Page 73 of Daddy's Pride

"At least they're handsome." Freida muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Rogue said the same thing, made up for their lack of charm."

"Text Rogue. Hang out. I think you'll regret it if you don't."

"Maybe." Even as I said it, I knew I'd call or text Rogue. I didn't see a romantic relationship between the two of us, but Freida was right, more friends wouldn't hurt. Someone I didn't know from work or school.

"You're going to call; I know you too well. Eat. I'm so hungry, I was too worried about you."

"I'm sorry, while I was with Rogue I didn't even think about my phone. I should've stuck to the rules. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Please, my anxiety would appreciate it."

We settled in to have breakfast, and I kept glancing at the flowers and note. Rogue made me feel feminine. To Freida, I was just her best friend. To my coworkers and the people at school I was just the quiet, bookish one. Rogue had seen me as someone to flirt with, make dinner for, and no matter how much Rogue suggested sex, I hadn't felt as if they were completely serious. What could it hurt to have a new friend? Especially one that made you feel good and more comfortable in your skin.

Chapter 4

Rogue

The house was quiet except for the sounds of tools being shifted in Dad's toolbox. Mama was off at a workshop for people starting their transitions which left Dad home alone. I didn't feel like going to the club, but I also didn't want to sit at home alone. It had been a few days and Trinity hadn't replied to my texts I'd sent the morning she ran out of my place. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and then pushed the door to the garage all the way open.

"Hey, Dad."

He instantly opened his arms and I walked into them for a hug. Dad gave the best ones. My gestational mother hadn't been the affectionate sort. Mama and Mother couldn't have been more different. How they’d last long enough to reproduce shocked me.

"No club for you tonight?" He kissed the top of my head and then let me go.

I leaned back against his workbench as he worked on rebuilding his carburetor. "Not tonight; I need a break a few times a week. I'm getting too old."

He snorted at me and I cleared my throat, and looked around.

"Why are you moping around here? I'm the only one who mopes,” he said.

"Mom is gone for six hours; she's not going away for a year or anything." I tapped my beer bottle against my thigh.

"Don't you dare curse me, Hank."

I rolled my eyes at the old nickname that only Dad called me. Bruiser Barrister had no social polish and my mama loved it. Charlotte had waited a long time to find someone to accept her. Said man just turned out to be the type people crossed the street to avoid. No one else would’ve adored my mama above all others as much as him.

"Better than the other name. What did you think the first time you saw Mama?" It had been almost two decades and I never remembered asking about what Dad thought about Mama. Yet she'd told me the story of her fear the night they'd met.

He turned to face me. "She had a nice ass."

I laughed as he winked at me but then he turned serious.

"I didn't like that she was scared of me. That never bothered me before. I had and still do have a reputation for being a cold bastard. When she got close to my bike, I loved how tall and soft she was. I almost took side roads to keep her wrapped around me longer."

"Did Mama being Trans ever bother you? I know that was one of Mama's concerns when she started falling for you."

I knew dad had lost some lifelong friends when they made it official. I didn't have those worries, but I didn't understand the instant attachment I had to Trinity. There'd never been a woman before who just made me crave her. And according to Dad, he'd been obsessed with Mama from the second he spotted her walking down a dark road.

"No, and if it bothered anyone around me, they learned really painfully from their mistakes.” He cleared his throat. “I wanted to visit her earlier but kept putting it off. All the calls and messages. I lived for them and when I realized how much I wanted to hear her voice every night for the rest of my life, I got scared. I don't know, she treated me as a friend nothing more. I really wanted to see her, though, even if it was just as friends."

"You were the first man Mama dated."

"I know. After my week-long visit was over, I decided to kiss her before I left. On one hand, it could've been our first and last, but on the other, maybe she was just as unsure as I was. Two weeks and nothing from her. No calls or texts, and I couldn't live with the thought I scared her. I came back to apologize. She whispered she loved me, so terrified about how I'd react. I never want my baby to be scared of me.” Bruiser studied me closely as he’d always done when trying to figure out what was going on. “Did you meet someone?"

"Yeah, maybe.” I stroked my fingers through my hair. “It was the other night; she had a disappointing hookup at the club. She came to the bar for a drink. She looked sad and my only thought was a woman that beautiful should never wear a frown.”