by Sean Michael
“Oh, me too. I like the merry-go-round and the teeter-totter, but the swings are my favorite.”
“The teeter scares me,” Mel admitted, letting go of his hand and skipping to the swings.
“Oh, we’ll have to get one for you to try for the backyard. Shall we bring the playhouse over too?”
“A playhouse?” Her eyes lit up.
“Yes, there’s one in Sarah’s old house. We can bring it.” Someone should use it. Four someones.
“Yay!” She laughed and kicked her legs. “Swing me, Unca Log, swing me!”
Her happiness was infectious, and he started pushing her, her happy squeals making him grin. Lord, he adored her.
This had been a wonderful idea, and it was a balm to the places that were still sharp with pain.
He could see Dirk and Sarah working on setting out their picnic, and it looked like it was going to be quite the feast.
They could have played until dark, he thought, but when the triplets began to fuss, Melly frowned. “My babies are crying.”
“Are they? Your da and Sarah have them.”
“I’ll check them,” she announced, flying off the swing without letting it stop, which propelled her forward several quick steps, and she turned it into a run, heading right for “her” babies.
He followed her, totally stunned by her determination, her absolute love for the triplets.
She went to the carriage and petted each of their bellies. “It’s okay, babies. I’m here.”
Suzy flailed, hands grabbing at Melly’s arm.
“Hi, Suzy-baby. It’s Melly.” She let Suzy wrap her hand around her index finger. “See, she knows me.”
Dirk rubbed his hand through Mel’s hair. “She does, honey.”
“Of course she does. You’re her family.” Sarah sighed softly, and Logan went to her. “And you’re our family, honey.”
“I miss her, Daddy.”
“Me too.” And that was that. Him too.
She leaned against him, and he hugged her tight.
Dirk gave him a sympathetic smile. “Lunch is ready whenever you guys are.”
“What did you bring to eat, honey?”
“There’s turkey sandwiches, and cheese sandwiches for the girls. And potato chips. And carrot sticks. Oh, and juice boxes.”
“Rock on. Sandwiches!” He peeked into the stroller and nuzzled baby bellies.
Dirk laughed softly and handed him a sandwich, then offered cheese sandwiches to the girls.
“Sweet! This is a great spread, love. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Dirk smiled warmly and took a bite out of his own sandwich. He tilted his head back as he chewed, face in the sun, looking happy.
“Love? Are you two boyfriends?” Sarah looked at them, one after the other.
It was Dirk who answered her, not apologetically or diffidently at all—the simple truth. “We are. We have been for a while.”
“Are you going to get married? Are you going to adopt the babies and Melly?”
Logan found himself speechless and staring.
Dirk chuckled. “That’s a lot of questions that we haven’t discussed together yet. But it’s okay to ask about it. It’s okay to ask about anything that you have questions about. Would you like us to all be one big family?”
“I would! I could have two daddies and two sisters and two brothers!” Melly bounced, making the babies squeal with laughter.
Dirk grinned at his daughter before turning to look at Logan, warmth in his eyes. “We’ll have to talk about it.”
“We will. Later. Right now we’re having a picnic.” Logan hadn’t had any time to consider things like long-term, marriage.
But his daughter had clearly been thinking big thoughts.
“We’re having a great picnic,” Dirk declared.
“A perfect one. I have all my kiddos, Dirk, and sandwiches.”
Dirk leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Love you, Logan.”
“I love you too.”
Sarah groaned. “Stop it.”
Dirk made a hiccuping sound, which Logan assumed was him swallowing his laughter at Sarah’s reaction.
“Oh, Dirky-Worky! I adore you.” He started peppering Dirk’s face with kisses.
“Ewww!” Sarah made a gagging noise, and Dirk lost it, laughing hard.
“Dirky-Worky Daddy!” Melly danced around singing.
Dirk narrowed his eyes at Logan. “Oh, you are in so much trouble.”
Sarah began to giggle, the sound so damn welcome.
