Composing a Family

by Sean Michael

  “Tenor? Tenor, are you okay?”

  “Can you say that again?”

  “I love you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I love you. It’s snowing.”

  He beamed at Daniel. “It’s a very romantic setting to tell me that.”

  “It’s true. I mean, I like being with you, I like making love with you, and I love you.”

  Ten felt like he needed to pinch himself to make sure this was real. “Wow. Hearing you say that is like a fantasy come true. I’ve been in love with you for a while now. Like truly.”

  “Yeah?” Daniel offered him a quirky, warm grin.

  “Yeah. I figured I had at least eighteen years before my heart was broken, but hearing you feel the same way makes it so much better.” He laughed, suddenly light and happy—and he’d thought he was happy before.

  “Come on, love. Let’s go home. Our babies need to get inside.”

  Love. Our babies.

  He grabbed Daniel’s shoulders and tugged him close, planting a kiss on the cold lips. “I love you, Daniel Thorpe.”

  “I love you, Tenor. I swear.” Daniel kissed him back, hard enough to melt the snow.

  One of the babies started fussing and he shook himself. “Okay. Home. Before we turn into snowmen.”

  “Right. No freezing to death.”

  “No, that would be a shame after we’ve said I love you and all that.” They started moving again, going quickly now.

  The babies were kicking and muttering, wanting out of the stroller, probably needing to be changed and fed. They pushed through the front door, cold but laughing as they got home.

  Home. He was home. Like honest to God, his home. Not for as long as the kids needed him home, just plain his home.

  “Hey, guys. I was just about to phone you. The weather’s getting worse.” Matt came up, fussing over them all.

  “It sure is.” Ten peeked out the window. “It’s coming down harder every second. We were wondering if we were going to get snowed in.” He couldn’t stop smiling.

  “If we do, we have the fireplace and plenty of food.” Lord, you could tell Matt raised Daniel.

  He grinned and went to help Daniel unbundle the girls. “We do indeed, Matt.”

  “I’ll put the blanket down in front of the fire,” Matt offered.

  “Oh, that’d be great, wouldn’t it?” He picked Melody up, still so tiny compared to her sisters.

  “Sounds good to me.” Daniel grabbed Harmony and Kyrie.

  “You’re getting to be an old hand at that.” Ten thought that when Daniel wasn’t worrying, he did really well.

  “I’m trying. I want to be a good dad.”

  “You love them—that puts you a step ahead.”

  “I do. I’m all about the love lately.”

  The words had him stilling and smiling at Daniel. “Yeah, me too.”

  “Come on, I don’t want to drop Wiggles One or Two.”

  He snorted. Like Daniel would drop them. He followed Daniel into the living room, smiling at the sight of several blankets and cushions in front of the fire. Matt had built them a nest.

  The babies settled, wiggling and cooing, all three starting to interact with the world. It was wonderful to see them growing, taking the normal steps.

  Daniel leaned toward him and he closed the distance, resting his head on Daniel’s shoulder as they warmed up.

  Daniel began to sing softly, the music constant, wrapping around them all.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Daniel went downstairs after the 3:00 a.m. feeding and got to work, his head down, his world slowly coalescing into notes and timing and the sheer emotion of music. He thought he heard the babies crying at one point, but it faded quickly, and he soon lost himself in the music again. It was nearly eight o’clock when he finally resurfaced.

  He needed coffee.

  Coffee and a snack.

  When he got to the kitchen, Tenor was singing “Wheels on the Bus” as he stirred something on the stove, one-arming Kyrie as he fed her a bottle. The other two were in their swings, laughing whenever Tenor sang “’round and ’round” at the top of his lungs.

  “Morning.” He grinned at his little family and went to give kisses. Tenor and Kyrie, then Harmony and Mel, who grabbed on to his hair and held on.

  Tenor chuckled softly. “She’s got this incredible grip strength that she’s been testing out lately.”

  “Is that what we call it?”

