Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
“Pete?”
He damn near jumped out of his skin, eyes flying open. He’d intended to get breakfast started and have a cup of coffee before the kids landed on him, but here he was, leaning against Bay’s doorway.
Belle stared at him from the end of the hallway. “Why were you in Uncle Bay’s room?”
Okay, this was why they were going to talk to the kids this morning. So they could answer all the questions together, in fact get ahead of any questions the kids would have.
“Can we talk about that in a family meeting and after coffee and cocoa?” That would make him feel infinitely better.
She shrugged. “Okay. What’s for breakfast?”
“Uh. Bacon and waffles?” He could totally manage that—after coffee.
“Okay. I’m hungry.” She went back into her room.
“Right on.” She was hungry; he was walking bowlegged and needed caffeine, bad.
Bay came out of the bedroom, all bedhead and blinking. “What’s going on?”
“Coffee. I need coffee, dammit.” Oh, that was grumpy of him. “I’m sorry.”
Bay looked utterly confused. “You’re sorry you need coffee?”
“Huh? No. I mean, yes. I mean… Good morning.”
Bay smiled at him at that. “Good morning.”
“Miss Bella is hungry, and I need a cup of coffee. You?” He had to smile back. Had to.
“I could do coffee. Unless you’re making cocoa for the kids.”
“I’m making chocolate milk, I think. It’s hot for cocoa.”
“Can I have a coffee with some chocolate milk in it?” Bay asked, reaching back around the door to his room and bringing out his robe. He shrugged it on.
“Of course you can. In fact, that sounds amazing.” Pete was a little stupid for this man, and he had loved sleeping together last night.
“Cool. Am I allowed to kiss you before we have our talk with the kids?”
“Allowed? I think it’s absolutely necessary.” He lifted his face for a kiss, winking as he did it.
Bay was smiling as he brought their lips together, bringing a little twist to the kiss.
He could get lost in that connection, except there was bacon to be made.
Bay took a half a step back, smiling down at him. “Let’s go downstairs. Someone said coffee with chocolate milk and now I have a yen.”
“I did. And I’m on it.” He hugged Bay and then went to start their morning.
Bay took a few minutes before joining him in the kitchen, and when he did, he had baby Flynn in his arms. “I heard him starting to fuss.”
Oh, Bay looked good with a baby in his arms. “Thank you. And he is ready for his breakfast, huh? Do you want a cup? Some milk?”
The baby made grabby hands. “Meelo? Meelo?”
Bay shook his head. “I have no idea.”
“Milk. He’s asking for milk, love.” He poured the milk into the baby’s sippy cup.
“Oh that makes sense.” Bay grabbed the sippy cup from the counter and offered it to Flynn. “You always know what they all need. And what they’re saying.”
“It’s my job and my honor.” These were his babies, in a lot of ways.
Bay shook his head. “That might also be true, but the real truth is that you love them like they’re your own.”
“I do. I love you too, you know. So much.” He nuzzled little Flynn, then went to make coffee.
“I know,” Bay said softly, like he was amazed by it. Pete knew Bay hadn’t wanted kids, hadn’t been looking for a family of his own, but the man had it now and Pete thought that Bay wasn’t upset about that.
“Do you want blueberries in the waffles?” Pete found pecans, blueberries, and bananas.
“Yes, please. But not bananas.” Bay for some reason was not fond of bananas.
“Not bananas. I know. I’ll do some pecans, some blueberry.” He was good at that type of thing.
“Cool. Bananas are for little monkeys,” Bay said, tickling Flynn’s belly.
“OooOooOoo!” Merida hooted.
“Hey, good morning, little monkey girl,” Bay said, grinning at her as she danced into the room, holding her ratty stuffed bear by one foot.
“Bay’s Monkey Girl!” She laughed, her eyes alight. God, she was something else.
Bay laughed. “Yeah, you’re my little monkey girl. And Flynn is my monkey boy.”
Flynn squawked as if he understood, hands flying up. Bay lifted him up, floating him through the air. His sippy cup went flying, landing on the floor and spilling open.
“Oh sh-ugar. Sorry.”
