Chapter Eleven
Ten looked out the window again, sighing when the driveway remained stubbornly empty. Melody was coming home today, and he was eager for her to be here. Matt had gone to pick her and Daniel up while he looked after the other two.
It was about time, really. The girls were a month old and they needed to be together. He had Harmony in the crook of his arm football-style while Kyrie lay on a blanket on the floor trying to lift her head.
He wanted to get to know Melody, to learn her personality and see if she was like Harmony or Kyrie or just herself.
It was taking them forever to get here, though, and he was worried that something had happened and the doctors had decided they couldn’t bring her home after all. He wasn’t sure Daniel could handle a disappointment at this juncture.
Daniel had lost a good fifteen pounds, Harmony and Kyrie barely knew him, and they all needed to find a rhythm. Even if Melody still needed oxygen and special treatment, it would be good to finally be home.
“They’re coming home to us. I hope you remember your sister. And your daddy.”
The dark van pulled into the drive, into the driveway. Oh. Oh, there they were. They’d all be home to celebrate Thanksgiving next week.
And didn’t that give them something wonderful to celebrate?
The chef had been tasked with making them a meal to remember, along with traditional favorites.
Grinning, Ten headed to the front door.
Daniel was right there, little Mel looking hale and hearty and so much like her younger sisters it hurt.
“Oh, welcome home.” He wrapped Daniel in a hug that included the baby. “Welcome, welcome home.”
“She’s clear. No oxygen, just normal checkups.” Daniel leaned into him. “She’s home.”
This wave rushed through him. Of happiness and relief. Of joy. “I’m so glad. We missed you. And now the girls are all back together.” He took a step back, smiling at Daniel with his daughter in his arms.
“Yes. And we’re all here.”
“And we should all go sit inside, lads.” Matt bustled Daniel in. “Would you like a cup of tea, Danny?”
“Please.”
“Tenor?”
“Please, Matt. Thank you.” He would have offered to help, but he really wanted to spend some time with all three girls together. And with Daniel. “Can I hold her?”
“Of course. I’ll trade you and where is my other sweet girl? I’ve missed so much time with them.”
“Kyrie’s in the living room on the floor.” Ten put Harmony in Daniel’s free arm, even as Daniel passed him Melody. “Look at us—we did that first try.” He spared a quick grin at Daniel before turning his attention to Melody. “God, she’s so beautiful.”
“Isn’t she? Hello, my love. How are you?” Daniel’s voice made Harmony’s eyes go wide. They played his voice for them constantly while Daniel was at the hospital. He was so glad it had paid off in recognition.
Ten went over to where Kyrie lay on the floor and sat on the floor with his back against the couch. “Are you wanting to be reunited with one of your sisters, Mel?”
She whimpered softly, blinking and so obviously scared.
“Oh, sweet girl. The world is so big, isn’t it?” He gently laid her on the blanket with Kyrie. “Here’s your sister, little one. She was in the womb with you back when the world was dark and warm.”
He watched as the girls reached out, searching for each other. Jesus, look at that. He helped out, moving Melody close enough that they could touch each other.
Harmony began to fuss, and Daniel brought her down with the others, letting them all touch.
“Look at them. They know each other.” He felt the emotions sweeping through him, choking him up.
Together they just seemed to settle, staring at each other, little hands reaching.
“So amazing.” This was new for him, too, so he was seeing it for the first time right alongside Daniel.
“It is. They’re home. Finally.”
“Yeah.” He lay down so he could see them from their level. Daniel stretched out on the other side, sighing softly.
Smiling, he reached over the girls to touch Daniel, connecting all of them together. He couldn’t believe this was his for the next eighteen years or so.
Daniel hummed and Harmony turned her head, searching out her daddy.
They were going to start screeching for food pretty soon, but Ten did what he’d advised Daniel to do. He sank into this moment and revelled in the joy—all three girls together and the sense of rightness and ease that had filled them at that first contact.
Matt came in with three mugs of tea and some cookies. “Oh, look at that. My grandbabies, my son, my good friend.”
He smiled at Matt, and while he’d have liked the tea and cookies, he wasn’t ready to give up the lovefest going on right now. “Hey, Matt. You’re a star. Especially if those are those homemade snickerdoodles with the cinnamon chippets in them.”
“You know it. They’re so good, especially dipped in tea.”
“It’s going to be so much fun making cookies with the girls.” That would be sooner than later, too. As soon as the girls could stand on a chair at the counter, they’d want to help. Dumping in the ingredients and mixing were totally doable at that age. “I wonder what their favorites are going to be.”
“Gingerbread—they’re full of spice.” Daniel tickled Harmony’s belly, and she kicked hard.
