“Yeah, so, I thought it might be nice to get out for a bit.”
“Okay.”
“Cool. So, Chloe wanted to meet up at CK’s at about six. That shouldn’t be too late for Taylor. We ought to be able to get her home and in bed at a decent time still. You good with that?”
“Works for me. Do you want me and Taylor to just meet you there, or would you rather swing by my house and the three of us go together?”
“Do you have a preference?” Cael asked.
“I’d say together.”
Cael snorted, unable to pass up the opportunity to mess with him. “If you wanted to go on a date, Pook, all you had to do was ask.”
“Shut up. If we go together, it means at least one of us can drink.”
“Uh-huh. Whatever you say, man.” Cael teased, unable to stop the wide grin on his face. It would be—could be—kind of like a date. Though Zach wouldn’t want it to be, Cael could pretend a little, maybe get a few laughs out of his best friend, and hopefully cheer him up a little, and it wasn’t often he got Zach out of the house for anything social.
Cael glanced at his watch, checking the time before his next patient. He had about five minutes.
“Anyway, I better get going. My next patient will be here in a few. I’ll see you around five.”
“It’s not a date,” Zach asserted.
Cael laughed. “We’ll see about that. Later, Pook.”
Cael hung up before Zach could say anything else. He was already looking forward to the evening. God help him, he wished it could be an actual date. Cael didn’t care that they’d have a toddler with them, not to mention his sister and her friend. All he wished for was a moment in which he could feel like Zach was actually his. A taste of what it would be like if he and Zach were together.
Cael sighed. Who was he kidding? That wasn’t ever going to happen.
***
With a frenzy of butterflies swarming his stomach, Cael knocked on Zach’s door then let himself in. He shouldn’t be so nervous. He hung out with Zach all the time, even stayed the night on occasion, but there was something different about tonight. Maybe it was because they were going to CK’s—an upscale restaurant in the heart of downtown Denver—which required something other than his usual social gathering attire of T-shirts and grungy jeans. Or maybe it was because he and Zach were going to arrive together, dressed up with a toddler in tow, and people might think they were an actual couple.
But how would Zach feel about that? He probably wouldn’t care or even notice, as long as Cael kept his emotions under wraps, but even that was getting harder to do lately. Cael couldn’t figure out why that was.
A high-pitched giggle echoed from down the hallway followed by Zach’s frustrated yet playful voice.
“Taylor, get back here, you little stinker!”
Still standing in the foyer, Cael arched a brow just as the little dark-haired, barefoot cutie came running around the corner wearing a black top with ruffles and an adorable pink and black skirt with a poodle print.
“Cael!” Taylor squealed, trying to run past him.
Cael laughed and scooped her up as Zach appeared at the end of the hallway. “Hey, munchkin. Just where do you think you’re going?” He looked up and found himself caught off guard.
Zach wore a white button-down shirt layered beneath a charcoal gray pullover sweater untucked over slim fitting dark blue jeans and a pair of black boots. The hair on his historically clean-shaven face had grown out enough to be a short beard and mustache that were now neatly trimmed and combed. His almost black hair had that intentional slightly spiked, barely messy look.
Good God. The image took Cael’s breath away.
It took Cael a second to recover himself, and when he did, he caught Zach staring at him as if he’d done a double-take as well.
Cael smirked. “Hey, handsome. Need some help getting ready for our date?”
Zach blinked and rolled his eyes, his lips quirking into a subtle smile.
“You’re such a dork,” he said, approaching Cael, a tiny pair of white knee-high socks in one hand and two shiny black shoes in the other. “Do me a favor and hold her while I put her shoes and socks on.”
“You bet.” Cael cradled Taylor in his arms watching Zach as he spent considerable effort slipping on Taylor’s socks and shoes. “Seriously, though, you look good.”
