Reagan Ann squealed when she saw the doorway. It was framed with stained glass — a feature Freddie was enjoying quite a bit as well.

“Daddy!” she cried. “Can we please get this one? Please?”

“We’ll need to check to see what the inside looks like first,” Freddie told her.

“It’s going to look beautiful,” Reagan Ann said in a dreamy voice. “So pretty, Daddy. It has to.”

He squeezed her hand. “Let’s go see it for ourselves, then.”

It was their third house of the day, but it was the first one that had made Reagan Ann squeal with joy. Not even the first house, a little closer to Prescott’s tiny downtown area that had a beautiful rose garden in the back, and appealed to her so much. Although the decision was ultimately his, Reagan Ann’s opinion mattered to him, too. She would be living there with him, and he wanted her happy. She was his everything, and she always would be, no matter how old she got.

The real estate agent let them in. They walked down the main hall, its wooden floors gleaming, and looked around. The house was by no means large, but it was stuffed to the gills with charm. The kitchen overlooked the spacious, fenced backyard and the old maple tree that shaded it. The living room was cozy, more than big enough for the two of them, even as Reagan Ann grew. There were two bedrooms and a small bonus room that Freddie figured he could use as an office. They had to buy new furniture, anyway, so he figured he could get away with buying a sleeper couch in case they had guests over.

But the best feature of all was the screened-in back porch next to the kitchen. Reagan Ann was drawn to it. She raced across its empty floor and stood at the far corner where screen met screen. There was a garden that ran alongside the broad side of the room, and although it wasn’t much to look at now, Freddie imagined that with a little hard work it would be wonderful.

“Look, Daddy,” Reagan Ann said. “We can have dinner here in the summer when it’s hot outside and no mosquitoes will get us!”

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Yes!”

A hand dropped on Freddie’s shoulder, and Freddie almost jumped out of his skin. “I think it’s nice, too.”

It was Luke.

Freddie wheeled around, surprised. He’d invited Luke out today, but Luke hadn’t been sure if he could make it. Freddie’s heart skipped a beat when he saw his charming smile.

“Sorry I’m late,” Luke said. “I had some errands to run this morning, but I got them done as quickly as I could in the hopes that I’d still be able to catch you before my next shift.”

“You didn’t have to,” Freddie said softly, but he smiled.

Luke winked. “I wanted to, so I did. Don’t try telling yourself you’re not worth my time, because you are.” He lifted a hand to wave at Reagan Ann. “Hey there little miss.”

“Hello Luke!” Reagan Ann said brightly. Then she turned her attention to Freddie. “Daddy, is Luke going to take us to a movie again?”

“No, sweetheart.” Freddie held back a laugh. “He came today to spend some time with us while we look at houses.”

“And maybe,” Luke whispered in a low voice meant only for Freddie’s ears, “to whisk Daddy away for a little one-on-one time.”

“What did you say, Luke?” Reagan Ann asked. She scowled. “Was it a secret? Daddy says you shouldn’t keep secrets from people. It’s not a mean secret, is it? Because some secrets are okay, but... but not all of them.”

Luke glanced at Freddie, his eyes glimmering with mischief. Freddie took his hand.

“It’s not a bad secret,” Luke said. “In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s a very, very good secret.”

“... You should tell me anyway,” Reagan Ann said after some hesitation. “I wanna know the secret.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to tell you.”

Freddie opened his mouth to object, but Luke had already started to speak.

“I was just telling your Daddy what a well-behaved little girl you are, and I was asking him how old you were, because when you’re so well-behaved, it makes me think that you have to be at least seven or eight.”

Reagan Ann put her hands on her hips and lifted her head high, beaming. “I’m only five.”

“That’s amazing!”

“I know.” She giggled, then let her arms fall to the sides so she could run across the room to join the two men. “I’m all grown up. Even Daddy thinks so.”

“He’s done a great job raising you,” Luke said. “I’m very impressed.”

If Luke’s goal was to score daddy and daughter points at the same time, he was doing a terrific job. A half-grin curled one corner of Freddie’s lips, and he squeezed Luke’s hand. “We were just about done looking at this house. Do you want to follow us to the next one? I’m guessing that you still have the itinerary I sent you yesterday, with all the addresses we’re investigating.”

“I sure do.”

“Then will you meet us at the property?”

“Sure.” Luke said. He squeezed Freddie’s hand back, then pulled his hand away and waved at Reagan Ann. “I’ll be seeing you at the next house, little miss.”

“Bye-bye, Luke,” Reagan Ann said fondly.

Luke left. After the front door closed, Reagan Ann went up to Freddie and took his hand instead. “Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“I like Luke.”

Freddie laughed. “I’m glad you like him, because I like him, too.”

Hand in hand, they walked back down the hall, met up with the real estate agent, and continued on their tour. It had gone from a good day to a great day, and Freddie was sure it was only going to get better from here.

* * *

When they’d finished with the last house, Luke followed them back to Aaron’s place. Aaron was waiting on the front steps, and he raised a hand casually as both cars came to park in front of the house. Freddie unbuckled Reagan Ann from her car seat, and she took off running across the lawn to see her uncle.

