The car was right there where Bran had said it would be and he made it before anyone at the front of the building noticed him. Pulling open the door, he threw himself into the seat.

  He heard Bran lock the doors. “Let’s get you home.”

  “Don’t go home. They’ll ruin everything.” He put his head in his hands and began to sob.

  “Of course we’re going home. We have a privacy fence in the back and the curtains in front are closed and the doors lock. And I’m going to park in the garage, so we won’t be bothered going in.” Bran’s hand slid over his shoulders, warm and soothing. “We have you, boy. We do, I promise.”

  “I’m so, so sorry…” He hadn’t wanted to bring this on. And he definitely hadn’t wanted to bring it to Bran and Silas’s door. They deserved better.

  “I’m pretty sure you’re not the one who let the photographers know how to find you, which means you have nothing to apologize for.”

  “It’s the fans. They don’t understand…” No one did.

  “Ah. Well, that sucks and it’s still not your fault. We aren’t going to abandon you because there are obstacles in your life. We’re going to help you deal with them.”

  “How? How can you?” Jamie thought they actually could. He really did.

  “We’ll assess the situation and figure it out. I don’t want you worrying about it—you don’t have to carry it alone.”

  He reached out, holding Bran’s hand. “Thank you.”

  Bran squeezed his hand. “You’re welcome, boy.” They drove in silence for a moment before Bran had to take his hand back for driving. “I think you should look at this as an opportunity.”

  “An opportunity?” He didn’t follow. “For what?”

  “Well, if you aren’t working at the coffee shop anymore, you’ll have more time to write. More time to shop around your stuff once it’s written. More time to explore new things. And more time to spend with your Daddies.”

  “Do you want that, though? Me just… I mean, I don’t have a lot of savings.”

  “We’re not interested in you for money or your former job, either, boy. You know that.”

  “I know, but I want to be yours and happy.”

  “Well, you already are ours, so there’s your first wish done.” Bran shot him a grin as they turned onto their street. “And you being happy is our number-one priority, so I have faith that you’re going to get there.”

  “I hope you’re right. I want you to be right…” He started crying again as he saw a photographer waiting in the bushes.

  “Keep your head down, and I’ll get us into the garage.” Bran pressed the button on his visor and the garage door opened for them. He drove in without even looking in the direction of the photographer and pressed the button for the garage door again, waiting until it started closing before he turned off the engine.

  “I’m so sorry. I really am.” He was heading into hysterical.

  “Stop apologizing,” Bran told him. “If I hear another sorry out of your mouth today, I’m going to put you over my knee and spank you.”

  “What? Don’t say that! I—I can s-say that if I need to!”

  “You’ve apologized to me a whole bunch of times already for something that isn’t your fault. So no, for the rest of the day, you do not need to say that word. Not once.” Bran grabbed his chin and kissed him, hard.

  He pushed into Bran’s arms. He just wanted to go inside, to hide, to be okay.

  Bran kissed him for a moment longer before staring into his eyes. “Come on. No reason to dillydally here in the car.”

  “Where’s Silas? He’s okay?”

  “He’s home. In his studio. He’s been there since early this morning. Apparently, he’s been hit with inspiration.” Bran got out and came around to open his door for him.

  “Oh. That’s good, right?” Was he interrupting?

  “It’s good. We’ll leave him be for now, yeah? I think I can be enough for you at the moment.” Bran slid an arm around his shoulders and guided him inside, the garage door letting them into the hall by the kitchen.

  He headed for the sink, washing his face and breathing.

  “Given the crowd I saw outside the coffee shop, I can see why you don’t like that aspect of fame, why that might have chased you away from acting.” Bran filled the kettle and set it on to boil before pulling two mugs out of the cupboard and grabbing the tin of teas.

  “I was good at it, but I like making the stories, not pretending to be someone I’m not.”

  “So even without the crazy fans and paparazzi, you didn’t particularly enjoy it, eh? But the good thing is that now you can focus on the writing. You know Silas and I will always support you in your efforts.”

  “You don’t think I’m stupid? To give up fame?”

  “Was it making you happy?”

  He shook his head.

  “Then, I think it was the right move for you.” Bran grabbed a couple bags of tea and put them in the cups.

  “I thought so too,” he whispered. But he’d lost everything for it.

  Bran cupped his face. “That makes it sound like you’re not sure anymore. Tell me what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling. I’m here to help.”

  “Everyone hated me. My folks—we’re estranged. It was awful.”

  “Oh, Jamie.” Bran pulled him close and hugged him. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Sometimes taking care of yourself means you lose people who don’t have your best interests at heart, and it hurts, but it’s better for you in the long run.”

  “I hope so. They were all so disappointed in me.” And he knew that he was the cash cow. The star. The one they’d all hung their hopes on, but it didn’t matter.

  “It was their dream, though, wasn’t it? Not yours.” Bran’s arms tightened around him. “The people who love you should love you for you, not for who they want you to be or what they want from you.”

  “I wish that was how it always worked, don’t you?” Life would hurt less.

  “Yes, that’s how it should always work. But I know it doesn’t. However. Silas and I? We want you to be happy. We want to nurture you as you explore who you are and become the best version of yourself. You are what’s important to us.”

