His Baby (Gay Romance) E-Book

Trina Solet

• Herausgeber: Trina Solet
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Ian just finished college, started his first real job and now he's raising his sister's baby by himself. Since his life has taken this unexpected turn, he's been closed off and distant from his friends.
But he has become friendly with Mike, his hunky new neighbor and handyman. He's straight, but spending so much time with Ian is stirring up unexpected feelings.
More than attraction is keeping Mike close to Ian though. When his reason for staying close comes to light, will Ian's heart be broken or will he finally have everything he wished for?

Leseprobe

His Baby (Gay Romance) By Trina Solet

Copyright © 2023 by Trina Solet

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locales or actual events is entirely coincidental.

All sexual activity takes place between persons eighteen years of age or older.

This novel contains material intended for mature readers.

Cover image is only for illustrative purposes. Any person depicted is a model.

His Baby

Gay Romance

Trina Solet

Chapter 1

It was a bright, sunny, summer day, and Ian was looking out the kitchen window at the overgrown back yard and bouncing Fiona. She had started crying right as Ian was finishing up a video meeting, but she was now slowly settling down and snuggling against his shoulder. As Ian switched to swaying with her gently, she grabbed onto the collar of his button down shirt and was chewing on it, drooling on it. He was going to need to change his shirt.

The business casual look he wore was so that he wouldn't look like he was slacking while he was working from home. Not that anyone in their right mind would call doing corporate investment analysis while taking care of a four month old slacking. Ian had only just started his new job, and with Fiona to take care of, he couldn't afford to lose it.

At least their place to live was all set. Ian's dad had left the house to him and his sister, Eve. She had lived there while Ian was away at college. It was supposed to be where she brought Fiona home from the hospital after she gave birth to her, but only Fiona made it.

Now Ian lived there and took care of Fiona and tried to set aside his grief because he couldn't deal with it. Not yet.

As Fiona was serenely covering his collar with drool, Ian was feeling guilty that he hadn't taken care of the back yard before now. With everything going on, he had neglected it and it was only getting worse every day.

When they had all lived there, which seemed like it was so long ago, Mom had a garden back there, and after the divorce, Dad kept it from growing wild. Then he died. Eve was trying to revive it. Save it. That's why it didn't get cleared out back then, and now Ian was dragging his feet. He hated the idea of undoing all of Eve's plans. But it had to be done. It might be easier if he thought of it as something he was doing for Fiona. Once she learned how to walk, she would be able to run around and play back there.

Betty, the neighbor next door on his left, had noticed the state of the back yard. Being a good neighbor and taking pity on Ian, she gave him the business card of a guy who did odd jobs in the area. She vouched for him too. "He's a good guy. He rents the room above the garage from me."

Recognizing a lifeline when one was offered, Ian called him and that guy was on his way over. Ian was hoping to put Fiona down for her nap before he got there. She was curled up in his arms contentedly now, so maybe there was some hope.

He barely managed to have her asleep and in her crib when the doorbell rang and he went to answer it. The man standing on his doorstep was undeniably hot as hell, and Ian realized he was still wearing the shirt with the collar that Fiona drooled all over. Maybe it wasn't noticeable?

While Ian stared, the man introduced himself. "I'm Mike Calvino. I'm here about your yard."

"Right. I'm...Umm, Ian Dalton. Thank you for coming by." After his own halting introduction, Ian invited Mike through the house and out through the back door. "There it is. It's pretty bad. I kept telling myself I was going to find the time and do it myself, but I finally had to admit defeat."

Mike nodded and looked at Ian like he wasn't exactly surprised that a guy like him wouldn't be able to tackle any serious yard work. It was the drooled on shirt. He was not making a good impression.

Normally he wouldn't care that much, but Mike was a hunk so Ian couldn't help wanting to be admired in return no matter how impossible that was when he was just a lanky guy and not a muscled dream with dark hair and beard and blue eyes. Plus Mike had a completely straight vibe.

