by Sean Michael
“You need help, Popsy?” Alex asked.
“I got this. You have an eyeball on Mel?”
“She’s over at the picnic table with a couple other kids her age.”
“Uh-huh. One of them’s a boy.”
Alex gave him a grin. “I was wondering if you’d noticed that.”
“Popsy!”
“Coming, princess!” He ran over and started pushing, one girl after another.
They squealed and giggled and shouted, “Higher! Higher!”
“Hold on tight!” He loved that sound. Lived for it.
“Higher, Popsy!” Daffy insisted as Daisy came running up and snagged a swing next to her sisters.
“Me too!”
Oh Christ.
Alex wandered over at a much slower pace. “You want that hand now?”
“Shut up and push, love.”
Alex laughed, and Rosie shouted, “Push me!”
“No, me!” Daisy said.
“Be nice, children.”
“Are you feeling usurped?” Alex asked, giving Rosie a push and then Daisy.
“What’s usurped, Popsy?” Daffy asked.
“When someone makes another person seem useless, and no, I’m totally not.” He loved the help.
“Good, I’m glad you’re not.” Alex had a rhythm going, pushing one girl with his right hand, then the other with his left.
“Me too. I’m glad you’re here.” In fact, Ryan was more than used to Alex being around to be another hand, another grown-up. It was weird because they both were pretty solitary in their own ways somehow. They worked together well. Over a week of having Alex home more than proved that.
“Higher!” the girls insisted.
“Such hard taskmasters!” Alex laughed and pushed Rosie, running forward as he did and ducking under the swing to get her the biggest push possible. Alex ran out of the way of the swings on the front side.
“You guys be careful.” What if somebody fell?
“Sorry!” Alex moved around to the back of the swing set.
“Uh-huh.”
The girls weren’t as impressed by his admonition, though, Rosie shouting, “Again, again!” while the other two called for their turn.
Alex looked to him.
“Just hold on tight, okay? Hold on tight.”
Alex moved closer to speak to just him. “If you’d rather I didn’t, I won’t. And I’ll take the fall—be the bad guy, I mean.”
“One more time each, huh?”
“I’ll make sure I don’t push them quite as high,” Alex promised. Alex gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then went and gave the girls each one of the big under-the-swing pushes, making them squeal so loudly.
Ryan laughed, his chest hurting with how good this felt. Them. Together. Being a family.
Music sounded from a little ways off but growing closer every second. There was no mistaking what it was.
“Ice cream truck!” shouted Daisy, jumping off her swing. “Popsy, please?”
Daffy jumped off too and joined the chorus.
Poor Rosie tried to jump off, but she mistimed it and wound up falling on her hands and knees in the sand. Her little eyes welled up with tears.
“I’ve got her,” Alex said, already crouching down next to her and brushing off her knees. “That doesn’t look too bad, sweetie.”
“I miss the ice cream?”
Mel was already heading over with her friends.
“Of course not—Popsy and the girls will go get a place in line and save room for us.”
Alex clearly had this, so Ryan took Daisy and Daffy’s hands and headed toward the truck. Alex was right, there were tons of people, and he got into line, the girls bouncing and excited.
“Can we have anything we want, Popsy? Anything at all.”
“You can have one thing each, but yes, you can choose anything.”
Alex came along with Rosie. “That’s very generous of you. I already know what I want. A soft-serve ice cream dipped in chocolate.”
“That’s called a chocolate dip,” Daisy noted. “I’m having that too.”
“Me too!” Rosie squealed. “Me too!”
“I want one of the multicolored, twisted, long things.” Daffy pointed to the pictures on the side of the truck. There were a number of brightly colored, differently shaped popsicles.
“What about you?” Alex asked as the girls argued among themselves about what was the best.
“I want a banana boat, I think.”
“Ooh, interesting choice.” Alex had a little twinkle in his eyes.
“I like bananas.” He dared to wink at Alex. It was getting easier and easier to tease.
Alex’s happy giggle, almost as high-pitched as the girls’, was a great reward too. “Can I have your cherry?”
“I think you may have already done away with it, but I’ll see what they give me.”
Alex licked his lips, slurping obscenely.
“Don’t be gross, you two.” Mel stared at him, eyebrows raised.
“Sorry. Sorry. What are you getting?”
“We aren’t allowed slurping our ice creams?” Alex asked, managing a pout, though Ryan could see his eyes still twinkling madly.
Mel rolled her eyes at Alex. “I’m going to have a plain soft serve.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. I like them best.”
“The classics are always a good choice,” Alex noted. He dug into his wallet and handed her a five. “My treat, but this way you can pay for your own.”
“Oh, thank you.” She bounced, joining her friends a few people ahead again, looking so pleased.
“You’ve made a friend for life.”
“Good. I’ll bribe them all with whatever I need to, you know? Make sure they want me to stick around.” Alex slid their hands together, squeezing Ryan’s for a moment before letting go as the line moved forward.
“Yeah?” Oh, that was a promise and a half. Alex sticking around, loving him. It made him more than a little goofy.
“Yeah.”
Daisy tugged Alex’s hand. “Can we pay for our own too?”
