Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
D ev woke up to barely muffled giggles and whispers, and a pounding headache.
He’d been up and down all night, but about five a.m., he’d crashed hard, just finally giving up.
“Hey,” Bryan said quietly. “I bet you’re hurting. It’s nearly eleven a.m. I didn’t have the heart to wake you at eight.”
“It’s okay. How are the kids?” Are they all getting along?
“They’re great. My boys are loving this pajama day thing. Let me get you your pills, yeah?”
“Just one, not two. I want to be awake for the day.” Dev was already fuzzy enough.
“Okay, but if it gets to be too much for you, let me know and I’ll give you the other one. I’ll be right back.” Bryan was as good as his word popping into the kitchen and coming back with a glass of water with a straw. Bryan handed him a pill and the glass.
“Thanks. I appreciate your help. Really.”
“It’s no problem. Honestly. The kids are having a blast. And Marley and I put in a grocery order—we’re going to do cooking lessons and you all get to eat whatever we manage to cook.” Bryan looked pretty amused at that.
“Perfect. I texted my lawyer last night—she’s having security cameras installed, and we can have movers get the rest of your things, if that is something you want to discuss.”
“Like everything?” Bryan looked a little stunned.
“It’s totally up to you, and we can discuss things in a few days if you want. He’s going to get bail. He’s going to be free. So maybe you have things you want for a few days, a few weeks?” He didn’t mind the idea of being roommates, to be honest. It was good to have another adult around, and he liked Bryan. In fact, he liked Bryan a whole lot more than you liked a simple roommate.
The guilt of knowing he had put Bryan in this situation was also a factor.
“Yeah, you’ve got a point.” Bryan nodded. “After the boys are in bed tonight, I’ll go back with the duffel bags empty and make sure we have everything that can’t be replaced. Just in case.”
“We’ll talk about it, okay? When everyone else is busy.”
“Or asleep,” Bryan suggested. “They are having a blast by the way. I hope it’s okay, I told them they didn’t have to do any schoolwork. I figured pajama day meant full-on day off.”
“Absolutely. I figure the periodic mental health day is necessary.”
“After yesterday, I’d agree.” Bryan shivered. “Okay. Breakfast—do you want any? Or do you just want some of whatever we have for lunch? Which is going to depend on whether or not our grocery order arrives.”
“Whatever. I’m easy. I just want to?—”
“Daddy!” Juni jumped right in the middle of him.
“Careful!” Bryan cried out. “Remember how we talked about being gentle with your father?”
“Oh! Oh, sorry. How’s your hand, Daddy?”
“Broken, but it’s going to heal.” He hugged her close.
“Is this okay?” Juni asked, curling into him. It felt so good to hold her.
“Absolutely. I missed you yesterday evening. Did you like Jennie?”
“Uh-huh. She was cool. She can crotch-et.”
“Crotch-et?”
“Uh-huh. With yarn and a stick.”
“She makes some amazing things with that stick,” Bryan noted. “Did she teach you how to do it?”
“She tried, but I kept crying.” Juni winced. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize, honey. You were upset. It’s hard to learn new things when you’re upset,” Bryan assured her. He was good with the girls, from what Dev could see. Gentle, helpful, caring, but not a pushover, he didn’t think.
“I bet she’ll come back for another lesson, hmm?” He stroked her hair, loving on her.
“Not if it means you’ll get hurt.”
“I think we’re going to invite her for an afternoon soon, so you guys can get to know her better. She’s a very nice lady who is a friend.” Bryan smiled. “Or we could all go down to the community center where she works—they’ve got lots of great activities for kids. For instance, I read books out loud.”
“I can do that. Read out loud. I read a lot for my age. The teacher says so.”
Dev smiled and nodded. Juni had been a slow reader, unlike her sister, and was fighting to catch up.
“Good for you! And maybe you could help me with the reading hour sometimes.”
“If Daddy says yes, sure.” She glanced up at him, and he nodded. “Daddy says yes.”
Bryan chuckled. “Excellent. Next time that the boys and I go, we’ll bring you along. Meanwhile,” Bryan glanced at his watch. “Looks like the groceries aren’t going to get here in time for lunch. What do you think we should feed your daddy?”
“Bacon sandwiches.” That was immediate.
