Chapter 13
MIKE
“Oh my God, you’re early,” Lucy huffs, opening the door a crack like she’s not going to let me in.
“Six, yeah?” I shift the bags of groceries in my arm and look at my watch.
“Shit. Is it six already?”
“’Tis.”
“What’s all that?” She nods to the bags in my arms. “I thought you were bringing dinner?”
“Dinner.” I hold up the bags a little to make my point.
“That’s not dinner, that’s the ingredients for dinner.”
“Exactly. And I’m going to cook these ingredients and make dinner.” I arch an eyebrow in jest.
“You’re going to cook?”
“I love to cook. I’m the resident chef at the station.”
“Okay, but the boys are picky eaters, so I hope you have chicken nuggets in there, because that’s about all they’ll eat at this point. If it isn’t shaped like an extinct animal, they don’t want to eat it.”
I chuckle, an idea already forming in my head. “Grand. Now can I come in? I’m freezing my balls off out here.”
“Okay, but I need to warn you, I lost track of time, and the two feral gremlins undid all the cleaning I did earlier, so do not judge me for the mess you’re about to see.”
“I spend most of my week in a firehouse surrounded by firefighters. Trust me, there is nothing that could shock me.”
She blows out a deep breath. “I’m pretty sure my floor is composed of Pokémon energy cards and Band-Aid wrappers at this point.
And if you see a juice box, don’t step on it.
Levi takes two sips and leaves them in random places.
I’ve stepped on way too many Capri-Sun land mines, and my Bissell needs a break. ”
“Noted.”
She opens the door and lets me in. It’s honestly not as bad as I expected, but it’s obvious kids live here, and I secretly love it.
“Lucky Charm!” Micah shouts as I walk into the kitchen.
Lucy’s mouth drops open.
“Mikachu!” I shout back as he runs over and hugs my leg. I’m touched he still remembers the nicknames we gave each other the day we met.
“Choo-choo!” Levi parrots as he climbs onto the arm of the couch and flings himself onto the cushion, completely unbothered by my presence.
“You have nicknames?” Lucy asks, confused.
“Yeah, he’s Mikachu, like Pikachu.”
“And he sounds like the green guy on the cereal box in the ads,” Micah adds.
The horrified look on her face makes me chuckle. “Micah, that is not nice. You cannot call him that just because he’s Irish.”
“It’s fine,” I say, brushing it off, yet secretly loving that she remembered our earlier conversation. “I wouldn’t recommend shouting it in Ireland, but I don’t mind it.”
“Can we have Lucky Charms for dinner?” Levi asks, now bouncing up and down on the cushions.
“No, and please don’t jump on the couch, Levi,” Lucy scolds.
She rubs her hands on her forehead like she’s trying to relieve a stress headache, and I jump into action. “Come here, Levisaur,” I say, walking to the couch and scooping him up. “I need your help.”
“I’m Bulbasaur!” Levi growls, chomping his teeth in my direction.
“He certainly zaps all my energy,” Lucy mutters. I give her a quizzical look as I set Levi down. “You know, cuz Bulbasaur draws energy into his back bulb, and that’s what powers all of his moves.”
“I was just playing off the dinosaur comment earlier. I guess I’m cleverer than I realized.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You still have to get them to eat whatever it is you’re making.”
“Who wants to help me cook dinner?” I say with enthusiasm as I turn back to the boys. If I’ve learned anything about kids, it’s that you can get them excited about boring tasks with some enthusiasm and a little competition, especially little boys.
“I do!” Micah raises his good arm.
“MEEEE!” Levi shouts.
I drop into a squat. “Okay, this is very important. Can I trust you two to do something for me?”
They both nod, looking at me intensely for further instruction.
“It’s very important that we get all the germs off your hands so you can help. Can you do that?”
“I can!” Micah says as he walks to the bathroom.
Levi stomps his foot. “I don’t wanna wash my hands. It’s too hard.”
“Then I guess Micah will be my assistant.” I stand and cross my arms.
Levi runs off, and I chuckle when I hear the commotion and sibling fighting coming from the bathroom.
“Okay, that was a little impressive,” Lucy says.
Moving closer to her, I take a minute to fully take her in. Her hair is in a messy bun, her face free of makeup. She looks beautiful.
The leggings that hug every delectable curve of her thick thighs make me want to take my time peeling them off her.
But I mentally frown at the baggy shirt she’s wearing that covers her perfect round arse.
I didn’t say anything when she put one on after our bath, but I want to rip it off and feast on every delicious inch of her.
Instead, I reach out and tug at the hem, unable to help myself as I slip a hand under her shirt and squeeze her arse cheek.
