Page 19 of Just A Little Love

“For all of fifteen minutes, yes. I swear he'll be the death of me. He got his paperwork out of the back office and headed back home. I mentioned Rory adored his designs and would be eager to meet him, but he said he couldn’t do it. I tried the big guns and told him Jakob would be here, but I wasn’t able to get him to stay.” As Barrett ruffled Jakob’s hair while he spoke and poked at his side a little to tickle him. Jakob giggled and batted his hand away.

The rest of them continued to talk, but I let my mind wander. It was still early on New Year’s, but my eyes were sleepy and drooped down. Daddy pulled me right back into his lap. I should have cared it wasn’t the right time, but I didn’t. He was so warm, and my brain was so tired. My brain wanted to shut off. I wasn’t paying much attention when Jakob asked me a question. I wasn’t sure what he said but yes felt like the right answer. I guessed the right one 'cause when I forced my eyes open again, Jakob was doing a happy dance in his chair. Reed was beaming.

I’d ask Daddy about it later, but for now, I wanted to soak up the floaty feeling.

Chapter 11

Gabriel

Rory was perfect last night.

Reed and Jakob both liked him. Rory might not realize it yet, but he was born to be little. He took to it so well and completely relaxed into it. I was so proud he'd fully embraced the experience and threw his whole heart into it. He was exhausted when I brought him home. It didn't occur to me to address our behavior in the car or our brief conversation before dinner. Rory’s mind needed to rest after the unexpected revelations he’d discovered about himself.

Rory mentioned at some point yesterday he and Anders had plans to hang out today. I knew I shouldn’t bother him, but the urge to reach out was too strong to ignore. I caved. Bad decision made, I hoisted myself out of bed and padded down the hall to the living room to find my phone so I could text Rory. After a brief search, I found it next to the sink in the kitchen. When I powered it on, there was a deluge of messages from last night and into this morning.

Jakob: OhEmGee Rory is gonna be my friend. He’s already my friend. EEK!

Reed: Thanks for coming last night. It meant a lot to Jakob you showed and brought Rory. I’m sorry I doubted he was real.

Owen: Sorry, I didn’t stay.

Jakob: It’s okay. Next time, though. The party was extra pretty.

Reed: What Jakob said

Gabe: It’s cool. I miss your face. The party looked spectacular.

Barrett: @Owen told you

Owen: TY :)

Jakob: Could I have Rory’s number so we can start planning the next little party? We are gonna do a V-Day thingy. It’s gonna be so much easier with two people.

Jakob: I have so many ideas, but maybe Rory has better ones.

Jakob: Maybe Rory could come back to the club and we can plan there? Or maybe a play date? I would a play date, Uncle Gabe.

What the hell was he talking about?

Reed [off the group chat]: Sorry about all the messages. Jakob is so excited Rory agreed to join him on the Cuddle Crew Confab. It’s now officially a committee of two. I warned him Rory was sleepy when he agreed to join, so he might back out. If that’s the case, please let me know and I’ll handle telling Jakob.

If I didn’t know what the hell Jakob and Reed were talking about, Rory likely wouldn't have a clue either. I searched my memory for any part of a conversation about it, but I came up with a complete blank. The idea of a disappointed Jakob sat on my chest like a weight. As carefree as his little persona was, Jakob was a sensitive man who struggled to connect with people in the real world. He took big brain to a whole new level, and too often people shied away from him because of the intimidation factor his massive intelligence brought to the table.

Damn, it was only seven a.m.

Since texting Rory wasn't an option, I used the time to work on his house documents. It would be helpful if they were in better order, but they weren't so tangled I couldn’t get a handle on them. Hopefully, when the city offices reopen this week after the holiday break, I’d be able to get an appointment with thecity permit office and the historical designation person. Once we were on the right track with permits, we wouldn't have to wait to start the grant applications needed for Rory to make the repairs. Assuming the rest of the house was as well-preserved as the foyer, it was a house worth saving.

Five hours in, and the house situation was significantly more clear. Given its age, the house wasn’t in terrible shape. Realistically, most of the condemnation actions related to points that didn’t come up on a typical inspection unless there was a specific concern. Rory had mentioned developers had occasionally shown up at his door and inquired about a potential sale. One of them likely was tired of waiting for his uncle to give up and put the house on the market. They probably intended to nudge along what they saw as an inevitable sale with an anonymous complaint. Assholes.

***

Gabriel: Did you survive the night?

Bunny: I did, but I apologize for being the lamest New Year’s date ever. Falling asleep? Lame.

Gabriel: First, you are *never* lame. Second, what are you and Anders going to do today?

Bunny: Ander’s boyfriend (who is TOTALLY lame) said Anders forgot to do a project. Anders is obsessive about doing his job to the nth degree, sothere’s no way. His BF/dead weight/boss must have screwed it up.

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