fork back to him when the preparation is complete, and he wastes no time in accepting it to select the most appealing piece to start with. He hovers his fork over his plate excitedly until h e’ s made his choice, stabbing the food and stuffing it in his mouth.
His eyes are fixed on me as he chews. I smile back and his plump little cheeks blush.
“I’ m sorry I did n’ t get to say hi to you last night when you got here. I’ m Charlie . ” T he young boy nods at my introduction from across the table. “ How are the pancakes ? ”
His chubby cheeks are busy chewing his mouthful of food, but his eyes look delighted. Noise brings my attention behind the child, as his father stumbles in and enters the room in a sleep-grog state.
Brendan watches me as he works on his plate, either oblivious to his da d’ s presence, or uninterested in it. Clink pauses long enough behind the boy to muss his hair and plant a kiss on top of his head.
“ Morni n’, slugger , ” he greets his mini-me son, while winking at me from behind Brenda n’ s back. “ You two getting to know each other ? ”
He pours himself the mug I’ d set out for him, and turns to rest against the countertop, facing us both. His plaid pajama pants are untied, but hanging over his hips. His chest is bare, muscles dancing as he crosses his arms, watching our interaction.
“ I think w e’ re on the right track , ” I smirk to my new buddy. “ Want another pancake, kiddo ? ”
He smiles, and shares his first words with me, “ Yes, please . ”
******
CLINK
“ What about a spare change of clothes, in case he spills something ? ” Sugar disappears back into the house to grab the clothes.
Crap ! Here we go again! I press my palm into the steering wheel and grip hard. This is her third trip back in the house. We have n’ t even left the driveway yet.
“ You OK back there, bud ? ” I look into the rearview mirror to check on the kid. The cartoon playing on the screen in front of him has him distracted enough. His eyes are fixed on the colorful pixels displayed on the fold-down screen. I check the time on the dashboard clock and roll my eyes again. At this rate, the ki d’ s gonna need another bathroom run before we finally get going.
Sugar locks the door behind he r… agai n… and joins us inside the cab of the truck. Smiling ear to ear, acting as if sh e’ s just solved a worldwide catastrophe.
“ I grabbed the travel first aid kit, too. Just in case , ” she proudly informs me.
I laugh, while throwing the gear into reverse. “ You sure you do n’ t want to grab his pillow and blanket in case he wants to nap ? ”
Her head perks up from the pile of children's clothing in her lap. “ Good idea! . ”
Oh fuck! I push the automatic lock button quick, before Sugar has the chance to open her door. “ Bab e… I was joking. Rela x…. ”
The frustration at possibly being unprepared is eating away at her. “ What if ther e’ s something we forgot ? ”
I laugh. “ Impossible. And w e’ re only gonna be gone a few hours. Ther e’ ll be other parents there, and kid s…I’ m sure Jea n’ s got plenty of stuff to keep them busy . ” I reach out to grab her hand and raise it to nip playfully on her knuckles to distract her.
She scowls at me. I fucking love it! This woman can scowl at me all she wants.
“ Hey Brendan , ” she calls out behind her. “ Are you excited to meet Ava ? ”
W e’ ve been preparing him for all of the people h e’ s about to meet tonight. Out of all the brothe r’ s kids, Ava is closest in age to him. Brenda n’ s a quiet kid, i t’ ll be interesting to see how he interacts with Troja n’ s daughter. Sh e’s… a handful.
“ Sh e’ s really pretty, Brendan , ” Charlie adds.
We both take advantage of our stopped position at the traffic light to look back and see his reaction. He does n’ t disappoint, and makes a grossed-out
His eyes are fixed on me as he chews. I smile back and his plump little cheeks blush.
“I’ m sorry I did n’ t get to say hi to you last night when you got here. I’ m Charlie . ” T he young boy nods at my introduction from across the table. “ How are the pancakes ? ”
His chubby cheeks are busy chewing his mouthful of food, but his eyes look delighted. Noise brings my attention behind the child, as his father stumbles in and enters the room in a sleep-grog state.
Brendan watches me as he works on his plate, either oblivious to his da d’ s presence, or uninterested in it. Clink pauses long enough behind the boy to muss his hair and plant a kiss on top of his head.
“ Morni n’, slugger , ” he greets his mini-me son, while winking at me from behind Brenda n’ s back. “ You two getting to know each other ? ”
He pours himself the mug I’ d set out for him, and turns to rest against the countertop, facing us both. His plaid pajama pants are untied, but hanging over his hips. His chest is bare, muscles dancing as he crosses his arms, watching our interaction.
“ I think w e’ re on the right track , ” I smirk to my new buddy. “ Want another pancake, kiddo ? ”
He smiles, and shares his first words with me, “ Yes, please . ”
******
CLINK
“ What about a spare change of clothes, in case he spills something ? ” Sugar disappears back into the house to grab the clothes.
Crap ! Here we go again! I press my palm into the steering wheel and grip hard. This is her third trip back in the house. We have n’ t even left the driveway yet.
“ You OK back there, bud ? ” I look into the rearview mirror to check on the kid. The cartoon playing on the screen in front of him has him distracted enough. His eyes are fixed on the colorful pixels displayed on the fold-down screen. I check the time on the dashboard clock and roll my eyes again. At this rate, the ki d’ s gonna need another bathroom run before we finally get going.
Sugar locks the door behind he r… agai n… and joins us inside the cab of the truck. Smiling ear to ear, acting as if sh e’ s just solved a worldwide catastrophe.
“ I grabbed the travel first aid kit, too. Just in case , ” she proudly informs me.
I laugh, while throwing the gear into reverse. “ You sure you do n’ t want to grab his pillow and blanket in case he wants to nap ? ”
Her head perks up from the pile of children's clothing in her lap. “ Good idea! . ”
Oh fuck! I push the automatic lock button quick, before Sugar has the chance to open her door. “ Bab e… I was joking. Rela x…. ”
The frustration at possibly being unprepared is eating away at her. “ What if ther e’ s something we forgot ? ”
I laugh. “ Impossible. And w e’ re only gonna be gone a few hours. Ther e’ ll be other parents there, and kid s…I’ m sure Jea n’ s got plenty of stuff to keep them busy . ” I reach out to grab her hand and raise it to nip playfully on her knuckles to distract her.
She scowls at me. I fucking love it! This woman can scowl at me all she wants.
“ Hey Brendan , ” she calls out behind her. “ Are you excited to meet Ava ? ”
W e’ ve been preparing him for all of the people h e’ s about to meet tonight. Out of all the brothe r’ s kids, Ava is closest in age to him. Brenda n’ s a quiet kid, i t’ ll be interesting to see how he interacts with Troja n’ s daughter. Sh e’s… a handful.
“ Sh e’ s really pretty, Brendan , ” Charlie adds.
We both take advantage of our stopped position at the traffic light to look back and see his reaction. He does n’ t disappoint, and makes a grossed-out
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