Jacob had woken James up earlier than normal, so the boy had plenty of time to play before he needed to get ready for his shift at the coffee house. James had been excited to wear his new play clothes, including the new underwear, and had quickly regressed. Jacob could now see that might not have been the best decision with his boy.
His boy.
Jacob still couldn’t believe that James was his. All his. He might have gotten a little possessive the previous night.
If he was honest, Jacob didn’t know if they would have ever gotten into a relationship so fast, if ever, if it had been up to him. And he still had doubts that he could be enough for James in the long run. He wanted to try though. Jacob wanted to give James the whole world.
“Daddy?”
Jacob jumped as James’s hand landed on his shoulder.
Damn! He’d been trying to coax James to breakfast when he’d got lost in thought. “Sorry, baby.”
“Are…” James swallowed hard. “Is everything okay?”
The boy should never look that worried. Jacob opened the blankets that he had across his lap, inviting James to sit with him.
Relief filled James’s face as he slid onto his lap.
Jacob cuddled James close to his chest before replacing the blankets. He kissed James’s temple, getting a deep sigh in response.
“Sorry I was a brat,” James said.
“Daddy likes brats,” Jacob reminded him. “Remember?” Since he hadn’t shaved yet he rubbed his scruff against James’s neck, causing James to wiggle and screech.
“Okay! Okay!” James continued to laugh. “You like brats.”
“I like you,” Jacob said sincerely.
Tilting his head back, James peered up at him. “I like you too.”
“That makes me very happy,” Jacob told him. “You’ve made me happy. Thank you for being such a brave boy.”
Batting his lashes, James grinned. “Brave enough for a reward?”
Needing to play the stern Daddy, Jacob pressed his lips together. “What kind of reward?”
“I have a short shift today,” James said. “Three hours of playtime tonight.” He held up three fingers to make his point.
“Three?” Jacob repeated, trying to sound scandalized. “That’s a lot.”
James nodded. “Yep.”
Jacob hummed. “You were very brave. I got a boyfriend out of it so I guess we could do three hours.”
“And,” James peered up. “I get to pick dinner.”
That made Jacob worry. There was no telling what James would pick. “I don’t know about that.”
“Please, boyfriend,” James drawled.
Oh, Jacob saw how this was going to go. “Is there a vegetable in your plan?”
James made a face.
“You have to have a vegetable,’ Jacob said sadly as he shook his head. “That’s a Daddy rule.”
The boy sighed. “Fine. You pick the yucky stuff.”
