“One day, you’ll have a Daddy who will spank your ass for lying, Henry.”
I couldn’t stop the blush that heated my face. Three, two…
“Oh, look at that blush. Ok, out with it.”
One of the advantages of being deaf was that I could easily pretend that I didn’t see the lip-reading or the signing as I did now. I turned around and filled my cup with coffee, taking my time. Maybe Charlie would attack Owen and spare me this conversation. But no such luck. Owen was standing right behind me when I turned back around, and I shrieked. He stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest and one eyebrow raised.
“You got yourself a Daddy? Henry, don’t even pretend that you’re not looking at my lips right now, because I know you.”
“Fine, yes. But don’t tell Ava.”
“Oh. Ava finally got you to go to the Rainbow Room.” I rolled my eyes when Owen threw his head back and laughed. He sat down at the island and looked at me. “Out with it. What am I not supposed to tell Auntie?”
“I made her promise me to leave me alone if I went to the Rainbow Room.”
“Oh my gosh, she was right. You found yourself a Daddy.”
“Yes, I did.” I rolled my eyes when Owen laughed again.
“So that’s why you don’t want me to tell her because she would go all I told you so on you.”
“It’s not funny.” But Owen was right. Ava would tell me I told you so for the rest of my life because she had been right. The Rainbow Room gave me something I never thought existed. A Daddy. Not just a Daddy, a unicorn Daddy. When I kept starring into my cup, Owen reached over and slapped my hand. “Don’t.” One evening with Caden and I already thought that only he got to hit my hand to get my attention. He held his hands up.
“Fine, I won’t. But tell me already. Who is he?”
“His name is Caden.” Just to mock Owen, I added, “And Charlie loves him.”
“What? That’s impossible.” Giggling, I watched Owen look around the space like saying Charlie’s name would summon him. He turned to me again. “You’re kidding me. That spawn of Satan hates everyone.”
“Nope. He loves Caden. Charlie let him pet him, and he even slept next to him.”
“I’ve been your best friend for five years now, and every time I show up, that little devil hisses at me and attacks me. Then this Caden guy shows up here and is already best friends with Charlie?” I shrugged, but then I watched Owen laugh again. “He must be one a hell of a Daddy then.”
“He is.” I sighed. Caden was great. He was kind but strict, honest, and hot as hell. The most important part, he seemed to care about me. “He’s coming over on Saturday to spend the weekend with me.”
“An extended playdate?”
Happily, I nodded. A playdate, especially an extended one, would be a new experience. Well, I played a bit with Owen watching me, but that was different. This weekend was going to be more than babysitting. Having a real Daddy was all I ever really wanted and needed. Caden seemed to understand that. A touch on my arm had me looking up again.
“Did you tell him?” I knew what Owen’s worried look meant, and I smiled.
“Yes. We talked about my issues, and Caden is okay with them.” I bit my lip before I looked back at Owen. “He said that the more diaper changes I need, the more he can take care of me.”
“You know that diaper changes are the most intimate way a Daddy can take care of his Boy.”
“I know. But all the Daddies I talked to online, just wanted to play and not have the responsibility to do it all the time.”
“That should tell you something about Caden. He doesn’t mind because it doesn’t matter to him, and he sees it as an opportunity to take care of you. Sounds like the perfect Daddy to me.”
“Since when did you become such a Daddy expert?” Was that a blush on Owen’s cheeks? I stared at him, but after a second, it vanished, and Owen just shrugged.
“What. I read your books. I have to support my client.”
Owen never pushed me when I wanted to avoid a topic, so I didn’t push him. But I always thought that Owen would make a great Daddy and what he shared just proved that I was right. He always looked after me and made sure that I felt safe. It was everything a Daddy would do. Tucking that information for later, I decided to do some research to see if there was such a thing as a closeted Daddy. Maybe I could help Owen find what he wanted.
“Speaking of books. How’s the editing going?”
My head fell, and I groaned. Writing books was a joy; editing was the bane of my existence. “I’m halfway through the first draft.”
“Good. We need to talk about the release of Torn Souls.”
“Ugh.” The release date was at the end of next week, and I always dreaded those days. Writing a book was one thing but publishing them something entirely different. It was the same thing every time. Would they like it? Would they read it? When I started, making money was never my goal. The stories in my soul cried out to be written. For some reason, writing dark psychological thrillers helped me deal with the darkness from my past.
“I already got in touch with Heath. He’s coming to New York at the end of the week.”
“Great.” Heath was a cute, nerdy-looking young man who acted as the face to my pen name in public. His
