’d have to keep it down if Anderson was sleeping in the next room, and I already wanted to shout my triumph to the heavens just seeing my omega naked. Maybe we could at least get the edge off.
Technically, what we’d done this morning should have done that, but somebody had better tell my cock that because the old boy was throbbing and aching like it had been years instead of hours since I’d last come.
Edison’s bedroom was smallish, with just enough room for a queen-sized bed and dresser, but we didn’t need anything else. Hell, we didn’t even need the dresser. My laser focus landed on the navy-blue comforter and my omega who dropped onto it and held out his arms.
I accepted his invitation, enfolding him in my embrace and raining kisses on his face before our lips connected in a deep, burning kiss. His chest was lean, with only a few curls of hair near his flat, male nipples. I skated my hands over his torso while we kissed, wanting to memorize every inch of him, to know his planes and the underlying musculature. He had the limbs of a basketball player, and I imagined him racing up and down the court, dribbling the ball, and making the three-point shot.
Breaking our lip-lock, I nibbled his lobe. “Did you play sports in school, omega?”
He nodded, breathing shallow, giving a little shiver. “Basketball.”
“I had a feeling.” I nipped then lapped the sting away. “Do you still play?”
He clung to my shoulders, panting. “Yeah...at the club. Do you want to...to play sometime?”
I trailed my lips down his throat, over the beating pulse, and paused there to suck a moment. Exhaling, I lifted my head to look into his eyes. “I thought we’d play now.”
His shudder answered me better than words possibly could have.
Continuing my path of exploration, I swirled my tongue in his naval then proceeded south. His cock jutted out toward me, so inviting, I had to taste. Grasping the base, I closed my lips over the tip, swirling my tongue around it then scraping my teeth down the length and then rising to suck gently at him. I dove down and rose again, cupping his balls in my palm and then sliding my fingers back to test his slick.
Rising, I looked up the line of his body, locking my gaze to his. “You’re ready for me, omega.”
He nodded, swallowing hard and rocking his hips up to me. “Please...I want your knot.”
“I want to give it to you.” So much. Shifting to stand by the bed, I tugged him down so his legs hung over the edge then moved between them. He watched me through slitted eyes, licking his lips as I positioned myself and rocked my hips forward, relishing his gasp then moving back and plunging deeper then deeper still. He was tight, massaging my dick with each plunge, grasping the sheets at his sides and tossing his head.
“More, deeper, alpha.”
“Yes.” Each drive farther into his body, joining us then retreating to stroke in again. “I don’t know how long I can last.” Seconds, but I tried to think of other things besides his ass, his eyes, his body writhing under me.
Oh God. I grasped his dick and tugged, twisted, squeezed, wanting to bring him along because my balls already tightened preparatory to coming. But he was even more ready than me because three strokes and his creamy, thick cum was jetting onto his belly and chest.
That did it for me. Mine poured into him, making the connection between us impossibly hot and slick. As the final spurt landed on his belly and my stream ran out, I dropped over him, braced on my hands, feeling my knot grow, claiming him as mine.
Chapter Twelve
Edison
Monday morning came faster than Liam. We’d spent the rest of the day together and then, last night, he’d gone home, both of us knowing we needed to sleep and if he stayed at my place, there would be no sleeping.
I grabbed a cup of coffee in the local overpriced drive-thru and, while I waited, thought about the day before. Liam had been everything I needed and more. He’d taken me three more times before leaving and once in the shower. I let myself have the extra whipped cream on my pumpkin-spiced latte, knowing I’d spent a ton of calories the day before.
He’d knotted me. I was his, and he was mine.
Now to figure out all the things.
Finally, thirty minutes later, thanks to traffic, I got to the hospital right on time. I had intended to be early, but on time would do.
“Amy?” I said, seeing her down the hall.
“Right on time. I knew you would be. He’s waiting for you. You brought the paperwork?”
“And a going-home outfit. I held up a bag and a sheaf of forms. I’d woken up extra early to print everything out and make sure everything was all filled out. “Got it right here.” I put it into her hand and then walked past her, wanting to see Anderson.
The boy, not looking quite as happy as he had the day before, was perched on the vinyl seat under the window, kicking his feet.
I remembered those days.
“Hey, Anderson. You ready to go home with me? I brought you some jeans and a shirt. Can I help you get dressed?” I hoped I could work the baggy tee over his cast.
“My arm hurts today. Where’s your friend?” My face heated with the mention of Liam. He was so not a friend. He’d proven that over and over again the day before.
“He’s at his shop. Candy stores open early. You ready to go?”
He nodded, hopped down from the seat, and in a few minutes, he was ready to go. We walked together out to the hallway where I had to stop at the nurses’ station to sign release forms and pick up prescriptions and after-care instructions.
“Anderson, Liam asked me to bring you by his shop. I think there’s a surprise for you there.”
“Is it the T. rex?”
This boy and T. rex. I would have to find him a set to play with.
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me.”
He didn’t look impressed. We stopped at the pharmacy to pick up his prescriptions first then at the local fast-food chain where he knew exactly what he wanted to eat.
He ate on the way, and I gave him one of his low-dose pain pills since he was really compla
ining about his arm now.
“Look, the shop is right over there.” We stopped at Sugar and parked right in front. The usual display was covered with a black curtain. I texted Liam to tell him we were here.
He came out wearing a tight black shirt and an apron. One day, I would convince him to wear nothing but that apron when we were home alone.
“Hey, good lookin’,” he called out to me, and then placed a lingering kiss right on my lips.
“Hey, yourself. The apron does things to me,” I whispered in his ear.
He shuddered. “I’ll remember that, omega mine.”
Now it was my turn to shudder.
“Anderson, are you ready? I’ve got this cool remote control for you. Count to three and then push the button.”
Anderson took the device from him and stepped from one toe to the other, obviously excited.
“Oh wait, let me grab everyone.” Liam dashed inside and yelled for Hazel and the other staff to come outside. They gathered around us, and Liam came behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He had zero shyness about showing affection in front of other people. I loved that.
I loved him. I hadn’t told him that, but it wasn’t any less true.
“Three, two, one,” Anderson counted, and then pressed the button, making the curtains open to reveal the most spectacular display I’d seen so far at Sugar.
In the middle was a revamped haunted house along with a creature in every window. Vampires, zombies, werewolves, ghosts, even a mummy in chains—all done in gummy form. A banner hung from the top of the dramatically crafted house saying “Welcome, Anderson!” And off to the side, as if the rest wasn’t extravagant enough, was a bright-green gummy T-rex, bigger than the house itself.
I wiped away a tear, and Liam hugged me tighter, kissing the side of my neck.
“That bad?” He chuckled, and the movement of his chest against my back did things to me.
“It’s brilliant. I can’t believe you did this.”
Roseville Romance Page 13