  “Either that or needing her daddy.” Tenor gave him a quick kiss. “You want any oatmeal? I’ve made enough for everyone, though Matt’s not up yet.”

  “Sure. Sounds good.” He lifted Melody up and put her on one shoulder, talking to Harmony as she swung. “How are you, my fine girl?”

  She gurgled at him and shoved her fist into her mouth.

  “Kyrie is the last one to eat this feeding. They went four hours between feedings—if they keep that up, it means just the one middle-of-the-night feeding, which would rock.” Tenor put the bottle down and shifted Kyrie to his shoulder, burping her gently.

  “I’m surprised she let you leave her to last.”

  “This is her second go-round,” Tenor admitted. “I fed her the first bottle before the others got theirs.”

  “Wow! You’re a hungry girl! My Amazonian!” He smiled as Kyrie burped like a trucker.

  “She totally is. I think she’s going to protect her sisters fiercely. She’s also going to be the one to pick on them and bug them too, I bet.” Tenor started dishing up the oatmeal.

  “We’ll have to see.” He took her from Tenor and bounced them both.

  Tenor put the plates out and added brown sugar and milk to both bowls. Then Tenor sat and looked at him expectantly.

  “I… Help me put them in the swings?”

  Grinning, Tenor got up and helped him put the girls into their swings, Kyrie’s and Harmony’s eyes closing almost immediately while Melody stayed awake, eyes wide as she took everything in. He figured she had an extra month to make up for.

  He and Tenor ate, the oatmeal hearty and delicious. They hardly ever ate prepared foods anymore, Tenor almost always happy to make something.

  He ended up leaning against Tenor, his eyelids going heavy. Tenor slipped an arm around him and dropped a kiss on top of his head. “We should move to the living room so we can nap while they do.” Tenor was quite the proponent of napping when the girls did.

  “Are we ever going to make love again, do you think?” He let Tenor move him to the sofa.

  “I can blow you when Matt gets up if you want.” That didn’t answer his question, though, did it?

  “You’re a tease. I want to share with you, make love.”

  “I know. Me, too. If we’re willing to risk being interrupted, the plan could still work—have Matt look out for them while they sleep. He can let us know if they wake up and need us.”

  “That’s a little odd, isn’t it? Matt, can you please watch the girls while we do the deed?”

  “Well, it’s that or wait until they’re consistently sleeping four or five hours through the night.”

  “How long does that take?”

  “Well they did four hours between the 4:00 a.m. feeding and this morning’s at seven, so hopefully soon. But if we’re unlucky, they won’t all sleep through the night at the same time. There’s no fast and hard rule on this, and every baby is different. We have three at the same time.”

  He chuckled softly. “We’ll have to learn to do it quickly.”

  “Oh, I could do you up against the wall, right now.” Tenor dropped his voice. “Quick and dirty.”

  “Tenor!” He grinned over, suddenly not so asleep anymore.

  “What? They’re sleeping. They can’t hear me filthy talking their dad.”

  “Thank God. You can keep
going.”

  “You want me to talk about it or do it?” Tenor asked, and it sounded like an honest question.

  “I’m more interesting in doing than talking, if I’m honest.”

  “Me too.” Tenor got up and turned on the child monitor, then came over to him and offered him a hand. “The den is empty and we can close the door.”

  He took the hand, feeling utterly daring and sort of like a teenager.

  “You ready, baby? All hot and bothered about being hot and bothered?”

  “God, yes. I feel young again.”

  “You say that like you’re ancient.” Tenor closed the door quietly, then backed him up against it.

  “Do I?” He held on, cock aching.

  “Uh-huh. And I’ll always be older than you, so you need to be careful that you don’t do that.” Tenor moved in closer until Daniel was caught between the door and Tenor. “Because an old man can’t do the things I’m going to do with you.”

  He shivered, this delicious need fascinating him all the way to the bone.

