Page 32 of His Middle

Noah scrunched up his nose. “It’ll make me too full. How about apple juice.”

Daddy ambled over to the refrigerator. “Hmm. I don’t see any. Maybe we should make a list tonight before you go to bed and pick up some of your favorites tomorrow.”

“Oh man.” Noah studied his bowl. From his estimation, he’d eaten more than half. “I guess orange juice is okay, even if it doesn’t go with pizza so good.” He held up his bowl. “Did I do a good job?”

Daddy peered down his nose at the bowl while getting out two glasses from the cupboard. “Very good. I’ll grab us both a slice as soon as I finish pouring our drinks.”

Once Daddy got everything plated and the drinks on the table, he sat across from Noah. They both dug into their food and Noah thought it was the best he’d had since he could remember. For some reason, the pepperoni was crispier, the cheese like heaven and the crust was chewy and perfect. He thought he could live this one moment over and over, enjoying one of his favorite foods with his wonderful, amazing Daddy sitting right across from him.

After they’d finished—with Noah only managing three pieces to save room for the cinnamon sticks—Daddy sent him back to the den to play. The background noise of Daddy moving around in the kitchen as he cleaned created a soothing backdrop as he played race after race.

Noah scraped his teeth along his bottom lip. Could it always be like this from now on?

Chapter Ten

Noah stretched on his mattress, smiling, remembering how Sawyer put him to bed the night before. At that point, he’d been completely lost in the world of an eight-year-old, at peace, his mind on video games, pizza and Deadpool 2 that he and Daddy had watched after dinner. Then there’d been the back and forth over how long he could read his comic books in bed before lights out.

Sawyer was perfect. The best Daddy ever. But would he stay?

Noah groaned as he rolled out of bed.Great. Now he was back to those pesky adult thoughts. He propped himself up by his elbows then rested them on his knees and scrubbed his face with both hands. Maybe he could jump in the shower and shave real fast so he and Sawyer could spend some quality time together before they had to leave for work.

Energized by a new purpose, Noah launched himself off the mattress then jogged to the attached bathroom. The house boasted five bedrooms and three and a half baths. The two ensuite bathrooms were for his room and the primary bedroom that had belonged to his dad. The other full bath off the hallway was reserved for the remining three rooms. Then there was the half bath located downstairs between the living room and den for visitors.

As he quickly shed his pajamas, Noah stuffed down the twinge of sadness that always crept in whenever he was reminded of certain things about his dad. He’d finally reached the point in his grieving process where any thought or mention of him wouldn’t automatically bring tears to his eyes.

But one of the things that still plagued him was his dad’s bedroom. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to go in there since his death. Something about that space was too personal, too intimate. A reminder that his father was really, truly gone and he’d never see him again. More than once the estate lawyer or his mom or Vera would suggest he clean it out, maybe find some pieces of jewelry to keep, or check if he’d kept cash or other valuables in there. But Noah had always made excuses.

More than the club, the two sportscars and the rest of the house, those were hisdad’sthings. Noah shouldn’t be touching them.

Noah sniffed as he checked the temperature of the water, his excitement over beginning his day dwindling by the second. He jumped in, lathered up then rinsed off in a mere few minutes. He finished shaving then getting dressed in record time, anxious to get to Sawyer so he wouldn’t be alone with his thoughts anymore.

Purposefully ignoring the primary bedroom at the end of the hall, Noah hurried to Sawyer’s bedroom. His shoulders slumped when he was met with the open door and the neatly made bed.Oh well. At least they could have a leisurely breakfast together. Noah frowned. Unless Mister Up and At ‘Em decided they should leave early to get a jump on the day.

Noah rushed down the stairs and was reminded of Sawyer’s—Daddy’s—admonishment from the night before to slow down. He sped up. Instant karmic payback almost snagged him on the second to last step when his momentum caught up and he came close to face planting. Fortunately, his lightning reflexes saved him when his arm shot out and he grabbed the railing at the last split-second.

Phew. He didn’t want to start the day with a broken nose.

Sawyer glanced up with a smile at the kitchen counter, holding his coffee cup aloft as if he’d been about to take a sip. His brow wrinkled and he set it down.

“Hey, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”

In what could only be described as one of the most embarrassing moments of his life, Noah burst into tears. Sawyer jumped from the stool so fast, he almost knocked it over. He was by Noah’s side in an instant. Without a word, he yanked Noah into his arms and held him in a firm embrace, rocking him back and forth in silence.

Noah hiccupped and sobbed through waterfalls of tears, almost choking as he tried to regain control. He hated this,despisedhis weakness. He wasn’t a damn child. Sawyer would assume he was a spoiled baby who wouldn’t be worth the hassle of having a real relationship with. Especially since this was the second time he’d broken down since Sawyer had arrived.

He tried to pull free of Sawyer’s strong arms, had to get away from him before he ruined any hope of proving to Sawyer he was good relationship material.

“Noah, let me hold you. Please?”

Noah wouldn’t meet his gaze, but his struggles had lost a lot of their gusto. “Sorry. I know I’m being a pain. Let me just go upstairs and wash my face, then we can head to the club.”

“Knock that shit off, boy. You’re not being a pain.” Sawyer rubbed his back and drew him close again. Noah didn’t fight it. “You’re allowed to feel your feelings—don’t ever doubt that with me. You’re not pushing me away.”

Noah swiped the back of his hand under his nose. “I’m not?” He sucked in three shuddering breaths. “I don’t want to. But I know how annoying clingy boys can get.”

Sawyer framed his cheeks with his palms and encouraged him to look into his eyes. “You do? Have you been a Daddy before?”

“Well…no. But some of the Daddies I’ve been with have warned me they hate that. Plus,I’vebeen tempted to spank a few of the boys I’ve seen around the club when they’ve gotten on my damn nerves.”

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