Page 87 of Lorcan
I pretended to pout. Even if we were exhausted, I got to play puppy for at least a half hour every night. That time was precious to me. It meant everything.
“The Pumpkin part is the puppy part. I—” He hesitated.
“Whatever you need to say, just blurt it out. I’m not feeling patient tonight.” I was only half joking. He’d been on edge through our dinner of teriyaki chicken breasts, asparagus with melted cheese, green beans, and fresh buns. I’d made a joke about great buns, and he’d laughed. So that was something.
“I’m wondering if you might want to go back to Club Kink. On puppy night.” He held my gaze.
“Sure. I mean—” I considered. “I’m not ashamed of being a puppy. Am I going to announce it to the crew? No.” At Cody’s urging, I’d gone to the Springs last night with Riley and the gang. I’d had a good time. Except the Springs was next to the cop shop. And I could see our condo from the front door. The longing to be home with Cody had nearly brought me to my knees.
You’re always free to bring someone with you.Riley’s words still bounced in my head. Agatha, our plumber, had brought her husband Jim. Two more-opposite people I couldn’t imagine. DidI want to bring Cody to meet my coworkers? Was I ready for that?
I steeled myself. “I want to go to pup nights—but only if you’re comfortable. I don’t want you doing something that doesn’t…”Am I expressing myself correctly? He was there, so that must mean he likes it. But if he doesn’t, then that’s fine as well.
He pressed a thumb to my frown line. “I’d love to show you off as my pup. But there’s something you might need to know.”
I cocked my head.
“Okay, so you know my boss from the summer camp, Jai, is a puppy.”
I nodded.
“His handler—and husband—is Demetrius.”
“Yes, I remember.” The striking couple I’d seen that first night.
“You saw their kids. Obviously, they don’t share that part of their lives with the children.”
“I understand.”Does he think I’ll out them? I’d never.
“I think I’m trying to say that people can still be kinky and have kids.”
Oh Jesus. Is he going to tell me he wants kids?That was a conversation I was completely unprepared for.
“Okay, so we’ll go to Pup Night again. There’s one at the end of the month—between Christmas and New Year.”
I nearly shook with excitement.Hold it in. He’s still got something important to say.“That’s decided. What do you need to tell me?”
He took a breath. “That Foster’s a puppy and Arnav’s his Daddy.”
I blinked. Closed my eyes. Tried to make sense of what he’d just said.Foster’s the puppy and Arnav’s his Daddy.Right. Straightforward. Easy to conceive.
Except thinking about my lawyer that way threw me. And thinking of the easygoing construction foreman who wascurrently on leave to take care of two children in desperate need of loving sort of threw me too.
“Lorcan?”
Cody tipped my chin so I could meet his gaze. “Foster and Arnav explicitly gave me permission to tell you. Although they might not make it to Pup Night for a while, they regularly attend. They often go with Jai and Demetrius. The first night I went, back in the autumn, they were all there. I found the courage to tell them I wanted to be a Daddy.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “So, if we go, then…”
He nodded. “We might run into them. Heck, we often go together as a group. Saves on gas and we enjoy ourselves. With Foster and Arnav having the kids, though, things will look different. I was thinking—” He swallowed. “I thought we could volunteer to babysit one night for them. They have a playroom in the basement. I thought maybe they could go down there for a bit of time, and we can watch the kids. But that’s a lot to ask. You certainly wouldn’t have to come.”
“Malika and Joshua?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know much about kids.”
“I can teach you. I’ve had some experience. And if we can’t handle it, the guys are right there.”
