Page 72 of His Coveted Obsession

I shrugged. “I could go either way. Despite how cute you are as a babysitter, I don’t see you as a dad. Maybe as a cool uncle. And that’s okay, too. I could be a cool uncle. A guncle.”

“What is a… ‘guncle?’”

I rolled my eyes, feigning exasperation. “A gay uncle. Duh.”

“Noted.”

I burst out laughing, loving his dry humor. Then I laughed even harder as I watched Owen totally own Easton. I hadn’t known Easton all that long, but I knew enough that he only allowed Owen to lead him.

Not only was Easton the epitome of sexiness, but he was also so sweet and attentive to Owen. He was the perfect human, at least for me.

Once we reached the space section, Annie took Owen’s hand, and they ran off to look at all the displays, pressing the monitors for information on each section. I had to admit that it was pretty cool. No wonder they liked it.

As they explored, staying within our sight, I put my hand in Easton’s. He looked at me and threaded our fingers together.

“This isn’t enjoyable. There’s too much going on, too many people, and it’s too loud,” he said.

“It’s definitely very crowded. If it’s stressing you out, when we wrap up the space section, we can leave and get some lunch or something. Next time we take the kids out, we can do something quieter.”

“Okay. I’m not coming back to museums again. I don’t like them. I’d rather learn new things from my books. And what I learnneeds to be put to use somehow. It needs to serve a purpose. Old planes serve no purpose.”

“These planes are just about history, which is important because we want to learn what worked in the past and what didn’t.”

“There’s truth to that,” he sighed.

I squeezed his hand and rested my head on his shoulder. “Learning new things is important. I love that you enjoy learning.”

“Enjoyment isn’t the reason I learn things.”

“That’s fair. It needs to apply to your life. I get that.”

“Yes.”

Easton was so fascinating. He wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met. Not only was he honest, straightforward, intelligent, and gorgeous, but he processed information differently. He saw the world in a unique way. Nothing was wasted on him. It must have been part of his neurodivergence. It made him so special to me.

The more I got to know Easton, the more I wondered what he saw in me. I was not even remotely interesting. But I trusted him when he told me he wanted me. I fully believed him when he told me I was his. My still-stinging hand was a reminder of that.

WhenAnnieandIgot home, Dad wasn’t there. I cursed under my breath, hoping he didn’t find some money and was out gambling again. I looked around the house to see if anything was missing, things that Dad could sell for cash. Maybe we got lucky, and he was out looking for a job. Doubtful.

“Great, Dad is out causing trouble again,” Annie huffed, reading my mind. “I want the old Dad back. I hate this dad we have now.”

“Yeah, I know. I wish there was something I could do.” I pulled her into a hug, and she held me back. “Whatever happens, I’ll always take care of you, okay? One day, when I get a place of my own, you’re coming with me.”

“I love you, Tommy.”

“I love you, Annie Boo.”

She pulled away and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. She did that when she was trying not to get overly emotional. “Maybe you and Easton will get married, and you’ll have a happily ever after.”

I chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Maybe.” I didn’t tell her of the bond Easton and I shared. It wasn’t really a marriage. I wasn’t stupid, but it was a nice thought that we were bound by blood forever—that it was Easton’s way of marrying me. Like he didn’t seem like the fatherly type, he also didn’t seem to be the marrying type. Traditionally, at least. I was okay with that as long as he was in my life.

For dinner, I heated two frozen chicken pot pies in the microwave for us. It was quick and easy. After dinner, Annie headed up to her room to text her friends or go on social media before bed, and I took a quick shower.

After I was clean, I fell into my lumpy mattress and opened up my phone to check my bank account. Paranoia had my brain thinking about ways Dad found out about it and stole it all. But the money was still there. I blew out a sigh of relief. There was so much money in there. I imagined ways Iwould use it, but I barely touched it except to pay bills and buy groceries. I wanted it there for emergencies. In an ironic twist, if my dad taught me anything, it was to be careful and frugal with money.

Then I opened my photos on my phone and scrolled through the ones we took earlier. Some nice people took pictures of all four of us at the museum and outside with the monument in the background.

I laughed at how stiff and unsmiling Easton was. Not everyone enjoyed having their picture taken. But it was nice to have something of him. Maybe next time he would let me take a selfie of us together. I wanted something nice for my phone’s wallpaper. His gorgeous face would be perfect for that.

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