Page 16 of Just a Little in Love

“You went to Master Gabriel’s home?” Dash whispered.

“Yes. Father’s getting married and the house is up for sale. I was thinking of getting my own place, and Daddy…Master Gabriel wanted to show me where he lives in case I liked the area.”

“That’s going to get confusing,” Charlie said, way too shrewdly for Rowan’s liking. Rowan had a feeling Charlie didn’t just mean when to call him Daddy and when to call him Master.

“He wants to be friends,” Rowan said, a little defensively.

“Who does?” Max said, sitting down at their table.

“Master Gabriel,” Dash nearly hissed out. “With Rowan.” Max met Rowan’s gaze.

“I thought you were already friends.”

“But he’s to call him Daddy Gabriel when Master Gabriel’s not a daddy,” Dash added, seeming to be struggling with the concept.

“And I said, that could become confusing,” Charlie said.

Max shrugged. “But we know it’s sometimes all about the person. I mean, look at me?” Max had wanted nothing but pain until he met Daddy Caleb. “And of all of us, Charlie, you should know that.” Charlie flushed and Max reached out and squeezed Charlie’s hand. Rowan knew Max was apologizing for the mild rebuke. Charlie and Daddy Patrick had once had a Dominant and submissive relationship before their Daddy and little one.

“It’s not like that,” Rowan said wistfully. “It’s just a name to make me feel more comfortable. He asked me to call him Gabriel or Gabe, but I just couldn’t.”

“Then I don’t think it’s an issue,” Max said easily. He glanced at Rowan. “Are you coming next Thursday?” Rowan wished he was. Max owned a bookstore and there was a fantasy writer coming for a signing. All his friends were going, and Daddy Caleb was making special cupcakes for everyone. But there was no way he could go. Mother would expect him to be home. Although, she’d been behaving a little oddly recently. Apparently, her new boyfriend had a daughter who stayed over at his house a lot because her mom worked nights, and the little girl had been sick because of all the candy her dad was giving her. Mother seemed to think she needed to visit more often to supervise.

And Rowan wasn’t sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he felt sorry that this little girl had gotten Mother’s attention, but on the other, less attention on him was a good thing.

A very good thing.

Gabriel looked up as Patrick slid into the seat next to him. “This is becoming a habit.”

“I could say the same,” Patrick teased. “No one catching your eye?” Gabriel shook his head. Although, if he was honest, no one had caught his eye for a while. Well, that wasn’t exactly true.

“How’s Rowan after last weekend?”

Gabriel frowned. “Isn’t he in there with Charlie?”

“Of course, but I can’t exactly ask him in front of the others, can I? And I don’t like putting Charlie in a position where he might have to break a confidence. Not that he would.” Patrick chuckled and ordered a beer.

“He came around last weekend,” Gabe admitted. “And he’s going to come over this weekend. I offered to store some of his little stuff. His dad’s selling the house and from what I can gather, neither parent knows he comes here.”

“Which explains the accidental wrong emergency numbers from last weekend,” Patrick said dryly. “I told Adrian to put me down as his emergency contact. Charlie has already offered and has his home numbers.”

“His dad seems okay, but I’m not sure about his mom. She treats him like a small child.”

“The problem is that Rowan is very submissive, as well as a little,” Patrick said slowly. Gabe looked over at him. “And if he has some sort of underlying medical problem, any parent would be extra protective.”

But Gabe felt it was more than that. “You think I’m giving him the wrong idea?”

Patrick shrugged. “I think he needs a friend. Whether that friend should act as a dominant to a submissive is the issue. There’s a certain crossover.”

Gabriel nodded and looked around the room. He was here to get out of his head, not bury himself deeper in it. He glanced over at a group of four subs. Kyle wasn’t looking for a boyfriend of any sort, he just wanted a good time. Kyle looked over and caught Gabriel’s gaze. Gabriel nodded to the floor in front of him, and Kyle immediately got up and walked over, keeping his head down, and then knelt in front of him very gracefully. Gabriel never noticed Patrick leaving.

**

It was no good, and he apologized to Kyle afterwards for stopping early because his head wasn’t in the game. Maybe he should leave the club? Maybe he needed to get his head straight after the funeral and the mess with his dad’s house, and the fact that he hated his job. Patrick had once told him that most people coped if one area of their lives was okay. If, for instance, their job was good but home sucked, or vice versa.

He texted Rowan to ask him to let Gabriel know when he wanted to bring his things. Gabe wasn’t doing anything this weekend except having a good think about what he wanted the rest of his life to look like. He was definitely going to Max’s bookstore on Thursday, though, after hearing Emily Jade was signing. He had just about all her books. High fantasy, YA, and he loved them. He’d also heard she was self-published, and he definitely wanted to talk to her about that. He pulled into his driveway at the side and glanced up at the dark, uninviting windows. The one upstairs next to him was empty, and he’d seen the couple in the one below but didn’t even know their names.

He looked down as his phone rang, and smiling, answered his sister’s call. “Hey zoomie.” Clare’s wheelchair was a source of fond teasing for both of them.

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