  “I want the same thing for you. I want you to be comfortable in your home, and I’m worried.”

  “I’m going to call a friend who runs a security guard business for a consultation. He’ll let us know how we can safeguard the place so it’s safe for all of us. We’ll get this figured out, I promise.”

  “You think so? You think he can help?”

  “I really do. It’s his job, after all, right? I’m a big believer in sourcing people in the know for things unless it’s something I’m good at myself. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel here, just find a specialist.”

  “Right. I used to have security, once upon a time.”

  “And then the money dried up when you stopped making movies, eh?” Bran kissed the top of his head. “Let’s get you a cold washcloth for your eyes. They’re a little swollen.”

  “I was a little wigged out. I never got fired before…”

  “Did they really fire you? Because I would have thought having all those people at the coffee shop would have been somewhat of a boon.” Bran grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the cold water.

  “They told me to take my stuff and they’d send me my final check.” That felt like firing.

  “Yeah, you’ve been fired.” Bran dabbed the cold washcloth beneath his eyes, then pressed it gently against them, the coolness soothing. “Their loss, but your gain. Now you can focus on your writing.”

  “Yeah… Can…” He needed another hug, so bad.

  “Always,” Bran told him, tossing the cloth at the sink and wrapping him in those strong arms, tugging him close. “I have you, Jamie. Daddy has you.”

  He sobbed, just totally undone. “I’m so sorry for getting fired.”

  Bran held him and stroked his back. “Shh, shh. That’s it, let it all out. And then we’ll go sit so you can get the spanking you’ve earned.”

  He shook his head, but Bran hummed softly. “Sweet baby boy. I have you. Right now, you don’t have to worry about anything other than letting it all out. Your worry, your pain, all of it. You don’t have to carry it anymore.”

  Jamie cried as if his heart was breaking—for all the things he’d given up and lost, for all the things he’d been scared of.

  Through it all, Bran held him and rocked him and told him he was good, that it was okay, to let it all go. Bran was there for every second of his storm, absorbing his sadness and his heartbreak, taking it all in and holding it for him.

  Finally, the tears faded, leaving him empty and raw.

  “How about we share a shower, boy? It’ll help.” Bran took his hand and led him to the stairs.

  He nodded and followed Bran like he was in a trance.

  Once they were in the bedroom, Bran undressed him, then himself. He was drawn into the shower, the hot water flowing over them, giving the illusion of the rest of the world disappearing entirely, leaving just the two of them.

  He let Bran hold him, love on him, and he just believed in it.

  Bran didn’t try anything sexual, but he did soap his hands up and thoroughly wash James. It felt like he was being worshipped, the touches a balm for his heartache of a day.

  He leaned in, breathing nice and slow, utterly exhausted and relaxed.

  “I’ve got you, boy. You’re good. It’s all good.” The words were soft, soothing, like a warm blanket.

  “Love you both,” he whispered.

  “And we love you, baby boy. So very much.” Bran’s kiss was soft, gentle and full of emotion. “Feeling better?”

  “Uh-huh. Thank you. I needed that.”

  “I know.” Bran turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and held out a hand to James to help him step from the shower and then started to dry him off. “I bet Silas has supper ready for us.”

  He blinked. “Do you think so?”

  “I do. We take care of you, you know? And that includes feeding you when you need it.”

  “I’ll take care of you both too. I promise.” He meant it.

  Bran nodded, clearly taking him seriously. “I know you will. You’re a good boy.”

  He nodded. He was. Right? “Thank you.”

  “Come on. Pajama bottoms for us both. We can be lazy and decadent and let Silas feed us and ogle our fantastic bodies.”

  “Ha!” He didn’t have a fantastic body. He had fantastic ink. “Sounds good to me.”

  Bran stroked his belly, then found him a pair of pajama bottoms and tossed them over to him before putting a pair on himself. Bran looked damned good in nothing but the bottoms. Sexy. Hot. Slinky like a panther.

  He was… sort of like an otter…

  When they were dressed—or half-dressed—Bran grabbed his hand and led him back down where, sure enough, Silas was there, taking dinner out of take-out bags and setting it on the table.

  “I hope you guys are hungry—we’ve got tacos and guacamole from Tacos To Go.”

  Oh, those were some of his favorites. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, baby boy.”

  Silas came over and gave him a hug and a soft kiss. Then they put him in the middle chair, sitting on either side of him and filling his plate for him.

  “Eat. Things are always harder when you’re hungry.”

  “Yeah. I got fired today. Bran had to rescue me.”

  “Your Daddy Bran is amazing that way.”

  “I should have a superhero costume.” Bran gave him a wink.

  Silas laughed. “I know you’re joking, but it wouldn’t be inappropriate. Seriously, though, that sucks and I’m sorry it happened to you. I’m a great believer in when something like that happens, you turn it into an opportunity to make your life better.”

  “By the way, every time he says he’s sorry for getting fired, that’s another spanking. He’s already earned one. He can have it before bed.”

  Silas beamed. “Your first spanking for breaking a rule—it’s going to be so much fun!”

