Maurice raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Go ahead.”
Sammy scooted closer, their knees touching again. “Did you ever have a guy call you Daddy Maurice or Daddy Dubois?” He asked with a grin that was half-mischief, half-challenge, watching Maurice’s face like he wanted to catch every flicker.
Maurice laughed. “Interesting question. I had one young man call me Daddy Maurice.” He picked up a card before Sammy could push the line further. “I’ll ask you something from the deck.”
“Okay,” Sammy said, but his foot nudged Maurice’s under the table, playful and deliberate.
“Name three traits you want your ideal daddy to have.”
Sammy scrunched his face, thinking hard. “Um… he should, like, know what he’s doin’. Be good at leadin’ me. And help me figure stuff out ’cause I’m not always great at that.” He shrugged, then added with a shy-flirty grin, “And he should be real cuddly. Like, hugs and stuff. A lot. I like that.” As he said it, he brushed Maurice’s wrist with his fingertips, like he was demonstrating.
Maurice’s voice softened. “I think a daddy should be affectionate. And make sure his boy knows he’s the most important person in his life. And yes—a good daddy would help his boy with important decisions.”
Sammy nodded quickly, eyes warm. “Yeah… you sound like you’d be good at that.” His hand lingered on Maurice’s forearm a second too long before he pulled back.
Maurice felt the compliment and the touch land, but his gaze drifted, just for a heartbeat, toward Table Three.
Finn sat across from Caleb, the tall, broad-shouldered ginger with the matching beard. Finn wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t flirting. He looked… serious. Focused. Maybe even uncomfortable. It was the first time Maurice had seen Finn not lighting up a room.
A small twist tightened in his chest. What had Caleb said? And why did Maurice hope—ridiculously—that Finn was thinking about him instead?
A light tap on his arm pulled him back. “You okay?” Sammy asked, fingers still resting there, gentle. “You zoned out. Thought maybe you were thinkin’ about me.” He said it with a teasing cadence, but his eyes were hopeful.
Maurice smiled. “Yeah. Just… taking in the room.”
Sammy grinned, leaning in again, shoulder brushing Maurice’s. “Looks like you got somebody special on your mind.”
Maurice didn’t deny it. “Maybe. Do you have someone you’ve been checking out?”
“I liked Finn,” Sammy said. “But he’s not a daddy.” He shrugged, then shot Maurice a playful look. “So, I’m lookin’ at all the daddies.” His foot nudged Maurice’s again, unmistakably this time.
Before Maurice could respond, Mr. Santos announced, “Time is up. Instead of switching, you have a twenty-minute break for refreshments and talking to each other.”
Chapter Nine
Finn
Finn had been noddingalong to whatever Caleb was saying, but his attention kept drifting—pulled like a magnet toward Maurice. It wasn’t even the big things that got to him. It was the way Maurice listened to people, really listened, head tilted slightly, eyes steady and warm. The way he rested his forearms on the table, sleeves pushed up just enough to showstrong wrists and a faint dusting of hair. The way he laughed—quiet, low, like he didn’t give that sound to just anyone.
Every time Maurice had leaned in toward Theo in the first round, Finn’s jealousy kicked in, or maybe it was a reminder of how badly he wanted to be the one Maurice leaned toward.
And God, the way Maurice had looked at him when their eyes had met across the room… Maurice hadn’t immediately looked away. He’d held it. Just long enough to make Finn know something real was going on between them.
So yeah. Finn wasn’t imagining anything.
When Mr. Santos called for a break and told everyone to “meet tons of people,” Finn almost snorted. He was meeting people. Just not the one he actually cared about.
Caleb handed him a token.
“Thank you.”
“I want to spend more time with you,” Caleb added.
“Maybe.” Finn gave him a polite smile, already halfway out of the conversation. His feet were pointed toward Maurice before his brain even caught up.
He didn’t get far.
A man in a three-piece suit stepped into his path and touched his shoulder as if they were old friends. “Hey, I was hoping we could connect.”
