Page 11 of Leo
Shocking myself, I also shared how my dad’s dementia showed up when my mom died, and how hard it has been to go from caring for him from afar, to being a single dad with my own father in memory care. Leo was a great listener, and I found myself venting to him in a way I never had with anyone. Ever.
When our food was finished, and we’d both had a beer, I realized we’d been talking for hours. I had a sudden irrational fear that something would go wrong if he left. I was usually the self-assured one, so I decided the fear must come from a place of concern for Dezi.
“It’s late. Do you want to stay in case she wakes up and I don’t know what to do?” I asked, not entirely sure why Leo would agree to stay. “You can have my bed.”
“Where would you sleep?” Leo asked, and I was glad he hadn’t said no, straightaway.
“Where I slept last night,” I explained, leading Leo to my room so I could get him a pair of sweats. “Dezi will inevitably wake up. I’ll get her something to eat and I’ll get her teeth brushed, then I’ll sleep in the rocking chair in her room.”
“That doesn’t seem comfortable,” Leo commented, but he didn’t protest when I handed him my sweats. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I assured him, and it felt true. I would be more comfortable knowing he wasn’t traveling home in the dark, and that he would be one room away if I needed help.
Hopefully I’d get more sleep so the weird feelings and thoughts I’d been having about Leo would resolve in the morning light.
Chapter seven
Leo
Was Isaac turned on by me? No, I had to be imagining the sexual tension. And his roaming eyes. There was no way a man who liked cock didn’t notice his daily view had a giant one. And based on the obvious bulge in Isaac’s sweatpants, he knew what a big dick looked like.
Talking with him after Dezi was in bed came easier than any conversation I’d ever had in my whole life.
We shared personal stories about our childhood, though his was very different as an only child in suburban Michigan to mine in a big Mexican family here in the bay area. Before we knew it, hours had passed, and I didn’t want the conversation to end.
Granted, I grew up gay with strict Catholic parents, and I was small until I finally got my growth spurt at eighteen. I was stillfirmly in twink territory, but not as short or scrawny. I was no virgin after growing into my confidence, but my hookups were few and far between.
In college, I never bothered making close friends. They all wanted to party, I wanted to go home and read a book to Nacho. Whenever Cam tried getting me to go out, I told her I’d sow my wild oats after I finished my degree and Nacho started school.
It had been a couple months since that milestone had come and passed, and I could understand why she’d shown up to let me off the hook. Cam wanted me to build my own life outside of her and Nacho, but I didn’t know how.
After the previous five years of spending my time talking mainly to my nephew and a revolving door of nannies at the parks of San Francisco, I was out of practice with the feelings Isaac evoked in me. I wanted to talk more, but I was also horny. I was free to go out and find someone to scratch my itch, but a quiet night on the couch laughing with a handsome older man was the definition of goals for me.
Sure, Isaac was straight, but the way he was looking at me…
He seemed to have a handle on Dezi, but in truth, I didn’t want to leave. Isaac’s place was cozy and the love he had for his little girl was effervescent. I didn’t want to be a burden, but couldn’t help accepting his offer to stay over and help.
Letting Isaac dress me in his too-large shirt and sweats that smelled like him, I resisted the urge to pull the fabric closer.They smelled like his laundry detergent, more than the man or any cologne, but my brain didn’t care. The clothes belonged to him and I wanted more.
Tucked in his big, comfy bed, I drank in the scents there. Isaac hadn’t changed the sheets, too focused on checking in on his daughter, and I felt closer to him there. He said he had a place to sleep in her room, but I hadn’t seen it, and I felt guilty for taking his bed. I wondered why a single man needed a king size, but, duh. He was hot, caring, and clearly successful, the man was a catch.
I needed to get a grip.
This new crush, one I could tell was developing around the same time I saw Isaac let out a full laugh that lit his face up, was probably going to get my heart broken.
While I’d thought Isaac would wake me when Dezi got up during the night, I slept straight through to the morning. Isaac’s blackout drapes only let in a sliver of light around the edges, but that wasn’t what woke me.
Giggles filtered through the door, accompanied by the smell of something baking. I relieved myself in Isaac’s huge ensuite bathroom, washing my face and running fingers through my hair to tame it. Best I could do, but I also put my dry clothes back on in case Isaac wanted me to leave in the light of day.
Slipping out of his room and down the hall, I found the picture of domesticity in Isaac’s kitchen.
Still in his sweats, bare feet on the hardwood floor, Isaac was making Dezi laugh in her high chair. Behind him, I saw a stack of pancakes and a plate of sausage, answering the question of what smelled so good.
Dezi seemed better, with a few spots of light-pink lotion on her bumps, but no sign of fatigue or irritability. Isaac was making silly faces at her, and I saw she had mouse pancakes with fruit for the eyes and a smile.
Isaac was such a good Daddy. Um, Dad…
“Good morning,” I greeted them, not wanting to interrupt, but also worried I’d been staring for too long.