Their Boy Beloved [MxMxM] (Taming His Blaze Book 1)

Chapter 5

REUBEN • POV

The car ride home was... uncomfortable.

I hugged Mister Hopper like a lifeline, the sharp edges of his rectangular container digging uncomfortably into my stomach where I'd fastened my seatbelt over us both.

His low, humming chirping was the only sound filling the enclosed place and I fought the urge I had to impulsively reach out and play with the stereo, desperate for some other sound fill the tense silence and distract me from the dread of reality.

I was leaning up against the passenger side door, my head resting against the cool window, and when I dared to peek across at Daddy, I was taken aback by the almost... well... enraged look on his usually mellow face.

He was pissed and considering my gentle giant of a Daddy with his easy smiles and tame temperament was very rarely pissed, no matter how badly I fucked up, this was a cause for concern. Truly.

It was kind of scary.

Peering sneakily at him again, I decided on my next move. It was like a screen in my head was displaying all the possible options to proceed with caution and I scrolled through them, my stomach fluttering, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

Apologise and beg for forgiveness. Justify my actions and deny any wrongdoing. Jump out of the moving car. Give him an emotional support blow job. Simply pretend to go to sleep and wait for everything to blow over...

I slumped down dramatically in my seat, let my head smack into the window with a thump, closed my eyes and began snoring loudly for added effect. Pretend to sleep and wait for everything to blow over, it is!

Mister Hopper, unhelpful, yet loveable ass that he was, expressed his opinion that it wouldn't work and maybe he was right, maybe I was being stupid, but anything was better than facing up to the reality that this was probably our last night in Daddy's house.

Daddy didn't say anything, didn't even acknowledge my snoring or the way I was awkwardly positioned. He didn't even reach for the warm, fluffy blanket we kept on the back seat for longer journeys and drape it over me like he usually would.

I refused to believe that my acting wasn't convincing enough and instead concluded that he was just so mad, he was okay letting me sleep uncomfortably on the car ride home. Did he not care about me anymore? Oh fuck, maybe he really was ready for this all to be over.

Why did I suddenly feel the urge to puke? My stomach was rebelling, fear getting the best of me. Fuck, I can't stand this anymore! I sat up abruptly, turning to Daddy, unsettled and rattled by his lack of attention. "Can you take me to my Mama's house?"

The car jerked, the seat belt digging painfully into my neck as Daddy cursed. He pulled over onto the side of the road and for just a few seconds, a tense almost-silence strained between us, blinkers clicking, Mister Hopper chirping, heart racing.

He turned to stare at me as though I was insane, dark green eyes judging me intensely as they roamed my very serious face. "Why would you even ask such a thing?"

I shrugged. "Cause you're angry and I know that after the first time you mentioned, you know, splitting up and I'm scared and I don't want to go home, only for you to tell me to leave, so I want to go to my Mama's. Plus, I mean, it saves you a trip right?" I forced a laugh, before letting it die in my throat, frowning.

He was clearly not amused. I cleared my throat nervously. "I think she'd let me stay... certainly. Probably. Maybe not, but who knows?! Life is just one big existential crisis! No one knows anything!"