Daddy Needs a Date
Page 20
“And now you have… lots.”
“Yeah. I’m glad I didn’t cut that date short like I initially wanted to. You were late, you had kids… but there was something about you. And you were surprisingly hot. Blind dates usually aren’t.”
“Not only that, but I ate fish.” They bumped shoulders together and began to laugh.
They earned a few looks, but honestly, he didn’t care, and Alex didn’t seem concerned either as they wandered through the bedrooms. Alex finally stopped in front of a dresser with four deep drawers, in a dark wood. “I like this one. What do you think?”
“It fits right in.”
Sort of like Alex.
Epilogue
ALEX MADE his final fundraising phone call, securing the last of the funds needed to send a group of two engineers and six workers to Africa to build wells, schools, and medical buildings in a half-dozen villages. He had his team lead in place, an experienced woman he’d worked with before. He knew she could do the job, could handle anything that came up. Which was doubly important, because this was the first assignment of his new charity. The one he ran from home rather than the one he headed in the field.
The last couple of weeks had been intense, but now he was done until after Christmas, so he could focus on Ryan and the girls.
It was funny because he’d looked for work doing something like this for someone else, but he hadn’t been happy with any of the organizations that had vacancies, so he’d decided to see if he couldn’t find funding to do it himself. He’d found a grant that paid his salary and stuff like office supplies while he secured the funds for the actual work.
The best part was how he didn’t have to leave his family for long periods of time or at the drop of a hat.
He turned his computer off and headed upstairs. The kitchen was in chaos, Rosie at the center of it, the queen of Christmas cookies.
“Lex! Lex, put your apron on.”
He had his own apron now, with “Rosie’s Lex” embroidered on it. He’d gotten a T-shirt with a daisy on it, and pajamas with daffodils for his birthday too. Mel had given him a gift card for Montana’s and an offer to watch the girls. He’d taken Ryan, of course, and they’d had steak.
“Yes, Princess Rosie.” He grabbed his apron and put it on, then did a twirl. “Good?”
“Hey, honey. Work all done?” Ryan stopped to kiss him. “I was thinking of ordering in supper tonight.”
He took another look around the kitchen, everyone intent on making several different kinds of cookies, bowls and cookie sheets everywhere. “I think maybe we have to.” He smiled at Ryan, wanting another kiss. Wanting a longer kiss. He knew Mel would make gagging noises, though, and he could wait until everyone was in bed.
“Excellent. You’re on chocolate-star duty.” Ryan handed him a star-shaped cookie cutter.
“Is the dough already rolled out?”
Mel pulled a disk of chocolate dough out of the fridge and handed it to him, and Daffy gave him a rolling pin. “There’s room on the counter near the coffee machine.”
“Perfect. Chocolate and coffee—that’s a great combo.”
“No coffee in the cookies, Lex,” Rosie told him, so serious.
Ryan’s soft chuckle filled the air. “Say please, Rosie.”
Alex chuckled. “Please, Rosie.”
Ryan laughed for him, but Rosie wasn’t amused, and she put her hands on her hips.
“No please. No coffee in cookies.”
“There could be, though,” he suggested.
“No!” She shook her head, her eyes wide. “No. No. No.”
He scooped her up, nuzzling her. “No coffee, my Rosie-posie.”
“No coffee, my Lex.”
“You got it. I’ll make them right, I promise.” He’d do anything for her. For any of them, really, including their very sexy father. Who was once again wearing nail polish. And was that eye shadow? “Did you paint Popsy again?”
“Daffy did. She’s gonna be a… a….”
“Makeup artist, Rosie. I’m going to work on movies.”
He loved how unique his girls were, each one with their very own personality.
“It’s cute,” he told Ryan, grinning as he set Rosie down so he could roll out the cookie dough and cut out the stars.
“Thank you, my love.” Ryan stole another sugar-cookie-flavored kiss. “Tonight I’ll let you clean me up.”
“Oh, is that what we’re calling it today?” He laughed and set to work, glancing at his family every now and then. God, all this was his. His family.
He’d never have to have another blind date again.
More from Sean Michael
After a scandal of Olympic proportions, Vince Dawson lost his job as a diving coach and is on a downhill slide. So when he sees Austin Brody at a local pool, diving like a trained athlete, he thinks he’s found his ticket back to the big leagues.
Austin thinks Vince is crazy for wanting him to dive competitively. He dives for beer and smokes, while working double shifts as a welder. Still, he’ll give training with Vince a shot.
But Austin isn’t willing to let Vince rule his life, and Vince—used to hopeful young athletes folding under pressure from him—finds Austin baffling… and hot. Even if they can work together and become more than friends, they still have a long way to go before they’ll be ready to compete.
