Page 40 of Don’t Call Me Son

I hear Colt rub his hands together. “Sounds like a solid plan, Jay.”

Mom laughs, and says, “See, this is nice! Much more room here for company.”

I look up and over at Jay again, raising a brow. He notices quickly, of course, and walks over; his hands immediately snaking up onto my waist. “What’s with the face?”

“I thought we were gonna build the new bed, then eat ice-cream, and watch that new horror movie.”

Jet lets out a gorgeous little laugh and kisses the tip of my nose. “If I hadn’t seen the massive dick on you, I’d be questioning if you are actually a man.”

“Forgive me, for wanting to sleep in a comfortable bed and chill out after a long day.”

Jay grins at me, lovingly, “The couch is plenty big enough for us to sprawl out on; just for tonight. We’ll do it tomorrow, I promise.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and smile sweetly. “Fine… your loss though.”

“Huh?”

“Jay, I’m not having sex on the brand new couch.”

He groans deep and nods at me, “Mhmm, yes you are… we’re gonna christen that thing so fucking hard tonight, baby.”

I blush and pull away from him, not able to help my coy smile. “You’re disgusting.”

Jay laughs and smacks my ass, “But…”

“I love you anyway.”

He hums, nodding, and kisses my cheek, pleased. “Damn right you do. Love you too, sexy thing.”

…

An hour later, we’re all sprawled out in the living room, watching the football match. The pizza boxes are open between us on the coffee table, and the room smells like melted cheese and garlic.

Jay’s sitting right next to me on the couch, his thigh pressed up against mine. Mom and Colt are at the other side, and the energy in the room is surprisingly relaxed.

The referee makes a bad call, and Mom suddenly leaps forward, shouting at the TV, arms raised. “Oh, come on! That was clearly a foul! Are you blind?!”

Jay’s hands pause halfway to his mouth, pizza drooping as his eyes go wide. He stares at her like he’s never seen her before. “What the… well, never knew your mom was so… passionate, about football.”

I grin in amusement and shove another bite of pizza into my mouth, talking around a mouthful, “Yeah, she gets very into it.”

Colt laughs and nudges my foot with his. “Remember that time she threw a cushion at the TV during the playoffs?”

I snort at the memory. “How could I forget? She missed and hit you instead.”

We both laugh together; it’s easy now… the banter and the inside jokes. The weird tension from before has settled into something warmer. We don’t flinch if we brush against each other anymore; we just… exist comfortably. It really did bring us closer, like I told him it would.

I glance at Jay again; he’s laughing at something on the screen, completely at ease, one arm slung casually behind me on the couch. I watch him for a second; the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles, the little scar on his jaw from when he was twelve and tried to skateboard down a railing, the way his plump lips curve into that cheeky grin when he knows I’m staring.

Jay makes me feel safe in a way that doesn’t come with guilt or secrecy. He’s seen me at my lowest, and he’s never made me feel like I was too much or not enough. He just… stays; he chooses me every day.

I smile, lean in, and press a soft kiss just behind his ear. “I really love you, Jayden.”

Jay turns his head, smiling that warm, easy smile that always makes my chest feel lighter. He kisses me properly, slow and sweet. “I know, baby. I love you too.”

…

I walk Mom and Colt to the door, holding it open as they step into the hallway.