“Is there a place you can order that from? The bacon is coming, as is the bread, but there isn’t any in the fridge right now.” Bryan looked to him.
“I can?—”
“Murphy’s Deli! Can I have a turkey with provolone and pickles, Daddy?” Marley hollered.
Bryan chuckled. “I’ll get everyone’s order and call it in. You going to have a bacon sandwich like Juni?”
“Yes, please. No cheese for me, and tomato and lettuce.”
“Got it. Juni—how do you want yours?”
“Just like Daddy, please!”
“You got it. And turkey with provolone and pickles for Marley. What kind of bread?” Bryan called out.
“Ciabatta, please.”
“Daddy,” Micah whispered. “I want what Marley haves.”
Micah was in love.
“Okay, you got it. What about you, Dylan?”
“The bacon sandwich sounds good. But I just want bacon on it.”
“No lettuce?”
Dylan gave it due consideration. “Yeah, I’ll try it. I can take it off if I don’t like it, right?”
“You can indeed. And I’ll have a bacon sandwich as well. That’s all of us.” Bryan started typing on his phone.
Dev leaned back against the sofa. “How are you boys doing? Are you liking your room?”
“It’s huge,” Dylan told him. “Like ginormous!”
“I like sharing with Dylan, like our room at home.” Micah sat next to Marley.
“We’re going to be so spoiled,” Bryan noted. “And lunch is on the way.”
“Daddy likes having someone to spoil. He says that a lot.”
Bryan’s cheeks reddened. “Well, that’s a nice quality.”
“I think so.” She smiled at him. “But if you’re staying, we need little boy stuff.”
“Dev, you have a very, very smart daughter.” Bryan grinned, looking pleased.
“I have two.” Dev winked at him, but he did think, absolutely, that Bry and the boys needed to stay here where they could relax and be safe.
“You do indeed. I just hope my boys take after them and can be smart, too. Eh, guys? You gonna use your brains in school and stuff?”
“I’m not,” Micah announced, making them all laugh.
“I will!” Dylan said. “Marley says that we can have books and read together. Like big books.”
“She’s right. I’m going to head back to our house after lunch and pick up the rest of our stuff, including all your books, okay?”
“Let me send movers. I can have your things packed today, put on a truck, and delivered tomorrow.”
“Do you really have room for everything?” Bryan asked, worrying his bottom lip.
“I do. You deserve your things. We can cohabitate for as long as you feel happy here.”
“Thank you again. I need to get that tattooed across my forehead or something, so you can see I’m always saying it.”
“We’ll talk later. Should I send the movers?”
Bryan nodded slowly. “Yeah, let’s do it. I don’t know when I’m going to feel safe there again. And it would be good to know he can’t do anything to our stuff, either.”
“All right. We’ll bring you home, make this place your own. You and the boys are welcome.”
“Did you hear that, guys? We’re going to be living here—isn’t that exciting?”
“With Marley and Juni? Are you coming too?” Micah asked.
“Of course—I meant all three of us. You’re not going anywhere without me, I promise.” Bryan gave little Micah a hug.
“Good. Then yay! We get to be in a big room! Hooray!”
The boys started jumping and dancing.
Bryan laughed and gave chase, giving them random hugs.
“This is going to be an adventure, huh, Daddy?” Juni asked, and he nodded.
“I think so.”
“Hopefully, we won’t get in the way,” Bryan murmured, looking worried.
“Listen. Let me give you a tour.” He stood up. “Don’t answer the door,” he told the girls. “Only me, fair?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Come on. You’ve seen the bedrooms. This used to be two large condos. So there are two ensuites, six bedrooms, plus the playroom and the office. And that doesn’t count my studio upstairs or the roof.”
“That is a lot of room,” Bryan admitted. “Do you need to take my arm or are you okay?”
“I’m good. So the door to the second floor is always locked. I’ll get you a key, but there are dangerous chemicals and paints worth a small fortune in there. Please never leave it unlocked.”
Bryan nodded. “No problem. I don’t know why I’d need to go up to your studio, but if I do, I won’t leave the door unlocked.”
“Thank you. This is the door.” The door was locked way up where little fingers couldn’t reach it. “The door to the roof is here. It’s alarmed, just in case. I never set it anymore, but when my kids were smaller, I worried.”
