Page 252 of Daddy's Pride
Hey sweetheart, did you ever get a plumber to come out and look at that leak?
MONDAY 2:02 PM
Not yet, but I should be able to do it after I get the rent next month!
I hesitated, my finger hovering over the keypad on my screen.
The Daddy in me wanted to insist that he let me come over tonight and take care of it. This week. This weekend. Whatever. But soon.
And if I did insist, hell, even if I just offered, I was sure my good boy would let me have my way.
He took direction like he was hungry for it; like he’d never had anyone properly look out for him before. And I wasn’t going to try and lie to myself about “not being ready” when I knew damn well that if he could have been mine, I would have loved to be the one who did that. The one person in his life who finally took care of him the way he deserved.
But if I went over there, if I met him in person, it would also change things between us.
Not necessarily for the worse. But it would change things.
He’d done a good job patching up the leak when I walked him through it, for nowat least, so it wasn’t like he needed me to come over right away…
“Christ, and I thought my boy overthinks things?” I muttered, huffing out a laugh as I scrubbed my fingers back through my hair again.
Okay. No need to barrel right through the door of possibility I’d just found out existed, but I could at least swing it open.
MONDAY 2:10 PM
That’s great, baby boy. But if you need help with it before you can get the plumber, call me, ok? I can come take a look at it if it starts leaking again.
I stared at my screen.
Baby boy.
Christ. When had I started calling him that one?
I’d thrown out “sweetheart” to tease him a little the first night he’d messaged my phone, not thinking much of it other than a fun, silly little exchange. But then it had become more, and Owen had said he wanted me to keep calling him sweetheart… and that had done something to me.
Something similar to what happened to my heart each and every time he so innocently called me Daddy.
It took longer than normal for the three bouncing dots of his reply to show up, and when he finally responded, the sweet, unfiltered word dump came across as flustered and adorable enough to make me realize that, apparently, he hadn’t realized we were in the same town either.
“This boy,” I murmured, smiling despite myself. “What is he doing to me?”
MONDAY 2:18 PM
Come over in person? Wait, are you here in Portland?
Oh! I guess you must be if you knew about the Hollywood.
I just didn’t realize.
Um, that was dumb though, right? I mean, you’ve got a local phone number, but I guess I just didn’t think about it?
I mean, about us ever meeting in person.
Not that I don’t want to!
I mean, I’m not saying I want to. I know you’re busy, and um…
I actually don’t know what I mean. Just, uh, I wouldn’t want you to have to come mess with my hot water heater after working all day. I know how hard you work, Daddy.