Chapter 13
Henry
Waiting for Drew was testing my patience, and that was something new for me. Certainly, I’d had relationships with men, but none of them had ever made me want to leave a crucial meeting because it had been a week and I wanted to see him.
From my vantage point near the window, I saw him get out of the Uber and walk up the sidewalk to the front of the restaurant.
He paused to thank the driver and smiled at the attendant who’d come out to open the door for him.
He looked a little different now than when we first met.
His hair wasn’t nearly as perfect, and his clothes were much less put together.
He seemed less guarded, and I liked it. Hell, I liked him.
When Phoenix called him interesting, he hadn’t been wrong. The contradiction between the professional-looking man who had seemed so lost and the warm, funny one who sometimes forgot to hide his Midwest roots fascinated me. It was the second one I wanted to lose myself in over the next hour.
“You made it,” I greeted him as he was escorted to the table.
After a quick nod of acknowledgment to the host, I pulled out Drew’s chair.
Before he slipped into it, I enveloped him in a bear hug and held him close for just a moment.
His hair was still slightly damp, and the fresh scent tickled my nose.
Drew wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed me back.
Before he pulled away, I planted a firm kiss on his mouth.
I’d take the opportunity to publicly claim him every time.
“I’ve missed you, sweetheart,” I told him before loosening my grip.
“Me too, Daddy,” Drew whispered in my ear before pulling away.
“And, of course, I’m happy to say I survived the day with preschoolers relatively unscathed,” Drew answered with a smile.
“And you still managed to drag yourself out of bed today to keep me company for dinner? I’d still be holed up in there with my smelling salts and blankie.”
“It was so much fun. We got to…”
Before he could launch into the rundown, a server appeared tableside.
“Hey, guys, what can I get you to drink?”
Drew glanced at my water, then at me. I gave him a look that told him he better not even think about it because I already knew he hated it.
“Do you have sweet tea?”
“I’m sorry, we don’t, but we’ve got regular iced tea, a Long Island Iced Tea, or a Short Island Iced Tea, which is a mocktail,” they offered.
“Oh, I’ll try the last one, please.”
“Me too, and some garlic cheesy bread, please.”
The server nodded their understanding and bustled off to get our order in.
I handed Drew a menu, and he glanced down before immediately beginning to bite his lip.
In an instant, I knew what the issue likely was.
The restaurant was one of those deceptively fancy California places that looked like a hole-in-the-wall but was actually pricey.
The pizza was worth every penny and the extra cost of getting a table without an advance reservation.
Drew waited until the server was out of earshot before he spoke.
“I hadn’t realized how expensive my drink would be. I’m…”
I interrupted him before he could finish that thought.
“Let’s just be really clear. First, I invited you, and second, even when you invite me, this Daddy is buying. Full stop.”
I sat back in my chair and let Drew process.
“Is this important to you?”
“It’s nonnegotiable for me,” I admitted.
Drew sat a little longer without speaking. It didn’t show on my face, but I was the tiniest bit worried it was too much for him, considering his previous relationships.
“Then I’ll try to be mindful,” he conceded. “But okay.”
“If you mean be mindful by not getting the five-thousand-dollar bottle of wine that you’ll say tastes like weird grape juice or something.” I laughed.
He could be mindful all he wanted, but foregoing a mocktail was too thrifty.
“It’s true.” Drew laughed in a thoroughly fake snooty tone.
“Now that that’s wrapped up, let’s figure out our pizza. What’s your favorite topping?”
“Please don’t hate me…mushrooms?”
“Oohhh, fungi for the win. What’s your second favorite?”
“Uhh…extra cheese.”
“We’re calling that a topping?”
“Yes,” Drew said with a wide smile. “We are going to do that.”
“Done.”
“Third?”
“Bacon.”
“A clear winner.”
“And that’s pretty much it.”
I paused long enough to glance down at the menu.
“There’s the Wild Mountain Mushroom with the garlic sauce…”
“More garlic?” Drew asked with a raised brow. I liked this teasing side of him.
“Yes, because I’m a lawyer, and I like to be a little sneaky.”
“Ooh, do tell,” Drew said as he propped his chin on his tented fingers.
With his elbows on the table and twinkling eyes, it felt new and exciting and somehow like we’d been together for approximately forever. I wanted more of this with him.
“If I keep giving you garlic, you won’t go around kissing other boys, and I’ll make asshole studio guy regret his plan for us to work all damn night. It’s a win-win.”
“Do you think I want to kiss other boys?”
“Nope, but I like to hedge my bets anyway.”
“So sneaky.”
“This might be the best pizza I’ve had in my entire life.”
Drew sounded rapturous as he ate his slice with his eyes closed and head tipped back. His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. The entire picture gave me dirty thoughts I couldn’t do a damn thing about, since I would be forced back to the office after dinner.
Fuck my life, and fuck that studio asshole too.
“Yeah, it’s my favorite,” I choked out.
Drew gave me a curious look but otherwise let my inability to speak clearly pass without comment.
“I’m gonna regret another piece, but I’m gonna do it anyway.”
Drew put down his own pizza, grabbed the pie server, and slipped another slice onto my plate. In the grand scheme of life, it wasn’t a blip in the universe, but for us, in that moment, it felt like more. Domestic and caring, and I liked it. I wanted more of it.
“They have a new convert.”
We were back to looking at each other like fools.
“Big plans for tomorrow? Since you conquered preschoolers, gonna tackle world peace?”
“I have no plans tomorrow,” Drew admitted.
The buzz of the restaurant made it hard to hear him, so I was forced to move closer until we were right next to each other instead of across the table.
Since I was already there, taking him by the hand was the most reasonable thing in the world.
I ran my thumb across his and traced the tendons on the back of his hand.
High school was the last time holding a guy’s hand gave me a semi, but Drew’s presence changed that.
“Would you like some?”
“With you?”
“I mean, I hope, unless you think you’ll get a better offer,” I said with a smirk.
Drew smiled and slowly shook his head.
“I had this plan for how I hoped tonight would go, and studio jackass ruined it.”
“Oh yeah? What was your idea?”
“We were going to have a lovely dinner…”
“Which we are…”
“Agreed. So check off excellent dinner, and then I was going to take you home.”
Drew gave a lopsided grin. In that moment, he looked so boyish and happy. Pride fueled my ego that I’d somehow been the one to help bring that happiness out in him. Every layer he showed me of himself sent me a little more head over heels for him.
“To Halo House?”
“No, smart aleck, to my house. And, most importantly, I was going to convince you to stay over so I could wake up with you too.”
“You wanted me to stay over?”
“Got you a new toothbrush and everything.”
“Oh. Well…”
Drew sat back but didn’t pull his hand away.
We both knew that it was more than just staying over.
The deal with Halo House was that we, the patrons, were expected to be gentle with anyone we might come across there.
No one got there because things were great, and Phoenix expected us to be mindful of that.
We had to be accountable for our intentions, and I knew, and Drew did too, that it was more than just a sleepover. It was intention.
“I’m sorry that it can’t happen now.”
“But it still can.”
“I thought you were going back to work?”
“Yeah, but I’m not going to sleep there. Instead of Halo House, you could go back to my place. If you have the door and alarm code, that’s all you need.”
“You’d be okay with that?”
“Yeah, I would.”
“Okay then.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”