Page 4 of Just A Little Magic

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Yeah.” Bear sighed. “I do. I want to give them that. But I won’t do it until I’m ready and the person I’m with is ready. How come we’ve never talked about this? Do you?”

Yes, desperately. I’ve never wanted anything more than to be a dad with you.

“Why do kids have to come from you? Your brother is even older,and he doesn’t have any.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. But Travis has always been pretty clear he doesn’t want them. Even back in high school, he said no to kids.”

“Is everything okay with him? If something happened, your dad could have been triggered by it.”

“He was fine as of last week. He texted me from Italy on his way to Spain.”

“Anything new with him?”

“He’s trying to decide whether to stay in or get out. He’s been in the Army for like twenty years, and I think it’s wearingon him. I thought after all those missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, he’d get out, but he stayed. If he wanted to do something else, I’m sure there’s a call for helicopter pilots outside of the military.”

“If he did, would he join the business?” Operation Do Not Spill Your Guts Like A Fool In Love With Their Best Friend Since Forever was working.

“Nah, he’s never been interested in hospitality or real estate, but if he wanted to, sure. You never answered about kids.”

“I’ve never really thought about it.”Lies. “Probably not.”More lies. “Kids aren’t really on my bucket list.”Struck by lightning lies.

We fell into companionable silence. My hand twitched with the need to reach out. We were usually affectionate with each other, non-bro hugs and everything, but it had gotten progressively harder over the last few months. Since Gabe had fallen head over ass for Rory, Barrett had seemed melancholy. Recently, when we were out to dinner, one of the few times I visited the club, or if we were at Reed and Jakob’s for a get-together, he was quieter than ever. Almost solemn. It felt like he was waiting for something. Or someone.

Barrett was a damn catch. He was in his thirties, owned his own company, lived in a fully restored craftsman decorated to perfection, if I do say so myself, and had a body like oh-my-effing-God. And so much ink. Sexy, bad-boy vibes with a cinnamon-roll core. He was fiercely loyal to his friends, generous with his employees, and according to one oversharing ex of his, a toe-curling lover.

The man of my dreams, and I couldn’t have him. And now his dad was pushing him to find someone to marry. It was just a matter of time before he found that other person.Sigh.

“Hey, you okay?” Bear asked, his voice laced with concern.He gave me a quick glance and reached out to squeeze my hand. Shit, that had not been an internal sigh.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about…umm…thinking about my sink.” Sink? Lame.

“What’s wrong with your sink?”

“Uh, there’s a leak or something. I don’t know. I’ll ask Levi to take a look at it tomorrow.”

“If there’s water damage, you don’t want to mess with it. I’ll come up and look at it tonight.”

Dammit, now I’d accidentally activated Daddy-mode in the man. I should have just said…I don’t know…anything else. It wasn’t like Bear had never been in my home. He’d helped me paint and move furniture countless times. But after tonight’s conversation about marriage and kids, I didn’t know if I could have him in my space. I did a quick run through in my head of whether I’d put away my little items. Bear knew I was a little, but he didn’t need to know how little I was when I regressed.

“You don’t have to do that. If my boss lets me come in a little late, I’ll have Levi come straight up to look at it.” My cheeky smile hurt my face, but I kept it plastered on anyway.

“The boss is picking you up in the morning, so you and the boss can check out a lodge. And seriously, you know perfectly well that water damage is the worst.”

I huffed and let it go. Bear was always a dog with a bone when it came to taking care of me. He’d never let it go if he was concerned about something in my home, so there was no point in prolonging it. With luck, there might be a slight dampness in the cabinet and my little white lie would go unchallenged. He’d fuss about it, and I’d promise to call Levi to fix it. We’d all be happy enough.

The drive from Quill to my sweet, perfect little bungalow took about fifteen minutes. Bear pulledinto the driveway behind my car and shut off the engine. It was misting again, so the world had a sheen under the streetlights.

In another world, it would be romantic. The car’s interior would be charged with the electricity between us and he’d lean over and kiss me. His fingers would card through my hair, and the exploration would end with the back of my head cradled in his hand as he deepened the kiss.

After he’d fully explored my mouth and I was incapable of speaking, he’d say something like, “Daddy’s going to take care of you tonight.” We’d go inside, and he’d be the exact type of Daddy I needed.

A lovely thought that would never happen.

“You said there was a leak?” Bear asked from under my sink. With his head angled underneath, I had a wonderfully decadent view of his ass. It was rounded perfection. I wasn’t much of a brat, but my urge to give him a pinch was strong. As a friend, I knew he’d laugh. Would he do the same as a Daddy?

Barrett emerged from under the sink and gingerly got to his feet. He wiped his hands on the dishrag I had waiting for him.

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