So tell me, Luke. What’s it really like living with this one? When we were in college, it was the smell of his dirty socks that about did me in. Has he improved in that department?”

Grazer tossed his napkin at Ian’s head, while Cecil just took his glasses off and casually wiped them on the hem of his shirt, effectively ignoring the two overgrown alpha children at his table.

“Really though, Luke. Ian and I understand why you didn’t confide in us—in your shoes, I’m not sure if I would have confided in us either. I’m just sorry that you went through all of that alone. I hope you know that you were never truly just a manny to us, you’re part of our family.”

I reached over and covered Cecil’s hand with my own, giving it a light squeeze. “I know, Cecil. And you guys are family to me too. It wasn’t that I thought you’d judge me, or disapprove—I just didn’t want Ian to know before Grazer did. As silly as that sounds now.”

Ian spoke up jokingly. “I do disapprove. I’m disapproving and judging all over the damn place.”

Cecil shot his husband a playful glare. “That doesn’t sound silly to me at all. And maybe if Grazer had actually given you his forwarding information, a lot of this could have been alleviated. But hey, at least you guys figured it out now.”

Ian smiled gently at me. “I’m sorry I was an asshole at Sammy’s birthday, it wasn’t right for me to treat you like that.”

I looked down at the table when I felt my cheeks begin to flush. “No, I get it. Grazer is your friend, you had to have his back.”

“True, but I didn’t have to be such an ass about it. So just accept my apology, okay? Cecil and Grazer will be the first ones to tell you that an apology from me is worth its weight in gold.”

Cecil smirked at his husband. “Yeah, because the mighty barrister is rarely wrong. Is that about right, 90210?”

Ian winked at Cecil. “You know that’s right, toots.”

While I turned to feed Sammy a few bites of mashed potatoes, someone added food to my plate. When I turned back, there was a big mound of coleslaw sitting there beside the fried chicken. It was thoughtful of whoever did it, but unfortunately, I took one look at it and my stomach revolted as the smell of the cabbage and dressing hit my nose.

“Grazer, you’ve got Sammy—my stomach is bothering me again.” He looked concerned, but just nodded agreeably as I jumped up and ran into the house. I made a beeline down the hall to the familiar guest bathroom that I’d used during the four years I had lived here as the family manny.

I didn’t even have time to get the door closed, but just dove to my knees and lifted the lid and began puking into the bowl. When I was finally done, I felt a cool cloth on the back of my neck. I glanced up to see Cecil standing there, smiling gently.

“How far along are you, Luke? I wanted to ask if that’s why you’re glowing. But then, that could also just have been the happiness from being in love, so I didn’t want to pry.”

I gawked at him for several seconds. “No, no… I’m not pregnant! I’ve been sick, Sammy and I were both puking last week. It’s just taking me longer to get over it–I’ve been exhausted, and haven’t been able to hold anything down. You know how that goes.”

Cecil rolled his eyes and turned to the medicine cabinet. He opened it up and pulled out a pregnancy test, then passed it to me silently. We stared at each other for a long moment before he spoke in his reasonable way.

“Whatever bug you and the baby had last week, is long gone. If you’re still puking every day, and feeling exhausted, I’m pretty sure there’s something else going on. And if you think real hard, you’ll probably come up with the same explanation that I did.”

I stared at the test in my hand, then looked back up at Cecil. “Oh, fuck. I really am pregnant, aren’t I?”

Cecil pointed at the test. “There’s only one way to find out, now isn’t there? I’ll just wait outside, but hurry up—my chicken’s getting cold.”

I was still shaking my head at Cecil’s awkward kindness as I took the test. While I waited for the result, I went ahead and washed my hands, then opened the door to let Cecil in.

Cecil wasn’t the face that greeted me, instead Grazer stood outside the door with an excited smile on his face. He was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, his gray eyes twinkling as he reached out to grab my hands.

“Is he right? Did you really just take a pregnancy test?”

“Yes, Cecil made me—I’m just waiting for the results now.”

“Where is it, can I see?” I wanted to laugh at his childish glee, but at the same time, it was really cool to have him here with me this time. Whichever way the test worked out, at least we were both there for it.

I picked up the test and handed it to Grazer. “Look in the little window, if there’s a plus sign, the answer is yes, a minus sign means negative.”

Grazer took one look at the test, then shoved it in his pocket and reached out for me with both hands. He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me up, tossing me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry as he spun around and ran down the hall.

