AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The sun might only have been up in Eagle Ridge Ranch for an hour or so, but Axel and Arlo’s day was already looking like it was going to cover all the Daddy and Little bases…
That evening, Axel was at The Tap House with Max and Trey. The music was pumping, and the beer was flowing – albeit Axel was taking things a little slowly as he knew that he had a full day of work ahead of him tomorrow.
As he took a sip on his German lager, Axel saw a message flash up on his phone from Arlo. And by the sounds of it, he was having a great time with Dale and Marshall over at Marshall’s place…
Arlo: Hey Daddy, just checking in! We’re all in our PJs and making popcorn. Marshall’s got a spooky movie for us to watch and we’re going to all snuggle in bed so we can dive under the covers if it gets too scary! XoXoXoXo
AXEL: Sounds fun. I don’t know about scary movies, but Max’s pool playing is pretty damn scary at times. The sonofagun thinks he can hustle me, but he’s got another thing coming. Have a great time with your friends and I’ll do the same. See you back at the ranch. Daddy XoXo.
With that, Axel put his phone back in his pocket and brought himself back into the conversation that Max and Trey were having. And to no one’s surprise, things were getting competitive…
‘All I’m saying is that I think I could out lift you,’ Max said, flashing his charming smile but with an added sense of macho energy.
‘You talk a good game,’ Trey replied, holding court behind the bar. ‘But unless I’m mistaken, the last time we hit Metal Work Gym, it was me who came out on top. And it wasn’t even close on the deadlifts either…’
‘Yeah, yeah, you know my grip slipped on my last attempt,’ Max laughed, raising his bottle of beer to toast his friends. ‘Here’s to healthy competition. And to non-slip grips too!’
The three Daddies laughed and downed their drinks in readiness for a fresh round. The conversation soon turned to Arlo and Axel felt like it was time to tell the guys how much Arlo was beginning to mean to him. Axel still wasn’t sure about how to take the next step with him though…
‘Staying at the ranch is great,’ Axel said. ‘But it’s a temporary thing. I’m beginning to think I need something more. It just feels right. But I’m still not going to try and pressure Arlo into committing. That just wouldn’t be right guys, you know?’
‘Agreed,’ Max said. ‘But you do need to make your feelings clear.’
‘You certainly do,’ Trey added. ‘Imagine how bad you’d feel if you didn’t tell Arlo how you felt and then he left town. I know you don’t want that.’
Axel knew that Trey and Max were right.
However before the conversation could continue, there was a disturbance over on the other side of the bar. Two guys, both of them from out of town, were starting to get a little obnoxious with some of the locals…
‘Let me handle this,’ Trey said, a stern look on his face.
‘You need a hand, you let us know,’ Max said.
‘Hell yeah,’ Axel added, unimpressed as he watched the two strangers sullenly agreeing to quieten down and mind their own business as Trey made the rules of the bar clear to them.
‘Guys, I can see that you’re both military dudes,’ Trey said, his voice firm but respectful. ‘Thank you for your service. But we have our own code of conduct here, which I’m sure you’ll respect. Everyone is free to drink here in peace. And I’ll be thankful that you adhere to that. If not, there’s other bars you can try.’
The two men nodded and duly retreated to a booth in the corner.
Axel didn’t like the look of them at all, but at least they were now keeping themselves to themselves. And rather than dwell on things, it was time to resume the banter with Max and Trey – but not before Trey posed one very interesting question.
‘So… Arlo…’ Trey said, cracking open three beers. ‘Is hethe one?’
Axel paused for a brief moment, but inside he was pretty damn sure he knew the answer.
‘You know,’ Axel replied. ‘I think… I think he might just be.’
With that, the three Daddies toasted to love, weightlifting, and friendship. Despite plans for an early finish, suddenly Axel was in the mood to let the good times roll…
Chapter 13
Arlo
Arlo was having a great time at Marshall’s house.
After watching the movie together, Arlo and his Little friends decided to build a rocket ship out of pillows and go on a space adventure with their stuffies. Arlo, Marshall, and Dale were building a great bond, and it reminded Arlo of the times when he would take leave from the military and visit Little clubs and see friendship groups playing togther and pine for something like that for himself.
‘Come on, let’s see if we can see some Space Daddies,’ Arlo said, squealing with delight as he crawled across Marshall’s playroom and picked up a pair of toy binoculars. ‘These a super-strength and can see across the galaxy!’
