Nodding, he added, “There were some extenuating circumstances, but yeah. I pretty much moved into the clubhouse for what was supposed to be a weekend, maybe aweek, while Six made sure it was safe for me to go home, but I never left.”
“That’s…” Crazy? Insane?
Romantic as all get out?
“I know.” Ollie laughed. “But when you know?—”
“You know,” CJ and Kenneth finished for him at the same time.
Emmett smiled, heart clenching. These three were so close, way closer than any friends Emmett had ever had. He ached to be a part of that, hoping he could prove himself worthy of being welcomed into their tight-knit group.
“I think I know,” Emmett said softly. “It’s just kind of scary. The only person who’s ever seen me as Emmie?—”
“Is that your little name? Oh my god, that’s so cute,” Ollie gushed, making him blush.
“Hush, you,” CJ said, waving a hand at him. “Go ahead, Emmett.”
“Only Roni’s seen me as Emmie, and the first time was an accident. But Rooster and I have plans for a date tomorrow with little time, and I just feel…” He wasn’t sure. He was nervous, yeah, but also excited. The whole thing felt like a monumental moment, like their futures hinged on it, and that was a lot of pressure for him.
“Hey, look at me,” Ollie said, sounding serious for the first time all day. He clapped his hands on Emmett’s cheeks again like he had earlier, but he didn’t squish his face together, instead gently but firmly holding him in place. “It’s completely natural to benervous, but don’t let that stop you from having something you need.”
“But what if… what if he doesn’t like me as Emmie?” Emmett whispered, tears sprouting in his eyes as he voiced the one worry he’d been holding closest, afraid to voice it and have it come true. “He’s never spent time with a little before.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Ollie’s face scrunched, and he sniffled. “Don’t make me cry. My eyeliner will run.” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “If he doesn’t like you as Emmie, then he isn’t the man we think he is, and he’s not worthy of you, do you hear me?”
“He’s right,” CJ said behind him, but Ollie held him in place so he couldn’t look over at him. “I know it’s easy to let our worries consume us, but you want this, right?”
“More than anything.” He wasn’t sure if CJ meant a relationship with Daddy and little time or Rooster, but his answer wouldn’t change either way.
“Then you need to trust yourself and him,” Kenneth said, placing a warm hand on Emmett’s back. “It may be the scariest thing you’ll ever do, but I bet it will also be the easiest when the moment comes. Rooster will make you feel safe, and all you’ll have to worry about is what toys to play with.”
Rooster did make him feel safe, more than he ever had before. Even more than Roni did, and he hadn’t thought that was possible. Every time Rooster looked at him or laid a hand on his shoulder or leg, Emmett felt all the tension begin to release inside him. It was like a magic trick or a cheat code only Rooster possessed.
“And maybe you should mention to him about being worried before the date,” Ollie said, brushing at the dampness beneath Emmett’s eyes and releasing him. “Talking it through with him will help a ton, I bet.”
“You’re right.” Emmett cleared his throat and took a steadying breath. “You all are. Thank you.”
“God damn, you’re so cute,” Ollie practically squealed, the heaviness of the moment seeping away. “Do you do playdates? I bet you’d be a blast to play with.”
A man who made his heart sing with happiness and friends who not only accepted him but wanted to spend time with him while he was little? He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so lucky, but—for the first time in a long time—he was starting to think maybe he actually deserved them.
6
“Wait,” Knuckles said, pausing his steps and making Rooster stop too. Other guys stepped around them, some already on their phones and others discussing further what had been brought up at Church. “You’re about to have your third date with that Emmett guy?—”
“Fourth, if you count the dinner he brought him,” Tank interjected helpfully, grinning at Rooster when he rolled his eyes.
Knuckles nodded in thanks and continued. “And you haven’t done anything but kiss?”
Tank hummed as he rubbed at his short beard. “Maybe he’s worried they won’t be… a good fit.”
Rooster outright laughed at his suggestive tone. “No. I’m not worried about that at all.”
And he really wasn’t. He knew Emmett wasn’t very experienced—and had never had a daddy—but Rooster had known by the end of their first real date, as they’d walked out of the restaurant hand in hand, that they were damn near perfect for each other.There was a spark between them that was growing into a small fire, and he knew, without a doubt, that the moment he got his mouth on anything more than his sweet little boy’s mouth, they’d burn like a motherfucking forest fire.
Everything he learned about Emmett just reinforced that feeling. They fit together on so many levels—from the way Emmett liked it when Rooster ordered his food for him and how sweet he was when he talked about loving his job and all the residents he worked with. And the way he smiled at Rooster like he hung the fucking moon when he called him sweet or adorable or a good boy.
And he knew there had been times Emmett’s little side had been close to coming to the surface, usually when Rooster did something particularly daddyish. The fact that Emmett felt so comfortable around him already made him feel ten feet tall.