“Oh, I bet. I’d hate to have littles accidentally get up there without supervision. That’s too high.” It looked like Bryan got it. Of course, he was a dad, so that wasn’t surprising.
“You want to come up and see?”
“I’d love to.” Bryan closed the door behind himself and followed Dev up the stairs.
The roof was open and nice, with a little area for a garden that had gone to seed, an empty sand box, a shed, and a lovely swing set.
“Oh, this is nice. You ever use the garden?” Bryan looked longingly at the space.
“I don’t have time, but if you’re a gardener, that would be amazing.”
“Yeah, I’d like to play in the dirt if it’s an option. I helped Mrs. Pereiso with hers in the backyard, but it’s not the same as doing it all yourself.”
“Absolutely. This space—” he waved his arms at the garden patch. “Consider it yours.”
“Like I said, I’m going to get it tattooed on my forehead—thank you.” Bryan circled the fallow garden, checking out the plants there and poking his fingers into the soil. “This looks good, and it’s big enough to do more than just some tomatoes. There could be beans, carrots, potatoes even, and maybe beets. Stuff that’s ready at different times.”
It was going to be glorious to teach the kids about growing their own food, flowers. Bryan might keep thanking him, but he thought that he and the girls were going to get a lot out of having Bryan and the boys living with them, too.
Bryan grinned at him. “I have plans already, so you’d better have meant it.”
“Absolutely. This place could be amazing with some work.”
“It’s pretty damn amazing already. Have you ever thought about putting in a gazebo or something that would shelter you from the rain? I bet it would be fun to sit out here and listen to it hitting the roof, watching a storm lightning and thunder its way through the sky.” Bryan looked out over the city, like he was envisioning it.
“You choose one, and we’ll have it built. It would be a good place for picnics.”
“Thank y—” Bryan stopped himself, took a deep breath and instead of finishing his thank-you, said, “Yeah, I think it would be a great addition up here. I’ll look into it.”
“Sounds great. This way, the boys have an outside space that’s not the park.” Not that the park was a huge walk, but this was close and easy. And safe.
“Somewhere out of the sun and rain if necessary.” Bryan took a last look around. “It really is a beautiful spot.”
“I’m glad it’ll get more use. It needs a loving hand.”
“Show me the rest of the place?” Bryan asked. “I mean back downstairs in the main house, so to speak. If you’re feeling up to it.”
“Absolutely. Anything you’d like to see.” He led Bryan back down the stairs.
“I’m enjoying you sharing your home with me, and I’ve yet to see the playroom or the office…”
“I’m glad. We need to make the boys comfortable. Give them a place to play.”
“Yeah. I’m going to get them to school tomorrow. I think going back to the school routine will help get them settled here. I don’t think they really got what was going on when Grant showed up. Marley did an amazing job of shielding them. I was impressed.”
“She’s a beast when it comes to defending little ones. And everyone needs to get back to all their lessons.”
They returned to the living floor, and he led Bryan to the place the man could set up his office.
“There’s everything an office could need here.” There was a lovely window, tons of outlets, and a closet.
“It’s a beautiful space,” Bryan told him. “I love the natural light coming in.”
“I used it as a studio, years ago.”
“So you’ve been here a long time, then?”
“Twenty years. I mean, I had a quarter of this space. Now I have this floor, the floor above, and the roof.”
“That’s very cool. I’m glad your work is doing so well. I’m going to be very good too and not start talking finances with you—I’m sure you’ve got someone looking after that for you.”
“If you see mistakes, please holler. I want to have enough for the future.”
“No, I don’t see any obvious mistakes, but my first instinct when I realize you have a lot of money is to make sure you have a good investment scheme.”
“Good. Please do. My sister is my accountant. She’ll love to meet you.”
“Okay, I’d be happy to take a look and make some suggestions.” Bryan really did look pleased about it.
“Good deal. I’ll get you in touch with Angela.”
“Excellent. We just need a desk in here, and maybe a file cabinet?” Bryan gave him an apologetic look. “I know it seems a bit boring, but I am an account after all.”
“Do you have a desk you want to bring over?”
“I’ve been working on the dining room table. I’d love an actual desk. If that’s okay.”
“Of course. Do you like the color? What about art?” Art was important in Dev’s opinion.
