Chapter Twelve

 

 

DONNY WOKE up with the sun, curled against Jeff, his head on one shoulder.

Thinking about what had happened last night, he shivered and pressed in against Jeff. He’d been calm and with it last night, taking care of Robin, getting him back to sleep. He’d even dealt with the two bouts of nightmares Robin had had, poor little thing.

Now, though, with the morning light shining through and feeling warm and safe in Jeff’s arms, all the possibilities went flooding through him. What if something had happened to Robin? What if that brick had hit him? What if it had been something even more dangerous than a brick?

He tried to shake it off, focusing on the warmth here in Jeff’s bed. Still, this wasn’t the kind of thing he was used to, and it would be so easy to freak out.

He looked over Jeff’s shoulder, smiling at the sight of Robin and Kimberley with them—the little boy curled on Jeff’s other side, the baby on her daddy’s chest. Jeff had them all.

Donny had the whole world, right here. Jeff. The kids. What more could he ask for?

Jeff stroked his back. He closed his eyes and breathed, the touch calming him back down. God. He loved this man and his kids. It didn’t matter that it hadn’t been a long time; that was just how it was.

Kimberley’s little lips were moving like she was sucking, a frown drawing her eyebrows down. He bit back his chuckle. It wasn’t going to be long before she woke up crying for food. They were going to need to start her on rice cereal soon, but in the meantime, he could go get her bottle going. He began to slip from the bed.

“Mmm. Stay, love. You’re warm.” God, it made him feel good to hear Jeff call him love.

“Kimberley’s about to explode.”

“No exploding. That’s messy.” Jeff kissed Kimmie’s head.

He chuckled softly. “Have you had an exploding diaper yet? Because you’re right—it is messy.”

The baby’s eyes opened, and she stared at him. He smiled at her. God, she was cute. She smiled back, blinked for him. He slid his finger into her palm, and her little fingers closed around it.

“Hi, beautiful.”

She drew his finger toward her mouth, and Robin’s head popped up from the other side of Jeff. “She’s hungry.”

He grinned and nodded. “She is. You know how to take good care of her, don’t you?”

“I’m her brother.”

“You are. You’re her big brother. That’s a very important job.”

Robin nodded, so seriously.

“I’m a big brother too.” And also a little brother, but still.

“No. I’m the big brother.”

Donny chuckled and nodded. “Here you are. I meant that with my mom, dad, and sister, I’m a big brother too.”

“No.” Robin frowned. “Me!”

Jeff chuckled. “He hasn’t figured that out yet.”

“Yeah, I see that. Okay, Robin. You’re the big brother, and I’m the nanny.”

“You be Donny.” Robin crawled over Kimberley into his arms. “My Donny.”

“What if I want him to be my Donny?” Jeff teased.

“No. Mine. You have the baby.”

Donny burst out laughing, his arms going around Robin and squeezing the boy tight. Robin snuggled in, hugged him back.

“Fix the window, Daddy?”

Jeff shook his head. “There’s a board on it. Someone will come to fix it today.”

Donny reached over and squeezed Jeff’s thigh. “It’ll be good as new in no time.”

Robin nodded. “Can I go see?”

Jeff shook his head. “Ava’s coming today with her good vacuum to get all the glass.”

“We’ll stick to upstairs and the kitchen for today. In fact… why don’t we have breakfast in bed?” That way the kids wouldn’t have to go downstairs at all.

“Ooh.” Robin bounced and squealed, which got Kimberley to kicking. They were so damn resilient. Thank God.

Jeff sat up. “Okay, guys. I’ll go make breakfast and bring it up and make some calls before I head to work.”

“You sure? If I did it, you could spend more time with them.” Jeff didn’t get enough time with them, given his hours. He only got to put them to bed two days a week, and he missed so much.

“I need to call the insurance agent.” Jeff kissed all three of them, then stood and slipped on a pair of shoes.

Donny took Kimberley from him and jiggled her. “You wanna get me her bottle, first? She’s about to blow.” Still. It was a miracle she’d given them as long as she had. “Then maybe her big brother can give her the bottle.”

Robin nodded. “I can. I’m big.”

“I know.” He put Kimberley over his shoulder, rubbing her back to keep her happy. “Come sit next to me so we’re all ready when Daddy brings up her bottle.”

Robin nodded and grinned. “I don’t want to change her butt.”

That had him laughing again, Kimberley jiggling from it. “Can you get me a diaper and wipes from her room?”

“Yes!” Robin bounced off.

God, Robin made him happy. Both kids did. So did their father. He just prayed the asshole Jeff used to be with didn’t screw any of it up.

Kimberley cooed and wriggled, reached for him. Jeff came up with a bottle and some cereal for Robin. “There are muffins going in the oven.”

“God, you’re amazing. Robin’s going to feed her as soon as he gets back with her diaper and wipes.” He looked at Jeff. “You all right?”

“No, but I will be. The window guy is coming at 4:00 p.m. Do you think you can handle it, or do you want me to see if I can get Jillian to come over?”

“Do I need to do more than show him the window and make sure the kids stay out of his way?”

“Not a thing.”

“Then I think I can handle it.” It wasn’t rocket science, after all.

Robin came bouncing back in, carrying a diaper and a handful of wipes.

“Here’s some cereal, buddy. I’ve gotta go check the muffins.”

“’Kay, Daddy. I’m going to feed the baby.”

“Robin’s a big help.” Donny got Robin cuddled up next to him and laid Kimberley across the boy’s lap, her head on his own thigh for some height. They could change her once she’d fed—the bottle was clearly what she was after this morning.

Robin jabbered idly through the feeding, and the house began to smell like bananas. Donny answered the odd question Robin asked but mostly just reclined there, dozing happily. He could learn to love this. Okay, so he already did.

