Page 67 of Forgotten Prejudice

“Daddy! I got you your favorite.”

The word “daddy” caught Andrew off guard, not that I cared, and he looked even more surprised when Ash joined us.

Holding our lunch in his hands, Ash looked between Andrew and me before smiling awkwardly. “Hey,” he said, then placed the food tray on the table.

Andrew probably mistook us for a family because his face paled, and a moment later, he mumbled an awkward goodbye and got the hell out of there.

“Did you wash your hands?” I asked Paris before he could touch his food and wasn’t surprised when he shook his head. “Go over there and wash them.” I pointed over to the washing station a few feet away.

Paris got off my lap and ran toward it while I kept my eyes on him.

“Who was that?” Ash asked.

“Just some guy I hooked up with,” I answered casually, still watching Paris, who was now drying his hands.

“What?” Ash’s shock came through his voice, and I turned to face him.

Looking at him, I realized that he probably had no idea I came out years ago, so what I’d just said was a total surprise to him.

“Well, yeah.” I swallowed hard. “I’m past the denial phase.” I tried brushing it off with a half smile that vanished as Ash remained silent.

He held my stare a moment longer, and I worried he was angry. After all, I’d denied my attraction to men, to him, for so long, and that was without mentioning all the homophobic crap I spat in his face. So, for me to suddenly be okay with it after literally punching him for loving me was a bit of an asshole thing to do, and he had every reason to get angry. But then, he smiled. A warm smile that reached his lovely eyes that I swear to God held tears in them.

“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered hoarsely as Paris returned to the table. This magical moment was cut short once Ash gave his full attention back to Paris and helped him put ketchup on his fries as if he hadn’t just melted my heart into a goo of mushy emotions.

The rest of the day flew by, and after spending a few more hours at the zoo, it was time to go home. By the time we parked the car, Paris was in deep sleep, and I had to pick him up in my arms to carry him in. Aiden’s car was also parked in front of the house, and soon, we were greeted by him and the dogs.

“I’ll put him to sleep. You two go ahead and have some fun,” Aiden said after Ash mentioned he wanted to take the dogs for a walk on the beach.

Not about to pass on Aiden’s generous offer, I quickly grabbed the dogs’ leashes and stepped outside. Maybe I was being obvious, maybe not, but who gave a shit. It was a nice summer evening, and Ash and I were finally together.

Alone.

After twenty minutes of walking, we were isolated enough for Ash to take the dogs off their leashes and let them run free for a bit. The two wasted no time before dashing forward, playing with each other.

“He’s a cute dog,” I said after Pacha rolled in the sand with Aiden’s dog behind him.

Ash smiled like a proud parent. “He is.” He paused for a second. “His old owner abused him, so after I rescued him, it wasn’t so easy. He just needed love, you know?”

Oh, baby, I know.

I nodded, then smirked. “Well, he’s lucky to have such a cute owner, then.”

Turning to look at me, Ash gave me a raised brow. “Cute?”

I decided I wanted to mess with him, so I wrapped an arm around his body and pulled him close in a chokehold. “The cutest,” I laughed, ruffling his hair.

Ash fought to get free by hitting my chest until I let him go.

“You’re an idiot.” He moved his hand over his messy hair to fix it before he pushed me aside. “Always were and always will be.”

“You’re right about that.” I bumped his shoulder with mine before shoving my hands into my pants pockets.

After we calmed down, Ash rubbed the back of his neck. “I really missed this. Us,” he said.

My heart warmed with his confession, and our stare locked. But before I could tell him that I missed him, too, Ash had already moved on to a different subject.

“My legs are killing me,” he complained, taking off his shoes.