Page 2 of Hearts of Fairlake (Men of Fairlake #8)

Adam grimaced. “I forgot you were taking the kids to the beach today. Shit.”

“Adult word!” Colin proclaimed, pulling at Adam’s hair.

“That it is, buddy,” I said with a snort.

“I wanna be an adult,” he said with a nod.

“You might want to hold off on that for as long as possible,” Adam warned him.

“No way,” Colin told him with a shake of his head.

“Bri,” I said, seeing how Adam kept glancing my way and not being very good at hiding it. “It’s okay. He’s got a lot on his plate.”

“And you’ve barely had a chance to sleep,” she told me with a glare .

“And I have tomorrow off,” I told her softly. “And since you have the kids today and tonight?—”

“Tonight? Do I now?” she asked with a brow raised.

“Or we can take them back,” I said with a shrug. “I didn’t think to ask if it was just for the day.”

“It was but…Keith isn’t going to mind. Honestly, if it weren’t for Colin and Amber being around so frequently, I’d probably have to deal with the man wanting more kids,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose. “And absolutely not. I’ve birthed two, and that’s enough for me.”

I laughed. “Well, I’d appreciate it.”

“You’re lucky,” she said with a sigh. “Because I know they’re going to sleep well after today.”

That I didn't doubt. If the past five years of being a parent had taught me anything, it was that kids had absurd energy levels but only seemed infinite. They would undoubtedly fight like hell later when Bri and Keith tried to get them to leave the beach but would pass out in the car on the way back.

"Well, here's hoping they don't end up sleeping too long before bedtime," I said, shifting Amber around on my hip and feeling a twinge in my chest as I realized how heavy she was getting. Every time we reached some new, difficult stage in their development, I prayed for it to be over as soon as possible. Then there were moments like this, realizing we might finally have won the thumb-sucking battle, only to realize that a few months had passed and she was only getting older.

"Alright," Bri said with a heavy sigh. "C'mon everyone. We still have stuff to do."

"But, Mommy," Colin whined, making her wince. The crying of babies had never bothered her, but Bri had never been a big fan of the whining that kicked off in the toddler years.

"Hey," Adam said softly, pulling his son's attention toward him. "Your mom wants to take you to the beach, remember?" To which Colin screwed up his face in thought and then turned to bury his face into Adam, muttering something that made Adam chuckle. "Papa and I have to do stuff today while you're out having fun, okay?" Colin muttered something else, and Adam's face went blank before looking up at Bri. "You'll have to take that up with Uncle Ethan."

Bri sighed. "Uncle Ethan will be coming too."

Colin immediately brightened and pulled away from Adam to grab his mom's hand. "Yes! He said I'm a little shit!"

His sheer confidence and pride made me choke on my drink, but thankfully, years of experience had taught me to school my face so none of the kids could see me fighting not to laugh. Adam's face was completely blank, while Bri just looked...exasperated. Whether that was at her son or her brother was the real question.

"Adul…Adult word, Colin," I corrected as gently as I could, finally managing to get air as I almost coughed up a lung.

"Shit?" he inquired.

"Yes," Bri said in a neutral tone, staring at Adam.

"It's your brother," he said with a shake of his head. "Take it up with him."

"The only thing I'll get out of talking to my brother is a rise in blood pressure," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Alright, let's get what we need and get going."

Removing Amber from my hip proved to be a little more difficult than prying Colin away from Adam. The past couple of years had given her much more confidence, and every day, I saw more and more of her independence. On the other hand, when she felt particularly needy, she would cleave to whoever she wanted the most, generally me.

"Sweetheart," I cajoled her gently. "Don't you want to play in the water? Make some sand castles?"

Her response was a resolute twist of her head and pressing her face into my neck. Talking wasn't usually a problem for her, but when she was worked up, she shut right down and refused to talk...or maybe just couldn't.

Grimacing, I looked up at Adam and Bri. "I don't want to force her if she doesn't want to go."

"She's going to have to learn to separate eventually," Bri said, but her voice didn't have much fight.

"And she's been getting better and better about it because we've been giving her the space and time to do it," I said, holding her closer. "Not everyone comes out of the womb ready to conquer the world like you and Ethan."

She scoffed, but it was gentle, and her lips turned up at the corners. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But?—"

"I'll be fine," I said, knowing this would be a hell of a day until her nap later. "It's not like we haven't all suffered sleepless days to deal with the kids."

"Alright," she said with a pointed look toward Adam. "You two behave yourselves."

Adam blinked, and I once again had to force back a laugh, this time for the sake of his pride. As dense as the poor man could be sometimes, it seemed even he could figure out the message Bri was trying to convey. It certainly wasn't helped that she continued to shoot him dirty looks as she corralled the other two kids out of the house, with Colin chanting about moats.

Kids were weird.

When the door closed, I watched Adam's shoulders sag as he approached me, kissing me on the cheek. "I am so sorry. I should have told her you spent all week barely getting any sleep and were trying to play catch up."

"We've all been busy spinning plates," I told him, catching him with a kiss on the lips before he drew away. "Someone was bound to drop one."

"Yeah, I just wish it hadn't been this plate I dropped. "

"Adam, stop. I know Bri is being hard on you, but don't worry about her."

"Don't tell me you weren't mad."

"I haven't actually had a moment to be mad," I admitted with a snort. "I went from confused to dealing with the kids. So I guess I skipped a step somewhere in there."