“Well, I’ll buy that’s the cookie they’ll be like.”
“Yeah. Wow, I think… I think I need that tea now. I’m feeling a little peckish.” Daniel sat up and Matt handed him a mug. “Thanks.”
“Your appetite is back now that you have all your girls home and together.” Ten prayed none of the kids would need to be hospitalized again.
“I hope so. Maybe it’s just because the cookies are so good.”
“Flattery will get you laid.” Ten said it quietly enough to keep Matt from hearing. Of course, Daniel was going to get laid whether he flattered Ten or not.
Daniel chuckled and drank his tea, a long, slow exhalation leaving him. “Home.”
Ten simply watched. Daniel was a great-looking guy, but when he was happy and home, like now, he was beautiful. They hadn’t seen each other in eons, it felt like. Forever.
Maybe if the girls went to sleep all together after their next feeding, he and Daniel could snuggle and kiss and who knew, maybe more. He’d thought he’d be happy with a lazy hand job.
He had a hunch they wouldn’t have time for anything more than that over the next… few years? He chuckled at himself.
Maybe until school started.
God, three little mini-Daniels in pigtails. They were already adorable, he imagined they were just going to get cuter the older they got. And when they started bringing around boys…
He blinked and looked at their tiny selves. They were still small, still newborns. He had time to appreciate them like this.
Melody kicked her legs and started fussing. How adorable that their smallest girl was the first who wanted food?
“She’s decided to catch up with her sister, I think.” Daniel reached for her, but Ten pouted. He wanted a turn. Daniel had a whole month pretty much exclusively being with her.
Daniel backed off. “I think I’ll wait for the other two.”
Score! Ten gently picked her up and cradled her in his arms, and headed for the kitchen to warm up her bottle. “Should I do three?” The other two weren’t going to be much behind Melody.
“Please!” Daniel called.
The bottles were already made up—Matt had taken on the task of making sure there was always a bottle ready whenever there was a little one squealing for it. Ten thought he did it because he felt guilty for not helping with the night feedings. But a grandparent deserved to sleep through all that.
Melody was fussing pretty good by the time he had the three bottles warmed and was back in the living room. He set two of the bottles on the side table, then sat in one of the big recliners and got the nipple into Melody’s mouth. She latched on like a champ and started sucking strongly. “Look at her! She’s got this.”
“She does. She just needed to figure it out.” Daniel had Kyrie and Matt took Harmony, the girls all sucking like they were starving.
“Eat, sleep, and poop machines,” Ten said, amused. He looked down at Melody. “That’s what you are, beautiful girl. But the most beautiful eat, sleep, and poop machines I have ever seen.”
She arched one black eyebrow at him, the expression so goddamn adult. He laughed, utterly delighted. “Are you the smarty pants in the group? Is that who you are?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. She’s got personality for ages.”
Melody whipped her head around at Daniel’s voice, losing the nipple. That had her beginning to cry, so Ten teased it back into her mouth. “Come on, sweet girl. Just finish up your bottle and I bet we can talk him into singing for us.”
Daniel chuckled, but he got the voice-activated system started, the soft voice just as clear as a bell. Melody kicked happily, responding to the singing with her entire body.
“Look at you go.” He took the nipple from her and put her over his shoulder so he could rub her back and let her burp. God, she was tiny and warm, and she smelled good.
Daniel’s song went on and on, all the babies eating well, burping well. They stayed awake for a while after feeding before their little eyes started reverse blinking, and within moments of each other, they were all asleep.
For the first time, they put all three babies down together in the same crib in their nursery.
Matt, Daniel, and he stood there, watching them sleep. They were already different, already had their own personalities, and they all looked like absolute angels as they slept.
“I think I might pass out,” Daniel whispered. “Just from relief.”
He put an arm around Daniel’s waist and leaned with him. “Yeah. It feels amazing having her home, but I bet not having to go back to the hospital in a few hours feels incredible.”
“Is that awful of me? To be glad to be home?”
“Of course it’s not awful! No one should have to be in the hospital with their baby the first month of her life.”
“But now she’s here. She fits right in. Our babies.”
Oh. Oh, had Daniel said that?
“Our babies,” he said softly. That sounded so good. Felt so good.
“Yeah. Can we nap? Together? Please. I have to get back to work tomorrow.”
“You do?” That seemed insane. Still, bed was a good idea, and he took Daniel’s hand and led him up the stairs.
“I should. We can hear them, right? We’re not too far away?”
That made him chuckle. “We would eventually hear them, yeah, but we don’t have to worry because we have this nifty thing called a baby monitor.”
“Okay. I just… I worry.”
God, Daniel thought too much.
