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“Oh my God!” Caden gasped. “It totally is!”
Adam huffed. “I’m not spending that much time with him.”
Sam shook his head. “He is here literally every morning while you do the baking.”
Grumbling, Adam headed toward the kitchen. Sam didn’t need to hear the words as the blush on Adam’s face said enough.
Sam let his friend go. They needed to restock cups for the evening shift, and he was certain Adam would grab them while he was in the back. With Adam out of the way, he turned his sights on Caden.
He could deal with the teasing but really enjoyed giving it back. It felt nice that he had something so special to share with his friends. They’d talked about finding Daddies for so long that Sam didn’t think it would ever happen to them. It was happening though and that meant with Caden and Sam needed to get Adam on board with the two men that had made it more than obvious they were interested in their friend.
“I’ll go help Adam!” Scurrying to the back, Caden didn’t even wait for Sam to respond.
That only left one more troublemaker. Mickey hadn’t given Sam nearly as many smirks, but he had laughed.
Holding up both hands, Mickey backed into the counter. “I didn’t say anything. I’m new here!”
Sam laughed. “True but that doesn’t mean you didn’t enjoy them teasing me.”
“They’re excited for you.” He glanced over his shoulder before lowering his voice. “They were talking last night as they showed me the apartment how much you deserved a good man like the lieutenant and how happy they were.”
That reminded Sam he should have checked in with Mickey sooner. Damn! He’d been so wrapped up in the amazing morning he’d spent with Carson that he hadn’t thought about everything that had happened the prior day.
“Did you get settled in okay?” He wiped down the table as he’d been planning on doing in the first place but kept an eye on his newest employee.
“I did.” Mickey grinned. “Adam and Nash helped me move my stuff from the car to the apartment. Lucas had some extra bedding and towels he brought me. Caden and Lincoln took me to the grocery store. It was…it was like having family again.”
Finishing his task, Sam stuck the towel into his apron to hurry around the counter and pull Mickey into his arms. “That’s because we are family.”
That statement was something that Sam needed to remember himself. It was okay to ask for help. He’d needed a break and to spend time with his Daddy, and his friends and their partners had stepped up. That was what family should do. Sam should be able to count on the people closest to him and not feel guilt or like he needed to pay them back.
Mickey’s hug was strong, and Sam allowed himself to sink into the embrace. It was okay to lean on other people.
“What did we miss?” Adam demanded as he returned.
Caden squirmed as he carried one sleeve of cups while Adam had hauled the rest up front. Sam knew what his friend needed.
“Group hug!” Sam exclaimed.
Cheering, Caden dropped the sleeve of cups rushing over. Sam opened his arms to include Caden in the hug then waggled his brows at Adam.
Unlike Caden, Adam did not drop all the items he carried, but he did set them on the counter before he joined the hug. In the middle of the giant snuggle pile, Sam found peace. The only thing missing was his
Daddy, but he was going to see Carson soon and they’d be going back to Sam’s place for the night. Carson had even promised to bring a suit for the next day, so he didn’t have to leave early to drive across town to the lake house.
“Uh, guys,” Mickey whispered. “Who the hell is that?”
Sam pulled out of the hug to look in the direction that Mickey pointed. To his horror, a news van pulled up before that asshole reporter Jeff jumped out of the passenger side.
“Fuck!” Sam spat. This was not good. Last time the reporter had been there at least there hadn’t been a news crew. He couldn’t say the same this time as he spotted several more men and one of them holding a camera and another a microphone.
“Why is there a news crew out front?” Mickey asked.
“It’s a long story,” Sam replied distractedly. He needed to do something quick, but he was at a loss.
“I’ll go run them off,” Adam growled.
Sam grabbed his friend’s arm. “They want a confrontation. We can’t give that to them.” Narrowing his eyes, Sam watched as Jeff positioned himself right in front of the front door to Sam’s shop.
