Single Dads of Gaynor Beach
Adult title
by
Gabbi Grey
Anthony
During my seven years as a social worker in Gaynor Beach, California, delivering orphaned twins to their unsuspecting father is the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. These babies lost their mother and they need a loving parent, but is adorable Scott Wexler up to that challenge? Transferring custody is one thing—walking away is something entirely different, especially with the stress of Christmas bearing down on Scott too.
Scott
After escaping a miserable childhood, I’ve made a fresh start in California. I’m in charge at the Gaynor Beach Public Library, I love helping people, and I'm feeling like an actual functional human being. Then social worker Anthony Rodrigues shows up on my doorstep with twins I fathered through a sperm donation, and suddenly I'm responsible for two tiny lives. Accepting help from the gorgeous social worker is a no brainer—admitting I want him to stay is going to take a lot more courage.
This 74k word gay romance is a slow burn, mid-angst, instalove with a geeky librarian, a by-the-book social worker, adorable twin-toddler terrors, and a beleaguered cat named Crumpy.
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Exclusive excerpt
When I walked into the living room, the sound of Scott’s short shallow breaths hit me first. I hustled over to him. Distress washed over me, and my heart sank. His extreme pallor starkly contrasted with the two points of color high on his cheeks.
I approached carefully, ensuring I was in his line of sight.
Could he even see me?
Positioning myself between him and the car seats was a risk, but I didn’t see that I had any other choice.
He’d wrapped his arms around his waist. How could he breathe with that tight grip?
The cat, who’d been conspicuously absent since the babies arrived, now sat beside Scott and headbutted his arm.
Scott didn’t react.
“Hey.” I used my soothing social-worker voice.
Still no change.
“I’m going to touch you.”
Nothing.
Touching without express permission was always risky, but sometimes the situation dictated drastic action.
I placed my hand on his knee.
His gaze shot to mine. Unfocused green eyes settled on me.
Progress.
“Hey, can you take a deep breath for me?” I inhaled noisily and deeply, all the while holding his gaze. Then I exhaled in a long stream of breath.
I inhaled again.
He followed suit.
I exhaled.
He did the same.
We continued like that for a long time. If I wasn’t able to calm him enough this way, then I might’ve had to go looking for a paper bag—something few people had these days. Worse-case scenario would be to call an ambulance. I didn’t want that. And, from what little I knew about Scott, he wouldn’t want that either.
I squeezed his knee. “I think your cat is trying to get your attention.” Giving him something concrete to focus on would help.
He glanced over at the cream-colored cat with weird stripes on its face.
“Crumpet.” He winced. “Well, Crumpy.” He petted the creature who instantly purred. “He’s been with me since my days in LA. He was a stray I took in. I think, honestly, that he chose me.” He eyed me. “But he’s not great with strangers.”
“Do you think he’ll be okay with the babies?”
Scott’s eyebrows shot up. “I, uh, I don’t know. He’d better be. I mean, I don’t think I could re-home him.”
“Well, we’re not at that stage yet. Just keep an eye on him, and we’ll see how things go.”
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Bio
USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
