Page 15

15

SAWYER

As much as I wanted to stay in bed with Johnny all day, we both had work to do. I made him some toast and a fruit smoothie with the frozen fruit and sherbet he had in his freezer before kissing him at the side of his car and sending him on his way.

In my mind, I was already making lists of things I needed to do for him and for me.

Mostly for my sanity because not having healthy groceries that were easy to prepare would keep me up at night. I placed a grocery delivery order to be dropped off between 5:30 and 5:45 when I knew Johnny would be home, and then I headed to the rescue shelter.

It was grooming day, so all the dogs looked their best after being washed, trimmed, and then blow-dried like they were on a Southern pageant circuit.

At 11:30, I texted Johnny to see if he had lunch plans.

Nope, I’ll probably get something at the taco cart down the street.

That sounded good to me. May I join you?

Do you like tacos…from a cart?

I scoffed. He didn’t have much faith in my ability to be a regular guy. Then again, I hadn’t given him a whole lot of evidence that I could be regular.

I love tacos. Send me your address, and I’ll meet you outside your building at noon.

It’s a lunch date!

I felt bad leaving the grooming team alone, but they had their routine down to a science. Although I liked to think I was helping, they didn’t need me there at all. In fact, I was probably in the way more than anything because I liked to get the pups riled up between their turns.

Eagerly waiting for my lunch date with Johnny reminded me of being in high school, waiting for my girlfriend at the time to come out from cheerleading practice. Back in those days, dating was what you did with people you liked, but I had no idea what love was.

Even as an adult, after finally coming to terms that I was gay, I didn’t ever feel like any of the men I was dating could be the one. They were mostly good guys, but not good for me. And though I would have put Johnny in that category just a few days ago, it was almost impossible to imagine my life without him now.

If Cupid and fate and stars aligning actually existed, they were all working to fill my heart with more joy than I imagined possible.

I’d felt love for my parents and friends and the dogs, but the way I was already feeling for Johnny far exceeded all those things put together.

“You okay, boss?” Missy was suddenly beside me with a maltipoo in her arms.

I reached over and took the little puffball and nuzzled it against my cheek. “Yeah, I’m great. How are you?”

The pup in my hand was a kisser and wouldn’t stop licking me, so I lowered her to my lap and pet her head.

“Things are good with me.” She looked around at the few dogs left for the day. “We’re not overcrowded, so that’s always a good sign.”

I nodded without saying a word, but I wasn’t fooling anyone.

Misty looked at me through narrowed eyes. “Why do you seem different? Happy or calm or something.”

I barked out a laugh. “Do I not usually look calm or happy?”

“No. You usually look angry and…constipated.” She shrugged apologetically for telling it like it was. “No offense.”

My jaw dropped, and I laughed again. “Gee, thanks. I’ll remember that in your next performance review.”

Now she was truly amused. “Since when do we have performance reviews? I just randomly get raises every few months. Is there some sort of report that I’m supposed to be aware of?”

There hadn’t been, but now… “Maybe there will be one next time.”

She rolled her eyes—knowing I was teasing—and took the pup back from my lap. “Anyway, anything you wanna share with the class?”

“I met somebody. It’s only been a few days but… Is it possible to—” I let the words die as I thought about how crazy they sounded out loud. “I don’t know, fall in love after one date?”

Her eyes were as big as her smile. “Yeah, if it was a fucking amazing date.”

I couldn’t hold back my own goofy grin. “Yeah, it was. He’s exactly the opposite of what I always imagined for myself, but now I can’t imagine anyone else.”

Misty leaned forward and gave me a side hug. “I’m so happy for you, Sawyer. You deserve to find someone who makes you happy. I can’t wait to meet him.”

As soon as I got to the front of the glass building Johnny worked in, I texted him to let him know I was there.

He came down a minute later and practically jumped into my arms. “I’m so happy you suggested lunch. I already missed you way too much.”

I cuddled him against my chest and buried my nose in his hair, inhaling his warm scent that was reminiscent of his bubble bath. “I missed you too, sweetheart. Have you had a good day so far?”

He nodded and then slipped his hand into mine as we started walking down the street. “Yeah, you made me oddly productive.” He shook his head as if he didn’t believe it either.

“How’s that?” Since I’d been oddly unproductive, I was all ears to learn his tricks.

“I just… Well, I’ve been getting a lot of work done. Instead of thinking about how boring my day is and how much I hate my job, I’m just excited to see you, and that makes the day go by faster.”

I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ve been excited to see you too.”

When we stopped at a light to cross to the park with all the food carts, Johnny sucked in a deep breath and looked at me. “I have something to tell you.”

That ever ended well. “Okay, shoot. You can tell me anything.” Please don’t let it be bad.

