The Single Dad (Red's Tavern 4)

So he was talking about me. I felt the strangest mix of guilt and excitement. I tapped yes, and a private message from him appeared on the screen.

>>LittleBit: So what was something you did today that scared you? I had no idea what phlox was until I saw it today. I don’t believe in signs from the universe, but I still liked that it made me think of you. I hope you’re doing well. And thank you for the motivation.

I tapped out a quick reply as I watched Cam scroll through a bunch of different movies on the TV, lost in thought.

>>Phlox: Seems like all you needed was a tiny push in the right direction. The phlox plants are beautiful. I hope they thrive. And I did do something today that scared me. I opened up to somebody, and he accepted me, feelings and all.

>>Phlox: I guess that sounds cheesy, too. I take it all back. Today, I went bungee jumping, skydiving, and went swimming with sharks. Those are cooler scary things, right?

I put my phone down on the side table.

I knew I should tell Cam. I had to tell him, sometime very soon.

But for now, it felt too good. And when he felt his phone vibrate and looked down to read the messages, the look of happiness on his face was enough to brighten my entire week.

“So what are we watching?”

He finally put his phone down, looking back up at me like his night had just been made. I loved that I had been the one to give that to him, even if he didn’t know yet that it was me.

“Okay, hear me out,” he said, a small smile on his face.

“Oh no, what’s it going to be?” I said. “A documentary about crossword puzzles? Because I don’t know if I’m in the mood for that, even though I would watch it for your sake.”

“Not this time. Although I have watched a documentary about pro crossword solvers, and it was great. But tonight, would you watch old re-runs of Jeopardy?”

“I would absolutely love to watch that.”

“I’m going to beat your ass in this, just so you know,” Cam said, a warning look in his eyes.

“Oh, almost certainly, you will,” I said. “Unless there are any questions about plants, in which case, I’ll own it.”

He put on the show and immediately launched up from the couch, like he’d forgotten something. He ran over to the kitchen and came back a minute later with a bowl of fresh raspberries and a bowl of whipped cream.

“Whipped this up earlier, and the berries are from the farmer’s market,” he said. “Fresh as it gets.”

He took a raspberry and dipped it in the cream, then held it out to me. I glanced up at his eyes for a moment before I leaned in, bringing my mouth right to his hand.

“That is delicious,” I said. “Wow.”

He fed me another one. I had no idea why he was giving them to me instead of just having me take them myself, but to be honest, I was very into it.

“Nobody’s ever fed me before,” I said.

“I’ve never done this either,” he murmured, giving me another.

“Why is it so hot?”

“God, I don’t know, but it is,” he told me.

“What are you turning me into, Cameron Lyons-Erickson?” I asked.

He smiled at me as he popped a berry into his mouth. Every little thing he did felt flirty.

“Let’s watch this damn show,” I said.

We settled in, each of us quickly saying the answers to trivia questions back and forth. It only took a couple of episodes for me to realize that Cam was incredible at it. He had all sorts of random, obscure knowledge about history, geography, and science. I was no match for him.

I liked watching him be excited about something. It was another moment where I knew he wasn’t thinking about his life and troubles, and was fully comfortable.

The strange thing was that I was comfortable, too. My eyes darted toward the front entryway a few times, some strange holdover from feeling strange being indoors. But Cam was right about the tall ceilings and big, open windows. It made me feel like I wasn’t trapped. I wasn’t impatient, either. I certainly wanted to hook up with Cam, but the longer we sat together, the more I realized that I’d be okay with whatever we did.

After a few episodes he scooted closer to me and pulled one of the big, soft blankets over himself.

“You look cozy,” I said.

“This is me in human burrito mode,” he said. “And just because I’m in human burrito mode doesn’t mean I still don’t want your cum.”

“Cutest damn burrito I’ve ever seen,” I said. “You do what you want to do, Cam. Get comfy. Trust me, my cum will always be around.”

He laughed, and then rustled around for a few minutes, switching his head from a pillow, to the armrest, to the back of the couch.