Chapter 8
(Gage)
“This is your fault,” Cooper growled as he stomped across the snow-covered lawn bundled in a thick, fluffy coat, snow boots, a fuzzy hat, and a scarf he’d wrapped around his neck several times.
He’d put on gloves too and pulled the hat down so low Gage was shocked that he could see where he was going.
“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” Gage remarked, grinning.
He knew exactly what his boyfriend was referring to and took great pleasure in winding his boyfriend up.
“You just had to go and encourage Zachy and Song to do a snow dance!”
“In all fairness, they learned it from Shanny and Ajay at the club,” Gage replied, shrugging as he stood beneath the patio awning, manning the grill.
“Seeing the four of them wiggling around, shaking their tushes, and waving at the sky was one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.
I wish I could have taken a picture of it, because I’d have put it up on the walls.
Their smiles and the energy they poured into it was just a moment of pure joy and fun that made almost everyone in the room laugh or giggle, especially when some of the other littles joined in too.
Even the quiet little red-haired girl who rarely talks to anyone squealed and leapt up to join them in their snow-snow dance conga line. ”
“And now look at what’s happened. It’s Snowmageddon out here!”
“No, Snowmageddon was last night when the snow was still flying. This is the aftermath of Snowmageddon, and personally I think it’s pretty amazing.”
“You would,” Cooper grumbled. “You’ve gotta be half yeti to sit out here grilling with no gloves on.”
“Don’t need ‘em with the heat rolling off the grill.”
“Meh.”
“Better get in touch with your yeti half if you’re gonna survive the afternoon the boys have planned for you.”
“And again, I say you planned this right down to calling the snow down from the sky because you knew they were gonna turn me into a snowman while you got to stand over here basking in the heat of the grill with the meat.”
Gage just grinned and winked at him, letting him infer whatever he wanted to as laughter spilled from the gap in the sliding glass doors as Song and Zachy rushed out in snowsuits carrying the new sleds Cooper had picked up for them on his way home from work last night.
“Papa, Papa, join us on the hill,” Zachy said, rushing over to grab Cooper’s hand.
“I don’t have a sled,” Cooper explained, “but I’ll come watch you.”
“Yeah, you do, Papa,” Zachy replied, pulling a red sled from behind the aqua one he held. “Daddy went out and got you one last night.”
When Cooper’s jaw dropped, Gage couldn’t hold his laughter in. Especially when he started sputtering and flashed Gage a betrayed look, to which Gage just shrugged.
“I knew you wouldn’t get one for yourself, so when you texted to let me know that you were stopping off to get ones for Song and Zachy, I ran out and snagged one for you. Have fun with the boys.”
Cooper blinked, eyes widening as Zachy grabbed one hand and Song grabbed his other one, the two of them practically dragging him towards the hill that lay on the other side of the playground they’d had built for Zachy.
It would be good for him to have some time with the boys on his own.
Gage knew that he was still worried about not being a good enough Daddy, especially after the scrutiny he’d drawn from other club members after he and Zachy had returned from their cruise.
But Gage hadn’t lied to him when he’d told Cooper that he was proud of the strides he’d made in learning how to care for their little.
Once Cooper had gotten past his fears of being embarrassed and started to recognize that each and every little in the playroom had their grumpy and even bratty moments, it had been far easier to help him see that every little had their complexities and insecurities too.
Zachy’s had just stood out more because he’d been stifled for so long and unable to explain to Cooper why his excitement kept getting the best of him.
Once the truth had come out, Cooper had felt like shit and needed a lot of reassurance from both him and Zachy before he’d been able to move past it.
Now he came flying down the hill, bellowing at the top of his lungs after the shove Song and Zachy had given his sled.
Chuckling, Gage turned his attention back to the meat, carefully turning each piece of chicken, beef, and vegetable and the grilled pineapples and peaches he’d decided to add for a bit of sweetness in the kebobs they’d assemble later.
With only three more days of taping left before the production broke to give the cast and crew a three-week vacation, Gage was looking forward to quiet time spent at home with his partners.
In preparation, he’d restocked their cocoa bar, grabbed several canisters of whipped cream, and had fun picking up holiday-themed sprinkles and crushed candy bits to dot the whipped cream with.
With everything cooking nicely, Gage turned his attention back to the hill, watching as Song and Zachy zoomed down side by side, hollering and laughing the whole way.
Not having neighbors close by meant they could be as loud as they wanted, one of many things that had led to his purchase of the house.
Though Zachy hadn’t come into his life yet, he’d gone into the purchase already having a desire to bring a boy into it and taken the steps to ensure that when he did finally find the right one, they’d have plenty of play spaces where there would be no complaints from anyone.
The world could be a cruel, harsh place.
At any moment, shit could go sideways, changing lives in an instant.
The helicopter crash that had ended the lives of two members of Shriveled Rose had been more than enough proof of that.
Creating a space where he and his loved ones could relax, decompress, and just be themselves had been a priority when choosing locations, and now, watching the boys pepper Cooper with snowballs as he came flying down the hill on his sled, he was convinced that he’d chosen wisely.
Cooper’s clothes were covered with snow by the time the boys stopped throwing snowballs at him and proceeded to fling them at each other until Cooper jumped into the fray, seeking revenge with an armful of snowballs.
By then, the food was ready, so Gage hurried in, grabbed a few aluminum containers, and took them out so he could remove everything from the grill and take it inside, where it would stay nice and warm beneath tin foil until the boys were ready to come in.
Even bundled up, there was only so long they could play out there before they would need to come in and warm up, so once he had the food taken care of, he filled the kettle with water in preparation for cocoa and made sure there were towels on the bench inside the flat[TM4] doors and pulled the heavy-duty rubber mats from beneath it so they’d have a place to put their snow-covered boots when they came in.
