Page 10 of Tantrum Interrupted (Blue Collar Daddies in the City #10)

ROMAN

I told myself to wait sixty days. It was a nice, even number that felt like plenty of time to get over the initial rush of being with Hunter. The boy also needed time to make sure he was okay with my grumpiness and if he still wanted to be tied to a Daddy like me.

Because I was all-in with him.

But after the first week of being together, Hunter stayed over just about every night. By the second week, he had a spot for his toothbrush, a drawer in my dresser, and more than a few shelves of snacks in my pantry.

It was as exciting as it was terrifying.

On the day Hunter won the Legend of the Livestream award, an honor handed out to just a few influencers each year, we were only on day thirty-seven, but that was enough for me.

He tried to act nonchalant when he told me he was the winner, but after a quick search online, I realized it was a big deal and deserved a celebration.

The celebration I’d been itching to have so I could offer him my heart and my home at the same time.

I’d been planning my next move for the better part of a week, but when the opportunity finally fell into my lap, I was nervous. What if he said no? It’d break my heart, but he wouldn’t see any disappointment in my eyes.

I never wanted him to make decisions about us out of obligation.

Either he was on the same page as me or he wasn’t. And if he wasn’t now, I could be patient until he caught up.

“This award isn’t that big of a deal.” He fussed with the tie that I’d helped him put on. “A suit seems excessive.”

“It’s just a dinner. And you deserve to be celebrated. I looked it up and it is a big deal.” I pulled him to my chest and stared into his eyes. “You ready?”

“I guess.” He huffed. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“Some classy place.” I winked but didn’t give anything away. There were only a few Michelin-starred restaurants in town and neither were easy to get into, but I knew a bartender who was able to get us in. “I promise you’ll find something you like.”

He raised an eyebrow in my direction. “Are you proposing, Daddy?”

Did he want that? “First things first, baby. Let’s just see how you do with a salad fork.”

He laughed. “Um, if that’s your bar, you’re gonna be disappointed. I’ll know how to use it, but I won’t know which one it is.”

But when we actually pulled up to the valet stand, Hunter’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, you were serious about this being classy.” He fidgeted with his tie in the parking lot before I straightened it for him.

The moment was so domestically intimate that I felt the base of my spine tingle. This was the right time.

Inside, the ma?tre d’ looked us up and down with curiosity and then seated us. We managed to get placed at a corner table with a view of the patio and were handed menus with no prices.

Hunter tried to order a Coke and was politely told they had “house-made sodas.” He picked something called a smoked pomegranate shrub, which tasted like fruit punch and campfire.

I ordered an old-fashioned. A bit of liquid courage hit the spot.

“So, thank you for bringing me here. It’s really nice.” Hunter and I both ordered steaks but mine was served with a smashed potato and his came with fries. His tone was almost nervous, like maybe he was bracing for me to say this was a breakup dinner, or some kind of taking-it-slow talk.

“I just want you to know I’m proud of you, sweetheart. You work so hard and you deserve to be recognized.” I raised my glass to him. “To the most amazing boy I know.”

Hunter blushed and shook off the compliment. “To the most amazing Daddy I know.”

I grinned and took a sip of my drink, letting the good burn settle in my gut.

We chatted about work and how his mom has been cagey about the “friend” she had been spending a lot of overnights with. Hunter suspected she had a boyfriend and was actually happy for her.

As expected, our meal was delicious, and we had a great evening together. Before I lost my nerve, I pulled out the small gift box from my coat just after dessert was served.

It wasn’t the ring box Hunter had joked about, but his eyes still lit up like it was Christmas morning when I set it in the middle of the table and slid it over to him like a bribe.

Hunter eyed it with a slack jaw. “What’s this?”

I smiled but leaned back in my chair. “Open it.”

He carefully unwrapped the box, and his breath hitched when he saw the necklace inside. It wasn’t ostentatious or flashy, but the black titanium chain was still fashionable and unmistakably a symbol of my claim on him. Hanging from the center was a small tag I had made just for him.

Hunter lifted it up and laid the chain across his knuckles. “Is this… a dog tag?”

“Not quite.” I grinned and watched his reaction. “Flip it over.”

On the back were two words I’d had laser-engraved. “DADDY’S BOY.”

His lips parted and his eyes were glassy.

“You don’t have to wear it if?—”

“I love it!” He cut me off, already fumbling at the clasp to put it on.

I went around the table and placed it around his neck, loving how the metal fit against the hollow of his throat. “A perfect fit.”

His breath was shaky as he fingered the cool metal.“Thank you, Daddy,” he whispered in a raspy voice.

In a move I hadn’t expected, Hunter leaned over and kissed me. Obscenely. It wasn’t a quick peck but a full-on, open-mouthed mack session right there under the glow of a ten-thousand-dollar chandelier.

Fuck me, I loved that boy.

I broke away, grinning like a moron. “Hold on. There’s one more thing.”

He looked dazed with his pupils blown wide. “There’s more?”

I pulled the second box from my pocket. This one was smaller and heavier, wrapped with a simple red ribbon.

He opened it with shaking hands and pulled out the key I’d tucked inside for him. “What’s this for?”

“I want you to move in.” I held his gaze, searching for any signs of hesitation. “Like, for real this time. Not just your socks and sleep supplies. I want it all.”

Hunter froze for a moment and then came to me and buried his face in my neck. “Yes, oh my god, yes.”

Then we heard applause from a couple tables over. They probably thought I had proposed, but the moment was just as significant to us.

Hunter started to cry, then started to laugh at himself for crying. My sweet boy.

It was dark when we left the restaurant, so I held Hunter’s hand tight in mine. He bounced on his heels as we walked to the car, glancing at me every few steps like I was going to vanish if he looked away.

I tried to play it cool, but my chest was full of sparklers that lit me up with joy. We were really doing this.

He bit his lip. “So…let’s go home.”

Yeah, that’s what I wanted to hear. Now and forever.

We didn’t talk much on the drive. We were as comfortable chatting and laughing as we were sitting in silence.

When we got to my place—our place—he unlocked the door with his key to test it out. “Okay, good. It works.”

I chuckled and grabbed him around the waist then carried him to the bedroom. He went limp in my arms, trusting that I would keep him safe.

The light from the hallway made a little halo around his head when I set him on our bed. How did I get so fucking lucky?

He looked up at me, breathless but smiling. “You’re staring.”

“I love you.” I kept staring, never wanting to look away.

His breath caught and his eyes were glassy. “Say it again.”

I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him gently. “I love you, Hunter. So damn much.”

Tears were already streaming down his cheeks when he wrapped his arms around my neck. “I love you too, Roman. Daddy. Thank you for loving me too.”