Page 32 of Brett and Rowdy
He tilted his head. “You do audiobooks, or…”
“Shit, darlin’. I’ve been blind a long time. I went to school and all. I read Braille when they’re watching TV. I can do audiobooks at other times.”
“Gotcha.” He sauteed onions and other veg, whipping up eggs when he gave them a rest. “I listen to music when I’m working, but I do a lot of audiobooks when I drive.”
“You always were a good reader.”
Brett felt his cheeks heat. “I liked the escape. Still do.”
“You still read sci-fi and fantasy?” Rowdy sipped his coffee, then made a surprised face. “That’s good coffee.”
“Oh, honey, life is too short for the bad kind. I’ll drink it at the cheap restaurants, but not at home.”
“Good deal. I would respect you less for Folgers.”
He laughed outright. “That was Grandpa’s brew.”
“My grandparents liked Maxwell House.”
“Eurgh.” Brett tossed the hash browns in the pan and put a lid on. Those had to soften before he added eggs. “How toasted do you like your muffin?”
“Midway to hard.”
“On it.”
They had a great breakfast, then took the dogs out to play a little, Rowdy in his shirt and last night’s jeans. It was cute as hell.
Hot too.
Finally, Rowdy sighed. “I reckon I need to head back, darlin’.”
“Okay. You need to get Barney all suited up?”
“Yep. Can you grab my boots?”
“I’m on it.”
Rowdy got himself dressed, and Brett kept stealing glances at that taut little belly. He was going to have to leave on Brett’s altogether too big shirt, because he’d been right.
That button-down waswhoa.
Then he got Barney all set up, moving like it was the most natural action on earth. “I don’t suppose you have plans today, man?”
Brett cocked his head. “Me?”
“No, the other guy I fucked last night.” That eyebrow lift was pure Spock.
“Well, you know,” he shot back. “I was thinking about going to the yearbook signing and the big picture shoot that they’re having today…”
“Oh, well. I was gonna ask you if you wanted to hang out, but you know, if you have this burning desire to hang out with all those kids that you didn’t have the burning desire to hang out with twenty years ago, I understand.” Man, Rowdy still had sarcasm down to a fine art.
“You’re sure Ashley won’t mind?” It would be weird to just show up to a family event, right?
Rowdy rolled his shoulders and shook his head. “I mean, I’ll tell them we’re coming. I’m not going to just show up with you and go, ‘Boo, I brought a guest’, but I don’t see why she would mind.”
“And Madison?”
The mention of his daughter always seemed to make Rowdy glow. “She knows I’m queer. There’s never been a question there. She knows that Daddy likes boys. She has delightfully informed me that she swings both ways. Which, you know, is great with me, although I would prefer to think of her never swinging ever as long as she lives.”