Alex drew a ten out of his wallet and handed it over. “That’s for you and your sisters. Make sure you get the right change back.”
Rosie looked panicked for a second, so Ryan nodded. “I’m right here, baby.”
“Okay, Popsy.” Daisy took her hand, and she looked happy again.
“They’re good to each other,” Alex noted. “That’s great.”
“Yes, thank God. I couldn’t imagine how bad it could be.”
“They’re all good kids. But then, you know that’s what I think.” Alex might have mentioned it a time or two.
“You’ve mentioned it once or twice.” He bumped their shoulders together. “Okay, our girls are up.”
The older lady at the window was smiling, and she was patient as the little ones ordered and Daisy paid. He was so proud of them. He was proud of Alex too, for giving Daisy that chance.
“Wait for us by the bench under the firs,” he told the kids.
Then it was his and Alex’s turn, and Alex grinned at him when he got his banana split.
“With two cherries, please.”
“You’re the best.” Alex paid for their ice creams, then stole one of Ryan’s cherries as they made their way over to the bench where they’d sent the girls.
Mel was still sitting with that boy, laughing for him, flirting. God, he wasn’t ready for that. Did they need to have the birth-control talk? Did they do that at school? Even if they did, it probably wasn’t enough. And better she know that she could come to him with anything. Anything.
Alex knocked their elbows together. “Your split okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, great. I was just… she’s growing up so fast!”
“And she’s talking to a boy,” Alex said softly. “Is this the first time it’s happened?”
“Yeah. I mean, with giggling and hair tossing.”
“I think that means it’
s serious. She’s a great kid, though. Hopefully she won’t be stupid over boys.” Alex bit the curly top of his cone, chasing the bit of chocolate that fell away.
“Hopefully….”
Alex started sucking the ice cream out of the top of the chocolate, and Ryan’s eyes crossed. It didn’t even look like he was doing it on purpose; he was enjoying the ice cream. Catching him staring, Alex gave him a warm smile.
“Sorry. I should eat my ice cream, huh? Before it all melts?” Maybe Ryan should stick it down his pants.
“Yeah, I bought you that banana. I’d hate for you to waste it.” Then Alex went back to licking his ice cream like he was having oral sex with it. Of course, it was entirely possible he was the only one who saw it that way.
“Yeah, I do like a banana split. The cold bananas are the best part.”
“I like my bananas hot,” Alex noted.
Ryan looked around, but nobody else seemed to have caught on that it might not have been an innocent remark. Alex was going to be the death of him.
“Do you? Are they your favorites?”
“Uh-huh.” Alex grinned suddenly. “We should go back to playing in the park once the girls are done. Let them play out their excess energy.”
“Yeah, Mel’s spending the night at Carina’s tonight.”
“Yeah? You think you should have a talk with her first? Have you already had the talk with her? It’s probably none of my business.”
“I haven’t had the talk, but we’re honest. Joe and Bess are home, and there are no boys.”
“Then you should be good, right?”
It was nice having someone else to talk to about these things.
“I think so? I want to be good with it. I want to do everything right, and I still had a baby at fifteen.”
“You think she’s smarter than you were?” Alex asked, then held up his hands. “I don’t mean smarter, I mean… savvy.”
“I sure as shit hope so.”
“That’s a dollar in the swear jar.”
“They’re out of earshot.”
“Too bad.” Alex grinned.
“Oh, you butthead.” He ate a perfect bite of banana split, moaning over the mix of strawberry and chocolate and banana.
“Hey, we’re going to buy a new big-screen TV from that jar. Which is why you need a second dollar for the name you called me.”
“That’s not a cuss!”
“I think it should be.” Alex took a few more licks of his ice cream.
“How big of a TV you think we’ll be able to afford?”
“Depends on how often I can get you to call me butthead.”
He handed out napkins, wiping Rosie’s little face.
“More swinging?” Rosie asked.
“Why don’t we go on the slide?”
“Okay!” She bounced up and ran toward it, Daisy and Daffy running after her.
“Better finish that banana split. We’ve got kids to entertain.”
“That’s the only way either one of us is getting laid tonight.”
Alex tossed his cone and headed off after the kids. “Hey, let’s have a race!”
Ryan watched his lover, his best friend with the tight ass, go, and he took a last bite of his ice cream.
Yummy.
Chapter Twenty
ALEX SAT at the kitchen table, slowly threading beads onto a string, making jewelry with the girls—all four of them. Who would have thought he’d be doing something like this and not only enjoying it, but having been the one to pick up the kit they were using too?
He wasn’t sure about the necklace he was making, but he knew the girls were all enjoying themselves, and Ryan was getting groceries in peace. Alex bet he’d get it done in half the time.
“Lex? Can you wear my bracelet? I make it for you.” Rosie was his girl—adventurous, happy, ready to learn. Not that the others didn’t like him, but Rosie thought he was special.
He held his arm out. “Did you make it big enough?” Her bracelet was pink and yellow and red and gaudy as hell, but he’d totally wear it.
“Lemme see.” She carefully wrapped it around his arm.
Twice.
