Daddy’s Picky Eater (Blue Collar Daddies in the City #8)

1. Dex

1

DEX

I was elbow-deep in buttercream when my phone buzzed. I considered letting it go to voicemail, but when I saw it was Ethan calling, I hit the answer button with my elbow and kept frosting. "Hey, man. What's up?"

"Dex! Got plans tonight? The boys are having a playdate, so I was thinking you could come over for some cards and beers. Or we can watch a movie that Brayden considers too scary." I could imagine Ethan making air quotes, even though I couldn’t see them. “So, you in?”

I glanced at the clock and considered my options. It was almost five on Friday evening and I had nothing else planned. "Yeah, I can stop by for a bit. What time should I be there?"

"Does seven work? I'll grill steaks for us and leave the nuggets and tots for the boys.”

I chuckled. “A steak sounds great. I can bring a cake and cookies. I’ve tried a few new recipes that I could use some taste testers for.”

“Bray will love you forever if you bring him cake.” Ethan was quiet for a moment. “I’m not sure what Augie likes but who doesn’t love cake and cookies? Just bring whatever you want."

My interest was piqued at the mention of another "Little." I'd met Brayden a few times, and he was adorable when he trusted someone. And thankfully, he trusted me enough to relax and be vulnerable around me. "Perfect. I'll bring a variety so everyone’s happy."

"Awesome, see you then!"

I hung up as a mix of excitement and nerves fluttered in my stomach. I loved hanging with Ethan, but being around him and his boy was a stark reminder of what I didn’t have…but deeply desired.

Still, I was looking forward to seeing my friend.

At 7:05, I pulled up to Ethan's place with a box of vanilla cupcakes, oatmeal cranberry cookies, and a chocolate raspberry cake beside me. Something for everyone, or more likely, two little ones in particular.

The bubbly laughter that echoed through the front door when I knocked made me smile. Brayden was a sweetheart, and I could already feel the longing begin to tug in my gut.

“Hey, bud.” Ethan pulled the door open wide and waved me in. "Just in time. Our steaks are almost done."

I followed him inside and immediately noticed the two young men sprawled on the living room floor with their eyes glued to the TV. Brayden, Ethan's boyfriend, was wearing dinosaur pajamas and swinging his bent legs to the tune of a silly monster song. The other, Augie, glanced at me and then quickly turned back to the TV. He had messy brown curls and wore a onesie covered in rocket ships.

"Boys!” Ethan hit the pause button on the remote. “Say hi to Mister Dexter."

They both looked up, and I waved. “Hi, guys.”

"Hi, Mister Dexter!" Brayden hopped up and came to give me a quick hug before running back and flopping onto the floor by his friend.

“It’s good to see you again, Brayden.” I always felt so much lighter when I was around Littles. “And you must be Augie.” I turned my attention to the shy boy who was peeking over the top of a stuffed frog. "It’s nice to meet you, Augie."

“Hi, Mister Dexter.” His voice was barely audible, but his gaze stayed locked on me. “Nice to meet you too.”

I winked in his direction before following Ethan to the kitchen. “Have the boys eaten yet?” I held up my goodies. “I brought dessert.”

Ethen popped the top off a bottle of beer then handed it to me. “I’ve been told they’re eating in courses tonight. They started with the nuggie course and will have the cheesy-noodle course after their show is over.” He waved to a set of red bowls that were shaped like train cabooses.

“The cheesy-noodle course sounds pretty good.” I was a sucker for a good mac-and-cheese. Experimenting with recipes was one of my favorite weekend pastimes. “What’s after that?”

Ethan shook his head. “I heard something about an ice cream sundae course, but I think they might reconsider and make it a pastry course.”

I chuckled. “I noticed there wasn’t a salad or veggie course.”

“Yeah, I noticed too.” Ethan pulled a large salad out of his fridge and waved me toward the back patio. “Apparently, playdates don’t include produce.”

“Good to know.” The smoky smell of our steaks made my mouth water as soon as Ethan lifted the lid of his grill. “Damn, that smells good.”

“Medium-rare good for you?” He used his tongs to lift one of the steaks up for inspection.

“Perfect.” I watched as Ethan plated our steaks, baked potatoes, and foil-wrapped corn on the cob then accepted the plates while he turned off the gas. “Thank you.”

“Thank you.” He joined me at the patio table a minute later. “Bray likes to have some space when his friends are over, but not too much space.”

"Those two are quite the pair." I glanced over my shoulder to where they were watching TV, but I couldn’t see them from where I was. “You’re a lucky man, E.”

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, they're pretty adorable together. It's nice for Brayden to have time with his friends…and I think Augie appreciates having a caretaker now and then."

“He’s alone?” I was surprised by that. He was cute and polite. If he wanted a Daddy, I couldn’t imagine it would be hard for him to find one.

