I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s not an easy job either.” I tried to keep the bite out of my voice. I always hated when people made assumptions about being home with the kids and how it was a lazy and easy option. It’s the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done.
~
He played it off like it was no big deal. “Gender identities and sexualities are not bad words. There’s no reason to hide who people are or who they love.” “Well, shit.” I was flabbergasted. My parents accepted me when I came out, they were supportive and invested in me and my partners or crushes, but I couldn’t fathom it being talked about so openly at such a young age. It was refreshing and unbelievably endearing.
~~
I waited a minute to see if it was merely a dream or if a kid was awake. Neither of us breathed. A moment later tiny footsteps thudded. My head fell back against the couch... Playtime for Daddy was over. I couldn’t be mad though, not when I heard Emily sniffling. I stood quickly and saw her standing at the doorway to the living room with her kitty hanging by one foot from her hand. Making my way around the couch, I crouched down in front of her. “What’s wrong, Lulu? Are you okay?”
“There’s a monster in my closet.” She sniffled again. The scared, sad tone of her sleepy little voice about broke my heart. “It’s okay. Daddy’s here. I’ll make sure there’s no more monsters.” I was about to scoop her into my arms when she peeked around me. “Can Nico come too? He’s bigger.” I glanced back at him, asking him silently if he would mind. He rose and luckily it seemed the problem he was concealing with the pillow was gone. That was a shame. Well, not for the moment we found ourselves in now, but that the one just minutes ago was over. He crossed the room and I carried Emily. While we walked she held her hand out and Nico took it, forcing him to walk awkwardly through the hallway that was too narrow for us to be side by side. Still, the three of us were all connected, making my heart do weird flippity-flops. Once we were back in her room, I laid her in bed, tucking her in snugly. Nico made a big show of checking behind everything and moving clothes around. He even got into the closet as much as he could and announced that this room was off limits and under his protection, all while I sat on the edge of Emily’s bed admiring the scene. When he was done investigating he came to the other side of the bed and knelt beside it. “I think they’re all gone now and they won’t be coming back,” Nico said softly. Emily threw her little arms around his neck and hugged him. Nico froze for a moment before hugging her back. When he looked up at me, his eyes were misty... Why did he look so perfect holding my little girl? “Alright. Goodnight, Emily. Sleep well.” He pulled away and Emily laid her head on her pillow. I said goodnight and gave her one more kiss before we both quietly exited her room. As much as I hated to admit it, our night was over. We wouldn’t be returning to our heated passion. Maybe it wasn’t the happy ending I hoped it would be, but it was pretty dang perfect anyway.
We stood in the kitchen, nearly chest to chest. Nico towered over me. Emily wasn’t wrong when she said he was bigger. He was. Much. I might have been bothered by how easily replaceable I was when it came to monster fighting, but if it helped her feel safe and comfortable, I would be glad to offer up that power to Nico. We both opened our mouths to speak at the same time. I indicated for him to go first. “I just wanted to thank you for trusting me with your family and inviting me in like this. Tonight meant a lot to me.” Nico’s tone was heartfelt and he blinked away the moisture gathering in the corner of his eyes. I grabbed his hands in mine and tilted my head to meet his gaze. Already, I pictured him in my home and in my family, but was it really fair of me to ask so much of him? “It meant a lot to me too. But now you see what my life is like. Those two are my world. I have little privacy or time to myself. Being with me isn’t easy and carefree. I can’t do something casual unless I keep it away from my kids, but that’s not something I want. I’d completely understand if this is too much. We only just met, you have no responsibility to take all of this on.” Nico placed a hand on the back of my neck, keeping me from retreating away from him. “I don’t want casual either, Jason. Been there, done that. I might have done it again, but it wouldn’t have been what I wanted. I’ve spent my fair share of time swiping through apps, but an easy one-nighter isn’t what I’m looking for. I want something real. And this”—he waved his hand at my house—“this feels like a dream in a way, but it feels like the kind of real I’ve been hoping for. So, if you want me in your world, I’m in.” “I want you.” The words squeezed past the lump in my throat, laced with so many needs. “And if you’re not looking for something easy, you came to the right place. It’s complicated as hell.”
Nico smiled so bright it drew me towards it like a moth to a light. “Look at you and your dirty mouth. You better think up some nice things to say.” Nico bent down and kissed me, claiming my mouth with his. A nip on my lip, a sweep of his tongue. With one last soft brush of his lips, he pulled back, stopping things before we ended up in the same situation we were in before we got interrupted. “Thanks again. I’m going to go before it gets harder to leave.” Nico swiped my lip with his rough thumb. “Yeah. You should go. But if you find yourself feeling lonely later, I’ll have my phone nearby.” “I might take you up on that. Talk to you later, Pie Man.”
~~~
This is a fun book to read... Even when I began to question how the storyline moved forward.... After I finished it, I discovered that the book was written by a female... So I began to wonder... was it that a woman wrote a softer version of two men? Or are there really men out there who are as sensitive as are the two men who are main characters in this book? Frankly I haven't found many men who actually are like these two, lovable characters... Readers, let me know if you have thoughts either way... LOL I also had trouble finding music mentioned in the book, so I selected as best as I could find though they don't match descriptive words in the book... And a little note, in case you don't see them, like I didn't at first--the book splits first person between the two main characters. The only way you can tell is by looking for the name of the character at the beginning of each chapter, tucked into the pie pic at the top... Personally I get frustrated when I don't know who is talking...
Anyway, Jason is a divorced father of two delightful children. He and his wife met in college when both of them were dating the same guy... And one thing led to another. His wife had told him early on that she wanted to commit herself to a legal career and an agreement was made that he would be a stay-at-home Dad. When the marriage became more of a hassle than happy, they divorced and Jason retained custody.
Jason agreed to getting money for the kids, but his pride didn't allow for his not making it on his own for routine household expenses... Fortunately he had acquired a wonderful skill early in life--making pies! And he excelled at it, except not having an ongoing income, since he could sell on at local farmers' markets or similar venues...
Nico was also in the food business. His father owned Pops' restaurant and he'd been working there since his early years... So when his father had an unexpected medical situation, he called upon Nico to manage the restaurant... Readers will watch how finding the pie man and immediately "connecting" while at the same time, Nico began to think about helping to update and decided to start with testing out "pies" as a special on Sundays... And, as they say, the whole connecting story moved all the way into that final connection... Expect fun with trying to connect sexually... Or, in other words, the book gets explicit...
This book provided a great way to escape into a life where everything seems to be perfectly put together and happiness is having all involved people loving and supportive toward all... The characters created reflect a cozy family environment into which acceptance is given... with a happy-ever-after... At this time, it was wonderful to sink into pie man's life... where Nico seemed just waiting for the right person... I had to wonder, though, is this just a fantasy? If so, don't we all need to dream once in a while?
GABixlerReviews
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