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He smiled bashfully and tucked his head, no longer making eye contact as he soaked in the praise. “Well, it’s not a done deal yet. It could still fall through if the owners aren’t willing to lease to us.” He held up both hands with his fingers crossed. “We’ll see what happens.”
“Was that the great and the stressful part all in one?”
He cocked his head, trying to catch my meaning. “Oh, yeah. But that’s not all. The other amazing news is that Jesse and Harris have decided to get married sooner rather than later. They’ve been going back and forth about doing some big shindig but decided to keep it small and just do something at the house. I think one of Harris’s Daddy friends is going to be the officiant.”
“One of his Daddy friends?” I held his gaze, waiting for him to elaborate. Of course, I knew what he was referring to, but I wanted to hear his take on the idea.
Jason rolled his eyes again, but this time, he was wearing a smirk. “I know you know he’s a Daddy. And I know you know you’re a Daddy too. Don’t try to play innocent with me. I’ve been around the block.”
“Have you now?” I asked him, wishing we were at the point where I could take him over my knee for being such a smart ass. Even though I really did love his sass. “And which block is that?”
“Do you want to have that conversation now?” He tilted his body and pulled one knee onto the cushion between us. “I thought we were taking things slow.”
“We’re still taking things slow, boy. But we will need to have this conversation at some point, so we can do it now and work out any concerns before we get to them, or we can wait until we’re ready to take things to the next level.”
He stared at me as he inhaled deeply, slowly blowing it out as he seemed to contemplate the options. “I think I really like you, Alpha Daddy. Let’s not ruin it with details just yet.”
I nodded and almost let him drop the subject with that, but then I reached for him and pulled him onto my lap. With my arms wrapped around him, I held him tight. “I promise we’re not gonna ruin things with details, but we can certainly wait to have that discussion.”
He wrapped his arms around my neck and rested his head on my shoulder, just breathing against my skin.
My eyes fluttered shut as I inhaled his scent. Coconut shampoo and sweat from the day. It was a heady combination that I wanted to taste.
We weren’t there yet, but I was starting to feel more confident that we would get there soon.
Very soon, if it were up to me.
8
JASON
The following week was brutal. Jesse and I had expressed our interest in the lease, but we were still waiting to hear back from the realtor. She had to get agreement from the sellers because it would be a contingency for the new buyers, so we had to constantly check our voicemail and email for updates.
And day after day, none came.
I got in the habit of meeting Tony for lunch when he didn’t have patients, but even then, I was always so distracted that my flirty banter was often stilted.
But Tony certainly learned some key facts about me, though they weren’t exactly favorable. Like how hard it is for my A.D.H.D brain to focus on everyday things when I’ve got a big thing hanging over me.
Yet, he was patient and supportive, even dropping off dinner at my place a few times because he was worried I wouldn’t remember to feed myself. The simple gesture was the kindest thing anyone had ever done for me.
Despite my distraction, I still tried to get him to come inside each time he showed up at my door, begging him to distract me in a more exciting way. But he refused.
Damn gentleman Daddy.
Then, finally, the call came.
Jesse and I had just arrived for a cake tasting. Harris had to finish a huge project at work so he could take the next week off for a honeymoon staycation, so I was lucky enough to help him choose the layers of their wedding cake.
The pastry chef at the cute boutique bakery had just put five individual-sized cakes in front of us when Jesse‘s phone rang. As the sweet and polite boy he is, he sent the call to voicemail.
But when my phone rang thirty seconds later, I answered it immediately. I’d always been more of a beg-for-forgiveness-later type. Besides, I couldn’t wait a second longer to find out what she had to say.
“Mr. Millionia, I’m happy to inform you that we’re in contract with a new buyer, and he would like to extend an urban development grant to you to develop the property.”
“Um, what’s an urban development grant?” It sounded good but I didn’t know what that actually meant or if I could fulfill the requirements.
“In this case, it means they believe having your business will benefit the value of the property and the surrounding community so they’re willing to give you a significant discount on the rent. In short, you’ll only be responsible for paying the utilities and property tax, in addition to any build out costs, for the first sixty months of your lease.”