"You're not going to be doing any of the work today, are you?" Ian asked as Mike poked around in the back. "I'm asking because my niece is sleeping. I just put her down for her nap. She had a restless night."

"Is she OK?" Mike asked.

"She's fine. Just felt like being a little night owl."

For a minute Mike just stared at him then he shook his head. "No, I won't be starting today. Tomorrow would be good for me."

"That would be great. Thank you. I'll be glad when I can show Fiona a nicer view than this and bring her out here too."

"Fiona?" Mike said.

"Oh, my niece. She's just a baby. She doesn't really care about views much. But when she's older, I want to make a little playground for her back here."

Mike looked from him to the mess of a yard, maybe thinking that it was a long way from being a safe place for a kid to play. Then he said, "When you get around to that, let me know if you need me to do any work on that playground."

"I probably will." Ian was picturing the colorful playground and Fiona laughing and having fun, running around on a green lawn. Of course he didn't know what she would look like exactly, but he pictured her so clearly. It wasn't Fiona with her wispy, dark hair and blue eyes. He was picturing Eve when she was little, light brown hair, hazel eyes. He shut his eyes but Eve was still there, vivid and alive.

"Hey, man, you OK?" Mike said and touched his arm to bring him out of it. Ian jumped a little and his eyes snapped open only to end up staring at Mike's incredibly sad, blue eyes. Why were his eyes so sad?

"So you'll be here tomorrow right," Ian said so he wouldn't have to explain himself and talk about Eve.

"Right. I will. How early isn't too early for you?" Mike wanted to know.

"Fiona is up at the crack of dawn. I can't remember the last time my alarm woke me instead of hearing her on the baby monitor," Ian said.

"OK. I'll see you tomorrow at seven then." With that, Mike went around the house and to the front. Ian stared after him then caught himself staring toward Betty's house and the room over the garage. He had never paid any attention to it before, but now it was sure to play a major part in his dreams along with the muscular man with incredible blue eyes who lived there.

Chapter 2

Next morning, Ian couldn't believe how much he looked forward to having Mike come over to do some yard work. Of course Ian would be doing his own work and not staring at him the whole time like some creep. But it was either lucky or unlucky that his office window didn't face the back yard.

It faced Betty's house and he could kind of see one of the windows of the room over the garage. All day yesterday he made sure not to stare at it. But when night fell, he couldn't help thinking about what Mike might be doing up there, showering after work, soaping up every muscle of his incredible body, whacking off.

When Mike showed up the next morning, Ian had Fiona fed and changed and he had made extra coffee in case Mike wanted some. This time Mike didn't come into the house. Ian met him in the back yard and brought the baby out with him.

He told Fiona, "This is the guy who's going to make the back yard nice for you." He then asked Mike about coffee. "If you want to have some coffee, I made extra. And I didn't make it too strong, like I usually do."

"No, but thanks," Mike said.

"OK, then Fiona and I will be inside," Ian said and turned to go since Mike seemed like he just wanted to get right to work.

"Um, actually I wouldn't mind having a cup and I can tell you what I'll be doing out here," Mike said.

"Sure, come in," Ian said. Maybe Mike was a little unfocused. Ian was too.

While Mike was having his coffee and explaining what he would be doing, Ian was distracted by his blue eyes and the muscles of his chest and arms under his t-shirt. He kind of tuned Mike out until he said, "Then I'll finish up with some whacking."

He did not just say that. "Weed whacking, right?" Ian blurted out like the biggest idiot who ever lived.

Mike actually guffawed at that, taking it as a joke and not as a sign that his hotness was making Ian completely stupid. "It will get kind of noisy, for the baby, I mean."

"I'll keep her in my office or in the living room. It won't be too loud in there," Ian said.

"OK," Mike said and he stared at Fiona like he had never seen a baby before. "You said she was your niece, right?"

"My... my sister's baby. My sister died." That was all Ian could get out. It just hurt too much to say it.

