himself before the world realized they were awake, and he had to share Ben with others.
He glanced over his shoulder, a sleepy smile making its way into his expression as the chirp of a single bird perched on the tree outside their window greeted him.
A window he could actually slide open.
After a few hours, more birds would come for their breakfast from the small feeder Ben had hung on the limb of the tree.
Their tree.
Bull was officially broken in to his family-man role and loved it. He had trees that needed trimming and a lawn to cut. Panoramic ocean views couldn’t compare. With Ben in his arms, he always felt at home.
The rhythmic snoring from the neighboring room faltered. Soon, Wooky would wake and demand he be released to the backyard to take care of business.
Another change.
Wooky. A guard dog and gift from Dylan with an easy-to-pronounce name Ben chose for those times he felt comfortable enough to speak.
Even though Dylan had been pissed at Aidan for pulling Wall away from their peaceful ranch life, he couldn’t hang on to the anger for long after hearing that it was to save Bull, the man who had been initially tasked to guard him nearly two years ago. Dylan said he was duty-bound to give them a gift since fate had brought them all together.
Regardless of Aidan’s insistence that this was actually Dylan dishing out punishment, Bull easily saw beneath the snarky facade at the man’s passion for finding a forever home for the overgrown brindled Bullmastiff puppy. Dylan swore it was a perfect match.
“A Bullmastiff for a bull. That makes enough sense even Aidan could understand,” Dylan had claimed with a teasing smirk.
After a feigned sneer from Aidan and a few chuckles from their friends, he and Ben had welcomed the new addition into their family. They loved the large pup and spoiled him. And with their new addition guarding Ben almost as fiercely as he loved him in return, it was another win in Bull’s mind.
Bull pushed his nose into Ben’s hair and took a deep breath, smiling when the lingering scent hit his senses. Regardless of Ben’s efforts, the man couldn’t wash out the sweet smell of the shop’s sugary ingredients. With a stroke of his fingertips along Ben’s back and another kiss to his forehead, Bull slowly worked to rouse him. He chuckled at the expected grumble of protest.
Early rising was the only drawback to baking. And nothing set Ben off more than the vibration of his alarm going off while it was still dark outside.
Except for being tickled.
Bull stroked his fingertips along Ben’s side. Ben instinctively curled into Bull’s body and fought the building laughter. That joyful, life-filled sound—even masked with sleep—was a beautiful symphony to Bull’s soul. He pressed another kiss to Ben’s forehead and stroked the back of his hand down Ben’s torso.
That was enough to wake Ben from his sleep. He slapped away Bull’s hand and narrowed his eyes into the cutest menacing glare Bull swore he had ever seen.
“Groundbreaking is today. You have a lot of prep and don’t want to be late.” Bull slowly spoke and signed, knowing the message would reach Ben’s caffeine-deprived mind one way or the other.
Ben stared and blinked.
Then blinked some more.
Sometimes…it took a little while.
A few seconds later, Ben’s eyes rounded and his head whipped to the side, over to the alarm clock on the nightstand. He glanced back at Bull with a scowl. “I have thirty minutes until my alarm goes off,” he signed. “Thirty. Minutes.”
“I know,” Bull signed. Ben loved baking, but sometimes Bull wondered if sleeping would win if Ben were pressed to make a choice.
But there was one thing Ben loved more than sleep.
The scowl faded into a frown and then vanished when the meaning of Bull’s words registered in Ben’s sleep-fogged mind. That teasing glint in Ben’s eyes finally appeared. “We have thirty minutes. But I only need ten,” Ben signed, not even bothering to disguise a laugh.
Bull slowly shook his head. He wasn’t ready to share Ben with the world yet. “I want my thirty minutes.”
Ben raised his hands to sign something, then stopped. He bit his lip and did it again until he finally signed, “I want more than thirty.” There was hesitation in Ben’s expression, almost as if he had wanted to add something more. Instead, he reached out and flattened his hand against Bull’s cheek.
With a deep sigh, Bull leaned into Ben’s palm, enjoying the tender caress. He