Page 9 of Trashed to Treasured
By the time I was locking up the yard for the night, my back muscles were tight and in need of a hot shower.
The next day, I was a ball of nervous energy. Maybe not nervous so much as unsettled. I just wanted to know that Brody was okay. To that end, I came up with a ridiculous plan to bring him some cookies on my way home from work.
There was a bakery near Jesse’s doggy day care that was known for its cookies, so I closed up at exactly five, sending the guys home early so I could get to the bakery before it closed at six.
I’d just pulled up to the curb and was getting out of my truck when Jesse came running down the street. “Hey, Aaron.”
“Hey, Jess. How’s it going?” I was grateful to see him and hoped he had some kind of update to pass along. Maybe I could even find some justification to take Brody cookies.
“Has he called you yet?” He had one hand on his hip and the other resting on the hood of my truck.
Play dumb or play creeper? Decisions, decisions. I went with the obvious. “Who? Harris? I talked to him yesterday.”
He exhaled and gave me a knowing look. “Brody. He said you went all Daddy on him and then bailed.”
“Bailed!” There was no way Brody remembered it that way. “I did not bail. He needed to sleep so I put him to bed and went home. I left my number and told him to call if he needed anything.”
“Well, duh, he totally does!” Jesse seemed quite put out by my ignorance. “Obviously.”
I nodded toward the bakery. “I was gonna pick up some cookies and take them to him. Do you think that’s too much? Will he think I’m coming on too strong?”
“Coming on too strong? He doesn’t know the meaning.” Jesse choked out a laugh. “If you show the slightest kindness, he’ll have you moving in by the end of the week.”
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I’ll start with cookies.” I patted Jesse on the shoulder and stepped back. “Thanks for being a good friend to him. Sounds like you got there just in time.”
“Be careful with him. He’s…fragile.” Jesse nodded then turned and jogged back to his store.
With both excitement and concern in my gut, I picked up a selection of brightly decorated sugar cookies and headed over to Brody’s house.
He wasn’t expecting me and was definitely not ready to start something new if he was barely a week out of his bad relationship…but I wasn’t about to let logic and good decision-making get in my way.
I wanted to get to know him better…and I wanted him to be my boy.
More than that, I wanted to be the Daddy he needed. I just hoped he was ready to consider something serious, despite the circumstances that brought us together.
7
BRODY
I stared at my phone with my thumb hovering over the send button, but I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to reach out to Aaron and let him know how much I appreciated his help on Saturday, but it seemed so desperate.
Not that I wasn’t desperate, because I totally was.
But he didn’t need to see me begging. Then again, he saw me at rock-bottom, so I had absolutely zero dignity left when it came to that man.
That man…that strong and sexy man.
Aaron had such a kind and caring demeanor that made him the perfect Daddy. At least, perfect for me. But did he want that? He played the part pretty damn well when I was puking and miserable, but was that just a one-time thing that he accidentally walked into, or would he be interested in me…as his boy?
I opened the fridge to consider dinner options. Not much. The rest of the cookie dough tube looked pretty good. Cookies for dinner never hurt anyone. I was about to grab the tube when there was a knock on my door.
Did I already order dinner?My head had been in the clouds for the past few days, so forgetting that I’d already ordered delivery wasn’t the craziest thing I’d ever done, but I hadn’t been home from work long enough to do more than quickly shower and sulk my way through the kitchen.
I opened the door, expecting an Amazon delivery of a book I preordered months ago and forgot about. That was usually what landed on my doorstep on a weekly basis. But instead of a random delivery person, it was Aaron.
TheAaron.
The man who cleaned me up when I was sloppy drunk, dressed me in a onesie, and put a pacifier in my mouth.