"It's good that the baby has you. That she has family to take care of her," Mike said softly. "Sorry for your loss."

Ian nodded. Then he wondered, "Eve used to live here. Did you maybe know her?"

"I only moved in next door a little while ago," Mike said.

That was probably a good thing. Ian couldn't really handle talking about Eve, much less with someone who maybe only knew her in passing. Mike went out to do his work and Ian took Fiona to his office where he had set up her rocker. Setting her down in it, he told her, "I miss your mommy so much."

He had a framed photo of him and Eve in his office. He took it to Fiona to show it to her and she put her tiny hand on the glass. "That's right. Give your mommy a high five."

With Mike out there, Ian had trouble concentrating on work. But once he got into it, he planned to just keep going and skip lunch. Fiona was the only one who needed to eat on schedule.

Then he thought about Mike working hard out there, sweating. He was giving Fiona her bottle when he opened the back door and called out to him, "Do you want a sandwich?"

Mike looked unsure and so sexy with his shirt plastered to him. "OK, if it's no trouble," he finally said.

"No problem," Ian said and went in to make it.

Since Fiona was done with her bottle, Ian held her and made the sandwich one handed. "Are you impressed," he asked her then they went out and called Mike in to eat.

He came in and smiled at Fiona. "Did she eat? Oh right you were giving her a bottle before," Mike remembered.

"She ate, finished the whole bottle," Ian said and kissed her face.

"I won't sit, I'm all dirty," Mike said and picked up the sandwich to eat standing up.

"Beer or iced tea?" Ian asked.

"Uh, iced tea," Mike said but Ian had a feeling he was just trying to be good.

He got it for him then did his best to make conversation. "So how is it going out there."

"No problems. You'll have a nice clean space when I'm done."

Ian lifted Fiona. "For you."

"So her name is Fiona. Is that like a name in your family or..."

"Just a name my sister liked," Ian said and felt like any conversation was a minefield and would end up with him having to talk about Eve. "Sorry. I have trouble talking about my sister."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"No. It's not your fault," Ian assured him quickly and gave him a small smile. "Do you have kids?" Mike frowned. Maybe that was a touchy subject for him. He did live above Betty's garage. If he had kids he might be separated from them, from their mother. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"There was just a chance one time that a kid was mine." Mike shook his head so Ian guessed that it turned out the kid wasn't his.

"Sorry. Well, Fiona is pretty great. Best baby in the world." Ian lifted her again and then brought her close.

Mike was finishing up his sandwich pretty fast. He was a big guy, working hard out there. "I should have made you two of those," Ian said.

"Did you make one for yourself?" Mike asked.

"I wasn't hungry," Ian said.

"I didn't just eat your sandwich, did I?" Mike asked and he already looked guilty about it.

"No. I made that for you. And I'll make you another one if you want."

"Only if you make one for yourself too," Mike challenged him.

Ian laughed. "OK. It's a deal."

That's how the two of them ended up eating lunch together, or for Mike his second lunch. Fiona was down for her nap so Mike brought in his clipboard and showed Ian how he planned to plant a few things on the edges of the yard, starting with some taller plants in the corners and then tapering down and then have a lawn in the middle for Fiona to have plenty of room to play.

"You could be a landscape designer," Ian told him.

"Working with plants is pretty nice. Much nicer than having to cut them down," he said.

"The back yard got out of control after our dad died, and then Eve wanted to rehabilitate it, rescue the plants, not cut them down. We did try doing that on a few weekends when I was home from college, but we didn't get very far." Ian stopped and realized, "Here I am talking about Eve and not breaking down. That was good. I need the practice. I'll need to tell Fiona about her mom and not start sobbing my eyes out."

"And what about her dad?" Mike asked hesitantly probably worried that might be a touchy subject too.

"Don't know who he is. I thought I'd have time to find out when Eve was ready to tell me, but that never happened."

"Sorry."