“No worries. Milk mops up.” It wasn’t the first cup; it wouldn’t be the last.
“Yeah.” Bay stuck out his tongue. “That was totally my fault, though.”
Eric came rushing in. “Belle said we’re having pancakes?” He ran straight through the milk and slipped, landing on his butt.
“Waffles.” Pete dropped the towel and picked up the boy, setting down on his feet. “With bacon.”
“Can we eat outside?”
“Sure.” If he survived the making of breakfast.
“Lord.” Bay shook his head. Then got Flynn settled in his highchair with a new sippy cup of milk. “Okay, point me and shoot me.”
“Uh. Bacon in a pan? That would rock.” And he could make waffle batter.
“I can totally do that.” Bay grabbed the bacon out of the fridge and got a pan out. He put all the bacon in the pan and turned on the heat. “Why is bacon so good?”
“Magical meat?” He didn’t know, but it was just a fact. It was delicious.
He watched Bay make a conscious effort not to burst out laughing, and he raised an eyebrow.
“Remind me later to tell you what I thought when you said magical meat. When there’s an adult-only audience.”
His lips parted in pure shock, but he did start laughing, because what else was he supposed to do?
Bay gave him a wink and fiddled with the bacon, which was starting to sizzle.
They moved around the kitchen together, getting everything ready, setting the table on the deck. Then they gathered the kids and got everyone seated with plates of food in front of them.
Everyone but the baby got bacon. Everyone but Flynn and Merida got syrup. Flynn got a square of waffle, and Merida got applesauce to dip her waffle in.
Belle ate, but he could feel the questions in her eyes. She wanted to know what was going on.
“This is delicious.” Bay shoved another chunk of waffle in, a bit of sauce dripping down his chin.
“Thank you. Thanks for making the bacon.”
“Bacons!” Merida cheered. “Bay’s bacons!”
“You’re welcome. And aren’t Pete’s waffles good too, Merida?”
“Bay’s bacons!” she repeated. She’d fallen in love with her uncle.
He chuckled, because he loved that. Bay needed to have the kids be mad for him.
“Are we having a family meeting after breakfast?” Belle asked.
“We are—are you psychic?” Bay asked.
Belle stared at him. “What’s psychic?”
He was going to let Bay answer.
Bay gave him a ‘help me’ look, but when he didn’t respond, said, “Uh… someone who knows things.”
“Oh, I know things. I know Petey’s sleeping in your room.”
Bay’s eyes flashed to his. “He is.”
Pete nodded. “Bay and I have decided to become a couple. We love each other.”
Eric shrugged and went back to eating, but Belle frowned.
“Does that mean you’re going to be… different?”
“Well, it means that Pete is moving into my room, but no, other than that, things aren’t going to be different.”
“And nobody is going to leave, right?”
His eyes went wide. “Never. You four are our family. We will never leave you. Ever.”
“No matter what,” Bay added. “I’m your Uncle Bay and each and every one of you are important to me and loved.”
“You promise? You can’t leave us.”
“We swear,” Pete said. “We swear to you.”
“We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to stay right here with you and Eric and Merida and Flynn,” Bay promised.
“Good. Because… I need my family. Bad.”
He held his arms open to her. “Us too.”
She ran into his arms and squeezed his neck tight, sniffling hard.
“I love you, sweet Belle. I have you. It’s okay.”
“Nobody else can leave, Petey. Nobody.” She sobbed, and he just hugged her tight.
Merida’s lower lip was quivering. “Belle sad.”
“Yeah, she is.” Bay picked her up and hugged her. “That’s okay. Sometimes people get sad.”
“I love you.” She was so sensitive.
“And I love you, Merida. I love all of you so much.”
He could hear the emotion in Bay’s voice.
“Me too, right?” Eric asked. “And can I have more waffle?”
Bay laughed. “Of course I love you too. And yes, you can have more waffle. Have you developed a hollow leg?” Bay was right, Eric had to be going through a growth spurt, because he was eating at least seconds in each meal.
“We’re going to have to buy new pants and shoes soon, hmm?” he teased.
“How come?” Eric asked, shoving the food in like he was starving.
