Jasper’s demeanor changed like someone had flipped a switch. His shoulders tightened and little marionette lines pulled down at his mouth. The tight jaw was a dead giveaway—he thought I was about to say something that would hurt him. And it pissed me off that I was the one who’d put him in that position.
“I owe you an apology. Another one.”
“An apology?” The tension hadn’t left him. If anything, his shoulders had climbed higher toward his ears.
“Yeah. I’m not very good with relationships. I haven’t had a lot of them, and it shows.”
“Okay?”
“So after I got you settled on the couch, I went back and took care of your ladies, and then I ran home real fast to get the stuff I needed to make soup and grab some files and my computer.” I trailed off because I wasn’t sure how to phrase the next part. Jasper just waited, not rushing in to fill the silence.
“When I was sitting at the dining room table, I got to thinking about the last couple of days.”
“Yeah, I saw you working in the field with the flock of bingos.”
“I’m sorry. The what now?”
“The flock of bingos.”
“The herd of bongos?”
“Yeah, that. Is that the most important part right now?”
Shit.
“You’re absolutely right. It’s not important right now. But yes, I got those in, and I had to get them situated and tagged, set up, paperwork handled, vet records established, and a million other things that need to be done for a new batch.”
“Yeah, sounds like you’ve been busy.”
“Yeah, I have been. But not so goddamn busy that I couldn’t pick up a phone and text you to tell you that.”
“Oh.” Jasper’s fingers plucked at the blanket he’d pulled down next to him at some point. The tension in his shoulders dropped just a fraction, so I plowed ahead.
“Yeah. I got distracted by stuff, and I realized I left you hanging without an explanation. But how did you know they were bongos?”
“I took a picture and did a reverse search.”
I shook my head. “I think I have a lot to learn about being a Daddy.”
“You think so?”
“I absolutely know so because if I’d been a proper Daddy, I wouldn’t have left you wondering where you stood with me. And I kinda sorta think that’s exactly what you’ve been wondering.”
Jasper sighed but didn’t contradict me.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’m sorry I didn’t make myself clearer, and I’m even more sorry I didn’t explain what it’s like when I get a new herd—especially one this size. I could’ve fixed the problem by just texting you and explaining, but I didn’t, and I’m really sorry about that.”
“Did the little part of me freak you out?”
“No.” I tried to put as much conviction into that single word as humanly possible. “Not even a little bit. I like it.”
“You do?”
“Yep.”
“So what do we do now?”
“If you’re still interested in me, we could come up with some rules.”
