Page 11 of Little Bedtime Snack

Mason chuckled beside me, a deep sound that resonated with warmth. “Good thing you don’t have to choose.” He winked and then turned to the man in the window. “We’ll take the large flight with all the dipping sauces.”

All of them? He didn’t look at me like I was being silly or weird. He heard my desire and made it happen. It would be so easy to fall for this man.

The first dip was a thick gravy with curds melting from the heat of the fries. I’d never tried a poutine like that, but it was my new favorite. The creamy sauce dripped from the crispy edges of my fry, so I leaned over and tried to catch every drop. Of course, I still ended up with splotches of gravy on my fingers and chin. “Oops.”

"Here, let me." Mason's hands were steady as he reached for a stack of napkins and dabbed at my face with a tenderness that sent a shiver down my spine. His thumb brushed against my lower lip, wiping away a stray smear of gravy, and I instinctively leaned into his touch.

"Thank you, Daddy. I mean, Mason." The word slipped out before I could catch it, and heat rushed up my cheeks immediately. “Sorry.”

A moment of nervous silence hung between us, but then Mason's smile softened. "Don’t be sorry, Eli. If you want to call me Daddy, you may. In fact, I'd like that. But there’s no pressure to. Not until you’re ready…if you’re ready. I know that’s a title I have to earn." His voice was calm and reassuring, making something within me relax.

He was right that it wasn’t something to throw around willy-nilly. And I wasn’t. It fell naturally from my lips in a way it never had with anyone else before. I tried not to read too much into it.

"Well, you did earn it last night." I stared into his eyes and smiled, thinking back on how well he took care of me.

“You made me very happy last night.” Mason waggled his eyebrows and reached across the table to hold my hand. “And I’m so glad to be with you right now. I’d be honored to be your Daddy, whenever you’re ready for that.”

It was too soon, of course. But apparently, my mind, body, and heart didn’t think so. I was ready for Mason to be my Daddy. More than ready.

I turned back to our feast and dug in. It was nice not to have to be super careful because Daddy was there to clean me up. Together, we dipped our way through garlic aioli, tangy barbecue, and an exotic mango chutney. Each one was better than the previous one.

Daddy told me a joke about a red newspaper that I didn’t really understand, but before he could explain it, a rabid goose appeared. Okay, maybe it wasn’t actually rabid, but it sure acted like it when it came for our fries. Geese were not nice.

With only a honk to warn us, the beast snatched one of the cone-shaped fry baskets and made a run for it.

"Hey!" I leapt up, giggling at the feathered thief, and gave chase. “Those are ours!”

Mason was quick to follow me, his laughter booming as we zigzagged across the lawn, playing tag with a bird. The goose left a trail of fries in its wake and eventually dropped the basket on the grass before stopping to indulge in a feast of its own.

“Litter bug!” I picked up the basket, and we walked back to our table. “Can you believe that goose? How rude.”

Daddy grinned as he reclaimed his seat on the bench and gestured for me to sit beside him. "A worthy opponent with good taste."

I plopped down and plucked a fry from one of our remaining baskets. It was nice to be sitting right up beside him instead ofon the other side of the table. “Good thing I’m getting full and can’t finish the rest or he’d be in big trouble.”

With our appetites satiated and the sun dropping lower in the sky, we decided to walk around the lake. The water mirrored the trees and clouds up above as we strolled along the path.

When we finished the loop, Mason's arm snaked around my shoulders and pulled me close. “Did you have fun, sweet boy?”

I nestled into him and sighed. “Yes, Daddy. Today was awesome.” Being close to him felt completely natural, like I was meant to be his boy.

Our conversation flowed easily as we talked about work and our childhoods and movies we liked.

Mason leaned into my head and pressed a kiss to the top of it. "Are you ready to head back?"

"Yeah." Part of me wanted to stay wrapped in this moment forever, but if we were in the privacy of my apartment, maybe we could fast-forward to the naked part of our date. “Sounds good to me.”

Mason intertwined our fingers together, and we walked to his car. Unlike at the club, I was going to need to be brave and tell Daddy what I wanted. I could do this.

We drove back to my apartment with the radio playing softly in the background. When we arrived, Mason asked me to wait in the car while he got out and opened my door. It was old-fashioned and sweet. And it let me know he wasn’t ashamed to be seen romantically with a man, even in a place we’d surely be recognized.

He even released my seatbelt and helped me to my feet. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

I closed my eyes and blurted out. "Will you stay for a while?” I did it. I was brave.

It was still early, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Even if it was late, I wouldn’t be ready to say goodbye. I loved being around Daddy, and while it was probably too new for me to be so comfortable with him, I was.

"I’d love to." Mason kissed the top of my head, and my eyes popped open. "Maybe we can watch a movie."

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