He carried me that way all the way back out to the patio, where he spun around in another circle before excitedly announcing the news that I’d already surmised by his enthusiasm.

“It’s official—we’re having another baby.”

“Congratulations, now why don’t you take the one you already have over to the grass and let her watch the big kids play? It can’t be fun for her to be stuck in the high chair all afternoon,” Cecil suggested once Grazer had sent me down.

I bit back a grin at Cecil’s non-reaction, and bent to release Sammy from the high chair instead. “You’re right, Cecil. She does deserve to get out in the grass with the other kids. But bear in mind, if Brucie or Josh hit my baby upside the head with a ball, I will have to hurt them.”

Cecil shrugged. “Go ahead, if you can catch them. Although, I’m pretty sure we all know that you wouldn’t hurt either of our darling little brats. I mean, you did help raise them.”

Grazer and I were still chuckling a few minutes later when we sat down across from each other on the grass with Sammy. Grazer appropriated one of the boys’ Nerf balls, and was rolling it across the grass to Sammy, who was sitting in my lap.

Sammy clapped her hands together. “Da! Da!”

“Yes, baby girl. We get it, Da Da to you too.” I joked as I stood her up in front of me. She held onto my forefingers with her chubby little fists, standing there for just a moment before releasing her grip and taking a tottering step toward her Papa.

Grazer was watching with his mouth hanging open, as our daughter took her first steps to him. We were only sitting about three feet apart, so when she started to fall, he was able to reach out and snatch her up, lest her confidence be destroyed right out of the gate.

“Did you guys see that? My princess took her first steps! I was finally here for one of her firsts—and this was the biggest one of all, don’t you think?”

Ian walked over and knelt down the grass next to Grazer, holding out his phone to show him the video he’d apparently recorded of Sammy taking her first steps to her Papa.

“I’ll text this to you, naturally, but I wanted to show you first. As soon as I saw that determined look on her face, I knew she was going to go for it.”

Ian grinned proudly as he and Grazer watched the video… About three, if not four times… I quit paying attention after the second viewing.

Sammy was dozing off in her Papa’s lap, when she suddenly sat up and began to clap her hands and shriek. “Da! Da! Da!”

We followed her eyes, and over by the fence, under the big rosebush, sat a familiar brown and white bunny. Its nose twitched a few times, before it bounced up and hopped away quickly.

Ian reached over and snagged Sammy off Grazer’s lap. “You guys go see what the Easter Bunny left you, I’ll just cuddle my niece while you’re gone.”

Grazer and I both jumped up and walked over to look under the bush for the egg that we both knew by now would be there. And sure enough, there it was.

I bent to pick it up, and was transfixed by the new tableau. Unlike the beach scenes that I’d been finding, and the picnic scenes that Grazer had found, this one was a holiday scene. Two men had their backs to the viewer as they stood trimming a tree, while two little ones played with a string of garland in the foreground.

The baby, who usually appeared in the other paintings and reminded us both of Sammy, now resembled an older toddler—probably about two. Instead of the shorter, bouncy curls that Sammy had. The older girl in this painting had longer, shoulder length ringlets. In front of her, was a baby boy, probably about six months old if I was to guess.

I passed it to Grazer, shaking my head with disbelief. “Okay, these eggs are starting to freak me out. We just found out I’m pregnant a half an hour ago, and now we’re finding a fucking egg with a family picture that includes two kids?”

Grazer shrugged. “You’ve been part of Ian and Cecil’s circle of friends for how long? And you’re going to question something weird happening in fucking Hollydale? Come on, sweetness. Your built of sterner stuff than that. Now come on, let’s see what the scroll says this time.”

I watched as Grazer carefully widened the hole in the bottom of the egg with his Swiss Army knife, before gently extracting the scroll. He passed me the egg before he spread open the scroll so we could read its message together.

I quirked a brow at Grazer. “I guess the writers were having an off week, because that message is kind of basic when compared to the earlier ones.”

Grazer wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we slowly walked back over to where Ian sat cuddling Sammy on his lap.

“I don’t know, I kind of like basic. It’s not the exotic and flowery things that gives stability, right? It’s like with you and me... the basic stuff is what makes up pretty much any foundation. Don’t you think?”

“I’m not sure what to think. Either you just called me basic, or I’m lost right now.” I elbowed him in the side with a wink. “But seriously? You’re right. It is the basic stuff that forms the most stable basis for anything.