Page 46 of Master Daddy

“Luke,” I say, looking up into those beautiful eyes. “I love you. I love your sass, your strength, your Little side, the way you melt for me when I get stern, the way you challenge me to be better. You make me want to be the best Daddy I can possibly be. I want us to be Daddy and Little forever. No more temporary. No more four-week leaves. Just us. For good.”

Luke lets out a happy sob-laugh, tears spilling over now.

“Yes! Oh my god, Mason…yes!” Luke squeals. “You’re the Daddy of my dreams. I love you so much. I’ve been falling for you since the second you saved me under that barbell. I want forever with you. All of it.”

I surge up and kiss him hard, tasting salt from Luke’s tears of joy and the heat of the sauna on his lips. He throws his arms around my neck, kissing me back with everything he has. The kiss is messy, desperate, joyful—all the weeks of building tension and love pouring out between us.

When we finally break apart, both breathing hard, I rest my forehead against the boy.

“There’s one more thing,” I say, smiling against his mouth.

He pulls back just enough to look at me, eyes shining. “What? Tell me.”

“I want to buy this place,” I say, the words tumbling from my mouth. “The Hardrock Healing Club. With you. We’ll run it together. Our way. Make it even better. Stronger. A real community hub. You bring the warmth and the heart. I’ll handle the safety, the maintenance, making sure the place is rock solid. We’ll build something lasting here. For us. For the town.”

Luke lets out a whoop of pure joy and leaps up from the bench. He’s so excited he nearly bangs his head on the low cedar ceiling. I catch him just in time, laughing as I pull my love into my arms. He wraps his legs around my waist, kissing me again—deep, passionate, full of promise.

“Yes,” Luke whispers between kisses. “Yes, yes, yes. Let’s do it. All of it.”

We hold each other tight in the sweltering heat of the sauna, hearts pounding in sync. This is it. The future I didn’t dare let myself dream about until he crashed into my life.

Eventually Luke pulls back, cheeks flushed, eyes bright with mischief. “There’s only one way to properly seal the deal.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Oh?”

He grins wickedly. “Cold plunge time!”

We laugh like kids as we scramble out of the sauna, towels forgotten on the bench. Hand in hand, we race to the coldest plunge pool—the one at two degrees Celsius. The icy water looks merciless, steam rising off the surface. Luke squeezes my hand tight.

“Together?” Luke asks, bouncing on his toes.

“Together,” I confirm.

We take a running start and jump.

The shock of the freezing water hits us like a freight train. We go under together, then burst back up gasping and laughing, teeth chattering instantly. I pull him close in the water, wrapping my arms around his shivering body. He clings to me, legs wrapping around my waist again as we bob in the frigid pool.

“My life is perfect,” Luke says through chattering teeth, pressing his cold lips to mine. “Absolutely perfect.”

I kiss Luke back, deep and slow despite the freezing water. “Mine too, little one. And it’s all because of you.”

We stay in the plunge longer than we probably should, just holding each other, kissing, laughing every time one of us shivers hard. Eventually we haul ourselves out, dripping and glowing, and wrap up in thick towels. I pull him into my chest, rubbing his arms to warm him up.

This is my future.

Luke by my side. No more rigs. No more long goodbyes.

Just us, building something real in the town we both love.

As we walk back toward the changing rooms, still tangled together, I know without a doubt that I’ve finally found where I belong.

Right here. With Luke.

Forever.

Chapter 15

Luke