Page 13 of Enforcer’s Little Warrior (Little Paws Haven #3)
Bash
Please tell me you need help at the community center? Bash read the text, then hit send to Sasha the moment he was free enough to do so.
In between making super cheesy loaded omeletes for him and Romy, he waited for the sound of the phone chiming, hoping to have good news for his boy before it was time for him to report for his next series of rounds. He diced mushrooms, spinach, and onions as fine as the ground sausage he’d already cooked, and he mixed all the ingredients together before sprinkling them over layers of cheese and egg. He’d barely gotten them assembled and triple checked that the heat was low when the phone chimed. Wiping his hands on the dish towel he’d hung from his belt, he then swiped up to see what she’d had to say.
Please tell me it’s Romy who’s offering to come down and lend a hand? Her reply made him grin.
It is, and he really needs to be there and around others. He feels isolated here and alone when I’m on patrol.
It hurt that he felt that way, but Bash was grateful for his honesty, now he just needed to fix it. He waited a beat, watching the dots on the screen.
Perfect, bring him down with your patrol schedule, and we’ll have an assignment for him to coincide with when you need to do your rounds. This way he’ll also get to see you a few times during your shift, when you stop in to check on us.
He fist pumped, then looked over his shoulder to make sure he hadn’t got caught before placing the phone down to fold and flip the omelet, careful not to jostle the ingredients too much and displace them.
Happy the food would not burn, he picked back up his phone.
There is that. I think it’s the perfect solution for us. Romy would have the opportunity to interact with crash members of all ages, especially when some of the seniors start dropping by in the evenings, which will only speed up his assimilation in the crash. He needs to see that he has a place here separate from being my mate, and spending time there at the community center will give him a better sense of that.
He didn’t have time to think when his phone chirped again.
Exactly. When can I expect you?
One look at the large omelet he typed back. In an hour and a half.
Ohh, that’s perfect, we have five little ones that come who always require extra eyes and hands. I’ll see you then .
The grin got bigger thinking about Romy playing. See you then, Sasha, and thank you.
She texted back a thumbs up, making him chuckle.
His focus back on breakfast, Bash finished plating their food and divided the fruit smoothies he’d made for them into glasses. Romy had set the table before he’d gone upstairs to use the bathroom. He cubed half a melon for them and placed the chunks in bowls beside their plates.
“Romy, it’s ready,” he called out, hearing the sound of bare feet thudding on wood as his boy rushed down the stairs.
Flushed and gorgeous, Bash inhaled to keep hold of his emotions, pulling out a seat for Romy before taking his own. As he looked to check they had everything, he remembered the thing he’d gotten for Romy the day before but had no opportunity to give to him yet.
Seeing it as the prefect time Bash got up.
“What you doing, Daddy?” Romy questioned as he went to retrieve the backpack he’d dropped in the hallway.
“Just getting something for you.”
“A surprise?” he called out excitedly.
He hoped what he’d bought would make Romy feel less cut off from Bash while he was away from the home they were slowly building together. Carrying the phone he’d purchased with the cartoon rhino case, he came back into the room, watching his boy bounce on his seat.
“Is that for me, Daddy?”
He set it beside Romy’s plate, nodding and retook his seat, watching Romy lift his hands, then hesitate. “It’s yours Little Bumper. I’ve programmed in my number, along with all the emergency contacts, if for some reason Daddy can’t answer his phone,” he explained. “This is to use for emergencies, okay?” He nodded solemnly. “But I promise I will send little GIFs whenever I can, just so you always know that I’m thinking about you even when we’re apart.”
Romy’s mouth dropped open, his bottom lip quivering. “Can I text you too, Daddy? That way you’ll know I’m thinking about you, too.”
“Of course you can, Daddy would love that. I’ve texted Sasha while I was cooking.” Bash’s grin widened. “From now on, whenever I go on patrol, I’ll drop you off at the community center and then when I’m finished, I’ll pick you up so we can go home together.”
His lips made a perfect O as he continued. “She’ll talk to you about the different things they do there, from daycare to providing a space where the elders can gather, socialize and enjoy one another’s company. You won’t have to be alone out here, and I drop in three times a shift, so you’ll be able to see me too and even get a hug.”
Brows rose to disappear under Romy’s bangs. “Really?” He finally picked up his new phone and turned it over to see the cartoon rhino on the back of the case. It even had a ring where Romy could slip it over his finger while he was holding it, so he wouldn’t have to worry about dropping it if something else demanded his attention.
“Absolutely. It makes me feel better to know that you’ll have other members of the crash to spend time with when we can’t be together. You were so amazing with the boys, I know the little ones down at the community center are going to love spending time with you,” Bash added, using their link to ensure he wasn’t saying anything to upset his boy. “It’s a much better solution than asking Nomad and Harley if there was something that you could do at the bar. Even as I was suggesting it, I got this twisty-jealous feeling in my guts I’m not too proud to admit to. I wouldn’t have wanted so many other shifters, especially daddy shifters, around you when I couldn’t be there to make certain they kept their hands to themselves. Call me possessive, but the thought of it makes me wanna headbutt someone, and not in this form, either.”
He giggle-snorted. “In other words, you want to gore them and pin them to the wall.” Romy’s cheekiness was right there, shining through.
He stroked a hand over Romy’s forehead, pushing his bangs back and tucking them behind his ear. “Pretty much.”
For a moment, it looked like Romy was trying to picture it, then he placed his phone down to reach for his fork. Bash picked up his and waited until Romy took his first bite. He made a groaning noise that reminded him he’d been left hanging this morning once more. He didn’t want to rush his Little Bumper. Problem was, he wasn’t sure how much more he could take when Romy made noises like he was, and they were going straight to a place that wasn’t best pleased at the lack of action.
In between bites, the smile on Romy’s face grew as he swirled a bit of omelet in some of the cheese that had oozed out. “Do you have a repair bill fund, Daddy?”
“Not at the moment,” Bash admitted, not sure where Romy was going with this.
“Then you might want to wait until you have one before you start denting the walls with other shifters' bodies,” Romy suggested, giving him a shy look from under his eyelashes, tempting him. “Otherwise, we’d never be able to build my playroom.”
Laughter caught in the back of his throat while he had a mouthful of omelet. He cough-laughed and pointed his fork at Romy, trying to catch his breath while his boy giggled. One part truth and one part playing with him, that was his Romy. Just like back in the bedroom when Bash had swatted him on the bottom. He was a menace in the best possible way, and Bash loved the impulsively impish side of him. That he’d come through the ordeal he had with his spirit still intact was something Bash would forever be grateful for.
“Do you want Daddy to spank your bottom for being cheeky?” he managed, chuckling, making the threat pointless, which they both knew.
He shook his head, putting another forkful of food into his grinning mouth. Bash dug back into his own meal. As he ate, he thought about how much pleasure it would give him to see his mate each time he popped in to check on the community center. And if he should decide to add an extra round to his rotation when things were quiet, well, then all it would be was him doing his duty. Who could argue with that?