He saw Dirk’s eyes light up, but Dirk didn’t give away how happy he was at Sarah’s soft laughter, not making a big deal of the moment.
“I suppose I’ll have to come up with something that rhymes with Logan, won’t I? Loggy-Woggy?”
“That doesn’t rhyme. At all.”
“It does too!” Dirk repeated it. “Loggy-Woggy. It totally rhymes.”
“It doesn’t rhyme with Logan, Dirky-Worky.” He couldn’t stop laughing, and the kids were right behind.
“But worky doesn’t rhyme at all with Dirk!” Poor Dirk looked like a goldfish, gasping for breath.
“Dirky-Worky Daddy!” Melly insisted.
Dirk’s expression melted into a smile, and he opened his arms, Melly pushing into them. “I love you, Melly girl.”
“Love you, Da. I do.” She kissed him back and settled in his lap. Dirk kissed the top of her head and looped an arm around her, settling easily with her.
He shot Logan a smile, one full of warmth and happiness that seemed to settle over their picnic like a blanket. Even Sarah seemed to have turned a corner in her grief.
This had been a good idea.
Hopefully they’d have lots more to come.
Chapter Fourteen
DIRK was exhausted. His feet were tired, his brain was tired—hell, his fingers were tired. But Rebecca’s place had been cleared out, the last of the stuff that hadn’t sold packed up and sent to a thrift store.
Sarah had the stuff she’d wanted. It was mostly still in boxes in one of the extra bedrooms, waiting for her to be ready to go through it.
Melly was finally down for the count, Sarah up in her room with a movie. And the triplets were currently quiet. Maybe he could close his eyes and get a nap. Maybe he’d do it right here on the couch where he’d landed.
Logan was in the kitchen, putting things away, singing along with the radio.
It felt good to hear. Now that the estate was settled, something had eased in Logan. That was cool.
They’d brought back a ton of toys, including a lot of things designed for backyard play. Melly was over the moon. Dirk wasn’t ever going to be able to thank Logan enough for the things he’d done for Dirk and Melly.
“Hey,” he called out softly. “Did I tell you today how much I love you?”
“Hey. You want a beer?”
“Sure, I’ll have a beer. Though I have to warn you that I might fall asleep if I do.”
“That’s okay.” Logan came out of the kitchen with two bottles. “I don’t blame you.”
His lover looked as tired as he was.
He patted the couch next to him. “Sit with me.”
“I’m almost done with the kitchen.” Logan plopped down. “How’s Melly doing?”
“Dead asleep. She outdid herself today. I even found her dragging this huge box, all by herself. It was adorable.”
“Aw. She was so excited by the playhouse. I’ll have someone come and anchor the jungle gym next week.”
“She thinks she’s won the lottery. Babies and a jungle gym in the backyard.” Dirk thought he’d won the lottery too. Four new kids and this beautiful man. Not to mention a house to live in.
“She was telling me she wants to grow flowers and a garden. She’s so excited by the thought that the yard is ours.”
That sounded so much like his girl, and Dirk smiled. “She’s got a huge heart, my girl.”
“God yes. So does Sarah, and you’ll get to see it. S
he’s kind and smart as a whip.”
“I know. She’s just having a rough time. It’s totally understandable.”
“It is.” Logan leaned against him. “But I wanted you to know.”
“I know, love. I’m not judging her badly, I promise.” He adored Sarah. She was a kid who had been dealt a harsh blow, and she was theirs. Their oldest.
He wound his fingers with Logan’s and took a sip of his beer. “So that’s the bulk of what needed doing actually done now, right?”
“I think so? I mean, I should do more while they’re all resting, but….”
Dirk snorted. “You look like I feel, so I think resting and possibly sleeping is what you should be doing while all five kids are quiet and happy without us. The house closes next week, right? And then it’s not your responsibility anymore.” He knew Logan had enough on his plate with his daughter and the triplets—he didn’t need all this other shit pulling at his time as well.