Ethan dug into his steak and nodded. “Yeah, most of the boys in their friend group have hooked up with Daddies…Dylan even has two.” Ethan waggled his eyebrows and popped a piece of meat into his mouth before talking with his mouth full. Something he probably wouldn’t allow Brayden to do, but Brayden wasn’t around to witness it. “Augie is the last of their crew to find someone, so they all take care to include him as much as possible.”

“He seems like a nice kid.” I didn’t want to seem overly curious, but since Ethan brought it up… “What’s the problem?”

Ethan took a drink of his beer and sighed. “They had an incident a while back. Augie was hurt by some assholes who dosed them with something, and he’s been a little hesitant to date or spend time with strangers since then.”

“Fuck.” I inhaled deeply to keep my composure. “I hope they caught the guys.”

“No, unfortunately. And that’s part of why we tend to keep them on a short leash. They can go out, but one of us is always nearby and the official driver.”

I added salt and pepper to my potato as I considered the other side of caretaking for someone you loved. The constant worrying. “But he’s okay now?” I nodded toward the house. “Augie?”

“He’s getting there.” Ethan leveled me with his teacher gaze, reading my expression. “Why do you ask? You curious…or interested?”

“Maybe both.” I shrugged and shoved a big bite of food into my mouth. “He’s cute.”

Ethan smiled. “He is. Shy but with a mischievous side that is adorable as fuck.”

Before we got too deep down that rabbit hole, we changed the subject to work and finished eating. By the time we went back inside, the boys were inhaling mac-and-cheese from their train cars in a race to see who would finish first.

“Slow down or you’ll be seeing who pukes first.” Ethan put a hand on each of their shoulders to make sure they heard him. “Got it?”

They each made some kind of grunty/moany sound as they slowed down a tiny bit, still watching each other as they shoveled pasta into their mouths.

Ethan loaded our plates into the dishwasher and then leaned against the counter. “I know you’re busy with this course, but before you get too committed to an ice cream course, you might want to see what Dexter brought.”

Both boys went still and looked at me. “Does anyone here like cookies or cake or cupcakes?”

"Cookies!" Brayden exclaimed with wide eyes. “My favorite.”

“What about you, Augie?” I slipped my hands into my pockets to seem less threatening and leaned back, similar to Ethan’s stance. “Do you like cookies or cake?”

He swallowed hard and sat back in his seat. “Um, both, but it depends.” He bit his lip and looked down at his caboose bowl. “What kind are they?”

“Do you like fruit?”

Augie nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“What about chocolate?”

He smiled. “Yes, that’s my favorite.”

“Well, you’re in luck because the cookies are orange and cranberry and the cake is chocolate with raspberry.”

His smile dropped, and then he caught himself and went directly into fake enthusiasm mode. “That sounds yummy. Thank you.”

Brayden reached for Augie’s forearm and gave him a squeeze. “Ethan bakes real good. You’ll like those, right?”

Augie shrugged. “I’m a little full right now, but maybe later.”

While they finished eating, my gaze was continually drawn to Augie.

For a few minutes, he seemed upset about something, but by the time they went back to the living room, he was laughing at Brayden's silly jokes and dramatically reenacting scenes from the cartoon they'd been watching.

His joy was infectious and made me want to hug him and make sure he always felt cared for.

Ethan had cleared the table and held up a deck of cards. “Texas hold ‘em?”

“Sure.” I grabbed the box of chips he kept in the hutch against the back wall. “You deal.”

He sat across from me and shuffled the deck. "You're being quieter than usual. Everything okay?"

I nodded, realizing I’d been lost in thought. "Yeah, just...thinking."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "About?"

I hesitated then decided to be honest. "About how nice this is. Your life. Everything you’ve got going here."

"Yeah, it's pretty great.” Ethan sighed and put the deck down before he leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “You thinking about trying it for yourself?"

"I mean, yeah. Of course. But it's not exactly easy to find someone compatible." Deflecting, I decided a joke was in order. “It’s not like I’ve got access to single kids like you do.”

He chuckled and flicked a poker chip at my head. “Nothing happened when he was my student. He’s an adult now, as you well know.”

I shrugged as if I didn’t quite believe him, even though I knew it was true. “Says you.”

"Anyway, you do have access to plenty of single guys. Through me and Brayden. Through Primal. If you’re ready to get out there, you just have to do it."

My gaze strayed to the living room where the boys were giggling about something. I couldn’t hear details, but we heard enough shushing and whispering to know they were probably planning some trouble. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“Trust me, I am.” He whistled and raised his voice. “Bray, tell Dexter I’m always right.”

Brayden belted out a laugh. “No way, Daddy. You’re right half the time. I just pretend you’re right the rest of the time.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “In other words, I’m always right, and I’m definitely right about this.”