Page 36 of Heal
He wasn't caught up with Beau because of his family and money, but the man had it together. He was a well-known doctor in the area who had a reputation for helping others and being a great philanthropist. He was also attractive, tall, with dark eyes and hair. Parson longed to run his fingers through Beau's hair and see if it was as soft as it looked.
"This is crazy." Parson shoved his wallet into his back pocket. There was no reason he should be nervous. Not a single one. It was just that he really wanted this to work. He liked Beau, and it had been a long time since he'd really liked someone. What started out as a professional courtesy had become almost friendship, and now, he hoped it could move into something even more.
The sound of the doorbell nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. He took a deep breath, resisted running his fingers through his hair again, and opened the door with a smile. "Hi."
"Hi, you look great." Beau's eyes darkened as his gaze traveled over Parson's body.
"Thanks. I can say the same about you." Parson took in Beau's black turtleneck and matching black jeans. "You look amazing."
Beau smiled. "Thank you. You ready or do you need a minute?"
"I'm ready." Parson shut the door and locked it before shoving his keys into his pocket.
"I've looked forward to tonight all week." Beau grinned as they walked to his car.
"So have I. I couldn't keep my mind on work today," Parson admitted.
Beau opened the passenger door for Parson, still grinning. "I hope our date lives up to your expectations."
How long had it been since a man had opened a car door for him? "It already has." Parson slid into the seat, reaching for the seatbelt as soon as Beau shut the door.
As Beau slid behind the steering wheel, he glanced over at Parson. "I figured we'd keep tonight casual and just get to know each other a bit more. I thought of a million places I'd like to take you, but more than anything right now, I just want to talk. We can do movies and plays and all that other stuff another night."
Hopeful that meant that Beau wanted to see him again, Parson nodded. "I like that idea."
"You okay with Italian?"
"Yes, sounds good. There isn't much foodwise I don't like." Parson tried to relax as Beau pulled out of the driveway.
"I'm the same. I'm not huge on seafood, but I'll eat it. I also am not anywhere close to a vegetarian. I like my meat."
"We'll get along wonderfully." Parson laughed.
"So, before it becomes an issue that we didn't discuss and plan for, I figured we needed to get this in the open right away." Beau glanced over at Parson. "I want this to be a date, which means I might want to hold your hand, maybe even steal a kiss if the mood is right, but as we've already discussed, I never know who is watching or who has a camera. It only takes one cell phone picture of us to create a news story. I wasn't sure how you want to handle that. I mean, there is a chance that no one will even pay attention to us, but there is also a chance that someone will make a phone call and we walk out of the restaurant to face the media. I never know."
Parson nodded. "I want this to be a real date too. I don't want to hide things if we decide we want to hold hands or touch. If they get pictures of it, I'm okay with that. I've been in the media before, so I know how to ignore whatever they might say about us. If you don't mind the intrusion, I don't mind. I don't want them in the bedroom with us, but when we're in public, I can ignore them."
"Are we going to be in the bedroom together?" Beau asked with a grin.
"I'm hoping we might end up there in time." Parson wasn't going to play shy. He was old enough to say what he wanted and what he was feeling. "I really like you, Beau. I don't know what the future holds, but as of right now, I'm open to seeing where it takes us. Besides, if we're going to be working together on the fundraiser, the media is going to notice us anyway. I'd rather not have to try and hide my attraction to you when we are anywhere together."
"I agree. I have to warn you that my father will hate you no matter what. You're a man and I'm interested in you. That's enough for him to despise you in his book. I'll handle him, but please, don't take it personally. I stand up to him, but it's always a fight."
"I can handle a homophobic father." Parson wasn't sure he wanted to meet the man, but he'd do what he had to for Beau if the time came. "My parents will have us married after the first photo of us hits the media. They can be a bit much at times, but I guess it's better than what you have to face with your dad. My parents will be especially happy that there's no chance you're after my money."
Beau laughed. "Maybe I don't have enough of my own and want yours too."
Parson shrugged. "You can have it."
"See, that is what I like about you. You aren't all stuck up and protective about things. It's refreshing. I do have to warn you, I have a few business things I'd like to talk about tonight, but once we get those out of the way, then we can put it all aside and focus on more personal things. I don't want to talk CPS or fundraising all night, but there are some things I've got in the works, I think you need to be aware of."
Parson wasn't used to seeing Beau look nervous, but he did. Even the tone of his voice sounded unsure. "Is it serious? You don't sound like you want to discuss whatever it is."
"I don't, but we need to. I'm not sure about your reaction. I want to wait until we're not in the car to discuss it, but yeah, I am nervous about it." Beau slowed to a stop at a red light before looking over at him.
"About the kids?"
Beau nodded. "Just wait until we are sitting down. I want to give you my full attention when we discuss this."
