Page 8 of Just A Little Love

Yeah, this was a mistake.

Chapter 5

Gabriel

Rory was as pretty as I remembered from last night, but his waterlogged appearance chafed my daddy instincts. Now he was standing in front of me, and I’d fucked it up straight away when I scowled at him. This silly boy— no, he was a guy, not a boy— thought I wouldn’t want him after I saw him in daylight.

The rain had not been a drizzle, regardless of what the forecast app called it. Rory hadn’t had an umbrella, okay, fine. I hadn’t owned one either, but he should have at least had a raincoat and waterproof shoes like everyone else who had lived in the Pacific Northwest. A daddy would have reminded him to dress properlyfor the weather. Obviously, this boy, who was not a boy, needed a daddy to handle the pesky details of life for him.

Maybe Reed and Jakob were right, and it was time to make room for someone in my life. Even if they were correct, I was headed back to London for an extended period after the first of the year. No way could I ask a little to be on their own for months, especially at the beginning of a relationship. My reaction today was from being out of practice.

“No, it wasn’t a mistake to come, and you have nothing to apologize for. Sit by the fire and get warmed up.”

I ushered him over and nodded toward a wingback chair upholstered with a tartan plaid. He placed his leather messenger bag on the floor, and out of instinct, I reached up to his shoulders to help take off his cardigan. Rory gave me a quizzical look, and I dropped my hands again. “Sorry, it’s a habit.”

Rory looked like a rabbit, ready to run, but he sat down. His clothes were still wet, but hopefully, the fire would do its job quickly.

“Holy shit! That’s the biggest man I have ever seen in real life.” Rory said with awe at the man who resembled the broad side of a barn working the counter. A wave of jealousy washed through me at the thought Rory would be interested in Barrett.

“Yeah, I had the same reaction the first time I met him.”

“Do you know him from coming here?”

“I do come here a lot, but Barrett and I were friends before he opened this place.”

Despite the warmth of the café, Rory shivered in his damp clothes and shoes. “Your sweater is wet. Here, put on my jacket.” I ignored Rory’s protest noises and handed it to him. I admonished him in a stern tone, “I’m wearing a long-sleeved shirt, and I’m also not the one who walked in the rain without an umbrella or rain jacket.”

Rory promptly closed his mouth, replaced his cardigan with my jacket, and wrapped it tight around his core. It swamped him, and I refused to acknowledge any stray thoughts about how cute he looked in my clothes.

“I know it’s late, but have you eaten lunch?” Rory turned his gaze downward and answered no as his stomach rumbled. Loudly.

“Ah, no, I haven’t.,” he admitted in a sheepish tone. “One of my students came in for some extra help, then I had to go home and change.”

“Why didn’t you put on a rain jacket and proper shoes or, at least, grab an umbrella?” Rory took a deep breath before he answered, and I didn’t bother to hide my scowl this time.

“Because I live here? Umbrellas are for tourists.”

I couldn’t help laughing at his explanation. When I’d first moved to the Pacific Northwest, I learned quickly to ditch mine too, but I also didn’t walk blocks at a time.

“My house is a mess, and I couldn’t find anything. I had time to think on the way over, and it’s probably hanging on the back of my dining room chair. And it wasn’t drizzling this morning when I grabbed my sneakers and sweater. I wanted to be on time, so I didn’t have an opportunity to look.” Rory’s answer came in a rush, I wanted to tell him to stop and breathe.

“I’m glad you’re here now, and we can talk about all of this. Are you warm enough?” Rory’s smile was nothing short of angelic, and I wanted to snuggle my jacket tighter around him. As a precaution, of course.

“Are you warm enough?” I asked again.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Where would you like to start? I can review your papers. I should have asked you to scan them for me, so I could work on them with a laptop available for research.” Great, now I was the one rambling. With considerable effort, I forced myself to stop talking.

Rory gave me a hesitant look before he squared his shoulders and looked directly into my eyes. “We talked about my house problems yesterday,” he said with a wave of dismissal. “It was hard not to spend all night researching stuff online, but I wanted to learn more from you firsthand so I would have context for what I read.”

“Before we get into everything, let’s get some food in you. I come here so often I’ve got it memorized, but I can go get you a menu.”

Rory's cheeks flushed, and he cleared his throat. “In the spirit of the meeting, I wouldn’t mind if you ordered for me. No allergies, and I like food. Except lettuce.”

When Barrett came over, I ordered hot chocolate for Rory, coffee, with bowls of sourdough bread and clam chowder for us both. While we waited, Rory studied the woodland murals on the walls. His half-smile turned full-fledged when he found the dragon and the bunny sharing nose kisses. I could tell he wanted to keep finding the hidden vignettes, but he dragged his attention back to me.

“Okay, tell me about littles and caregivers. Different types? Who would your friends expect you to be involved with?” Rory asked his questions in a matter-of-fact tone.

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