“Thank God. I mean, I’m incredibly grateful for the insurance money and the house. If we invest carefully, we’ll be able to send all the kids to school with what there is.” Logan said that so casually, but did he mean Melly too?
Dirk thought about it for a time, then figured he would come out and ask. They hadn’t entirely sorted out the money issue. At least he didn’t feel like they had. The whole thing where he and Melly lived here and were kept in food and clothes and he was the de facto nanny was great, was amazing. But as he wasn’t actually making money, he couldn’t save for her college. “All five of the kids?”
“Of course.” The immediacy of the answer made him shiver. “I mean, if it’s okay with you.”
When it came to Melly’s future, he had no shame. “It’s absolutely okay. Thank you so much.”
“Rebecca knew how much I care about you and Mel. She would have approved.”
He squeezed Logan’s hand. “It worries me sometimes that I’m not bringing in any money at all. I don’t want you to think that that’s why I’m here with you.”
“I don’t want you to be without money, either, you know? I worry that you’ll feel like I control everything.”
He nodded. He’d thought about that too. That he’d eventually feel like Logan had all the power. He didn’t now, but in ten years? Twenty?
Logan held his head. “I’m not sure how to make that work. I mean, couples have, right? For decades.”
Dirk chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, they have. One breadwinner, and it works. Is this you asking me to marry you?” Because that was usually the paperwork involved.
“Do you want to? I mean, get married?”
“I want to be a family with you. The paperwork would be to protect us from outside assholes down the line.”
“You know I appreciate paperwork.”
He laughed, honestly tickled by the words. “You do. Look, I’ve been ready to hitch my wagon to yours since before I moved in here. Hell, since before you got the triplets if I’m honest. I’ve been halfway in love with you ever since we first met at the coffeehouse.” He was a dweeb and he knew it, but his gut had totally been right.
“You never let on, honey. Am I that scary?”
“Would you have believed me that early on? When we first met? And I sure would have looked like a money grubber. You needed to get to know me without that kind of baggage first.”
“I wouldn’t! You’re a good dad!” Logan looked at him like he was insane.
“That’s part of why I love you, eh? You see the good things about me.”
“That’s easy.” Logan leaned over and kissed him, nice and slowly.
He hummed softly, the kiss lazy and sweet. There wasn’t a hurry, a need to get hot and bothered. It was the intimacy that felt so good. He loved being close with Logan. He loved the steady way they’d built a life together. How well they were handling the upheaval of Sarah’s life and the loss of her mother was proof of that in his eyes.
He slid his hand around Logan’s head, cupping it as they continued their soft explorations.
Logan smiled against his lips, hummed for him, and almost crawled into his lap. Desire flared in his belly, made his balls ache and his prick try to come to life despite his exhaustion. He wrapped his arms around Logan, the tiredness sloughing off the longer they kissed.
“Dirk. Honey. Bedroom?”
“Uh-huh.” He didn’t want to get up and move, but there were kids here, and the grown-ups needed a door they could close.
Before he could voice any of that, one of the babies started whining. He closed his eyes. “Maybe if we’re very quiet, like very, he’ll go back to sleep.”
“Maybe. Or I can go pat his back a minute, if not.”
“Yeah, the eternal choice. Do you leave him be to see if he’ll self-soothe and go back to sleep, or do you go and help him along so he doesn’t wake his siblings?” Dirk chuckled. He was pretty sure that was Seb, who’d been the first to discover his thumb, so they had a chance.
The baby muttered and cooed; then the sounds became muffled and slowly stopped.
He gave Logan a grin. “I think we can risk it, don’t you?” They could make a mad—quiet—dash to the bedroom. It made him feel almost like a teenager again. Almost.
“The next twenty years are going to be like this, aren’t they?”
“From your lips to God’s ears.” He thought having this to look forward to for that long was amazing.
Logan chuckled, the sound quiet but so merry. It made Dirk smile and bring their lips back together again. They really did need to move to the bedroom, but this felt wonderful.
Logan’s kisses made him a little dizzy. His fiancé’s kisses. His fiancé… oh, he liked the sound of that. He liked how it made him feel.