“So,” Aaron called from the stairs. “When can I expect him home, Luke?”

Freddie’s cheeks burned.

“Late,” Luke called back, totally sure of himself. “Don’t stay up worrying.”

Aaron laughed. “He’s big enough he can take care of himself. I’m not worried in the least.”

“Is Daddy in trouble?” Reagan Ann asked nervously. She looked at them from the steps, and Freddie had to hold back a laugh. “He’s okay, right, Uncle Aaron?”

“Oh, he’s just fine.” Aaron mussed her hair. “He’s going out on a play date with his friend, Luke, and he’s not going to be back until late.”

“I’ll have it known that I was never made aware of this until right this second,” Freddie said flatly, although on the inside, he was pleased. After his conversation with Aaron about letting go and having fun, it looked as though Aaron was doing his best to help in whatever way he could — including babysitting Reagan Ann while he went out for secret, spontaneous dates.

Aaron waved him off. “Doesn’t matter. You’re off the parenting hook for tonight. I’ve got this covered. Go have fun with Luke.”

“You’re in on this too, aren’t you?” Freddie asked Luke.

Luke shrugged and grinned. “Maybe.”

“That’s as good as a yes.”

“I can’t help that I’m madly attracted to you,” Luke said softly. His grin grew. “So what if your brother and I plan devious dates? It means we get to spend some time together, right?”

“I can’t argue with that.”

“And I have it on authority from a trusted source,” Luke jabbed his thumb in Aaron’s direction, “that you’re free tonight. You’re not starting your next order until tomorrow.”

“... True.”

“Then?” Luke’s eyes were on him, eating him up. “Go say goodbye to Reagan Ann, then let’s hit the road. I’ve got something special planned for tonight.”

A spark of excitement lit in Freddie’s heart, and his protestations burned up into nothing. Spending time with Luke had quickly started to become his new favorite thing, and knowing that Luke was taking the initiative to make sure they saw each other as often as they could, made Freddie hope that he felt the same way.

He said his goodbyes to Reagan Ann, who was more than happy to stay home with Uncle Aaron after he promised that they could have a tea party with Princess, then he made his way to Luke’s car. Luke was already waiting in the driver seat, the engine running. He looked at Freddie when he got in the car.

“You ready to go?” he asked.

“I’m ready.”

“Then let’s get this show on the road.”

Luke shifted out of park, and they were on their way to destinations unknown. Freddie couldn’t remember the last time a date had made him feel so free.

* * *

Freddie quickly learned that ‘destinations unknown’ weren’t quite as unknown as he’d made himself believe. Not long after they left Aaron’s house, Luke pulled into his driveway and came to a stop.

“Tada,” he announced with mock enthusiasm. “You have no idea how long it took me to book reservations. You’ve got to call at least six months in advance, you know. I had to pull some serious strings to get you in at the last minute.”

Freddie snorted. “Really?”

“Oh, I’m completely serious,” Luke said sarcastically. He undid his seat belt. “We’re talking fancy chefs and host service trained by the most elite of the elite. Luxurious, second-hand furniture, and ingredients fresh from the grocery store. It’s quite the experience.”

Freddie’s affection swelled. It rolled through his chest, warm and tingling, and for a second, he wondered what it might be like if this was his every day. Joking with Luke while their adoration for each other grew, surprising each other with small, but significant gestures, raising Reagan Ann to be a proper young lady together...

It would be paradise.

Freddie followed Luke out of the car. They entered the house together. Freddie took a deep breath and picked up on something rich and savory already cooking inside.

“So, these errands you went to run this morning...” Freddie paused. “Were you cooking for tonight?”

“Maybe.” Luke kicked off his shoes, and Freddie followed suit. They headed to the kitchen together. There was a silver slow cooker sitting on the counter, the indicator light glowing orange. “I went out and picked up a slow cooker and everything. I was looking up recipes online, and I thought it’d be convenient to ‘set it and forget it’ while we went out and did things today.”

Freddie smiled. He crossed his arms over his chest loosely, trying to hide how pleased he felt. It wasn’t normal for him to get attached so quickly, but Luke was pursuing him relentlessly, and Freddie didn’t want to resist him — he was having too much fun.

“That’s really thoughtful,” Freddie said.

“We’ll see if you say the same thing after you taste it tonight.”

“What’s on the menu?”

Luke laughed. “Chicken Parmesan. I’m making the sauce and cooking the chicken right now. Then, after it’s cooked, I’m supposed to take the chicken out and put the cheese on and broil it. I’m not exactly sure how to broil something yet, but I figure when I get there, I’ll work something out.”

He’s way too cute. How is it possible for one guy to be both too hot to handle, and too cute to let go?

“If you need some lessons in the kitchen, you’ve brought home the right guy.” Freddie slid his hand down Luke’s back until his hand brushed against Luke’s ass. “Want to see what mischief we can get up to?”

“Fuck yes, I do.”

The chicken Parmesan wasn’t the only thing that got hot that night.