“I wasn’t sure how much I should try to change,” Bryan admitted. “This is your house after all.”
“Well, I know it’s stupidly fast…” And it was, and maybe he was insane, because what did he know about Bryan? He’d only been to the man’s house once, but it was his fault Bryan was in danger now, so… “But if you’re going to be here, you should be comfortable.”
And paint could be painted over.
“I really appreciate that. And I am going to be so spoiled. An actual office with an actual desk. I did bring all my files—I sacrificed some clothing room in one of my bags. They were in a locked filing cabinet, but I didn’t want to risk my clients’ financial information getting into the wrong hands if Grant broke in. Once the kids are in school tomorrow, I’ll figure out what I’d liked moved here and what needs to go to a storage locker. And I guess to put in my notice. There’s no point in paying rent if I’m not going to be there for months. And given how these things work, I’m guessing it’s going to be a while before Grant’s no longer a threat…”
“It’s not just Grant. I mean, I’m not making a huge sacrifice. I like you, Bryan.” He might as well tell the truth, right? They weren’t lovers, but they were more than friends. And the them-not-being-lovers was a yet thing, not a never-gonna-happen thing. It had been brewing from the start if he was honest with himself.
Bryan’s smile lit up his eyes in a way that made them seem extra bright. “I like you, too. I didn’t kiss you by mistake at the hospital.”
“I didn’t mind that at all.” He stepped a little closer. “We could try it again, if you want.”
“I think I would.” Bryan closed the little distance between them.
“I think I would too.” He leaned in, resting their lips together.
Bryan moved his lips against Dev’s, the glide smooth and warm, and it sent little tingles dancing along his lips.
“Daddy! Daddy, the sammiches are here!” Juni came bounding down the hall.
“Dammit,” he whispered.
Bryan stepped away, a wry little grin on his face. “Why do I think this is going to be a recurring theme?”
“Because there are four—count them—four children here?”
“Oh yeah, exactly.” Bryan chuckled. “Come on, let’s get you and those four kids fed.”
“And you. You have someone to take care of you now.”
“I haven’t had that in a very long time.”
He squeezed Bryan’s hand. “You do now.”
“Thank you,” Bryan said quietly. “I’m definitely getting spoiled.”
“Daddy! Time for food! Marley says our new room is ours for realsies!”
“We’re coming, Dylan. And yes. you guys get to keep the room. We’re going to move in here for real, not just a few days.”
Micah’s eyes went wide. “We get sisters?”
Bryan bit his lip, but then he nodded. “Yeah. No matter what else happens, you’ve got sisters.” Then Bryan turned to him. “Right?”
“What do you say, girls? Do you want brothers?”
Marley chuckled. “Of course. No going in my room, though. That’s off limits unless I say.”
Bryan nodded. “I think everyone’s bedroom should have that rule. We all need space that’s just ours, where we can expect privacy.”
“What’s priacy?” Micah asked, eyes wide.
“Pri-va-cy,” Bryan repeated slowly. “It’s having stuff that’s just yours, that other people have to ask about. Like my work files. I keep those private.”
“Oh. Like don’t touch my crayons, but share my Legos?”
“Exactly like that. So Marley, Juniper, and Mr. Dev’s rooms are all private. That means you don’t go in there unless invited, okay?”
“Okay. And they don’t come in ours? Right?”
“That’s right. Everyone has privacy. How about we get our sandwiches, and if anyone has any questions, we can talk over lunch.” Bryan started herding everyone into the kitchen.
Dev was glad to have Bryan here, because he was wearing down, starting to hurt.
Bryan got everyone sitting and eating their sandwiches, even cajoling him into a few bites.
The sandwich was delicious, and Marley watched him like a hawk. He knew if he wasn’t going to get a lecture, he’d have to manage to eat more than just a few bites of his sandwich.
A glance at Bryan confirmed that the lecture would be coming from two sources.
“It’s good, huh?” he said, hoping to distract Marley at least.
“Yeah, Daddy. Eat, eat, eat.” Marley did not seem in the least distracted; in fact, she seemed very focused.
Bryan chuckled, nodded. “She’s right. You need to eat all your food so you can get better. Your body can’t heal without fuel.”
“Listen to you.”
Actually, he was listening to the boys and Juni, who were laughing and telling silly stories. It was lovely, how the kids were being together.
