Page 24 of Healing Daddy

JJ motioned toward the door. “Let’s do it.”

Leary stood to follow, but his phone rang, stopping him. With an irritated huff, Leary dug his phone out and headed to the bedroom at the sight of his dad’s name.

“Hello?”

“Hey, son. Be at the house at seven for dinner. Your mom says you’re dating someone. Bring them.” It was an order. It was always an order. His dad didn’t ask for anything.

“I kind of have plans tonight.” Like celebrating this miracle he had been handed, while fretting over who and why anyone would spy on him. Where had that camera been? Had they watched JJ and him when they were intimate? Had they heard them? How horrific. He was pissed. How dare they?

“Cancel them. You made your bed by hiding this person from us. I thought you knew by now that we accept you. Bring the damn guy. Unless you’re ashamed of him.”

Rage consumed Leary. His dad always knew how to get under his skin. “Of course I’m not ashamed. It’s just that I’m not always free to drop everything.”

“Nonsense. You’ll be here at seven. Your mother and I didn’t sacrifice everything for a son who can’t even spare two hours for us.”

Leary’s shoulders fell.

JJ appeared.

Leary spotted his chance. “Is it okay with you if we have dinner with my parents tonight?” Leary fully expected JJ to curl his nose at the idea. That would give him the backbone he needed.

JJ smiled. Happiness sparkled in his eyes. “You’re finally going to let me meet your parents? Of course, we’ll go.”

A groan rang through Leary’s head. He couldn’t let JJ think he was hiding him or anything. The problem was his parents. They were a lot. “We’ll see you at seven.”

“That’s the spirit.” His dad disconnected the call without saying goodbye. Typical.

JJ beamed. “I can’t believe it. Everything feels so permanent. I love it. We get to have a real life together—minus the cameras, of course. Don’t worry, nothing was placed anywhere that would really invade our privacy.”

There was that.

“But we’re like a real adult couple now. Holy shit. You have no idea how happy I am.”

There was no way his irritation over going to his parents could ruin the happiness he saw in JJ. That happiness was for him. About him. JJ looked as if he walked on cloud nine, and it was all because he got to be with Leary. That was surreal as hell. There was no description good enough to cover the way he felt.

“I love you.” That was the best Leary had.

JJ’s smile softened along with his eyes. “I love you too.”

They held each other’s stare for a solid minute, basking in the miracle they had been given.

Leary broke first. “Who in the heck would spy on me? I’m no one. Do you really think there’s no way it could be about you? Or was that whole act really only a safety precaution?”

“Oh, it’s definitely about me. Beau is putting all this protection in place for a reason. He personally knows every guard. There’s no one who works for him that never sets eyes on him. He would never have anyone in his house and around his husband that he doesn’t fully investigate and trust.”

“He has a husband?” Leary didn’t know why that shocked him. He had just never paid too close attention to Beau’s life. Leary only knew his sons because one of them owned The PlayPen. He had to pass a lot of barriers to get that membership. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure he would know Beau if he saw him.

“Yeah. His name is Kylo. He’s a part-time Little. You’d love him.” JJ paused and looked thoughtful for a second. “Come to thinkabout it, I’m not sure if he’s a Little or if he’s just extremely eccentric. You’d have to meet him to understand.”

Leary nodded along, fascinated. “You’ve never talked to me this much about your job. Would you get into trouble for this?”

JJ laughed. “Probably, but I doubt Beau would get upset over me praising his husband. They’re a beautiful couple. Seeing their happiness reminds me so much of us. That’s how I know we’re perfect.”

Dang. He really always said exactly what Leary wanted to hear, even when Leary didn’t know what he wanted JJ to say. No matter what, Leary would love and cherish this man until his last breath. JJ was the one for him. He would never let him go.

Chapter Ten

Learyfeltalittlesick. The day had already been such a whirlwind, and now he had to eat with his parents. Meanwhile, JJ seemed perfectly fine. Little did JJ know that Leary was nervous enough for the both of them. While Leary was in no way, shape, or form ashamed of JJ, Leary knew his parents. They would very likely take one look at JJ's sexy shoulder-length hair and immediately judge him as lacking. Then they would learn that he was a security guard, because that would be the first question they asked, and the nail would be in the coffin. They would be determined to dislike JJ without ever getting to know him. That was just the kind of people they were. The worst part was, JJ wasn't dumb or blind. He would know exactly why he was being disrespected.