It smelled like cinnamon and sugar in there, thanks to the new candle burning on the counter.
There was an undercurrent of chocolate and peanut butter too, from the cookies the boys had made after they’d burned off their morning burst of energy in the playroom when Song arrived.
A quick check revealed that the low table had been pulled into the center of the living room, with thick pillows on each side in preparation for the games they intended to play after they ate.
Cooper must have taken care of that while Gage had been busy in the kitchen preparing everything to go on the grill.
So far, the day had run seamlessly, but a quick check of the weather app on his phone showed that a new round of storms was heading their way later in the week.
It would make the roads even messier and the commute longer, which might mean they’d have to skip their Friday night visit to Velvet Illusions, something Gage knew would disappoint his boys.
Song had taken to dropping in as soon as his band had finished playing whatever gig they had set up that night.
While Zachy loved playing with Shanny, Ajay, Ryu, and Kayla, Gage knew that it was Song he watched for, his eyes lighting up the moment the other little stepped into the room.
Gage had found his gaze darting towards the door every time it opened.
Since phones weren’t allowed in the playroom, he’d taken to putting on a watch just to keep track of the time.
Since Ajay had joined Song’s band, he wondered if they’d start showing up together, or if he should inquire where they’d be playing on Friday nights so he could go pick up Song himself.
Zachy had learned enough playroom etiquette that leaving him in the care of Hank, Mimzy, Sir Ferocious, or Riggs wouldn’t be an issue.
He knew his boy would be good and listen to whatever they said to him.
After telling the smart speaker in the kitchen to play holiday music, he headed back outside to see that there was a living snowman attempting to waddle across the lawn with Song and Zachy persistently trying to stick more snow on him, making the process more difficult.
With dark clouds beginning to gather in the distance, Gage decided to take pity on the other man and rescue Cooper before they buried him in it.
Whistling to get their attention, he brought an end to the chaos as Zachy and Song froze mid-fling, snow falling from the tips of their fingers as they turned to look at him.
“Food’s ready,” he announced. “Grab your sleds and bring them in so they don’t get buried.”
Song and Zachy moved to do as they were told, grabbing Cooper’s sled too as the man tried to shake the snow off himself.
“I see you found your inner yeti,” Gage remarked, ducking when Cooper flung snow at him.
“I don’t know how yet, but I will have my revenge.”
“On me, or them?” Gage asked, chuckling.
“Take your pick.”
“Come on, I’ll turn the kettle on while you peel off the layers. Try to keep the snow out there, though in your case, I’m not sure if that will be possible.”
“I hate you so hard right now.”
“Not sure how that’s possible when coldness and dampness tend to lead to turtle syndrome.”
Grumbling, Cooper strode past him and into the house, threatening to shove snow down his pants at the first opportunity.
Song and Zachy were covered with far less snow when they reached Gage’s side, and it was a good thing too, as he found himself smooshed between them by the tight hug they gave him.
“That was awesome!” Song declared. “I haven’t been sledding in years. Thank you for getting a sled for me.”
“Of course,” Gage said, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I’m glad you boys enjoyed yourselves today. Time to get warmed up; food, cocoa, and games await.”
“Ohh, what kind of games?” Song asked.
“Well, that’s for you and Zachy to decide after you eat,” Gage explained. “The hall closet near the playroom is filled with them. You can each pick one and bring it to the living room, and we’ll play them both.”
“Yay!”
While Song went dancing inside to get his snow gear off, Zachy remained pressed to Gage’s side, peering up at him with a great big smile.
“Did you have fun?”
“So much fun, Daddy; it was awesome!” Zachy declared. “When can we have a sleepover with Song? I hate when he has to go home.”
“Me too, sweet boy. How about we set one up while we’re on vacation? That way we have plenty of free time to spend together.”
His boy nearly squeaked the breath out of him when he hugged Gage again, but it was the best feeling in the world.
Happy Zachy was a sweet, loving boy who’d have climbed him like a stripper pole if he wasn’t wearing so many layers.
They’d save that for later, when Zachy was wrapped in a warm towel after his bath.
He’d have loved to see if Song got the same soft, dreamy look on his face after warm water and bubble time and hoped that day would come soon.
For now, it was time to get the boys fed so they could enjoy games and the cookies they made before they took Song home.
While Solo had insisted that she didn’t mind dropping him off and picking him up, he knew how much that extra bit of time together, snuggled together in the backseat of the SUV, would mean to Zachy and Song, and was grateful that she’d agreed to split driving duties with him.
Inside, Song had removed his boots and set them in the tray but struggled to unwind his scarf, his hands immediately falling away when Gage went to help him.
“Thank you,” Song said once Gage had untangled it and gotten it hung up on one of the hooks above the bench.
“You’re welcome,” Gage said as he tugged his hat off his head and his long brown locks tumbled free.
A quick glance to his right showed that Zachy wasn’t having any issues getting his gear off, so Gage went ahead and peeled the snow-caked zipper of Song’s snowsuit down and helped him remove the thick, fluffy garment.
Song gave him a big hug after he’d stepped out of the legs of the suit and stood cuddled against his chest, scooting over when Zachy joined in on the hugging.
Holding them, Gage pressed a kiss to the top of each of their heads, realizing, in that moment, that they were almost the same height.
Sweet, precious, and loving, their hugs left him filled with the type of warmth that had nothing to do with body heat.
“Ready to eat, little ones?” Gage asked.
“Uh-huh,” they murmured against his chest.
“Then let the snow-snow feast begin.”