"She was pretty adventurous. She was no stranger to one night stands. I assume that's what it was," Ian said and Mike nodded vaguely. Now Ian felt they needed a change of subject so he asked Mike about himself. "So have you always done this kind of work?"

"No, but I had a few skills so I figured I'd try being my own boss," Mike said and then started eyeing the back yard like he needed to get back there. "Like I told you, I won't be able to finish today. Hopefully tomorrow."

"No problem. We're not in too much of a rush. If you have other jobs that come up, you can shift us for a day or two, it's no problem," Ian said and groaned inwardly. He was basically saying the longer it takes, the better because he wanted Mike to stick around.

"Us means you and Fiona? Right?" Mike asked almost like he was trying to make sure there was no one else in the picture. But of course he wouldn't care about that. Ian was just imagining it.

"Right, I guess I think of Fiona as your client too," Ian said but he didn't even realize he said we or us. Around Mike, he didn't know what the hell he was saying half the time.

"I won't neglect you guys," Mike said with a smile and went back out to do his work.

Why did he have to act so weird around Mike and be so accommodating? Who the hell says take as long as you want? When it came to hot guys, Ian's schedule was completely flexible. Any time is fine. Do whatever you want. Make yourself at home. Get naked and climb into my bed.

Chapter 3

Ian was checking a few work emails when his friend, Amy, called, asking if he could pop out to have lunch with her. "There's no popping out when you have a baby to take care of," Ian told her. All his friends were still childless, just out of college so they didn't quite get it.

"Throw her in a stroller, what's the big deal?" she said. "I haven't seen you in forever. And you promised to invite me over to that little house of yours."

"It's not little," Ian told her, but it was true that she hadn't come over since he moved in. She had been out of town though and Ian just didn't feel up to entertaining ever since he lost Eve.

"Neil was bitching that you rejected him too," she said.

"Like he hasn't rejected me plenty of times, too busy with law school," Ian said, but that wasn't any time recently.

"Don't be such a hermit," she told him. "It's not healthy."

She was right, but he did have another excuse today. "I have a handyman coming over to do some work. I can't."

"Is this handyman hot or not?" she asked.

"He's just a handyman," Ian claimed.

"That means so-so. That's what you get when you're a hermit. If you got out more, you'd get to see some hot guys."

Mike was plenty hot and he was back again to finish up the work. A lot of the clearing was already done and he had some plants as well as sod in his truck. Mike's truck was an old, beat up one. When Ian took Fiona out so he could check out the plants, Mike seemed to feel bad about the state of his ride.

"I'll get a new one. This is just for now while I'm building up my business," he said and he actually glanced at Fiona like she might be passing judgment on his truck.

"You're transporting dirt and all this stuff back here, you don't need a shiny new truck for that," Ian said but Mike still frowned at it.

"It rattles. It's not a comfortable ride. If I was driving anyone..."

Ian wondered if he felt bad about it because it wouldn't make a great date vehicle. "It might not impress any girls, but I don't think you need to rely on a car in that department," Ian said. But why did he have to say anything like that at all? He could have just said the truck was fine. He didn't have to go into how Mike was such an undeniable stud, he didn't need his car to be a babe magnet.

"Thanks for saying that," Mike said. "But I think I'll still try and get something better."

By the time Mike was done, the back yard was looking really nice and Ian was frantically trying to think of what else he might ask him to do so he could keep him around. Pathetic. He didn't come up with anything definite yet, so he was just handing Mike his check and thanking him. Mike frowned at the check.

"This is too much for the work," he said.

Ian didn't know why he was saying that. "No, you gave me a really good price."

"I feel like I owe you more work for this much," Mike said. "Do you have other stuff you need done? I can fix those fence pickets, but there should be more."

"You don't need to do more for the money, really," Ian said, confused. Mike did plenty of work. He didn't have any reason to feel like he hadn't earned the money.

