Page 49 of Reaching Roland

I tensed. “He'll never lose me. He’s my son now, and I'm keeping him.”

“I know, dear, but he's still a little afraid. Change isn’t as easy for him as he likes people to think. He still struggles sometimes with the fact he has a whole family again.”

Cameron turned on the stove, then leaned with his back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, he's a little skittish sometimes. I reassure him the best I can, but I think it's going to take time.”

Miss Georgina nodded sagely. “And you’re doing wonderful, Cameron. He'll settle down soon enough. Give him a little time.”

“And I wouldn't worry too much about Kenny, Dad,” Cameron said. “I think he can hold his own.”

I wasn't so sure about that. The whole four-against-one was really bothering me, and he’d looked absolutely terrified as they hauled him off for their private conversation. “Yeah, but maybe I should just—” A loud burst of laughter from the other room stopped me when I heard Kenny’s chuckle mixed in, and I smiled like a loon. “Oh, they’re fine.”

Cameron’s gaze slid over to Miss Georgina. “How long will he be like this?” he stage-whispered like I wasn’t sitting right there.

She cackled. “How long do you think you’re going to be like that with your little peacock?”

Cameron rubbed the back of his neck and blew out a breath. “Forever then. Gotcha.”

“Sorry.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “I’m being over the top, aren’t I?”

“No. I’m sorry, Dad. You’ve never done anything but support me, and I’m picking on you.” He gave me a small smile. “Daddy looks good on you.” Then he wrinkled his nose, muttering, “Now there’s something I never thought I’d say.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not a Daddy.”

Miss Georgina and Cameron gaped at me. “What?” I asked, looking back and forth between them. “I’m not. Sure, Kenny calls me Daddy to be silly, but he doesn’t mean anything by it.”

Miss Georgina’s eyebrows crawled up her forehead, and I bit back a laugh. The poor thing only had like six hairs left to identify each eyebrow, and they were long. “Do you have nicknames for other people that I don’t know about, shortcake?”

“What? It fits him.”

“Uh-huh.” Cameron deposited our mugs on the table then sat back down. “So aside from the names, nothing else you two have going on reminds you of me with Indie?”

My son and Miss Georgina were two of the people I valued most in the world. I respected their opinions and trusted their instincts. If they both thought…

Well hell. What did I think about that? I hadn't had any more of an issue finding out my son was a Daddy than I had findingout he was bisexual. All I ever wanted was for him to be himself, love freely, and be loved fiercely in return. His relationship with Indie was every parent's wish for their child. In my case—since they were both mine now—for your children. But how did I feel about that for me? My heart warmed thinking about every time Kenny called me Daddy. It had flustered me in the beginning, but it had always made me feel special.

I was a caregiver by nature, so it wasn't like I really treated him differently than anyone else, but… I did. My desire to take care of every little thing that concerned Kenny went beyond anything I'd ever felt for anyone else. He brought out all the better parts of me, and I wanted to see him happy, healthy, and smiling.

I’d thought a lot about my time with Kenny over the last several weeks, but this time, I looked at it through the lens of what they thought they saw. I cataloged every time I’d held a door open or put my hand in the center of his back to guide him and how flustered he got. How much I loved to see him smile and laugh.

Then there were the times that I’d fed him or brought him food because I worried that he didn’t eat enough for someone on their feet eight to ten hours a day. Then there was also how crazy he drove me with his blasted fondness for fashionable boots that didn’t always provide the best support. He looked good in them, better than, but I worried about his feet later in life. I know he thought I was being silly, but I was on a mission to… “Well, shit.”

Cameron held his tea up like he was toasting me. “Daddies unite.”

We both said, “Ew,” and made a face at the same time, then the three of us laughed until we had tears in our eyes. Eventually, the boys, because they were all boys, wandered back in for dessert. Watching Kenny interact with them over pie, teasingand goofing around, I knew that I’d never be able to unsee him as a boy now that I’d realized. I wondered how he’d feel about that.

After everyone was gone, I lit the candles in the living room and turned the lights down low. Kenny and I settled on the couch with him tucked into my side. Exactly where he belonged. “Did you have fun tonight? It seemed like Indie and company overwhelmed you at first, but you seemed fine once you came back into the kitchen.”

Kenny tilted his head up and met my eyes. “They were fine. Great, actually. They did have some interesting things to say.”

“Yeah?”

He cleared his throat, but I noticed the grin playing around his mouth. “They suggested we've been dating for months.”

I let my head fall back against the cushion. I’d always prided myself on being a pretty sharp guy, but it seems I’d been slacking lately. Or just plain not paying attention. “Yeah, I can see that. We probably have. If I'd been more self-aware…”

Kenny pressed a finger to my lips. “None of that. I think it happened the way it was supposed to. If we hadn’t spent time together as friends and really got to know each other, I suspect it would’ve been too much for you. Plus, I had my own hang-ups, too. You’d never been with a man before, so I would’ve been leery to give you a chance. Slow and easy was perfect for us.”

I kissed his finger, then tugged his hand down, holding it in mine. “You're absolutely right. Slow and easy.”

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