“How does it attach?” He hadn’t helped her with any clasps. Maybe Mel had.
“I tie it on?”
“You want a claps, Rosie?” Daisy asked.
“A claps?”
“Clasp,” he corrected automatically. He found the right pieces in the box and showed them to her. “This opens and this part slides in. That way it stays closed. Tying works too, though, if that’s how you want to go.”
“What’s the right one?”
“They’re both right. They’ll both work. Sometimes, there’s more than one right answer.” He hoped she was old enough to understand that.
“I want you to like it.” Her little eyes were so serious.
He beamed at her. What a sweetheart. “I like it, Rosie. I promise.”
Together they all got the bracelet tied on him, and he showed it off.
His phone rang, and he glanced at it. Oh damn. That was Sally. Chill.
“I gotta take this—Mel, you got the girls for a couple minutes?”
“Sure, Lex. No biggie. Rosie, make one for me?”
He went into the living room as he answered the call. “Sally, hey. What’s up?”
“Hi, Alex. Did you hear about the earthquake in Chile? It was devastating.”
“Oh?” He sat on the couch. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.
“We need you to head up the team. I’ve got a volunteer with a private plane who can get you out this evening.”
“This evening?”
“Yeah, the car’s on the way to pick you up now. He’ll be there in… ten? Maybe fifteen. I’ll meet you on the ground. All the details are coming to your email. Vacation is over!”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t go until Ryan gets back to look after the kids.”
“Kids?”
“Yeah, my—” His what? Lover? Partner? He was living here, and they were lovers, but what did he tell people? “Ryan’s kids. I’m babysitting and can’t go until he’s back.” And he had no clue when that would be. Soon, probably. “Look, I’ll give you the address, and you can send the car, but I can’t actually go until Ryan’s back.”
“Okay. Hurry up. You’re wheels up by five.”
Christ. He had to pack. He ran upstairs, started putting his go bag together, shoving in boots and clothes, his toiletry bag. It didn’t take him long—he was old hat at this. Then he went down to the kitchen and grabbed a pack of cookies and two chocolate bars from the cupboard. You never knew when sweets were going to come in handy.
He left his bag by the front door and returned to the kids at the dining room table.
“What’s wrong?” Mel asked. “You look freaked out.”
“Bad earthquake in Chile—the Red Cross needs me to head up the rescue and cleanup efforts.”
“Oh. But when do you have to leave?” Mel asked.
“Leave? But you promised to take me to Lisa’s birthday party, Lex!”
“And we were gonna go to see the movies tomorrow!”
“I know, but sometimes bad things happen, and I have to go help make it better. Hopefully I won’t be gone that long this time.” It would all depend on the money.
Rosie’s face screwed up, tears pouring down her little cheeks.
“Oh no, sweetie, don’t cry, please.”
“I want you to stay here! Please. Please, Lex. Don’t leave.”
“I’m going to call Daddy.” Mel grabbed her phone.
Daisy and Daffy started fussing too as Alex took Rosie into his arms. She was breaking his heart.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“You have to stay! Please. Please!”
He shook his head sadly, and she pushed out of his arms and went running up the stairs, sobbing the whole way.
God, he felt like a monster.
“Daddy wan
ts to talk to you.” Mel handed over her phone and took her sisters’ hands. “Come on. Daddy said we can watch TV in his room. Let’s get Rosie.”
He took the phone and sighed. “Ryan. I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t expect this to turn into such a mess. I have to go when you get back.”
“What happened? Mel says you’re leaving?”
“Earthquake in Chile. The Red Cross tapped me again. They’re flying me out as soon as you get back. I’m sorry. I broke it badly to the girls.”
“If you have to go, Mel can watch the little ones for a half hour or so. I trust her.”
“I told them I had to wait until you got home. I promised to look after the girls for you while you were shopping, and I am. I won’t abandon them.” He felt badly enough that Ryan was coming home to upset, crying children.
“I’ll finish up now. Do you need anything?”
“A big bottle of Tylenol if you don’t mind.” They never ever had enough.
“Okay. I told Mel the girls could watch TV upstairs. I’ll be home in just a few minutes.”
“Thanks, babe, I appreciate it. And again, I’m sorry for how it went down.”
He closed the call and ran his hand through his hair again. The sound of cartoons drifted down from upstairs, making him feel guilty, and he headed up. He had to at least say goodbye.
He knocked on the door and pushed it open. Three crying little girls and one furious teenager looked at him.
He stood frozen in the doorway, feeling like the worst kind of monster. “I’m really sorry I have to go, guys. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”
“Why, Lex? Don’t you want to stay?” Daisy asked.
He went and sat on the bed, touched her arm. “Of course I do. But it’s a disaster in Chile, and they really need my help.”
“We really need you too.”
“I’ll be back. Hopefully it won’t be too long, and I’ll be back before you know it.” He wasn’t the bad guy here. He really wasn’t.
“We’ll be fine. We have Daddy, and you guys have me.” Mel’s voice was sure.
He felt like there was nothing he could say or do that would make things better with the girls right now. “It’s going to be okay,” he promised them.
Mel looked at her phone. “Dad just texted. He’s home, Alex.”