Bryan was looking at the kids too, a small smile on his face.
“They’re going to be fine, Daddy. They like each other,” Marley told him.
God, his girl was so grown-up sometimes.
Bryan nodded. “They’re doing well, together. She’s a good sister, huh?”
Marley nodded. “Mostly, yeah?”
That had Bryan chuckling. “Are you ready to go back to school tomorrow?”
“No, but we need to. I have a math test in second period.” She rolled her eyes, so dramatic.
“Are you ready for it? Done all your studying?” Bryan asked.
Juni shot him a look. “Are you sure you’re not a teacher?”
Bryan just laughed.
“I did. I’m good at school. It’s dance I suck at.”
“Marley! You do not!” She loved dancing and threw herself into it wholeheartedly.
“I do too—Madame says so.”
Dev’s lips tightened. “You know, baby, I’ve already told you, we have options, and that old bat isn’t the end all and be all of dance.”
Marley was way farther ahead in her piano lessons, but she had loved to dance.
“How about trying hip-hop or jazz or something totally new?” While he went and bit that old biddy. It was one thing not to believe a kid was ever going to be at the top of the game, quite another to dash their dreams like that.
“I’ve always liked square dancing,” Bryan said, glancing at Marley out of the corner of his eyes.
Marley glared. “No stupid folk dances, I don’t think. I want to be good at it.”
“I was teasing you, honey,” Bryan told her. “I don’t expect you to want to do square dancing. But there’s all kinds of dancing out there, you know? Have you watched that So You Think You Can Dance show? They do all kinds of dancing on that, and you could see if any of them appeal to you.”
“I just—I like to dance, but I can’t give up piano. I can’t .”
No, his girl felt about her piano like he felt about his paint. “You should show Bryan the music room. We hadn’t gotten there yet.” It was technically one of the six bedrooms, but they didn’t need it for that, and it had been easy to turn it into a conservatory, even if that was an old-fashioned name for it.
“Oh? I’d love to hear you play. Maybe after we’ve finished our sandwiches?”
“Sure. I’m working on a Vivaldi piece.”
“Oh, that’s impressive. There’s a lot of notes in Vivaldi, isn’t there?” Bryan really did look impressed, bless him.
“There are! Are you a musician?”
Bryan shook his head. “But I enjoy music. Especially classical. I love putting it on while I’m working.”
“Yeah? Daddy likes to listen to rock when he paints, right?”
“I do. I like it to drive.”
Bryan chuckled at that. “I like rock music, but it and working on numbers do not go together for me.”
“There is a lot of math in music, did you know that? It’s really half math, half art,” Marley informed them.
“No way. Seriously?” Bryan asked.
Marley nodded.
“That is so cool.”
Marley’s smile was beautiful, stunning, even, and so pleased.
“So are you good at math then, too?” Bryan asked.
“I am. I like math a lot. I like things that make sense.”
That was his practical baby.
Bryan nodded. “Yes. Yes, exactly. I know exactly what you mean.”
“Bryan is a math whiz. Finally, there will be help with your math questions!” He cheered and winked. “I can help with color theory.”
“I don’t know if I’m a whiz, but I get numbers. They make sense.”
Marley grinned and rolled her eyes. “See, Daddy? They make sense.”
Bryan laughed and held his fist out to Marley. Still grinning, she bumped it with her own.
“Okay, do I need to do anything, or can I go video chat with Kari?” Marley asked.
“School’s still in, goofy girl. Come watch a movie with me.”
“Movie!” Juni called out, and the boys took up the call, the three of them chanting the word over and over.
They all settled on the biggest couch, cuddling together with blankets and pillows. “ Despicable Me ?”
“There’s a new one we haven’t seen yet,” Bryan noted. “Number 4, I think?”
“Let’s do it. I’m sure we can download it somewhere.”
“All right guys, we’re gonna watch Despicable Me 4 !” Bryan laughed as his boys jumped on him and he started tickling them.
“This is the best day, Daddy! The best day!” Dylan called out.
“I’m glad you think so.” Bryan gave them both kisses and hugs, and then they settled in, the boys curled up against Bryan while he and the girls sat close, next to them.
It was, weirdly, a quite good day, after a terrible day.
Hopefully, each one would just get better and better.