Despite a life-threatening injury sustained in a vaulting accident, top gymnast Christopher Allen is determined to get back to his former perfect condition and compete again. Brian Rainings is a coach in need of someone to believe in, and he takes Chris on, admiring the spirit and determination that drives Chris to succeed. And admiring the sturdy, muscled body Chris maintains.
Admiration soon leads to something much hotter as they train together. From their scorching first kiss, Brian and Chris’s chemistry is obvious, but they have a long road ahead to get Chris back into shape. Months of hard work lead to success, with Chris gaining strength every day and finally finding the elusive sponsor he needs for financial support. Secrets, hidden dangers, and family troubles plague them, though, and they have to face the fact that Chris might never compete again and score that perfect ten.
The Supers
Hunting ghosts and finding more than they bargained for.
Blaine Franks is a member of the paranormal research group the Supernatural Explorers. When the group loses their techie to a cross-country move, newly graduated Flynn Huntington gets the job. Flynn fits in with the guys right off the bat, but when it comes to him and Blaine, it’s more than just getting along.
Things heat up between Blaine and Flynn as they explore their first haunted building, an abandoned hospital, together. Their relationship isn’t all that progresses, though, and soon it seems that an odd bite on Blaine’s neck has become much more.
Hitchhiking ghosts, a tragic love story forgotten by time, and the mystery of room 204 round out a romance where the things that go bump in the night are real.
The Teddy Bear Club
Two lonely men. One perfect family.
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Devon Smithson wants to be a good dad now that his sixteen-year-old sister asked him to babysit her newborn… three months ago. But he’s overwhelmed with the colicky baby. An invitation to the daddy-and-kid gatherings at the café is a godsend. The pot is sweetened when his friendship with Aiden develops into more—maybe even something that can last.
But the mother who kicked Dev out for being gay wants to get her claws into the baby, and she doesn’t care if she tears Dev, Aiden, and everything they’re building apart in the process.
When his three-year-old daughter is kidnapped, Eric Wilson doesn’t have many options, and time is running out. With nowhere else to turn, he reaches out to his ex, influential businessman Brock Vencenza, whose mon
ey and contacts might be able to save Josie.
Brock never got over Eric’s loss, and he’s more than willing to help when Eric needs him most. Together with law enforcement and private security, they embark on a twisting investigation to find the little girl—and who wants to hurt her and destroy both men in the process. Under the circumstances, confessing he still has feelings for Eric would be inappropriate, but Brock can’t deny what’s in his heart. He doesn’t know if their love can be rekindled or if he can even protect Eric and Josie. But one thing is certain: Brock’s determined to be the hero in reality that he is in Eric’s eyes.
Readers love Sean Michael
The Supers
“I absolutely loved this story. The characters, the plot, the god damn creepy-ass setting, it all worked perfectly for me.”
—Love Bytes
“…it’s a very well written book, and Sean deserves a huge amount of kudos for what’s going on in this story.”
—Will’s Words on Books
Perfect 10
“This was an incredible read about living life to the fullest. It is definitely an inspiring read. I truly enjoyed this book. It was incredible.”
—Gay Book Reviews
“It is a story of courage and strength and love. If you like sports romance, gymnastics, and some hot man-sex you will like this.”
—TTC Books and More
The Teddy Bear Club
“Hot dads with their kids, is there anything cuter?”
—Two Chicks Obsessed
Often referred to as “Space Cowboy” and “Gangsta of Love” while still striving for the moniker of “Maurice,” SEAN MICHAEL spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection, and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs.
While collecting vast numbers of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the F-bomb and pursuing the Kama Sutra by channeling the long-lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to Chicago.
A longtime writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys. Barring any of that? He’ll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.
Website: www.seanmichaelwrites.com
Blog: seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites
Twitter: @seanmichael09
By Sean Michael
Add Love and Mix
Amnesia
Cupcakes
Daddy Needs a Date
First Steps
From the Get Go
Golden
Guarding January
Inheritance
Just the Right Notes
Making a Splash
Of Love
Out of the Past
Perfect 10
Sports Pack (Print Only Anthology)
The Swag Man Delivers
Unlikely Hero
Unto Us the Time Has Come
X-Factor
DREAMSPUN BEYOND
#6 – The Supers
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
#39 – The Teddy Bear Club
IRON EAGLE GYM
The New Boy
The Perfect Sub
The Luckiest Master
The Closet Boy
The Dom’s Way
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Daddy Needs a Date
© 2017 Sean Michael.
Cover Art
© 2017 Alexandria Corza.
http://www.seeingstatic.com/
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63533-974-1
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-975-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017911076
Published December 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America