“I forgot that I made plans with some of the guys at work tonight. Morris is in some fantasy football league, so we have a standing dinner reservation at Baller Bar to watch the game.”

I waited for the bad news. “Okay…”

“Are you mad?”

“Mad that you have plans with your friends? No, of course not.”

He huffed out a relieved sigh and pressed his head to my arm. “Thank god. When he reminded me this morning, I felt bad for not telling you sooner. I promise, I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret.”

“Hey.” I turned to face him, cupping his cheek with my palm. “You don’t have to tell me every single thing. And if there’s something you think you should tell me but forget about, that’s okay. As long as it’s not something dangerous or potentially harmful, I won’t be upset.” I kissed the tip of his nose. “I will miss you tonight, but I want you to have fun with your friends.”

His eyes practically sparkled as he looked up at me. “I can’t believe you like me. You’re too good to be true.”

I gave him a quick peck on his lips, and then we crossed the street when the light changed. “You’re way better than my imagination could’ve ever been, so I know what you mean.”

“Um, are there any rules for tonight?” Johnny was chewing the inside of his cheek as he looked at me. “I haven’t done this before, but my friend Andre has a Daddy, and he’s not allowed to drink when he goes out with his friends.”

I frowned, hoping Andre was in a safe dynamic. “Is Andre an alcoholic?”

Johnny shook his head. “No, I think that’s just their rule. I never really asked why.”

I nodded and thought about how to respond. “Fair enough. How do you feel about drinking when you’re out with your friends?” This felt like one of those moments where he wanted some boundaries but wasn’t going to ask. However, I didn’t want to arbitrarily restrict him if that wasn’t what he wanted.

It was a test I hadn’t studied for.

“Well, I like to have a few drinks when we go out. I rarely get shitfaced, but I won’t drive if I’ve been drinking.” He looked up at me with a serious face. “I promise you don’t have to worry about that.”

Well, that’s one thing I could check off my list. I brought his hand up to my mouth and kissed the back of it. “I believe you. And I trust you.”

“But…I would understand if you didn’t want me to drink too much or else have some…consequences.” This kid really wanted a spanking.

I stared ahead as we joined the long line for the taco truck. “Okay, how about this? One drink per hour, and you have to have juice or electrolytes in between each alcoholic drink. Is that reasonable?”

“Yeah, that’s good.” His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth, and he gave me a side glance. “But what if I forget and have too much?”

“Then you’ll call me to pick you up, and I’ll drag you out of there in front of your friends. Then, I’ll spank you until your ass is redder than this Caliente Carne truck.”

Johnny chuckled softly and nodded. “Okay, that seems fair. What are you gonna do tonight?”

What I really wanted to do was bury myself inside that ass of his, but since that was off the table, I wasn’t sure. “Probably laundry. And the trash gets picked up tomorrow, so I need to take the cans out. Oh, and the lightbulb in the hall went out, so I’ll probably replace that and maybe check the fire alarms while I’ve got the ladder out.”

Johnny gave me an expected look like he was waiting for the punchline, but there wasn’t one. Those were actually my plans. When he realized I was serious, he burst out laughing for a whole different reason. “Jesus Christ, boomer. If that’s your idea of a fun evening, you really do need me more than I thought.”

“You’re not wrong.” I rested my head over his.

He wrapped his arms around my bicep and clung onto me. “Just wait until we go skydiving this weekend. It’s gonna change your life.”

I almost choked on the air heading to my lungs. “I never agreed to do that.”

“But you agreed to give me what I need, and what I need…” He said that last part with an evil grin. “Is someone to pay for half of the session, so we can both go.”

I held out my hand and wiggled my fingers. “Let me see this coupon of yours.”

He looked down at my hand and then up at my face. “I’m not my grandma. I don’t have a piece of paper tucked into my wallet.” He rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone.

A few seconds later, he showed me the text, and I clicked the link. Buy one sixty-second flight and get a second sixty-second flight for free. I scanned the small print and made the decision to compromise for the sake of his happiness. “Indoor skydiving is in a wind tunnel, right? No chance that you’ll plummet to your death in the middle of the ocean or in a field of rocks.”

My boy had the balls to laugh at me. “Damn, Daddy. Morbid much?”

Only since meeting him. “How about this? If you promise to wear all the protective gear they offer, I’ll pay for the session and you can use both.”

He cocked his head and grinned. “You really don’t wanna try it?”

“I really don’t, but I do wanna see you having fun, so… I’d like to watch.”

His hands flew around my neck, and he kissed me right there in line. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s gonna be so much fun, and I promise you won’t be afraid.”

I was definitely gonna be afraid for him, but I had to trust that he would make good decisions until he proved otherwise.

As we got to the window with my hand tucked into his waist, I kissed the top of his head. “All right, sweetheart. Tell the nice man what you want for lunch.”