Page 15 of Baby Boy

“Good boy. Now, I know you’re tired, so I want you to get some sleep. Don’t worry about anything. Daddy is going to take care of everything.”

Avery smiled. “Good night.”

“Good night, baby boy.”

CHAPTER THREE

JACE

Jace waited outside Michelle’s, more nervous than he could ever remember being before a date. He’d texted Avery already earlier in the day and Avery had said he would be there for their dinner date but Jace was still doubting himself. He hoped the conversation they’d had the previous night hadn’t scared Avery off. It just felt so right talking to his boy about Avery’s fears. Every instinct inside him demanded he take away every worry the boy had ever had. Even though Jace was questioning bringing up the Daddy/boy dynamic, he couldn’t help being glad Avery had relaxed talking to him.

Toward the end of the conversation, Jace had even suspected that Avery had his thumb in his mouth. At first, Jace had thought it was wishful thinking, but Jace had been a Daddy long enough that he knew the sound of a thumb popping out of a boy’s mouth.

“Jace?”

Jace spun around, relieved to see his boy standing at the end of the sidewalk. He’d been focusing on the parking lot and hadn’t seen Avery pull in. He glanced behind Avery and spotted the bus pulling away. Shit, his boy had taken the city bus instead of letting Jace pick him up. That was the first thing that Jace would put his foot down about.

“Is something wrong?” Avery had stopped walking toward him.

Jace knew he’d been scowling at the thought of his boy on the bus and quickly smiled brightly. “Avery! I’m so glad you made it.” He rushed forward to properly greet his boy.

Avery’s shoulders slumped in relief by the time Jace reached him. “Sorry I’m late. The bus isn’t always reliable.”

“It’s fine,” Jace assured him. He wouldn’t say anything about Avery’s choice of transportation until the boy was more comfortable with him. “You aren’t even late. I’m just early. I was excited to see you.”

“Yeah?” Avery perked up. “It felt like the day just dragged on and on. Until it was time to get ready. Then it flew by.”

Jace chuckled as he hugged Avery quickly, barely resisting kissing the top of his head. He hadn’t been thinking that night at the bus stop but there were enough people around that he didn’t want to make Avery uncomfortable. “You look very nice.”

“Thanks.” Avery shuffled his feet. “You too. Your sweater…it’s soft.”

Perfect to snuggle his boy against. “Thank you. Are you ready to eat?” Jace waved his hand toward the front of the restaurant.

“Yes!” Avery bounced to the tip of his toes, reminding Jace how perfect it would be to always see the boy that happy. “I’ve wanted to eat here forever.”

Well, it sounded like his boy needed to be spoiled more often.

“Great.” Jace placed his hand on Avery’s lower back to usher him forward, pleased when Avery leaned into his touch.

The hostess smiled warmly at them when they entered. “Good evening, gentlemen.”

“Good evening,” Jace greeted. “Reservation for Greshaw.”

She quickly checked her book. “Reservation for two,” she said as she picked up two menus. “Please follow me.”

As they were led farther through the restaurant toward the back, Jace was pleased. The soft, low-light atmosphere of the place was perfect for the night that he planned. Get his boy to relax and show Avery just a little of how nice it felt when he was being taken care of.

Jace pulled out Avery’s chair when they were shown their table, then waited for his boy to settle before sitting across from him. Avery blushed but was grinning ear to ear. The hostess herself was smiling while handing out the menus. “Your server tonight will be Marco and he’ll be right with you.”

“Thank you,” Jace responded as Avery nodded to her.

“This place is nice,” Avery said looking around. He was wearing a nice pair of black slacks that were probably his work pants and a green button-down shirt that matched his eyes. He looked beautiful sitting there in the soft light.

“I think you’ll enjoy your dinner,” Jace told him. He leaned forward and dropped his voice. “Would you allow me to order for you?”

Avery bit his lip.

Jace spotted their waiter heading their way. “Just to see how it would feel to be taken care of,” he urged.

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