by Zach Jenkins
But Levi can be in charge of that. I’ll just make sure he knows that any time he wants a date, I’ll be there for him. And we’ll take it from there.
Strengthened by his thoughts that convinced him that trying to define his role with the kid wasn’t going to sabotage anything, he quickly called Levi before he could lose his courage.
The phone rang enough times that Inigo almost hung up, but at last, Levi answered. “Hello?” he asked in a faint voice. The question was followed by a cough.
“You sound like shit, man,” Inigo said, flinching when he realized what a horrible conversation opener that was.
“I feel like it, too. Dax got sick the morning after our date. A couple days later, it hit me. Dax is starting to feel better now. He’s bouncing off the walls with all this crazy energy. The poor kid needs to get outside, but I don’t have the strength for it. I still can’t keep any food down.” Levi laughed. “Sorry. You were probably hoping for a very different phone call.”
Inigo smiled. It was great to hear Levi’s voice, even if the poor guy was sick. “Sorry you aren’t feeling well. I’m over here at Clay and Ezra’s barbecue. We were all wondering where you were. I was calling to invite you over.”
“Clay and Ezra were too busy to ask for themselves?”
Inigo wasn’t sure, but he thought Levi sounded amused.
“I think they figured that it was my job,” Inigo said, playing along.
“How’d you get promoted so quickly? I’m surprised Ezra was willing to let anybody else do any part of his party planning.”
“He let me grill, too,” Inigo joked.
“Wow. Maybe you should check his temperature. This doesn’t sound like the Ezra I know at all.”
Inigo considered his next words carefully. If Ezra hadn’t given him the pep talk, he probably would have backed down. In the end, he decided to go for it.
He tried to tell himself that if Levi shot him down, he could just find another man if it didn’t work out, but he knew that was at least a little lie. He didn’t want to look for someone else. He liked being with Levi.
“Well, he probably let me call because you and I are dating now. So, he figures I should get precedence with asking you to go to things.”
After a brief coughing spell, Levi asked, “So we’re dating now?”
He didn’t sound upset about the prospect.
“Yep. I really like you, Levi, and I hope you like me, too. If we both like each other, it doesn’t make much sense for us not to date, right?”
Inigo heard Levi blow his nose off to the side. When he returned, he said, “To tell you the truth, and this is going to sound horrible, but I haven’t really had a chance to think about it. I’ve been too busy, well, being sick.”
Inigo’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected the rejection after the playful banter during the call.
I’m a fool.
Before he could wrap up the call and hang up, though, Levi spoke up again. “But you haven’t been sick, and you are thinking clearly. So if you think it’s a good idea, I’m more than ready to give it a try. But not today. I need to try to get Dax to settle down enough that I might be able to sneak in a nap.”
Inigo was already walking toward his car. “It sounds like today is the perfect day. You need me more than ever. I’m on my way.”
“No, seriously, I’m in my pajamas and look like shit. Give me a day or two.”
“I won’t come if you really don’t want me to. But I’d like it if you let me come take care of you and Daxter. I make a mean grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup. I’ll stop and pick up the ingredients on my way.”
“I can’t possibly argue with that. So all I’ll say is this… hurry up. I can’t wait to see you again.”
“I can’t wait to see you either.”
Inigo was halfway out of the neighborhood before he realized he hadn’t told anyone he was leaving. When he called Ezra to explain where he was going, he heard Ezra scream into the background, “Inigo and Levi are dating!”
There was a loud cheer from everyone near Ezra.
His friends’ excitement pushed aside any lingering worries. Inigo had no idea what kind of relationship they were going to have, but he was happy that they were going to give it a try.
19
Levi
The chicken noodle soup and shower made Levi feel so much better than he had in days. He could have kissed Inigo for the kindness, but he didn’t want to rub his germs all over him. The poor guy was probably already doomed just from spending time in the same house. No matter how much better he was feeling, though, Levi still wasn’t quite ready to risk eating a grilled cheese sandwich.
“I’m sure they’re great, but I’m just happy to have anything staying down at this point. Thanks for the soup.”
“Levi, Levi, can I have a Mountain Dew?” Daxter asked.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Levi said.
Daxter frowned and looked ready to start another one of his epic tantrums.
“You sure he can’t just have a little bit?” Inigo asked. “I know after I’m sick, sometimes a little pop helps me perk back up.”
Levi almost gave in. It would be so much easier just to give his son what he wanted until Levi was back on his feet. But he’d been doing too much of that all along. It was time he started laying down some rules and acting like a parent.
Instead of talking to Daxter, though, he addressed Inigo, figuring that if he could convince him, they could both weather the Daxter storm together. “He’s too young for all that caffeine. He shouldn’t be drinking a ton of things with that much sugar in them, either.”
Inigo nodded in agreement and patted Daxter on his head.
Daxter turned and stomped into the kitchen.
Levi cringed when he heard the fridge open and the hiss of carbonation when Daxter opened the leftover bottle of Mountain Dew.
Levi laid his hands over his face in exhaustion.
Why did I pick today to start this fight?”