  He swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to⁠—”

  “That’s very close to sorry, baby boy,” Bran warned.

  He snapped his mouth closed, and Silas chuckled again. “Eat. We’ll enjoy the spanking together later. Now tell me everything, Bran. What happened?”

  “That photographer from the other day leaked where he worked, and it got mobbed by fans. So they fired him.”

  Silas made a growly noise. “That sounds like wrongful dismissal to me.”

  “If Jamie wants to pursue it, we can talk to Dominick, but I’m not sure that he does.” Bran looked at him.

  “I—No. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.”

  “That’s totally fine—no judgment from us. If you wanted to fight it, we’d back you, but we’re okay with you taking it as an opportunity to move forward to something else. In fact, I think that’s the better option.”

  “I just want… a different life. Is that okay? Something with us?”

  “I think that’s wonderful,” Silas told him without pausing at all.

  “And I concur,” Bran added. “We all belong together, and we should make the best life we can together.”

  He nodded and smiled. “Okay… yes. Thank you. I promise to work hard. I do.”

  “We know you will. We’ve seen how seriously you took your job, and your writing.” Bran took his hand and squeezed. “Now eat. Or your Daddies will be cross.”

  He was still… unsure about this, but he wasn’t unsure about Bran and Silas at all. They were looking at him expectantly, so he grabbed one of the tacos off his plate and took a bite.

  “Good boy,” Bran murmured, voice soft, fond.

  He smiled at Bran, his cheeks going hot.

  Silas and Bran both also grabbed tacos and took a few bites.

  “So,” Silas looked at him, then at Bran. “There’s a spanking coming?”

  Bran nodded and smiled. “There is. He needs to understand that he can make a mistake and we will deal with it before bed and start fresh in the morning.”

  “Yes, it’s important he understands that.” Silas turned to look at him. “You need to know there’s nothing that will make us turn you away.”

  “How come you want me? I’ve seen the other guys… they’re amazing.”

  “Are you saying you don’t believe that you’re also amazing?” Bran asked, staring into him. He couldn’t look away from that gaze.

  “I’m just me, and I worry that I can’t catch up on the kink stuff.”

  “You don’t have to worry about any of that. It’ll be our honor to teach you all about pleasure, and I’ll tell you a secret. There’s no catching up or right or wrong. As long as we’re all honest with each other and ourselves…”

  “I’m good at honest. At least I hope I am.”

  “You have been so far. Too overly critical of yourself, but honest.” Bran took a bite of his taco. Then he tilted his head. “What did you think of the spanking the other night?”

  “I don’t know—I liked it, and I didn’t know about it, you know?”

  “Never say never until you’ve tried it.” Silas gave him a grin and a shrug. “It’s a good piece of advice for life in general, not just kinky sex.”

  “You’re both very into kinky sex, though.” And he wasn’t complaining.

  Bran’s lips twitched, and then he let the chuckle out. “Well, we’ve had a lot of sex in our lives and we like trying different things. We’ve discovered that pushing boundaries is hot, sexy. Ours and our boy’s.”

  “Yeah…” What else should he say? It was erotic.

  “I can read the interest in your eyes. I’m glad you’re into trying. Although tonight will be a spanking. To remind you not to keep apologizing for things, especially things you’ve already said sorry for.”

  “I didn’t mean to… but I am. I’ve never been fired before.”

  “Careful, that was awfully close to another apology,” Silas told him.

  Bran took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “We’ll all have fun with the spanking and then we’ll have a wonderful night’s sleep and wake up fresh in the morning.”

  That was possibly one of the weirdest sentences ever spoken…

  “Eat up,” Silas told him. “I’m ready to get started.”

  “But… it’s very early…” He didn’t know if he wanted to do this.

  “The spanking isn’t dependent on time of day,” Bran pointed out. “Besides, didn’t we already establish that you enjoyed the spanking you got the other day?”

  “This won’t be harder?” He wasn’t sure he wanted it harder.

  “It doesn’t have to be.”

  “That comes later when we start pushing your boundaries a little.” Silas gave him a wicked little grin.

  “Okay. So I’m not in trouble?”

  “Well, this is a punishment, but you disobeyed. This balances things,” Bran told him. “Don’t overthink it.”

  Don’t overthink it? He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to not think about it.

  “There is a difference, but it’s more in your mind,” Silas told him.

  “What?”

  Bran stood. “Come on, baby boy. Let’s just get this started.”

  Silas nodded. “We’re not going to spank you differently, but you know it’s for a punishment and not pleasure, so in your mind it’s different.”

  Bran shook his head as he led Jamie to the living room. “He needs to experience it for it to make sense. We are going to go into the living room and do this on the couch because we will not give you a punishment spanking in our bedroom. That room is for pleasure only. And there will be only five swats in this spanking and you’ll need to count them.”

  Five. He could do five of anything. “Okay.”

  “I want you to think about why you’re getting the spanks as you get them. This is because you keep apologizing for something you’ve already apologized for. Once is more than enough—especially if one of your daddies tells you it’s time to stop. Understand?”

  He nodded, not sure what to say.