Chapter Seven

Reid

It was finally date night and, as I looked around the house at all the progress I'd made, I saw just how temporary whatever we were starting was going to be. The house looked less like my uncle's than ever. The small bedroom that had been used for storage was completely empty and ready for paint, all of his clothing was gone, and the washer was up and running. At the rate I was going, I had a couple of weeks here tops.

By all accounts, I had no right going on a date with him, especially since I'd not once mentioned to him that I was here temporarily. For all he knew, this had always been my home and the Reid he found online was me.

But at the time we were talking, all I could think about was how easy it was to talk to him. He had a comforting quality to his voice. I wasn't sure if that was his daddy voice or his everyday one. It really didn't matter. All that did was the way it made me feel.

He was picking me up, something I never allowed. I always wanted an escape plan on a first date. Heck, I didn't even let them know where I lived most of the time. This was different though. He already knew my exact location, he'd been vetted by Chained, and he'd already gone out of his way to be nice to me. Could there be a thousand red flags I was ignoring? Possibly. I'd been known to overlook them before, but I didn't think so.

Kevin seemed like the real deal.

He hadn't told me where we were going, but also, I didn't ask. The only thing I did ask was what to wear, and he said whatever made me feel comfortable. I liked that option. Not that I had a ton of clothing to choose from. I was still living out of my suitcase.

I ended up with my favorite jeans and a polo shirt that was with tiny dogs all over it. If you didn't look too closely, you'd probably assume it was polka dots.

"Looking good." I turned around in the mirror once more.

I was itching to wear my hat, but some people got weird about hats in public, especially if they had names on them, which mine did. It was best to leave that to little play. Right?

I saw his headlights before I heard the car pull up. He was here. I went back and forth between whether or not I should meet him outside and, while I stood there in indecision, he knocked on the door. That answered that.

"Hello." I had the word half out before the door was even open enough for me to see him.

"Hello. You look nice." He handed me a gift bag. "I wasn't sure if you were a flowers kind of guy, but thought you might find this useful."

I stepped out of the way for him to come in, something I hadn't planned to do, and dug inside, pulling out a plastic-wrapped box.

"I don't know what it is." I felt bad not gushing about how much I loved it, but I had not a clue.

"It's for your hat. You can put it between the fabric and the plastic, so if you lose it again you can find it."

Without thinking, I hugged him so tight. I thought for a second I was making a mistake. His body was stiff, but then he relaxed and hugged me back. He gave the best hugs.

"Glad you like it." I stepped out of his embrace, hating the loss of his warmth. "You have a cute house."

"It's actually my uncle's… I mean, it's mine now, but it was his. He was Reid too. That's how you found me." I sucked in a lungful of air. "I'm only here taking care of the estate and all that. Are you mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" His voice was calm and soothing. This was his daddy voice. To think I thought his everyday voice was sexy.

"Because I said yes to a date, knowing I have to leave eventually."

"That's not how dating works." He chuckled. "It's not about making sure that your futures align before agreeing to enjoy time together."

He held out his hand, and I took it.

"Thank you for telling me."

He leaned in and I thought he was going to kiss my cheek. He didn't, instead whispering in my ear, "For the record, I'm still very excited about our date."

I was too.

We ended up going to a restaurant that was supposed to be a tropical theme but fell short. It was a peculiar place because the menu items weren't related to the theme or each other. It was and array of burgers and pasta. But as off the wall as the entire place was, the seats were comfy, and everything smelled delicious.

"Have you been here before? Is there something I should get so as to not miss the experience?" I glanced at the menu for the fifth time, although it might've been the first. There were so many items on it that nothing sank in.

"No, I haven't. It was on one of those food shows that takes you to all the hole-in-the-wall places and highlights their food. They showed ravioli and a burger filled with cheese. Both looked good." He set his menu down. "Are you having a hard time deciding?"

I nodded.

"Are you looking for someone to pick for you or someone to limit the choices?"

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. He was asking me as a daddy, sure, but also someone who saw my struggle. This wasn't about me bigging his little, although I already got glimpses of how amazing that could be.

"Maybe pick. It's been a rough week at work and dealing with the house. Everything on the menu is melding into one." I rarely opened up to people like this. Was it because he made me feel comfortable or because the end date made it safer? I had no idea, but was glad for it.

When the server came, he ordered me a cheese-filled burger and fries and selected the raviolo for himself. We ended up both sharing our meals, and they were definitely worth the hype. But, all too soon, they were starting to close up. I wasn't ready for our time together to be over, and I embraced my newfound boldness.

"Maybe we could go for a walk or something?"

"Are you saying you want exercise or that you were not ready to have our date over yet?" His directness was so refreshing.

"Both." I shrugged, shifting my eyes to the side, attempting to look little and possibly a bit mischievous. He seemed to like that side of me from our conversations.

"Then let's go to the park."

The park was along the river, and we walked hand in hand, talking about our jobs and random things about our lives. I told him about the hat and why it was so special to me, as well as why I left the club that day. I didn't feel the need to hold anything back from him, and I loved it.

We ended our time at the park with him pushing me on the swing. I didn't want it to end, but eventually the police started walking through, patrolling the area and reminding us it was closed. I couldn't postpone it any longer. It was time to go home.