Inigo’s cool hand comfortingly touched his forehead. “Hey, you just rest here. I’ll go take care of the pop situation, and then I’ll take him out back to play so you can rest for a while. You look halfway to dead.”
Before Levi could tell him not to waste his time, Inigo was already up on his feet and saying, “Daxter, put that down. You heard your dad. If you want something to drink, let’s see if you have any juice. Ah, see. There is some apple juice. That’ll taste better anyway than that yucky Mountain Dew.”
Levi braced for the screaming, but it never came. He let out the breath he hadn’t noticed he’d been holding. One of his rules was finally being enforced. He couldn’t believe it. It had taken Inigo’s help to make it happen, but at the moment all Levi cared about was that he’d wanted to set a boundary, and Daxter had complied without protest.
It felt like a beginning that he could build on.
“Do you have a soccer ball?” Inigo asked.
Without even a trace of any disappointment about missing out on his pop, Daxter excitedly said, “Two of them. They’re in the backyard.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go round them up for me. Give me a second to talk to your dad, and I’ll meet you out there.”
Inigo returned to the living room carrying a glass of apple juice.
Levi had rolled onto his side and couldn’t bother to lift his head, especially since the view of Inigo’s slim, but muscular legs peeking out from his camouflage shorts was so amazing.
Inigo held the glass out for Levi until he rolled onto his back and accepted the drink.
“You should have some, too,” Inigo said. “Maybe not all of it at once. You should probably nurse it a little better than you did with the tequila.”
They both smiled at the memory of their night that perhaps had gotten just a little too wild.
“Never talk about that night,” Levi said. “Just thinking about it is going to make me throw up again.”
Levi prop
ped himself up enough to take a sip of the juice. The cool fluid felt good going down his dry throat. “Are you going to be okay out there?” Levi asked.
If Inigo wasn’t interested in kids, Levi didn’t want him to feel like Levi expected him to babysit. He’d be fine taking care of his own kid even while he was sick. The help was appreciated, but it wasn’t worth losing Inigo over.
“You kidding? I played soccer all through high school. Your kid doesn’t stand a chance.”
The comment caught Levi off guard and made him laugh. “You’re not as young as you used to be. I swear to God that kid can run all day. But you know that’s not what I’m talking about. Are you okay hanging out with Daxter? You don’t have to stay and play with him. We’ll be fine. That’s why you left the other night, isn’t it? Things got weird because of Dax?”
Inigo sat down next to Levi on the couch. “Yeah, it probably was.”
Levi closed his eyes and forced a smile. He didn’t like hearing the words no matter how important it was for them to have the conversation. It felt too close to an attack on his son. Even though he’d just recently met Dax, he had already grown to love the kid.
But still, it wasn’t Inigo’s job to be a dad to him. That definitely wasn’t what Inigo had signed up for.
“Seriously, you don’t have to do this. We can just be friends with benefits or whatever. I don’t want you to end up running away again. Let’s talk it out and figure out what will work rather than screwing it up.”
Inigo took Levi’s hand in his. “You didn’t let me finish. That wasn’t my proudest moment. I’m learning that I’ve got nothing against kids in general or yours in particular. That night, it was just kind of a weird moment that caught me off guard. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since then. If you’re willing to give it a chance, so am I. I’m not going to try to take over in any way, shape or form. But I don’t want to only be able to hang out with you when you can line up a babysitter for him. There’s no reason we all can’t hang out together. And I can help out with him sometimes if you need me to.”
It was all too much information at once for Levi. He was afraid to say anything or even breathe in case it was all just a dream. “That sounds nice. Better than nice. I don’t know what to —”
Inigo silenced him with a light kiss. “Don’t say anything. You’re sick. For all I know you’re delusional. Just rest up and get well. I’ve gotta get back there quick before Daxter starts counting goals.”
“You shouldn’t have kissed me. Now you’ll get sick, too.”
Inigo smiled. “If I do, you’ll have to come over and take care of me.”
“Deal,” Levi said, smiling his biggest smile since getting sick.
Inigo jogged to the back door. A few seconds later he heard a shout from Daxter, followed by him giggling and yelling, “Let me go! That’s cheating!”
Levi had no idea how long they played together out in the backyard, because he fell asleep after a few minutes of silence settled over the house.
When he awoke, the two of them were sitting on the floor with their backs against the couch and Xbox controllers in their hands.
“I think you hit the wrong button,” Inigo was saying. “You need to hit the one with the X. No, not that one. This one. There you go.”
When they heard Levi yawn, Daxter hopped up next to him on the couch and said, “Daddy, Daddy, we beat the first level.”
“That’s great, son. Inigo must be a good teacher.” As Levi started to drift off to sleep again while Daxter and Inigo continued playing the video game, it finally dawned on Levi what Daxter had said.
He called me Daddy.
He wasn’t sure if it was some delirium from the cold, but the dreams that came while he slept were as sweet as could be.
20
Inigo
Things settled into a bizarrely comfortable routine as Inigo and Levi got used to their lives together as the weeks passed. If he’d been asked prior to that night at the hotel, he would have sworn he had no interest in a long-term, monogamous relationship, but with each passing day, it was getting harder to imagine not being with Levi.
