6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Jackson
Walking Aiden into the daycare on Monday morning, butterflies swirled in my stomach with a strange feeling it took me a minute to identify.
Anticipation.
Eagerness.
Smiling to myself, I held the door open for my son, and he zoomed past, eager to see his new friends. It was amazing what a difference just a week had made in him. He loved coming to Little Cubs, loved all the friends he had made, loved Robert and all the other teachers, as he called them.
My first week of work had been exhausting. Most nights when I had picked him up, I had felt a bit like my brain was mush. But seeing the wide grin on Aiden’s face, the absolute joy shining from his eyes, always made me forget how tired I was.
This morning, my entire body was thrumming with excitement, and I held tightly to the white pastry bag in my hand. I had no idea what had prompted me to buy the muffin for Robert this morning.
But when I had stopped for coffee at The Sweet Spot, the bakery/coffee shop owned by Brendan’s brother-in-law, Quinn, they had just brought out piping hot blueberry muffins. They had smelled heavenly, and I had ordered one for myself and one for Robert. Aiden had turned his nose up, asking for a chocolate chip toffee cookie instead. And while I should have said no, even though there wasn’t much difference between eating a muffin for breakfast over a cookie, I hadn’t been able to resist his pleading eyes. At least I’d known I had fixed him a decent breakfast beforehand.
Aiden had happily munched on his cookie on the drive to the daycare, declaring it the best cookie he had ever eaten. I had to say the blueberry muffin might have been the best muffin I had ever put in my mouth, so his review of the cookie was likely spot on. I had stopped into the shop a few times the past week for coffee, but this was the first morning I had bought any of the delectable looking pastries that lined the cases. It would not be the last. I could see me quickly becoming addicted to the sweet treats and making them a daily thing .
I hadn’t seen Robert since Saturday, but thoughts of him had invaded every waking moment of my entire weekend. I kicked myself for not getting the man’s phone number. Then told myself that he needed some space, and had I had his number, I would have likely been texting or calling him non-stop.
I could already tell where Robert Cooper was concerned, I had zero chill.
It didn’t help the situation that my dick had decided to join the land of the living again, and his thoughts had been all about Robert too. The taste of his kiss had lingered on my lips, hell, on my very soul. I had jacked myself in the shower to the memory of the soft, needy moans and whimpers that had escaped his throat. To the feel of his body pressed against mine. The sweet scent of him that had surrounded us.
And now my dick was hard again, walking into my child’s daycare. Great.
Maybe no one would notice.
“Good morning, Mr. Robert!” Aiden’s excited welcome told me my mate was close. Instead of looking for him, I concentrated on putting Aiden’s backpack in his cubby, while sneakily adjusting myself.
Turning around, I found Robert’s warm, light brown gaze watching me .
Honey. His eyes looked like honey. I had been trying all weekend to figure out how to describe their color, and looking at him now, it dawned on me.
“Good morning,” my greeting was low, rumbly, and filled with a heat that probably should be against the law in a daycare center.
Robert’s honey-colored eyes widened at the greeting, and I saw a tiny tremor run through his body. So, my skittish omega was just as affected by me as I was him.
“Good morning,” he whispered, then cleared his throat. “Happy Monday.”
“Daddy hates Mondays,” Aiden informed him cheerfully, oblivious to the undercurrent of emotions passing between his teacher and me.
“Most people do,” I informed him, then held out the white bag to Robert, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically shy. “I, ah, picked up a muffin for you when I got coffee. I mean, I got one too. They were just bringing them out of the oven, and they smelled really good–tasted good too–and I thought you might like one.”
You’re rambling , my croc muttered, act chill .
Robert took the bag from me, his cheeks blooming a pretty pink. He gave me a tentative smile. “Thank you.”
He peered into the bag, his nose twitching as he sniffed. “It smells delicious. I’ll have it on my morning break.”
“Good. ”
For fucks sake , my croc grumbled. You were smoother in high school. What the fuck is wrong with you? Just go to work and let the man enjoy his muffin without you hovering over him. And get his fucking number, dork.
I had no idea why Robert had me tied in knots the way he did. Probably for a myriad of reasons. The fact that we were fated mates, the fact that he was the first person that had made me feel alive again since Levi, the fact that my dick was acting like we were in high school. Any and all of the above.
“Well,” rubbing a hand over the back of my neck, I shuffled my feet awkwardly. Aiden was looking between me and Robert, with a look on his small face that told me he thought I was acting weird. “I should get going. Aiden, give me a hug.”
Kneeling down, I opened my arms, relishing the feel of his little arms winding tightly around me.
“Daddy, you’re being weird,” Aiden whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek and running over to the corner with the play clothes. A couple of his friends he had met this week were already there, and they all started chattering together about who they were going to dress up as this morning.