When Kimberley had finished her bottle, Donny picked her up and burped her. “Get me the diaper from the bottom of the bed there, Robin.”

“Poopy butt! Poopy butt! Baby has a poopy butt!”

He chuckled. “Yes, she has a poopy butt. One day she’ll go in the big boy toilet like you do.”

“Uh-uh.” Robin shook his head.

“No? Why not? You don’t think she’s going to get big like you?”

“No.” Robin looked at him like he was an idiot. “It’s a big boy potty for you and me and Daddy.”

Oh God. He bit the inside of his cheek. Hard. “So it is. What do you think we’re going to do for her then? When she’s no longer wearing diapers?”

“She’ll have to move to a girl house. With pink.”

“Wouldn’t you miss her if she moved to a girl house?”

Robin frowned. “She could go live with Mommy.”

“Mommy lives in Heaven now, Robin.”

Robin frowned. “When is she coming back?”

He shook his head and hugged the boy. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but she’s not ever coming back.”

“Why not?”

Jeff sighed from the doorway. “Because she died, son. She’s in Heaven. When you’re old, you’ll go see her. Muffins.”

He gave Jeff a sympathetic look. This wasn’t the last time Robin was going to ask, either, and as he got older, he wasn’t going to be so easily appeased.

“You promise, Daddy.”

“I do. Now, Kimberley, diaper change. Robin, finish your cereal and have a muffin.”

Donny handed Kimberley over and grabbed a muffin himself, cuddling Robin close as the boy ate. Robin leaned into him, and Jeff changed the baby, forehead creased in a worried line.

“You okay, Jeff?” he asked softly.

“Yeah.” Jeff sounded lost.

He put down his muffin and slid out of the bed, moving to stand behind Jeff. He put his head on the man’s shoulder. “You sure?”

Jeff leaned toward him, let him touch. “No, Don. I’m not.”

“Okay. How can I help?”

“I don’t know.”

He pressed kisses to the back of Jeff’s neck, just looking to soothe the man.

“Donny, you’re kissing my daddy.”

He smiled, blushed, nodded. “I am.” It would be wrong to try to pretend to Robin that they didn’t care for each other.

“Okay. Can I go play?” And it was as easy as that.

“Sure thing, sweetie.” He leaned his head against Jeff’s shoulder, watching Robin bounce off. “We should all be so resilient.”

“God yes.” Jeff nodded. “What if he comes back when I’m at the restaurant? What if he hurts you guys?”

Donny tried not to stiffen, but he couldn’t help it. “He wouldn’t dare.”

“I wouldn’t have thought he’d dare to throw a brick.”

“He wasn’t always a bully, then?” Part of him wanted to know, part of him didn’t want to hear it.

“I didn’t think so. We were busy. I worked long hours. We just…. It was very busy.”

Donny wrapped his arms around Jeff’s waist. “Always out doing stuff, huh?”

“Working, drinking, movies, openings—we were young and single, with money.”

“Your money?” Had Mitch only been around for the money?

“Sure. Mitch is an artist—lots of talent, not a lot of cash.” Jeff sighed, picked Kimberley up, and patted her back. “He wasn’t a bad man, but… not one for problems. Or poop. Burping. Responsibilities.”

“He doesn’t miss this house. He misses your money.”

Jeff sighed. “It’s amazing how fast all those years can turn ugly.”

“I’m sorry, Jeff.” He couldn’t be too upset, though. If Mitch had been a good and decent man who’d really loved Jeff, he would have stuck around, and then where would Donny be?

“I just want him to leave us alone.”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” He rested his head on Jeff’s shoulder, breathing in his masculine scent.

“Yeah.” Jeff didn’t sound like he believed it was going to happen, though.

“Is she ready for her swing or her seat?” He could give Jeff a blow job—start his day off better.

“I don’t know.” Jeff nuzzled her neck, and she gurgled. “Sweet baby.”

“Yeah. She’s got a great disposition. They both do.” Happy more often than not, easy to make smile, to cheer up when they were upset.

“They’re like their mom.”

“I don’t know—there’s a lot of good in them from their daddy too.”

“I wish I could believe that today.”

Donny squeezed Jeff tightly around the waist. “They do,” he answered fiercely. “You’re a great guy. Look how generous you were giving Beth your sperm in the first place.”

“She was my best friend.”

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t generous, and it just goes to show what a good guy you are that you feel like it wasn’t anything special because she was your best friend. Not a lot of guys would feel like that.” Jeff was one of a kind. A keeper.

Jeff leaned over, kissed his fingers.

“You are a good man, Jeff. And you and your babies deserve good things.” There had to be a lot of good coming their way to balance out the crap.

“They deserve a lot.”

“You all do.” And Donny really, really hoped he was one of those good things.

“We do.” Jeff sighed as the phone rang again. “Hopefully things will settle down.”

“Yeah.” He kissed the back of Jeff’s neck again and grabbed Kimberley. “Unless you want me to get the phone?” It was likely to be for Jeff, though—Donny’s family and friends called him on his cell.

“No. It’ll either be the police or the insurance.”

Donny gave Jeff a proper kiss and took Kimmie with him downstairs to give Jeff some privacy with the call.

He needed to come up with something fun and relaxing and good for Jeff. Something that wasn’t work or drama. Maybe he could have a picnic supper ready tomorrow night when Jeff got home from work. With candles and something decadent for dessert. Sure, he’d have to go buy the dessert, but there was that bakery he and the kids sometimes walked by….

That would make Jeff smile.

Happy with his plan, he went looking for Robin; today would be a good day for all of them if he had anything to say about it.