Page 51 of His Theo

He’d needed a hands-on education about food and that meant lots of grocery trips?

“Okay.” It made sense, but as I grabbed some frozen broccoli, I still had some questions. “But why did you hide it?”

That was the part I was missing.

“I did not want to look like I was lacking in education in something as simple as food.” He tried to say it casually but something about it felt off.

“I think you’re very smart.” Stepping closer to the cart so he could wrap a tentacle around my waist, I leaned into him. “This is just new. That doesn’t make you uneducated. If one of us isn’t educated, it’s me. I barely passed high school.”

He’d been running a spaceship and was learning about a whole new species faster than I could learn Spanish.

“You are not lacking in education. You perform complex tasks of caretaking and management. Those are very important.” Jerker was either shocked or offended as his limbs twitched. “The human mate Nicholas made it clear you are the only one he trusts to help him. He defines you as meticulously careful. That is a very impressive word, my Theo.”

One that Nicholas probably had to define judging by how Jerker said it.

“Well, you aren’t lacking in education either. You’re just having to change the focus of your education and learn something new. That doesn’t mean you’re not smart.” He was brilliant. “And I like hearing about what you’re learning. You make me see things in a new way. Like the conversation about the nuggets. I hadn’t thought to question why we made some food fun and not others.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer but it was a good conversation.

“And you made that lady think about what her husband wanted.” I was pretty sure I’d seen rings as they’d walked away, so I didn’t think assuming they were spouses was a reach. “When you learn things, you help everyone else to learn too.”

Because he was amazing.

Giving me a hug, Jerker used another tentacle to stroke my head. “You are a wonderful enthusiast for your mate, my Theo.”

I had a feeling he meant something like cheerleader, so I nodded and cuddled into him. “Because sometimes you forget how amazing you are.”

Starting over wasn’t easy and he forgot that sometimes.

“You seem to have the same memory flaw, my Theo.” Patting my head when I sighed, he kept me pressed close to him. “I will help you to fix it as well.”

I helped him and he’d help me.

Great.

“I don’t mind focusing on you.” That definitely sounded like more fun.

His thinking sound made me sigh which got me more snuggles but he didn’t agree with my suggestion. “Because you are a wonderful submissive human, that would be your preference. However, as your Master, I do not believe that would be the best course of action.”

Thankfully no one was close enough to hear the Master part, but it was easy to decide that this wasn’t the place to be a brat and try to get my way. “I understand.”

I could do my best to distract him later.

“We shall discuss what you are thinking so you can explain your emotional reactions when we have privacy.” Jerker made a laughing sound as I crashed my head into one of his larger tentacles that he was using as an arm to push the cart. “Drama. Yes, that is an indicator that I chose the correct course of action.”

What pain in the ass had told him that?

“Larry was very helpful and gave a detailed course on brats and the emotional variation called drama.” A tentacle stroked over my head as I sighed, showing another form of drama. “It was highly educational.”

Great.

Larry was a pain in the ass.

“I’m not nearly as dramatic as Nicholas is. So you don’t have to worry.” It seemed like a bad idea to make him think I was as insane as Nicholas. God only knew what Larry had said about his human mate.

“I’m just as curious as Nicholas is, though.” Yes, that was a much better topic. “What kind of research have you been doing at the grocery store? You seem like you’ve been people watching at the very least.”

Bingo.

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