“Because you’re about to grow. That’s why you’re hungry.”
“I’m gonna be big like Uncle Bay!”
“I bet you are!” Pete loved that. He really loved that.
“More?” Eric asked, pushing his plate toward Pete, looking hopeful.
“Sure, honey. How about a half?”
“Okay.”
Eric was going to wind up with a sore stomach if he ate too much.
It was always a balancing act, especially with Eric.
“So I guess we’ve kind of discussed the main thing we’re having a family meeting for,” Bay noted. “Pete and I are sharing a bedroom now because we are together and we love each other. Nothing else is going to change. Do you guys have any questions or anything you want to talk about?”
“What are you going to do with Pete’s room?” Belle asked. “Is it going to be a TV room? The library room? My room? It has its own little bathroom. It could be my room.”
“We hadn’t discussed that, but it’s not a bad idea.” Bay looked at him. “What do you think, Pete?”
“I think you should come up with reasons it should be your room, and then we’ll talk about it.” That would help her learn to negotiate, right?
Bay grinned and nodded. “Pete is right. So you make a list and we’ll come back to it, okay?”
Belle nodded solemnly. “I can do that. I have lots of reasons.”
“Good. Good, I can’t wait to hear them.”
“You got homework!” Eric said.
“I don’t mind. It’s for my own room.”
“But school is out.”
She gave Eric a look as if to say, poor stupid boy. “I know.”
Bay snickered, trying to turn the sound into a cough behind his hand, but Pete could see his eyes twinkling.
Pete shoved a bite of waffle into his mouth. La la la. Not laughing.
Merida finished her waffle and wanted to play, so Bay let her down to run around in the backyard and play in the little sandbox beside the deck.
That had Flynn fussing to get down to play, too, so Bay took him out of his highchair and set him in the sandbox with a little plastic pail and a matching blue shovel.
“He’s getting big. Look at him, wanting to play with his sister.” He started cleaning up food, plates.
“He’s going to be running around soon, too.” Bay shook his head. “Are you ready for that?”
“I am. He’s ready, and he has a big sister to chase.” He winked over. “They adore you.”
“Well, I’m glad they don’t hate me. I don’t want them growing up feeling like they had a bad childhood because they got stuck with their Uncle Bay.”
“They won’t. They’ll know they’re loved, by all of us.”
“It makes me sad that the two little ones won’t even remember them except as people we tell them about.”
“God, me too. Seriously. It hurts my heart.” He went to Bay, hugged him.
Bay hugged him right back, holding him close. It was comforting, Bay’s strength and knowing that he shared the pain eased him.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“I love you back.” Bay rested his cheek against the top of Pete’s head, then squeezed him a little tighter before letting him go.
“I can have hugs too?” Merida ran to them, and he hugged Merida tight.
“You guys can always have hugs anytime you need them,” Bay assured her as he joined in the hug.
“I love you so much, Unca. I’m so happy.”
“I love you too, sweetie. And you make me happy, too.”
Merida beamed at him and then wiggled to get down and go play.
Bay chuckled. “I probably should head to work, eh?”
“I’m looking forward to our weekend…” he admitted.
“Yeah?” Bay looked pleased at his words.
“Of course. I enjoy hanging out with you.”
“I know. I enjoy being with you, too. I just…” Bay shrugged. “I’m not used to having someone in my life looking forward to time with me.”
“No, that’s a shame, but I’m glad it’s me.”
Bay grinned, nodded. “Yeah, I’m glad it’s you too. Like super glad. You make me happy. I didn’t even know I needed to be happy, but it’s a good thing.”
He nodded. They deserved a little good things.
“The talk with the kids went pretty darn well, didn’t it?” Bay asked.
“I think so. I’m fascinated to see what Belle comes up with.”
“Yeah. And I’m pleased that the only issue with us coming together was making sure no one was leaving and who got your room.”
“Belle’s the only one it matters to. The little ones? They just want stability.”
“They’ll have that,” Bay promised. “We’ll all have that.”
“That’s what’s important, lover.”
Bay, the kids, their lives.
Everything they needed was right here.