The Single Dad (Red's Tavern 4)

The moment I’d left his dinner party last night, I’d felt like I was walking away from family. It wasn’t my family, but it still felt like somewhere I wanted so badly to belong. I knew I wanted more time one-on-one with Cam. The dinner party had been amazing, of course—we’d ended up sitting around the table and hearing tales from Rock about life working as a firefighter, and the kids asking a million questions about it. I’d been truly happy, even though I kept stealing glances at Cam across the table the whole time, wishing we could go off to the tent alone and be much, much more naked.

But I needed to talk to him tonight. Just the two of us.

I sipped on my lager and before long the doors swung open and it was him, walking in looking just as good as he had the first night I’d met him here. He was in a light rose-colored sweater and dark denim, and the pendant lights framed him like an angel as he walked over to me.

“Hi, handsome,” he said, leaning in and giving me a quick kiss.

I hummed, breathing in his fresh scent. “I’m glad you’re here.”

He hung his bag under the bar and before long, Sam was over here again, this time looking ten times more glum.

“Cameron. What can I get you?” Sam asked, barely able to make eye contact with us.

“I’ll take a gin and tonic, Eeyore,” Cam joked, but Sam didn’t even crack a smile.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I got stood up,” Sam said.

“I thought he was supposed to pick you up after work,” I said.

Sam shrugged one shoulder. “He texted and said he’d rather not meet up because he thinks we ‘aren’t compatible,’” Sam said, furrowing his brow. “Not compatible? He hasn’t even seen me since we were kids.”

“That sucks, Sam,” I said.

“Apparently he didn’t like my cock,” Sam said with a pout.

I almost spit out my beer. “He already saw your cock?”

“He asked for a photo of it,” Sam protested, sliding Cam’s drink onto the bar. “He sent his, and then said he wanted to see mine earlier today. And then it must not have been good enough. Which is ridiculous, because I’m eight inches at least, and even when I’m flaccid—”

“All right, all right, TMI,” Cam said, waving a hand as he laughed. “I’m sure your penis is plenty good, Sam.”

“It is good,” he said, shaking his head. “His loss.”

“For sure,” I said. “You’ll get lucky soon, Sam. I feel like you charm the pants off of somebody every few weeks.”

“I’m giving up on love, and I’m going to dedicate my life to something else instead. A tank top company? Basket weaving? Watching paint dry? I don’t know.”

He walked off to help someone else, and Cam and I exchanged a glance.

“He’s definitely going to be in love within, like, a week,” Cam said.

“Oh, one hundred percent.”

Cam smiled, his freckles looking even cuter than usual as he sipped his drink. A few moments of silence passed, and Cam sat up a little straighter, staring ahead at the bottles behind the bar.

“Thanks for coming. I’m so glad to see you,” I said. “I mean, one-on-one.”

“Of course,” he said, breezily. “Me too.”

I was good at this now.

I could tell when Cam was nervous, even though he was subtle about it. His leg was bouncing a little, and he kept nervously fiddling with the band of his smartwatch.

“All right, what’s up?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, his eyes darting to me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, moving my chair a little closer to his, closing the distance between us and putting a hand on his thigh.

He bit his lower lip, looking even more like a scared animal.

“Sorry,” I said, pulling my hand away.

“No,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling it back immediately. “I like it. I promise.”

“Okay, then what’s up?”

“I’m… fine,” he said.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Tell me the truth.”

He let out a slow breath of air. He looked like he was running something over and over again in his mind, in typical Cam-brain fashion. It was adorable, even if I wished he’d just tell me already.

It’s okay. There is nothing to lose. The worst that happens is he tells you we can’t date.

That would be fine.

Totally fine.

You’d be fine being just friends with Cam. Right?

“Cam, are you really okay—”

“I’m falling in love with you,” he finally blurted out, the words tumbling out fast and awkwardly, like he’d been teetering at the edge of a plane and finally taken the dive out.

“Oh,” I said, freezing in place.

That was not what I’d expected.

And suddenly my body felt like it was surging with electricity.

He wasn’t telling me we had to call it quits for good. He was telling me he might love me. And hearing that sent joy through me that I hadn’t realized I was still capable of feeling.