Robert held the pastry bag tightly to his chest, his cheeks still blooming with color. I didn’t know if he had heard Aiden or not–likely he had–and now we were both standing there, acting awkward as fuck. “Have a good day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I knew from the past week he wouldn’t be there when I picked Aiden up, another teacher would be. “Could I have your number?”
I blurted the words out in a rush, wanting to kick myself. Yep, zero game where this omega was concerned. None. Zip. A part of me wondered if Levi was watching from somewhere, laughing his ass off at my bumbling. At least when I had kissed Robert, I had been a bit smoother.
“Oh, yeah,” Robert shook his head, but pulled his phone from his back pocket and handed it to me after he unlocked it. “I guess we should have done that on Saturday? It’s been a long time since I’ve done this. I don’t know what the rules are anymore.”
Weighing his words, I entered my number in his phone and sent myself a text so I would have his number, then handed his phone back to him. When our fingers brushed, there was the snap of electricity between us, my arm tingling. My phone buzzed with the text I had sent, and I quickly saved his number in my contacts, before shooting off a reply.
Me: I hope you have a good day and enjoy your muffin.
Me: I don’t know the rules either. It’s been a long time for me too. So how about we don’t worry about rules and just do what feels right for both of us?
Robert read my texts, a little smile tugging at his lips, before he slid it back in his back pocket. “Okay.”
Raising a brow at him, I grinned. “Yeah?”
He nodded, “I still think we aren’t a good fit, but we can talk about it on Friday. But my son says I should give you a chance.”
“Mine said I was being weird.”
He laughed, throwing his head back, and I watched the way his merriment lit up his face, the way his muscles contracted. His musical laughter filled the air around us, and it filled me with a lightness I realized I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
And that I wanted more of it. Wanted to be near it. Wanted it to fill me up for always.
“I’m sorry,” he giggled, when his laughter trailed off, “I don’t know why I found that so funny.”
“It’s okay,” I grinned at him. “I like your laugh.”
He blinked, still grinning, but the pink was flooding his cheeks again and I wondered if he would blush all over like that when I had him naked beneath me. Whoa! Pump the brakes. My dick had just gone down and now he was wide awake again.
“You do? ”
He seemed so genuinely shocked by my statement, it tugged at my heart. How did he not know how truly enchanting he was? “I do. I really do need to go. I’ll text you later.” Shaking my head at my words, I amended, “Would it be okay if I texted you later?”
Trying not to rush the man was going to take every ounce of willpower I apparently didn’t possess.
He looked down at his feet, then up at me through his lashes, and I would have sworn the earth moved dizzily beneath my feet. “Yes, I’d like that. I may not be able to answer right away, if I’m working, but yes.”
“Mr. Robert!” a small, but fierce, female voice called from the corner, where the play clothes were, “Patrick says I can’t be a pirate today! He’s not sharing!”
“Am too!” a little male voice yelled. “I told you other people can be pirates too, not just you, Rory! You need to share better!”
“And, that’s my cue,” Robert told me, rushing over to break up the squabble. “Now, Rory, I know there are at least three pirate costumes in here. A pirate captain needs a pirate crew, don’t they?”
“I guess,” I heard the little girl say as I headed towards the door, though she honestly didn’t seem too convinced of the need for her to have her very own pirate crew.
Later that morning, my phone buzzed on my desk, and I snatched it up so fast I nearly spilled my coffee cup. I knew, I just knew, that it was Robert. I had no idea how I knew, but it was like I could feel it was him.
Robert: Thank you for the muffin. It was very nice of you.
Me: Sweets for my sweet.
Me: OMG! Ew! Forget I said that! I don’t know why I said that!
Me: I think that is a line from an old horror movie. *facepalm emoji*
Me: Unsend. How the fuck do I unsend?
Jackson unsent a message.
Hopefully, he hadn’t had time to read the first message and the following ones would make little to no sense to him. Yeah, that seemed logical. I rolled my eyes at my own ridiculousness.
Me: You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Robert: *laughing emoji* Should I change your name in my contacts to ‘Candyman’ ?
Oh Goddess, he had seen the message. And, of course, he had seen the movie I had unknowingly quoted for some unknown, bizarre reason that I couldn’t even figure out. My brain was clearly short circuiting when it came to Robert.
Me: Please don’t.
Me: What do you have it saved under now?
Me: Don’t tell me, let me guess. Is it Hot Alpha?
Robert: It’s saved under Jackson. *laughing emoji*
Me: How terribly boring. I think I like Candyman better.
Robert: If I say your name three times, do you come? *winky emoji*
Sitting straight up, I stared down at my phone, my eyes wide and my dick chubbing in my pants. Thank the Goddess, if anyone entered my office my desk would hide it. It probably wasn’t a good look for the CFO to be walking around with a hard on at work.
But was Robert flirting with me?
Me: Definitely
Well, only one way to find out. I was just gonna flirt right back then.
Robert: I guess I’ll need to test that theory. Soon.
Me: I hope so.