She gasps and then looks at the bathroom before turning back to me. “Before they come back…” She pushes her lower lip out slightly. Fuck, the things I want to do to that lip. “Do I get a nickname?” she asks.
I lean into her ear, my cheek brushing hers as electricity courses through me at the contact. “I’m just going to call you Squirtle.”
“Really?” she says, leaning back, clearly unimpressed.
“Aye. Squirtle seems unassuming but has a hard shell that’s tough to crack.
And once I penetrate your shell, I’m going to make you squirt so hard, I’ll ruin you for any other man.
” I slap her ass, making sure it’s hard enough that the sting will linger while we cook.
“And that spanking doesn’t count for your list.” I wiggle a finger at her.
“That’s… umm…”
I don’t have time to revel in her flustered look before the boys run back in ready to help.
Since picky eaters are involved, I decide to pivot and make dino nuggets for the boys and the chicken dish I planned for me and Lucy. If they get brave and want to try our dish, there’ll be plenty to share. But I have something else in store that I think they’ll really enjoy.
Levi helps wash the potatoes while I peel them over the trash can. Micah is at the kitchen island, neatly placing florets of broccoli on a baking sheet.
Even though they both lose interest about halfway through the process, it’s the most fun I’ve had in the kitchen in years.
While they’re distracted watching an episode of Numberblocks, I pile mashed potatoes onto a baking sheet, forming it into a volcano shape while placing broccoli sporadically to look like trees.
I pull the dinos out of the air fryer and arrange them into an epic battle scene in the mashed potatoes at the base of the volcano.
Using two fingers, I create a channel in the potatoes for the gravy lava to flow, so it stays fairly contained in case they don’t want it touching their food.
Lucy stares with rapt fascination as I work. It takes longer to assemble than I anticipated, but I finally finish my Jurassic creation. Mesozoic creation? What era was the one with the dinosaurs?
“Hungry!” Levi yells.
“Is dinner ready yet?” Micah asks.
“It is. Who wants to pour the lava?” I ask.
Two heads turn to us and then they’re up off the couch, running toward the kitchen. Levi climbs onto a stool, reaching out a hand to grab the gravy, but I hold it up, out of his reach.
“Is it really lava?” Micah asks, sounding unsure.
“No, it’s just gravy.” I show him the inside of the pan with the brown mixture.
“I don’t like gravy,” Micah says, looking at it like it’s going to burn him.
“That’s okay. There is plenty of lava-free volcano if you want don’t want any.”
Micah folds his arms over his body, gripping his cast with one hand as if to shield himself from the gravy. Lucy gives me an apologetic look, and I smile in return.
I move closer to Levi and help him as he pours the gravy into the volcano. It spills over the top, down the channel I created, and then pools at the bottom.
“Cool!” he shouts.
Micah peeks his head over to check it out, and Lucy sets out plates so we can dig in. She scoops a little potato and broccoli onto each of their plates and loads them up with nuggets while I pull our chicken out of the oven.
I set the hot pan onto a potholder on the counter and start to prepare plates for Lucy and myself when she screams.
“Levi, no!”
Levi has his eyes locked on the volcano, and he’s doing a little shimmy like a cat about to pounce.
“Don’t you do it!” Lucy shouts, jumping out of her stool to lunge for him.
It all happens so fast. Before she can reach him, he throws his hands in the air and shouts, “LAVA!” then face-plants into what’s left of the volcano, flattening it as gravy goes everywhere.
Lucy stands there stunned, frozen in place. A million emotions cross her face, probably thinking about the mess she’s going to have to clean up.
I feel bad for a split second and then break into a fit of laughter. It’s a deep belly laugh, and I bend over clutching my knees trying to compose myself.
When Levi’s head pops up, his arms still in the air, he breaks into a fit of giggles. Even Micah is laughing. Lucy has one arm crossed over her chest, propping the other up to cover her mouth.
“LAVA!” Levi bellows again.
The minute he smooshes his face into the baking sheet a second time, Lucy loses her battle with composure, letting out the most beautiful melodic laugh. Fuck, I want more of that laugh.
“I’m a lava monster!” Levi says, popping up again, and we all lose it, howling and cackling for a solid minute.
After I quickly scrub Levi with some wet paper towels, we settle in to eat our meal. When both boys finish all their food, Lucy nods her head toward me, giving me a silent golf clap in appreciation.
“Alright, boys, we definitely need a more thorough cleaning after that. Go get the bath started, and I’ll be up there in a little bit,” Lucy says before turning toward me. “You’re so good with them.”
“Thanks.” I watch as Levi chases his brother upstairs. “It’s probably because I never grew up myself.”