"I wouldn't feel right if I didn't work it off," he said and he smiled at Fiona like he didn't want to be unfair to her.

That made Ian think about something Eve wanted to do that never got done and he got choked up. Could he even do this when he couldn't even talk about it?

"You OK?" Mike asked him as Ian just stood there and couldn't get one word out.

"Thinking about my sister," Ian said after a little bit. "Eve did this design for Fiona's room. She was going to paint it on the walls. She never did. I'd like to do it for her. Let me go get it."

Ian got the drawings for the four walls plus the ceiling. There was a lily pond with big leaves in the foreground and one had a frog sitting on it. Butterflies on a field of wildflowers went on another wall. Eve drew birds perched on the branches of a big tree with flowers and that was supposed to go next to the window. Sunflowers and bees went on another wall. Half the ceiling was bright blue with a sun and fluffy clouds. The blue gradually got darker ending with the moon and stars on the other side.

Mike was frowning at the drawings though. "Oh, shoot. I don't have this kind of skill," Mike said and he looked really upset. "I can't do this, not this good."

"You mean the drawing? I can do that. If that's the only issue," Ian said.

"So I'd do painting by numbers? That should be fine," Mike said and he looked relieved.

"This would be a separate job. You can charge me by hours if you want. And you can do it whenever you can, between your other jobs."

"This isn't hard if I'm not drawing it, just a little paint. This is no problem. It's for Fiona. You don't have to pay me extra," Mike said and held up the check he already got.

Ian couldn't believe he was serious. It was a lot of work. Was he just a terrible businessman? "This will take time. You have to charge me separately for it," he insisted.

"How about if I use you as a reference?" Mike said. "Having people call you up, that will be a nuisance so this way we'll be even."

Ian didn't think that was anywhere close to even. "I would give you a good reference anyway. Please come up with an estimate for the work. There's also a bunch of paints you have to get." Eve had used markers for the drawings. "I'll have to come up with a list of colors."

Mike seemed like he still wanted to argue that he should work for free, but he looked at his phone. "I have to go to another job now, but I can come by later and bring the color chart and we'll figure out the paint colors," Mike offered.

Ian liked the idea of him coming by again, so he was happy to agree. And this meant he would get to keep Mike around and also do something for both Fiona and Eve.

When Mike texted that he was on his way over, it was close to dinnertime. Ian wondered if Mike might have eaten already. Just in case he hadn't, Ian put on some pasta and made a quick pesto and cream sauce. Then he did some baguette slices with herbs, olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan.

He set down two plates at the kitchen table. Then he realized what he was doing. It looked like he was having a date night in and not meeting his straight handyman to talk about painting a room.

He had to put this stuff away. That's when the doorbell rang and he didn't get a chance. He did get the two empty plates off the kitchen table, but everything else was out in plain sight, evidence of his stupidity. Maybe he could keep Mike out of the kitchen.

"Something smells good," Mike said then he got worried. "Did I come at a bad time? If you're eating, I can come back some other time."

"No. I did make some food, but it can wait," Ian said.

"You go ahead and eat. We can talk colors while you have dinner," Mike said.

"Did you eat?" Ian asked, somehow finding himself back on his original track.

"Nah, but you don't need to worry about me," Mike said.

"There's plenty. Just pasta, sauce and some bread. Nothing special," Ian said and led the way to the kitchen."

He was now setting the plates on the table again and then the pasta, sauce and baguette slices. "If you don't like the pesto cream sauce, I can heat up some tomato sauce," Ian offered.

"This all looks good just the way it is," Mike said. "Is Fiona asleep already?"

"For now. I didn't have the heart to wake her, now we're off schedule. She'll be up," Ian predicted.

"Does she need to eat?" Mike asked. He seemed concerned that she was missing out on dinner.

"You want me to go wake her?" Ian asked jokingly, but Mike looked conflicted, like he kind of did and didn't.