  Tenor brought their mouths together, taking a kiss and biting at his lower lip. “Up against the wall, like I promised.”

  “Hard and fast. You promised that too.”

  “I do believe the words I used were quick and dirty.” Tenor waggled his eyebrows. “I’m gonna turn you around now and yank down your pants so I can give it to you like you want it.”

  “Are you?” He unfastened his fly, just to save time.

  “Uh-huh.” Tenor leaned in and whispered into his ear. “Get mine, too.”

  He reached down, tugging Tenor’s waistband open. He could feel Tenor’s erection pushing at the material of his underwear, clearly eager to get to him.

  “Look at that. Pretty pretty.”

  “All for you.” Tenor pushed his jeans down. “Believe it or not, I even have baby oil, so turn around, I’m gonna do you.”

  “You’re like a porny boy scout, love.” He turned around, both nervous and eager.

  Tenor laughed for him, pressing against him so he could feel the movements of that sound all over his body. “It’s a long story and not important. Only that I have the lube is.”

  “Uh-huh.” He pushed his ass back, wiggling it a bit.

  Tenor ran around his finger along Daniel’s crack and then along again slick this time wet and slippery.

  “Oh God.” He rested his forehead on his arms.

  “Gonna slick you up so I slide in nice and easy.” Tenor pushed his finger in, fucking Daniel with it. It wasn’t nearly enough, but that was okay because Tenor pushed in another finger almost immediately.

  He gasped, nodding. “Please. Yes, please. That’s good.”

  “Uh-huh.” Tenor pushed his fingers in a couple of times before adding a third and spreading them apart—stretching him.

  He went up on tiptoe, rocking into the pressure.

  “Not gonna take very much time here. Just a quick lube up.” Tenor hit his gland with all three fingertips.

  Worked for him. He gasped, his eyes rolling back in his head. Tenor worked his gland for a few moments more, then they disappeared, leaving him empty. “Tenor. Tenor, hurry. I need. I need you.”

  “Just getting slick.” Then just like that, the thick heat of Tenor’s cock was pushing at his hole, opening him up. He pushed back, taking Tenor in with a deep, wild cry.

  “Fuck yes!” Tenor sawed back and forth, thrusting into him over and over. Filling him in the way he’d been craving for days. Weeks. His toes curled, his balls drew up, and he moaned.

  “Quick and dirty,” Tenor whispered, as he reached around and grabbed Daniel’s cock.

  He’d never had it so good, so hot.

  Tenor’s breath panted loudly in his ear and wafted along the skin of his neck. All the while, the man slammed into him, over and over.

  It was glorious.

  Tenor squeezed Daniel’s cock, roughly dragging his hand along it. Daniel bit his arm, muffling his cry. Tenor fucked him harder, pressing him up against the wall and working his cock in time. His world spun, began to sparkle around the edges.

  “Come for me, Daniel. Quick and dirty, so right now.” The words sent him over the edge, and he cried out, shooting hard. Groaning, Tenor jerked a few times, then filled him with heat and came to rest against him.

  “Oh.” Daniel sighed softly, his body shaking.

  Tenor let go of his cock and rubbed his belly with one hand, his arm with the other. “Easy, love.”

  “Easy. God, you… That was amazing.”

  He felt Tenor’s smile against the skin of his neck. “It was, wasn’t it? And we weren’t interrupted by crying.”

  “You make me happy, lover.” He couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Me too. But with you making me happy, I mean.”

  “Excellent. Seriously. I… Would it be weird to take a nap?”

  “Nap when the kids do, remember? Especially if you have a hot lover to do it with.”

  “Yes. I’d love that. Please.” He was tired and sated and so happy.

  “Sack out on the couch in the living room with the girls?” Tenor asked.

  “Works. Yes.” He was almost sleeping on his feet.

  Tenor got his jeans back up for him and put an arm around his waist, leading him back into the other room and laying him down on the couch. “Look at you.”

  “You like?”

