by Sean Michael
Kent clapped happily. “Go, Angel-baby!”
She looked over at his words and reached one hand toward him, opening and closing her hand, little face laughing.
He knelt down, opened his arms, and he heard Adam holler from Dex’s mom’s arm, “DA!”
His angel-girl, though, she let go of Dex’s hand and promptly fell hard on her butt, tears threatening.
Kent swooped in and grabbed her up. “Angie! Angie, you almost walked, and now you’re flying!”
The entire room laughed, except for Andy, who burst into tears. Dex grabbed Andy and threw him up into the air, catching their son as he came down.
“Uncle Dex! Do us too!” Kari’s twins reached for Dex, and Kent couldn’t stop smiling.
His mom came out of the kitchen. “Cocoa is ready, guys! Come and get a snack!”
“Ride first!” demanded Sherrie.
“What do you say?” Dex asked.
“Please, Uncle Dex!”
Damn, his lover was so good with the kids, so good.
Kent sat Angie on his hip, while his dad grabbed Andy and went in search of a teething ring. And they all made their way toward their huge kitchen. Big enough to hold all of them as they descended on the cocoa and cookies.
Dex came in carrying their nieces, one under each arm like bedrolls, the girls giggling. Dex put them down to go get their goodies, and came over to Kent. “Hey, husband.”
“Hey, my love. Having a good day?”
“I am. Christmas is my favorite holiday.” Dex had said that about every holiday since the kids had been born.
“Yeah? Just wait until their first birthday.” Talk about a holiday.
“No, I’m not ready. It’s going too fast!”
“I know, right? They’re so big. I wonder if Angie will actually open her Christmas gifts. She’s been into them often enough.” They’d had to move them up off the floor onto a table to keep her from ripping at the paper with her tiny hands.
“I bet she won’t once she’s the center of attention and is supposed to.” Dex looked so happy, happier even than when they’d first gotten together.
“Let’s go get some cocoa, love. I know your mom made you cookies too.”
“My mom?” Dex sounded both surprised and pleased. “Cool. I wonder if it’s those M&M ones….”
Dex wandered off to the island where the goodies were, and Kent nuzzled Angie’s cheek. “Look at that fine man.”
“Pa.”
“That’s right. That’s your poppa.”
His mother came over, hands out for her granddaughter.
He handed her over, kissed Mom on the cheek. “Love you, huh?”
“To the moon and back. Go get cocoa and let me tell my granddaughter the secret to the perfect hot chocolate.”
“You’ve got it.” He headed over to the stove, the kitchen full of laughter, of joy.
Of love.
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 amounts 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 long-time 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: http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com
Blog: http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites
Twitter: @seanmichael09
By Sean Michael
Cupcakes
Guarding January
Of Love
The Swag Man Delivers
Two Tickets to Paradise (Dreamspinner Anthology)
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Available from Dreamspinner Press
Allen Jameson had it all—the perfect house, the perfect partner, the perfect life—until his partner, Gary, died suddenly, leaving him alone in the real world, where life isn’t so pretty and people make mistakes. Now Allen is the owner of Sweet ‘n’ Sassy Cupcake Shop, a cute boutique downtown, where he invents delicious flavors like strawberry and French meringue. Between working long hours and making special orders, Allen barely has time to think.
Then a hunky contractor walks into his shop looking for a treat. Allen and Byron Bannigan are total opposites, but they’re perfect together—salty and sweet like Allen’s signature peanut butter and chocolate ganache cupcakes. But as Allen struggles to juggle his business and his boyfriend, he learns he can only handle so much. He may have to choose between the cupcakes in his store and the cupcake in his bed.
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
http://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.
Of Love
© 2015 Sean Michael.
Cover Art
© 2015 L.C. Chase.
http://www.lcchase.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 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63476-210-6
First Edition June 2015
Printed in the United States of America