Noticing how Ian was looking at him, Mike chuckled then got serious again and started talking business. "They have these paints with no harmful fumes. That's what you want for a baby's room." He fanned out a color wheel chart.

"Did you want to eat first?" Ian asked.

"Oh, right." Mike ate and seemed to enjoy the food, but he couldn't help talking about the safe paint, how Fiona would have to move out of her room for a while, how much paint they needed, how they'd need to mix some paints themselves.

Then Fiona interrupted. She started crying and Ian went to get her. He brought her to the kitchen still cranky and got her bottle from the fridge.

"Is she OK?" Mike asked, showing a lot of worry for her again.

"I should have woken her. Now she's a cranky little monster," Ian said and kissed her face. As soon as he started feeding her, she quieted. "See, now she's an angel."

"She was hungry," Mike said and watched her eat with a look of awe on his face.

"My fault. It just seems so mean to wake her when she's sleeping so peacefully," Ian said.

"So you're spoiling her?" Mike asked.

"What? No," Ian said defensively. "I'm a good uncle."

Mike grinned at that. "Sure."

Now Ian grumbled and his eyes fell on the drawings Eve made. "I could never make up for what Fiona lost. Eve would have been amazing with her."

"You can only be yourself," Mike said. "And you're finishing your sister's work. That's all you can do."

Ian nodded. That was his job exactly. "Thank you for helping me. It means a lot. And one day it will mean a lot to Fiona too."

Mike blinked and seemed to be holding his breath. "I hope so," he said.

Chapter 4

On Saturday, Mike was there to get started on Fiona's room. Before opening the door to him, Ian took a deep breath to steel himself for those blue eyes of his and for the rest of that gorgeous man.

Letting him in, Ian told him what he had been up to. "I already did some drawing on one wall, but I haven't moved Fiona out yet. I was waiting until the last minute."

"I can help you out with moving stuff," Mike offered.

"That's what I was hoping for." Going into the room, he told Mike, "I want to switch Fiona's room and my office. I can work in here even while the painting is being done. And Fiona can have peace and quiet."

"Just tell me what to do," Mike said and he looked capable of lifting most of the furniture by himself.

"Thanks. I'm leaving most of the office furniture where it is. I just need the desk to be moved into Fiona's room," Ian said. "But all of Fiona's furniture has to go out."

"It's a nice room," Mike said as he just took in all of the baby's cute furniture.

"Eve got the room ready, everything except for the art project on the walls. But that's why you're here," Ian said.

They worked together to move Fiona out and move Ian in. "Plenty of room for both us to work," Mike said seeing Ian's desk in the middle of the room and nothing else.

"I'll be in the living room with my laptop when you're in here doing the painting," Ian told him though he really wanted to watch him work.

"You don't need to do that. You won't be in my way," Mike said. "I'll be starting with what you drew over here." He went over for a closer look.

Ian had started with the lily pond, but he hadn't finished it. "I'm going to finish drawing that wall while you're painting."

"So both you and your sister had artistic talent?" Mike said.

"Not me. I had to look up how to draw some of this stuff," Ian admitted.

"You did good. I'm going to get what I need from the truck." Mike left and Ian wondered if his drawing would be any good if he did it while Mike was in the room. He really needed to calm down around him.

Coming back with a lot of painting supplies and tons of paints, Mike started by unrolling plastic all around the room. Ian helped him spread it out. Then Mike said, "I noticed a leak under the window in the living room. I didn't see it before."

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. The curtain covers it usually. Out of sight, out of mind. I should have had it taken care of," Ian said, kicking himself for forgetting. "That's what I should have had you working on, not this. I'm an idiot."

"Take it easy. I can take care of that right now while you're drawing," Mike said. "The window just needs to be sealed. There's no mold or any damage. No need to kick yourself."

"Thanks. But I need to stay on top of things. Fiona is depending on me."

"Just you. What about your family?" Mike asked as they both went out into the living room.

"There's my mom and two half brothers from her first marriage. We aren't close," Ian said.