“I know it’s been a rough month since the babies were born with Melody in the hospital and all, but you need to relax. They’re home now so you need to stop worrying so much and enjoy it. You’ve got two other people here to help you now. And both Matt and I have experience with babies. It’s going to be okay.”
“Right. Okay. Absolutely.” Daniel chuckled. “You must think I’m a dork.”
“I think you’re a first-time father whose baby girl has just spent a month in the NICU.” He waited a beat before adding, “And also that you’re a dork.”
“Butthead.” Daniel could giggle, listen to that.
And he’d be a butthead every day and twice on Sundays if it made Daniel laugh like that.
When they got to Daniel’s bedroom, he led his lover right to the bed and stripped Daniel down. He could see the brightness in Daniel’s eyes slowly pushing out the worry.
“Mmm. Is it weird to be naked in the afternoon?”
“Yeah, a little. But I think it’ll get less weird as we deal with the triplets. Then we’ll eventually get them to sleep through the night and the world will slowly right itself.” Pulling back the covers, he pushed Daniel gently toward it, then began stripping himself.
“Right.” Daniel slid between the sheets with a happy sigh.
“Oh, you look good in your bed.” He climbed in and snuggled up to Daniel. “You want a little something to help you drift off?” He could go for a little something. He’d enjoy that.
“I do. I totally do.” Daniel pushed into his arms.
He pressed his lips to Daniel’s, loving the way they felt. It felt like forever since they’d last done this. His lover opened up to him, the kiss long and lazy. He moaned and pressed closer, rubbing against all that lovely warm skin. Oh, it was good to luxuriate, to pet and touch.
They didn’t have all the time in the world, but they certainly had more time than they’d had in a while. Plus it wasn’t like Daniel was heading off to the hospital as soon as he woke up again.
He focused on the kisses, on how delicious Daniel tasted. Daniel’s hands felt so good where they slid on him, petted him.
His cock was hard and eager, his body so ready for this. His mind and heart were too. He needed this, and he thought Daniel did too. He reached for Daniel’s cock and wrapped his fingers around it. Hot and silky, hard beneath the velvet flesh, it felt so good in his palm.
Oh yes. He began to pull.
Daniel answered him with a touch, fingers working his shaft. Groaning, he took another kiss, breathing into Daniel. Together they stroked and touched, both of them hungry and eager. Ten pushed their cocks together, squeezing them tight.
“Yes. Yes please. Just right there.”
“Here?” he whispered, rubbing his thumb across both their tips, making himself jerk.
Daniel gasped, hips rolling up toward his touch.
He groaned. “Do that again.” He loved knowing that he turned Daniel on and made him want. He licked at Daniel’s neck, then wrapped his lips around the warm skin, working up a mark.
Daniel bucked again with even more enthusiasm. He also tilted his head to the side, giving Ten more room to work Daniel’s skin.
“Gonna leave a hickey,” Daniel whispered.
“Yeah. I am.” He totally was and he was unrepentant about it too. Who was going to see? Matt already knew they were lovers.
“Okay.”
That made him laugh, and he buried his face in Daniel’s throat, breathing in the clean, wonderful scent of the man. That turned his laughter into a groan, and he went back to his task of marking up Daniel’s pretty skin while their hands slid up and down along their hard-ons.
It was easy and slow, gentle and lazy and exactly what they both needed right now. The monitor remained blissfully silent, allowing them to wallow in each other and the wonderful sensations they created together.
Eventually he raised his head from Daniel’s neck and brought their mouths together, the kisses matching the slow strokes.
The sensations were building, though, and soon enough, he was squeezing them tighter together and working them faster. Their kisses deepened and their breath came in desperate little gasps.
“I want to smell you.” Ten knew that’s all it would take to push him over the edge at this point—the musky, male scent of Daniel’s spunk.
His words made Daniel cry out and buck against him. Then Daniel continued to rock, hips rolling as he searched for his orgasm.
Ten saw when it came—he watched the pleasure steal across Daniel’s face like dawn pushing up into the sky. Another cry joined the rush of heat over his hand and against his belly.
He’d been right, too, that was all he needed to come, and he did, adding to the heat and mess between them. Still panting, he leaned their foreheads together and enjoyed the soft afterglow.
Then he kissed Daniel softly. “I’ll get a cloth and get us cleaned up.”
Slipping from the bed, he went to the en suite and grabbed a cloth. He wiped himself clean with it, then rinsed it under the tap before heating the water and making sure the cloth was hot. That way it would still be warm when he ran it over Daniel’s skin.
When he got back to the bed, Daniel was already asleep, lashes making shadows on his cheeks. He looked as angelic in sleep as his daughters did. Ten very carefully wiped the spunk from Daniel’s belly, then lay down on his side, watching his lover sleep.