AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As the conversation continued, I moved to the side and took a good look around. My oldest friends—Christian, Waylan, Omar, and Orson—stood laughing with Ollie. I’d always considered him a good friend, too, but we hadn’t been as close through the years since he hadn’t identified as a Daddy until he met his chocolate Chip. If Orson had met someone, that meant they all had a person now.
Jackson and John were behind them, staring at the phone in Tucker’s hand. Those three had come fully into our circle because of the silly Wanted signs that Toby had hung at The Tap, seeking Daddies for his friend group. It was wild how it had all worked out, but they made great stories.
Behind them, Samuel fussed with something on the counter, while chatting with Brett, Cameron, and Joel. Those three were the youngest Daddies in our group, and I appreciated how open they were to asking questions and seeking advice from the rest of us to make sure they took care of their boys to the best of their abilities. I snorted to myself. I’d heard them ask opinions from the other guys. No one was asking my opinion on how to take care of a partner for the long-term since I had zero experience with anything but one-night stands.
My gaze slid back out to the young men hanging around the living room and stopped on the two redheaded brothers. The larger buff one, Julian, was currently waiting tables at The Tap and dating Joel. They didn’t have a 24/7 Daddy-boy relationship like most of the couples here, but whatever they had was working for them. They both radiated happy contentment. Next to Julian, stood his much smaller, older brother, Archie. Which, where was his Daddy? “Where’s Hutch?” I asked.
“Got called out for work,” Samuel said. Hutch was a detective for the Takoda Police
Department. If he’d gotten called in after being home for the night, chances were it wasn’t good. “And we can eat now.”
As I headed toward the table, Christian stepped up next to me. “Hutch said the holidays are rough. Archie came with me and Levi, and we’ll take him home if Hutch hasn’t made it over. Did you need him for something?”
“No. Just curious.” I wasn’t about to admit that Orson’s little bombshell that he’d met someone had me really realizing for the first time how big our group had grown with couples and how alone I really was. Except for Luca, the newest boy in Toby’s ever-growing crew, I was the only single man here. How long until I didn’t feel like I belonged at one of these shindigs at all? Orson and I usually didn’t attend without each other, so if he was going to start bringing… “Orson, what did you say your new lady friend's name is?”
He looked up from where he was loading up his plate with something rolled in bacon. It looked Heavenly. “Tammy,” he said with a small smile.
“What?” Toby shrieked from behind me, making me jump. “Who’s Tammy?”
“I met a nice—”
“You met someone, and you didn’t bring her?” Toby interrupted. “Does she not know you're a Daddy?” He planted his hands on his hips. “Seriously, why didn’t you bring her?”
Samuel crossed the room and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Boy, I’m going to need you to take a breath and calm down. You’re not giving the man a chance to answer.”
“But, Daddy,” Toby whined.
Orson smiled. “It’s okay, Samuel. Yes, Toby, she knows I’m a Daddy and was more than happy to hear it. And I didn’t bring her because it’s new, and I didn’t want to call you last minute—”
Toby waved his hand, effectively silencing Orson. “Next time, call. It would’ve been so awesome to meet her.” He spun around. “Did you guys hear that? We finally have a girl.”
Samuel scrubbed a hand down his face. “Toby. Orson didn’t find a girlfriend especially for you. She’s not a doll.”
Toby tilted his head back to meet Samuel’s gaze and fluttered his lashes. “Are you kidding, Daddy? She’s going to love us.” One of the men around me groaned, and Samuel shook his head. “Anyway, we’re about to start yoga, so once all you Daddies have your food, you should go to the den. Once we’re done, I’ll call you back in, and we can all have dessert together.” He pointed at Orson. “You have to find out Tammy’s favorite foods and sweets so I can make her something special for the Christmas party.”
“You’re having the Christmas party?” Joel asked. He pointed a fork at Christian. “I thought you and Levi were hosting that.”
Toby rolled his eyes. “They are, but I made Levi promise to let me help. I’m bringing apps and desserts.”
“Of course he is.” Cameron snickered beside me. We exchanged smiles as we waited our turns to fill out plates. I wasn’t disappointed that we were being kicked out of the one room where we’d be able to watch the boys bend and twist and… No. Not the boys. I had no desire to watch my friend’s partners do anything. It was only the sandy-brown-haired boy with the big, fathomless eyes that I wanted to… No. Luca was off-limits. The Tap Tavern employees had always been a line I wouldn’t ever cross.
Since the beginning, Christian had protected his employees, caring for their safety and well-being above all else. With Ollie as his back-up, they’d always run a tight ship. I’d been thrilled for Christian when he’d ended up promoting Cameron to general manager. He had the same heart as Christian, kind and protective. As Christian’s friend, and someone who’d spent a lot of my downtime at the tavern, I’d never mess with one of the staff because I didn’t do relationships. And for that reason, I needed to stay away from Luca. It didn’t matter that I didn’t understand why he hated me. It also didn’t matter that I wanted to fix it.
CHAPTERFOUR
Luca
Ihadn't really known what to expect from this whole getting ready for the holidays party at Toby's house, but I definitely hadn't expected for it to be so chill, or to enjoy it so much. After kicking the Daddies out of the kitchen where they could see us, Toby had us get comfortable on our yoga mats. I'd taken yoga as one of my classes in the second semester of my freshman year and discovered that I loved it. As calm as I appeared on the outside, my mind was always busy and whirling and taking me from one scenario to another. With yoga, I'd found peace. It was no different tonight as Toby led us through a whole Yen Yoga session. I’d never practiced this way before, but I'd have to ask Toby where he went because I loved it.
“Alright, my friends. I want you to lay back and get comfortable. Use your props, grab a pillow, put a bolster under your knees, whatever it takes for you to really relax. I've been practicing, and I'm ready to guide us through sound healing. You may want to cover up with a blanket, as well, because as the vibrations do their work, you might find yourself getting chilly.”
Indie, who was on the mat next to me, glanced over and lifted both of his eyebrows in question. I shrugged as I situated myself around until I was comfortable. I didn't know what to tell him because I didn’t have a clue either. I'd heard of sound healing, and I’d seen Toby’s pictures and little clips, but I didn't really know what any of it meant. Toby sat behind the ring of different-sized and colored crystal bowls, holding a white mallet in each hand.
“Alright, I hope everyone’s found their spot. If you fall asleep, that's okay, but try to stay awake and let your mind wander where it will. I’m not going to spend time talking about your chakras or anything tonight, but I’ll let the notes move you and speak for themselves. You’ll be amazed at how balanced and refreshed you feel when we’re done. Now, lay back, close your eyes, and let go.”
Listening to Toby, I closed my eyes, resting one hand on the other over the blanket where I’d pulled it up to mid-waist. The first ding of the bowl was pretty, but then the sound amplified, becoming more and more full as it vibrated, feeling like it was radiating through my whole body. It was so beautiful. As Toby played on, I sunk deeper and deeper into a tranquil state, letting my mind wander like he’d encouraged.
For a minute, I wondered if I was supposed to try to keep my mind blank, but it wasn't like anyone could see what was happening inside of my head. This really was nice. Being in a room full of like-minded men, who were in all different phases of their lives. Dylan, a former employee at The Tap, was now a nurse. He'd been such a gruff guy when I'd first met him, kind of standoffish but super protective of his friends. It had surprised me that he was a boy, but I saw it now. The way he leaned into Brett, his Daddy, and let him carry the weight of the world really allowed Dylan to put all of his emotions and energy into his patients.
