Page 42 of Bossy Baby

They were connecting in a way that made Hayley’s heart beat faster. He wanted to confess what he was feeling but now wasn’t the time for such a serious talk. They needed to get to his shop.

Breakfast first, though. With his new plate and sippy cup.

Hayley tilted the cup and sucked. Mac had gone to so much trouble for him. Hayley glared down at his bright cast. He wanted to hate the stupid thing, but he knew that he wouldn’t be sitting in Mac’s kitchen if he hadn’t broken his arm. Maybe sometime in the future, but not that morning. He lifted his head to look back at Mac. “Have I told you thank you yet? I don’t know if I have or not. Everything happened so fast.”

Mac sat in the chair next to his. “It did happen fast. But this isn’t something that I will ever regret. Not when I have you here with me.”

Hayley nodded. Even if he had broken his arm, Hayley had no regrets.

“How about we eat so we can get going?” Mac suggested.

Hayley picked up his fork. “Don’t laugh at me if I drop any food.”

“I wouldn’t,” Mac said sincerely. “And if you start to make too big of a mess, I’ll just have to feed you myself.”

Hayley shuddered. Being fed might sound sweet and innocent, but he’d found out the night before it was anything but. Being fed by Mac had made Hayley hot and horny. Not that he was complaining. Maybe he should go ahead and drop his food.

“If I think you’re doing it on purpose, there’ll be no reward for you.”

Damn it, Mac was smart. Hayley stabbed a piece of pancake and brought it to his mouth slowly. As he chewed, he batted his lashes at Mac.

“So fucking cute,” Mac mumbled.

That was good enough for Hayley.

Mac

There was something about caring for another person that Mac hadn’t truly understood until Hayley had needed him. Mac wasn’t an overly tidy person. He had a habit of leaving clothes on the floor. Stepping over messes instead of picking up. That was the complete opposite of how his boy operated.

From the moment that they’d stepped into the shop, Mac had been cleaning, straightening, or dusting something. Mac had to physically pick Hayley up and deposit him behind the counter to keep his boy from doing anything. Mac could and did clean, under the watchful eye of his boy. The pride and love Hayley had for his shop was obvious. Every customer that came in received a happy smile and Hayley’s complete attention. Mac could tell the difference, though, between how Hayley treated his customers and how Hayley had been with him. Mac had always made certain that he’d been the only patron inside the little shop when he visited. Seeing Hayley interact with the customers amused him, because as friendly as Hayley was—and there was still a lot of touching—Mac knew he was special.

As they closed up for the night, Mac walked around the small shop to make sure nothing was out of place. He’d sent Hayley upstairs to pack a bag of clothes for a couple of days.

Insisting that Hayley go home with him, Mac had expected an argument. Instead, Hayley had excitedly run up the stairs that led to his apartment. As Hayley grabbed his stuff, Mac tried to be patient. He didn’t like his boy out of his sight. He couldn’t protect Hayley if he couldn’t see him.

About to head upstairs in search of his boy, he paused when he heard the thump of heavy footsteps on the stairs.

“You better not be running, boy!” Mac hollered up.

“Sorry!” The steps did slow. “I’m ready, though.”

As soon as Hayley was in front of him, Mac took the bag from him. Quite a heavy bag. That had to be a good sign. Maybe if he talked Hayley into bringing something to his house every day, eventually all Hayley’s stuff would be at home. Hayley might not even notice that Mac slowly moving the boy in, if Mac was careful enough.

“I’m ready to go,” Hayley told him.

“Did you want to stop and get food or try one of the recipes I found?” They’d ordered from the deli for lunch, but his boy still needed dinner. That was part of taking care of him, making sure that Hayley ate properly.

“Can we just go home?” Hayley questioned. “I’m tired. Which is silly since I didn’t do anything all day, other than make change and run credit cards.”

“I don’t want you to exert yourself,” Mac replied.

“Trust me. I didn’t. I’m just tired.”

“The pain meds will do that. Your body is healing, so that’ll wear you out as well.”

“I know.” Hayley grabbed Mac’s hand with his good one. “Take me home please. I’ve been a good boy and was promised a reward.”

“You’ve got it.” Mac led Hayley out of the shop, locking the door behind them. His SUV was parked at the curb, where he ushered Hayley inside. Not that there was anything to be worried about, but Mac believed it was better to be safe than sorry. After closing the door, he put the bag in the backseat before climbing behind the wheel.

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