Page 7 of Baby Boy

“I thought you had a car. An old Chevy, isn’t it?”

Jace knew what he drove? What was going on? “I don’t drive it often. I like to walk and don’t mind the bus.” Plus, gas was expensive and the car didn’t like to start half the time. His car hated the winter as much as Avery did.

“I can take you home,” Jace offered.

Oh, hell no, there was no way that he’d let Jace see what a hovel he lived in.

“I’ll… I can take the bus,” Avery told him.

“I would prefer to drive you.”

Jace’s stern tone had Avery wanting to agree to anything that the man said. If Jace told him to take off all his clothes and dance in the street, Avery would have a hard time resisting. Still, seeing where Avery lived would be the worst. Avery could not let that happen. Jace already had to think he was a loser. Seeing the tiny apartment in the less than desirable neighborhood would not have Jace’s view of him improving. “No… I mean… I… I’ll take the bus.” Shit, he sounded like an idiot.

Jace didn’t look happy as he pressed his lips together but he finally nodded. “I’ll wait with you to make sure you get safely on the bus then.”

“You don’t have to,” Avery offered. Jace needed to get home out of the cold night. Avery would be fine. He always was.

“I’ll wait.”

Wow.Avery peered up at him from under his eyelashes. Jace was still holding him tight, his strong solid body practically surrounding Avery. “I’m sitting on your lap.”

“It’s where you belong,” Jace said firmly. He was gazing around the area on alert although the restaurant was located in a good part of town. Maybe he was worried about who might see him with Avery? No. Jace wasn’t like that. He was kind and,damn, he smelled so good.

Plus, he thought that Avery belonged on his lap.

Avery didn’t want to argue with that statement, but he had to.Right?Then something else hit him. “Did you call yourself my Daddy?”

Jace looked down sharply and Avery regretted bringing it up. He had to have heard wrong and now Jace would get mad and shove Avery off him. Avery squirmed, trying to climb out of Jace’s lap, but Jace tightened his hold.

“Stay still,” Jace ordered. “I’m not ready to let you go yet.”

What? What the hell was happening? And why the hell was Avery even questioning what was happening? He should just bask in Jace’s warmth and kindness.

“And to answer your question, yes I did.”

“Did?” Did what? Avery had lost his train of thought again.

“Call myself your Daddy. I’ve been trying to come up with a way to gently bring it up but there hasn’t been a good time and I hadn’t figured it out when I saw you crying.”

“I’m sorry.” God, he hadn’t just been crying—Avery had been bawling his eyes out.

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Jace grumbled. “If I’d gotten my head out of my ass sooner, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Avery was confused again. “What wouldn’t have?”

Jace sighed but he didn’t seem so much irritated as resigned. “I want you, Avery. I have for months. I’ve asked you out in my head over a hundred times. I want to wrap you up and take care of you. I want to take all your worries away and spoil you rotten. And I never want to see you cry again.”

That was it—Avery had hit his head on the table in the restaurant and was in a coma. That was the only explanation of why he was in Jace’s arms with the other man saying such wonderful words. He was probably on the couch in the office with an ice pack, or in the back of an ambulance by now. Which was such a shame because he really wanted the coma Jace was offering.

“Avery? Did you hear me?”

“Did I hit my head? I thought it was just my knee and chin but it must have been my head.”

“Are you hurt?” Jace demanded.

This was crazy. Coma-Jace was just too much to handle. “No,” Avery answered and smiled. If this was a coma, he was going to enjoy every minute of it. “It’s okay.” He patted Jace’s chest.

“Avery.” Jace did sound frustrated that time. “Don’t you have anything to say back to me?”

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