Once Levi’s vacation had ended, they hadn’t seen each other nearly as much as Inigo would’ve hoped, but things always went well when they did. The forced separation was probably for the best since it gave Inigo some space to process how close they’d grown.
Linda had been kind enough to watch Daxter most of the time that his and Levi’s free time lined up, but that afternoon while playing at the Frisbee golf course in Geneva, along the Fox River, things were going well enough that Inigo decided that they should plan some more outings for the three of them.
Levi was a very different man when Daxter was around. When they were alone, he was impulsive and wild. Inigo had absolutely no complaints about any of that. With Daxter at his side, though, Levi’s patience and kindness really showed through. Seeing that other side fascinated him. Especially after watching how lost and confused he’d seemed around Daxter when they’d all gone shopping for the swimsuit that night. Levi had really quickly embraced his role as a father.
Just watching the two of them together made Inigo want to be a small part of their circle. He could certainly use more of that kind of stability in his own life. He’d never allowed himself to acknowledge just how out of control he’d become over the years. He was drinking less than ever most nights, and it seemed to be a good thing for his mood.
Daxter threw his Frisbee and ended up farther from the hole than when he’d started. Instead of getting mad, he skipped off to pick up his Frisbee and try again.
“Things look like they’re going well between you two. It’s certainly different than that night in Target when Daxter had a meltdown and you were at wits' end.”
Levi turned his Frisbee sideways and tossed it straight up in the air. “I don’t think it was quite that bad.” He caught the Frisbee and sent it back up. “But yeah. Things are better. I think we’re both learning what to expect out of each other. I’ve been working on being firmer and more consistent with the rules, no matter how hard he kicks and yells. Knock on wood, but it’s been a few days since we fought about anything. Man, that makes it so much easier to have fun together, too.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for you guys. Fatherhood looks good on you.”
Daxter’s next throw went wild, too. Inigo jogged a few steps to the left and caught it. “You need to keep it flat when you throw it. Like this.”
He tossed the Frisbee straight back to Daxter. Daxter bobbled it and it fell to the grass. When he picked it up, he threw another wild curve.
Inigo laughed and jogged off to fetch it. “Come here, little dude.”
He handed the Frisbee to Daxter and spun him around so they were facing the same direction. Reaching around his side, he took Daxter’s tiny hand into his own and moved his arm back and forth, helping him get used to what it should feel like.
“See how flat the Frisbee is. If you want it to go straight, you have to keep it flat.” He dipped the far end down. “If you want it to curve left you hold it like that.” He tipped the far end up. “And this will make it turn to the right. But most of the time you’re just going to want it to go straight.” He helped Daxter hold the Frisbee flat again. “Now try that.”
Daxter set his feet wide apart and very deliberately waved the Frisbee back and forth across his body while watching the angle he was holding the disc. When he saw that the far end was still dipping toward the ground, he corrected it and threw the Frisbee. It missed the pole by about two feet to the left, but it had flown straight as an arrow.
Excited that he’d been able to teach Daxter something so easily, he swooped the boy up into his arms and gave him a bear hug while tickling the sides of his ribs.
The boy laughed and screamed while kicking his legs. “Stop, stop. Uncle, uncle!”
Inigo set Daxter back on the ground and watched him trot off to fetch his Frisbee.
“Speaking of changed men,” L
evi said. “Who are you?”
Slightly embarrassed at the attention, Inigo waved off the question. “He’s growing on me. He’s a good kid. He takes after his dad.”
Levi closed the distance between them and dipped his head down for a kiss. With his eyes closed, Inigo felt Levi’s lips on his own, and the warm sun on his face.
It doesn’t get much better than this.
“Hey, there you are. I’ve been looking for you for ages now,” a familiar, and unwelcome, voice said.
“Hello, Riley,” Inigo said.
He hadn’t even thought of Riley in what felt like ages. The guys on the team all seemed to know that he was a taboo topic and had let it go, even though they all had to wonder how they were even going to be able to field a team without him. Inigo knew he owed them an explanation on how he planned on fielding enough people on their team to be allowed to compete in their next bout. He just didn’t know what the answer to that was going to be yet. He really didn’t want to give Riley even an inch of hope that there might be a chance of them getting back together.
With no good solution, Inigo had been ignoring that deadline just as firmly as he’d wanted to ignore Riley.
He grabbed Levi’s hand and turned to round up Daxter and move on to the next hole.
“Wait a second,” Riley demanded. “You never did answer my question.”
Inigo played dumb and looked back wordlessly with his best confused expression on his face.
“The derby,” Riley said. “You never told me that you need me back on the team. I mean, you don’t even have enough guys to play without me, right? I’m just trying to do you a favor here. One last hurrah for old times’ sake.”
Inigo knew that the last thing on Riley’s mind was helping him. Riley only looked after himself.
“You’re not getting back on the team. I don’t want to be around you anymore. I’d rather forfeit.”
“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think? Besides, what about the other guys? Isn’t that a little selfish to them?” Riley asked.