  “You know I do.” Tenor joined him, lying with him and nuzzling him. Then Tenor kissed his nose. “I like what I see, you make me happy, and I love you.”

  “I’m a very lucky man.”

  Tenor laughed and kissed him. “You are. So am I. If you’re going to get any napping in, though, you’d better do it soon, before the girls decide we’ve had enough alone time.”

  A nap would be the cherry on top of this morning. Especially as it was in Tenor’s arms.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tenor was trying very hard not to growl at everything and everyone. The girls were having a bad day, fussing constantly, barely happy even when they were being held and bounced and loved on. To make matters worse, they’d had a terrible night, which had translated to him having a night where he’d gotten maybe two hours’ sleep, broken up into three doze sessions.

  So he was exhausted, he had a headache, and he was covered in spit-up and drool. He tried very hard to remember the good days—which were almost every day up ’til now—and how angelic the girls seemed when they were sleeping.

  Daniel had been gone for two days for a performance that he couldn’t reschedule—he was the guest pianist for the Dallas Symphony and there was no way out of it.

  Matt came up and scooped up Mel, who was heartbroken that her daddy wasn’t there, and bounced her. “He’s landed.”

  “Thank God. Every time I did get to sleep, I had nightmares that his plane would be cancelled and he’d be stranded somewhere not here. They miss their daddy at the best of times, but when they’re miserable like this, it’s worse.” Ten was pretty damn miserable without Daniel himself.

  “And they’re just babies. In a couple years, he’s going to have to plan travel better.”

  “If he gets another two nannies, we could all travel with him. That would be a great education for the girls—seeing the world.” It wouldn’t be easy, but it wouldn’t be that hard, and they’d all be together. The idea had merit.

  “Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea, hiring someone else to help out. Would you be comfortable with that?”

  Ten had to think about that one. It had been his idea because he’d been excited about being able to go with Daniel and bring the girls along. That part of it was still a good idea. But did he really want to be one of two or even three nannies? Would the others live here too? He wasn’t just another nanny, but would he be if there were suddenly more? “I’m not sure,” he
answered honestly.

  “Well, that’s something for you and Daniel to discuss, I’m sure.”

  “What is?” Daniel walked through the door, looking exhausted. “Is everything all right?”

  Melody screamed, fighting to turn around and see him. Matt handed her over like she was on fire. The other two, who he’d just gotten quiet with much jiggling, started crying, wriggling like crazy in his arms.

  “Okay, okay, ladies. Give Daddy a chance to sit and you can all get your hugs in. Shh. Shh.”

  Daniel hummed softly, bouncing Mel, who immediately relaxed. “There, that’s better.”

  Ten tried not to growl. It was hard when you worked like crazy to make them happy and then someone else came along and quietened them in a snap.

  “Hey, guys. So glad to be home. I missed everyone.”

  “We missed you too. Especially in the last twenty-four hours.” He waited for Daniel to sit, then tucked the two he was holding in around Daniel. Then he sat next to his lover. “You look like you had a worse night than we did.” Though how that was possible without three fussing babies included, he didn’t know.

  “We had a super late rehearsal, and the hotel was… so quiet and empty.”

  “Quiet is better than we had here last night.” He chuckled and leaned in, pressed a soft kiss on the side of Daniel’s lips. “Missed you even when they weren’t fussing.”

  “I would have taken the fussing to be home.”

  “We’ll see how tonight shakes out and see if you feel the same way in the morning.” Ten grinned and rested half against the back of the couch, half against Daniel. He felt so much better, simply from Daniel being home.

  “Do you two need anything?” Matt asked.

  Daniel shook his head. “I’ll spring for pizza for supper.”

  “Ooh. I want that fancy one with the béchamel sauce where the tomato sauce should be. With chicken and onions, please.” Ten wasn’t usually so forward, but he was tired and he was hungry and that along with a six-pack of Coke sounded about perfect right now. “With those cheap-assed but delicious slices of mousse cake.”