Tipping his head back and forth as he conceded that point, he turned back to Viper. He couldn’t argue with that even if he wanted to. “Sounds like he could use someone to take care of him a bit more. No offense.”
“None taken,” she said through gritted teeth, obviously lying. “But what I’m trying to say without saying it is that he needs a special kind of caretaking, okay?”
Her comment about ice cream and cartoons snapped into place next to Emmett’s superhero apron and sub vibes. He couldn’t help the smile that started to grow on his face. Fuck, he really was going to be that lucky. “Yeah, okay. I hear you, V.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Do you? Because I don’t think you do based on that look.”
“He’s a little,” Rooster said bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest. He tried not to look smug as Viper gaped at him. “Which means my caretaking,daddyass might just be the perfect man for the job.”
“That’s too much!” Emmett squealed, then laughed as he leaned into Rooster’s side and tried to scrape off some of the heaping glob of frosting he’d just put on the cookie he was holding.
He moved it out of reach, pretending to be affronted at Emmett’s correction when he was honestly fucking delighted. Emmett had been kind of quiet when Rooster had sat down next to him, but between Ollie and CJ’s easy chattering and Rooster’s gentle encouragement, he’d started to come out of his shell.
Rooster couldn’t believe he’d never realized Emmett was a little before and was kicking himself for it. It seemed so obvious as he watched him smile and giggle, a blush blooming on his round cheeks when Ollie teased him.
For years, Rooster had been searching for something he hadn’t even known he’d wanted, unsure how to find it. Now that he did know, he could see the pattern from his past relationships. He’d come on too strong, end up “smothering” them, and then get burned. Again and again.
He gazed at Emmett’s profile. The idea that a sweet boy he could dote on and take care of could have been under his nose but just out of reach the whole time made him a little crazy. Especially if he let himself think too hard about what Viper had said about how Emmett’s family had treated him. How often had shit like that happened?
How many times could he have maybe been there to stop it?
“I like ’em thick,” he said, smearing the red frosting around the Christmas tree–shaped cookie and then taking a huge bite.
Emmett stared up at him with wide eyes, gaze dropping down to his mouth for a second and then away. Licking his lips, Emmett asked hoarsely, “The frosting?”
Ollie or CJ was giggling on the other side of the table, but Rooster ignored them, winking at Emmett and letting his eyes drop to his soft waist and round ass, even though they were hidden pretty well under his clothes and apron. “Frosting too.”
Emmett’s breath hitched in his throat, cheeks filling with heat. “Um.”
“Rooster?” Ollie said, breaking up the tension of the moment.
Which was probably for the best. Rooster didn’t want to push too hard and scare off Emmett before he could figure out if they could actually be a good match. Just because he was a daddy and Emmett a little didn’t mean they’d automatically complement each other and their respective needs.
He just… There was something about Emmett. Something he’d noticed when the kid was seventeen and had the sweetest smile Rooster had ever seen—even if it’d been a much rarer sight then. Something that should have tipped him off at the time that all was not well in the Moore household.
“Yeah?” He glanced at Ollie’s smirking face.
“Did you know Emmett works at an assisted-living facility?” Ollie said, leaning his elbow on the table and then planting his chin on his fist.
“Oh yeah?” He turned and smiled at Emmett. “What do you do there?”
Concentrating harder than was necessary on putting sprinkles on the couple of frosted cookies in front of him, Emmett nodded. “Um, I’m the assistant activities director. That’s how I met Ollie. He volunteers once a month to do some of the residents’ hair.”
“Then Emmett started coming to the salon for haircuts,” Ollie piped up.
“And then he told Roni—um, Viper about me when she was looking for a roommate.” Emmett smiled across the table at Ollie.
“Of course, when I did that, I thought we’d hang outmore,not less,” Ollie quipped.
CJ rolled his eyes and elbowed Ollie. “Be nice, or I’m telling Six.”
Ollie plastered on a smile. “Me? I’m always nice. Aren’t I being nice, Emmett?”
When Emmett’s soft eyes just widened as he looked back and forth between CJ and Ollie, Rooster couldn’t resist stepping in.
“Behave.” He gave Ollie a stern look, but the boy only seemed to listen to Six, the club’s Enforcer.
“Ugh, who invited the daddy to the party?” Ollie muttered to CJ, then cackled when Rooster sighed in annoyance. “Kidding. You’re always welcome, Rooster.”
