Page 42 of Reaching Roland

Knight smirked, and I laughed. Before this became Ace’s yearly complaint, it had been his father’s when he owned the auto shop. Ace had always sworn that once the shop was his, he’d never complain about having too much business like his old man did, but it had only taken one summer on his own for him to completely understand where his father had been coming from all those years. He signed off with a, “Have fun, little buddy,” and I was left alone with Knight.

“If you need me…” He trailed off.

“I know. You’ve always got my back.” And he did. Since the beginning, he’d been the first one to step up to the plate, and he’d always been there for the three of us every day since.

“I’m sorry if I sounded like a dick. I just worry.”

“I know. And I appreciate it,” I said sincerely.

He huffed. “You’d think with as long as you’ve been living in Takoda, I’d know you can take care of yourself by now.”

I shrugged. “But who wants to do that? It’s reassuring to know that if I need you, you’ll be there.”

“Always,” he promised.

I’d known he’d be the one who freaked out the most about Roland. He worried, and he wanted to protect us all. I thought some of that went back to feeling like he should’ve done more for Scott. One thing was for sure, with Knight, an officer in town, homophobia was never tolerated, not even a little, no matter what. I was proud of my friend.

“So we heard the things you’ve done together, and Will told us what a great guy he is. Now, why don’t you tell me how he makes you feel.”

And just like I’d known he’d have the biggest issue at first, I’d also known that he’d ask me this and that he’d let me talk, and he’d really listen. I hoped whatever Roland and I had started would go far enough for me to take him home to meet my parents and my friends. I’d never done that before, but there had never been Roland.

With that in mind, I poured out my heart until I ran out of words to say.

Chapter Fifteen

ROLAND

Heading up the stairs to Kenny's apartment, I wondered the last time I'd been this nervous. It had definitely been a while, probably years. When I reached the top, I took a deep breath. Unlike the other times when I'd shown up, where he either answered before I finished knocking or the time I heard a crash on the other side that let me know he was in there, it was total eerie silence. I wondered if he was as nervous as me.

It had only been a few days since I asked him to go on a date with me, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Kenny and I had still texted throughout the day and talked at night before bed—with the exception of the night he spoke with his friends—but I was ready for us to sit down and make sure we were on the same page.

I finally heard the sound of him unlocking the door, and then it swung open. My usually exuberant shortcake stared at the ground, twisting his hands together in front of him. He’d colored his hair since the last time I saw him, brunet with stylish chunks of golden blond. With the deep tan he had from all our wanderings so far this summer, the new color offset his skin beautifully. Paired with his slim-fit black slacks and salmon-colored shirt, he looked breathtaking. “You look gorgeous, shortcake.”

He peeked up from under his eyelashes, taking me in, as well. I hoped he found my gray suit pants with the blue shirt that I fancied matched my eyes to his liking. I couldn't remember the last time I stood in front of my closet for as long as I did earlier, picking an outfit for tonight, and hoping I didn’t look too old and fuddy-duddy. “You’re seriously hot, Daddy.”

Heartened by his words, I turned sideways and crooked my arm. “Well, thank you. Shall we?”

His cheeks went that adorable shade of pinkish-red, and he slid one arm into mine shyly, while closing the door with the other. I escorted him down and into the SUV, but then it was a quiet ride over to the Italian restaurant that I'd selected for tonight. I wasn’t used to this awkwardness between us, and I knew I needed to truly lay my cards on the table so he knew where I stood, but I wanted to be able to see his face and gauge his reactions for that.

I waited until the hostess seated us, then I asked, “Are you okay?”

His cheeks pinched in like he was sucking on something, but he didn’t have a lollipop in his mouth this evening. He took a deep breath and blew it out. “I'm fine. I'm just really nervous. I don’t know why,” he rambled on. “We’ve been out a bunch lately, but…” He scanned the restaurant around us. “This place is really nice, and…” He shrugged.

I smiled gently, hoping to ease his nerves—and mine—in the process. I’d wanted to make sure he understood that this was a real date and not like what we’d been doing up to this point,but maybe I should’ve gone more casual until he—hell, we—were more comfortable with the change in relationship status. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m really nervous, too.”

For the first time, his eyes jumped up and met mine. “You are?”

I chuckled. “Kenny, I haven't gone on a first date since I was fourteen, and I'm not sure that counts that since we were kids and couldn't actually go anywhere alone.”

“But you said…” He trailed off and looked around, then leaned forward and whispered, “That you still you, you know…”

Leaning in, too, I said softly, “Have sex.”

His face flamed red, and he nodded.

I sat back in my seat, and he followed my lead. “I have, but it wasn’t dating. They were more hookup-type situations.”

His brow furrowed. “Daddy, you can’t expect me to believe that you found women on apps.”

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