Page 15 of Just A Little Love

Chapter 9

Gabriel

Reed: Jakob is driving me insane. I’ve been told to make sure you are coming tonight.

Gabriel: You should get a handle on your boy.

Reed: Barrett said your boy was pretty cute.

Gabriel: Barrett can fuck off and get his own boy.

Reed: So that's a yes?

Gabriel: Tell Jakob I’ve told Rory all about him, and he’s excited to meet him

***

Rory wasn’t waiting outside, so I parked and headed for the door. The porch needed a little love, but didn’t look hazardous. It could go down lower of the priority list of repairs. I knocked on what looked like an original door with leaded glass between wavy panes and waited for Rory to answer. On the drive over, I reminded myself on repeat that tonight wasn't a real date, and he wasn't really my little. If I told myself the message a million more times, maybe it would stick eventually.

The yanked open front door saved me from my foolishness. The rush of warm air was welcome because the nerves that kept me sweating had lost their effectiveness in the chilly sea breeze. The sight before me was, well, not great. A disheveled Rory had on a ratty T-shirt, likely leftover from his college days, and thin, pink sweatpants. His damp curls were a tangled, gingered halo.

Fuck. My. Life.

“Hey Rory, good to see you. Can I come in?”

Rory gnawed on his lip for a beat before he stepped back to let me in the house. The swollen appearance of Rory’s bottom lip emphasized how much it quivered. His watery gaze threatened to spill over while he knotted his fingers over and around each other. My daddy core gave up all pretense of detachment. Imoved over to Rory, wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and pulled him tight into my embrace. He wiggled enough to get his arms free and encircled my waist to grip my shirt around the back. With his face buried in the crook of my neck, I felt wetness at my open collar and what sounded suspiciously like muffled crying.

“Bunny, what on earth is wrong? Are you okay?”

“This is so dumb, and I feel so stupid to be this upset when I’m the one who said I wanted to do this. You’re being so nice about it, and it’s a lost cause anyway because I can’t fix my house, and now I can’t find my…”

Rory’s words trailed off, and his crying turned into full-fledged sobs. He sounded heartbroken, and I didn’t fully understand what had upset him tonight. I only knew that standing in the doorway in full view of the neighbors wouldn’t help the situation. I pushed the door shut with my foot and scooped a still crying Rory up into my arms, bridal style. He immediately entwined his arms around my neck and clung like a sad sloth. A brief look around had me headed to a sofa in the middle of the living room. I sat down with Rory firmly planted in my lap. I hugged him close and waited him out.

“Oh my God, Gabriel,” Rory began before he stopped to sniffle a few more times. “I’m so sorry. This is so fucking embarrassing.”

“Stop it. I don’t want an apology because you’re upset. Tell me what’s wrong, and let me help you fix it.” I kept my voice calm,and I hoped, soothing so he wouldn’t get spooked. “Take a breath and try to explain. Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Did something important break into the house?”

“No.”

“Did someone in your family get hurt?”

“No.”

“Did Anders get hurt?”

“No”

“Did you lose your job?”

“No”

“Did a mouse take over your bathroom?”

“What? No.”

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