11. Cayson

CAYSON

There was no way this could be so easy. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I was alone and had zero prospects for ever changing that. And now, I had two men looking at me like their worlds were complete with me in it.

I leaned forward and kissed Dylan, unable to hold back the grin on my face. "I would fucking love that, baby boy. But there's no pressure. We can go as fast or as slow… You set the pace." I looked over at Finn and saw the same look in his eyes. Adoration and hope mixed with genuine aww. "I think Sir Daddy feels the same way." I winked at Finn.

Dylan bit his lower lip and looked over at Finn. "Do you?"

"Fuck, yeah, I do, baby." He slipped his hand over Dylan's and pulled it up to his lips to drop a kiss on his wrist. "I'm not as experienced on the Daddy side as Cayson is, but I loved every minute of being with you last night and would love to get to know you under less…stressful circumstances."

Dylan nodded and sucked in a breath. "Yeah, I'd like that too." He glanced between me and Finn. "So…the three of us?"

"Yeah, why not?" I laughed and leaned in to give them both a brief kiss that just hinted at what I wanted to do to them.

Angie walked out from the back right then and let out a low whistle.

"Fuck." I turned to my niece and narrowed my eyes. "Not a word of this to nonna…or your mom."

She just laughed and danced her way through the back door. "I've got a secret."

That girl was probably already telling her brother what she'd just witnessed.

Which meant Chris was probably already texting his mom…and mine. A bunch of gossips, the lot of them.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "Whatever." Honestly, I didn't care much. Everyone was gonna find out soon enough, because I sure as hell wasn't gonna keep them a secret. I looked back at Dylan and made sure he was good. "You okay with all this?"

His smile was wide as he sucked in a deep breath and swallowed. "I think…I'm great."

"Yeah, I'm tending to agree." Unable to resist, I dropped a quick kiss onto his forehead before heading back around the counter.

As soon as our pizzas were in the oven, I grilled Finn and Dylan about their jobs. Dylan said he liked working in HVAC because it kept his hands busy.

I shook my head as I realized I'd been an idiot. "Hey, catch."

Dylan looked up at me and instinctively raised his hand as I tossed a ball of dough at him. His eyes went wide as he chuckled. "Is this a make-your-own pizza kinda thing?"

"No, just something to play with while we wait." I grabbed a ball myself and began to knead it. "To keep your hands busy."

"Oh." He cocked his head as he looked at me for a long moment and then stretched it wide. "Thank you." He looked around to make sure no one was nearby before he took a deep breath and whispered, "Daddy."

Fuck, right to the feels. "Of course, sweetheart."

Finn sucked in a breath and looked at me with an equal amount of joy. "What about me? My hands like to be busy too." He held up his fingers and wiggled them toward Dylan's side.

Dylan shrieked and scooted out of reach of the tickling fingers. "No, sir. I'm gonna drop my dough."

"Alright, alright." Finn ruffled his hair and glanced at me, obviously pleased with Dylan's response.

Our boy was definitely getting more comfortable with us by the minute.

Dylan pulled his ball apart and held up one half. "Can I eat it?"

Kids always loved to eat the dough. "Yeah. It should be fine. I mean, you're not supposed to, but… people do it all the time."

Dylan took a small bite out of one of his halves and pressed the other half onto the countertop before he flattened it with his palm. He turned back to Finn to finish his story. "Anyway, I've always liked taking things apart and putting them back together, so I knew I would do something mechanical. Climbing in attics when it's 110 degrees outside and 150 degrees inside isn't always as glamorous as it sounds, but I still get a sense of satisfaction after each job is finished."

I cringed at the thought of working in those conditions, but it could get pretty hot in the kitchen, so I could commiserate. "Sounds like hard work…but important work. You're keeping people alive."

Dylan barked out a laugh. "Hardly. But keeping them comfortable, I guess."

Finn placed his hand on Dylan's bicep and gave a squeeze. I noticed he liked to have his hands on him at all times. It was sweet, and I thought Dylan appreciated it as well. "He's right, baby. You'd be surprised how many people die every summer from extreme heat and every winter from extreme cold. You probably have kept people alive. People who wouldn't have made it without your help."

He shrugged off the compliment, but I could see his cheeks pinking up. He obviously wasn't comfortable with praise, which was something I made a note to work on.

"Well, if you ever want to take up the art of pizza making…" I threw a crust into the air and spun it five times before placing it on the pan, showing off just a little bit. "You're always welcome to hang out here. Angie and Chris could use the help."

Dylan looked toward the back but couldn't see my niece or nephew from where he was sitting. "Are they relatives?"

"Yep. We pretty much only have family working here. Angie is my sister's daughter, and Chris is her older brother. They've been working here since they were old enough to wipe tables. When my dad died, they insisted on staying to help me."

Finn reached over the counter and waited for me to take his hand. "He was a good man, Cayson." He was looking me right in the eye as he spoke. "I only met him a few times, but I know he was well loved around here."

I gave him a small smile. "Yeah, he was." Not wanting to bring down the moment, I turned to the oven and pulled out our pies. Nothing distracted a person better than a sizzling-hot pizza pie.

Especially after watching me make it.

"Alright, guys. Let's eat!"