His fiancé. His family. His babies.
Lord, he sounded like Melly.
“You make me happy, Logan. Truly.”
“Good. It would be awful if you didn’t like me.”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t!” He laughed and hugged Logan tight. “I’ll have to give you more compliments so you’re better at getting them.”
“Come to bed, lover. It’s been a crazy day.”
“It’s been an exhausting day, but good. You can move forward now. You and Sarah.” He waited for Logan to get up, then stood himself.
“All of us. Even the triplets.”
He wasn’t sure the triplets had noticed anything, but he nodded along. “Even the triplets.”
“They say babies can feel stress, right?”
“They have been more fractious over the last few weeks,” Dirk noted.
“I can’t believe how fast they’re growing.”
Dirk looked at Logan. “Why are we talking about the kids?”
Logan blinked at him a few times. “I don’t know, why?”
Dirk laughed and shook his head. “Because they take up so much of our time and thoughts that it’s our new normal, maybe. Come on, take me upstairs to bed and make love with me before anyone wakes up.”
“God yes. Please. Let’s share orgasms.”
“We’ll peek in on Melly and triplets as we go by. Then we’ll lock our door.” He took Logan’s hand and led his lover and soon-to-be husband up to their bedroom. God willing they’d have enough time to make each other feel amazing before any of their little ones needed attention.
Chapter Fifteen
“YOU did what?” Zack stared at him.
“I think I asked him to marry me.” Logan grinned. “Hazelnut-and-white-chocolate latte, please.”
“Emily, make Logan a hazelnut-and-white-chocolate latte, please, and bring it over to us.” Zack grabbed his own coffee in one hand, Logan’s arm in the other, and marched him over to their usual table.
It was a little strange to be sitting here without any of the others, but he’d wanted to share the news with his friends and he wasn’t planning to be at the Teddy Bear Club meeting, so he’d come to the Roasty Bean early to tell Zack.
“Okay,” Zack said as they sat. “Spill
.”
“We were talking about long-term, about family, and Dirk asked if I was asking him to marry me, and I said I thought so.”
Zack snorted. “That’s just dripping with romance, my friend. Dripping.”
“I know. I had just moved all the stuff from Rebecca’s over, we were both exhausted, and the kids were all asleep.”
Zack stared at him for a moment after he’d finished speaking, then poked him in the side. “Well? Don’t keep me in suspense—did he say yes?”
“Yeah. He really did.” And Logan wasn’t sure how that happened.
“So this is good news? Or are you having regrets now that you’re not exhausted and stressed?”
“No regrets here. Dirk’s solid—a good dad, a good guy.” Wait, that didn’t sound sparkly.
It seemed that Zack agreed with his last thought. “Solid. Honey, I’m not being a bitch, but do you love him?”
“I do. I mean, I genuinely do. He’s magical. He’s who I need.” And if he was too tired and sad to be googly-eyed, sue him.
“That was much more convincing.” Zack kissed his cheek. “And I’m happy for you, hon, I really am. So when do I need to plan the wedding for?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to my affianced.” Oh, that was fun to say. “Maybe Christmas? A lot will depend on Sarah, I think.”
“Affianced? Aren’t you fancy!” Zack chuckled but sobered fairly quickly. “Yeah, it might be weird for her if you got married so soon after Rebecca passed away.” Zack squeezed his arm. “You will have to discuss it with your fancy man.”
“And with our family, right?” That was how this was supposed to happen.
Zack looked very pleased about that. “Can I spill your beans once everyone is here today? It’ll be great to have such a happy occasion to look forward to.”
“Yeah. Let me call Dirk. Maybe we can have everyone over for a cookout this weekend to celebrate.”
“That would be lovely. We could all help get the backyard play stuff set up properly too.”
Emily called for Zack, and he glanced back at her and nodded. “Okay, I have to go help until we all meet up. Call your man and warn him I won’t be able to keep my mouth shut.” Zack leaned over and gave him a hug.