Page 46 of Stirring Up Trouble
I don't know how Maddox knew what they looked like considering his back had been to them. Sure enough, they were huddled up together at one of the windows ordering their food. From behind, it was obvious how close they had become in such a short time, and my cousin was right.
There was no way we could let the two of them lose touch. Whatever happened, Jake, Maddox, and Leon were going to be a part of Robin's life, which meant I would be a part of his life.
I wanted to keep my role as his Daddy. Nothing less would do.
Seventeen
Robin
Jake wantedto be my friend.
No, actually, he demanded it. When the men let us loose to go get food, Jake declared I would officially be part of the group of people he collected.
“That sounds a bit creepy,” I told him.
He grinned. “It’s only creepy if you make it that way. Our friend group is huge and super supportive. There are all types of couples too, which means they have lots of different advice. It will help you as you navigate being Cousin Blaze’s boy.”
Everything came to a halt at his words.
How did he know? I didn’t call Blaze Daddy or anything. And he hadn’t explicitly said I was his boy. If this was him trying to wiggle the information from me, then he probably got his answer with how I’ve become a statue.
Jake’s hand on my shoulder broke the spell I was under. “I didn’t mean to assume if this isn’t the case. Lately, I’ve felt like I’m really good at figuring out who's part of the community. Sorry if I offended you or something.”
I shook my head quickly. “No… No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’m not sure, really. All my friends are either Daddies or boys too. Some are even Little. It’s just never been what I was into. Mostly because I’d been dating women. And now —”
“And now you’re not dating women anymore? This is all new, isn’t it?”
Biting my lip, I bobbed my head.
Jake sighed. “Oh, boy. Then I’m so glad we came. You deserve to have someone on your side. I’ll give you my number so you can text me too. No question is ever too weird. I’m besties with my brother’s Little, if that gives you any idea of how comfy I am about this.”
“I’m not sure what to say to that.”
“You don’t have to say anything. We’re going to get some food, then we’ll eat with the Daddies. I’ll answer any question you want. After lunch, I’m getting on a pony. I want a full photo shoot too. The others will be so jealous I got to be around a bunch of cowboys.”
I smiled at that. “They’d probably be even more jealous of my friend’s place. They do a market each month where they open the land up for people to come and sell things. After everyone leaves, they blow up a massive bouncy castle. There’s also a bonfire and beer for the Daddies.”
He did a slow pan my way. “Did you just say they had their own bouncy castle?”
“I did. It’s really colorful and huge. We have to take turns on it, but that doesn’t make it any less fun.”
Jake whipped out his phone as he muttered, “This is fucking unacceptable. I have to text my assistant Timothy right away. He needs to find us a bouncy castle. No! He must find us a fleet of them. I must have some for the next gathering.”
His fingers flew across the screen of the device at a rate that was kind of alarming. This was the complete opposite of the carefree, social butterfly he’d been a moment ago.
If I had to guess, I’d say Jake was a competitive person. Knowing there was someone outdoing him didn’t sit well.
When he finished, he handed the phone over. “Put your number in there, please. I promise I’m not normally so bossy. I’m just frustrated I never thought of something like this.”
Part of me wanted to tell him about Princess Aster and the stories I’d heard about the life-size playhouse he had. It wasn’t anything I’d experienced myself. More like lore handed down from others. I worried it would only make Jake more determined to build one himself, which might cut their visit short.
I couldn’t do that to Blaze. It was obvious he loved his cousin. The pair was close enough that the grumpy cowboy façade disappeared completely.
Thinking of them made me turn to see if they’d caught up with us. I found the three men standing not far away, their gazes on us as they smiled.