"You'd have every right to be mad because now you're not going to be able to sleep," he said with a pointed look at Amber.

"I'll nap when she does," I told him, adjusting her on my hip once more. "Plus, I reminded myself that time is linear, so part of me is kind of glad that one of them is still here with me."

At that, he smiled, running a hand over my head to gently cup the back of my head. "Did someone get sentimental again?"

"Maybe," I said and then sighed. "Alright, I got sentimental. These damn kids just keep growing on us. Boy, will I be glad when I don't have to clean up poop-filled pants, but?—"

"But sometimes it sucks to see them get there because it means they're that much closer to being adults," Adam finished softly. "I think about it sometimes. I look at these kids and wonder if we're ready for them to grow up or if we're doing the right thing. And then other times, I wonder if we'll survive long enough for them to make it to adulthood."

I laughed. "I think we'll be alright, but you're right, I worry too. But there are little moments where I think we might be okay. And that we're raising them okay."

"God, to think Ian went through this already," I said with a shake of my head. "Ayla's going to be eighteen in a few months. I can't imagine what that has to feel like. I fucking cried just putting Colin into headstart."

"I remember," Adam said with a fond chuckle. "Chase wouldn't let you live it down. "

"Until he did," I said with a frown. "I never did find out what made him finally shut the hell up and leave me alone."

"Oh, you know the answer to that," Adam said, flashing a smile toward Amber when she finally peeked out from my neck to look around the room.

I thought about that for a moment. "Wait, Devin?"

"Do we know anyone else who could get on Chase's case enough to make him stop doing something?" Adam asked, grinning when Amber reached out with a free hand to grab hold of his. "Hi, sweet girl, feeling better?"

She nodded, still feeling quiet from the looks of things, but there was a brightness back in her eyes as I watched them. "I don't remember that."

"Probably because you're not the one who told on him."

"Wait, let me get this right... you tattled on Chase."

"Mhmm."

"To Devin."

"That I did."

"So that Chase would stop making fun of me because I had an emotional moment over Colin going to headstart?"

"An understandable emotional reaction," Adam corrected. "Amber, you want a little snack?"

Her eyes brightened, and she immediately began wiggling in my arms. I gratefully put her down and shook my head. "So, you tattled."

"I told Devin, pointing out that while Chase had a good heart, he could sometimes be an ass, and while you weren't making a big deal about it, I knew it bothered you when he kept bringing it up. Devin agreed that Chase was being an ass and said he would take care of it because he knew full well that the only other person who could make him stop was you...and you're too stubborn to admit he's hurting your feelings."

"That...is not a completely incorrect summary," I said with a frown. "But I take issue with it all the same. I can tell Chase stuff."

"You can tell Chase things when you think it's something he needs to hear," Adam pointed out as he allowed himself to be led toward the fridge. "But you're not all that great about deciding what he should know when it comes to you. And I get it. You've always had a thick skin, and that's one of the things he loves about you, but it also means he can go too far, and because you're you, you don't let him know."

"See, now I feel like an ass," I said with a huff. "Like it looks like I sicced Devin on him."

"But you didn't, I did."

"Which is worse. Because it means you felt like you had to do it instead of just saying something to me."

"Probably because when it comes to you and Chase, things are always a little weird."

I leaned back in surprise, frowning at him. "Just because we were..." I glanced at Amber and cleared my throat. "Sort of a thing that wasn't a thing doesn't make a difference to our friendship."

Adam waited until Amber picked out what she wanted, which turned out to be carrots and hummus, before helping her into her chair and setting her up for the quick snack. "That sort of thing always affects any relationship, and yes, even friendships."

"Nice of you to bring up that you feel that way now...years later."

He glanced at me, his brow furrowed. "Probably because I never thought it needed to be brought up. I thought it was obvious."

"Clearly not," I huffed. "Since it's still existing freely in your head."

Adam's frown deepened as he stood up. "...it doesn't exist freely in my head. I don't want to speak for Devin, but I'm pretty confident that neither he nor I care about your and Chase's shared past. You two needed someone, and you found that in each other. If anything, I'm eternally grateful he was there to pick up the slack that I abandoned and could give you at least partially what you needed."

I was still annoyed, but I was starting to feel just a little ridiculous at my reaction, which really wasn't helping my irritation very much. "Look, I just...I don't know what, actually. I heard you bringing up shit from years ago and got a little?—"

He smiled at that, reaching to take me by the elbow and pull me closer. "You got uncharacteristically irritable because you're insanely sleep-deprived, and once again, your sleep was interrupted because your blockhead of a husband forgot to warn Bri you were trying to get some sleep."

Now it was my turn to sigh, shoulders sagging as I let him pull me closer. "Something like that...does that mean I can call you a blockhead now?"

He chuckled, kissing me on the temple gently. "Absolutely. It's a title I earned."

"What are you doing back here anyway?" I asked, mollified but not quite ready to be comforted yet. "You're supposed to be in the shop all day."

"Trust me, Felix can hold down the fort. I was originally coming back to check on you to make sure you'd actually got into bed since we were just passing ships in the night after you came home like a total zombie."

"And you questioned if Felix could sustain the workload when you brought him on," I said, finding some pleasure in rubbing it right in his nose. "I told you he had it down. You just had to show him you trusted him too."

"Yes, yes," Adam said with a roll of his eyes. "My incredibly patient, amazing, brilliant husband was correct, just like he always is."

That managed to drag a laugh out of me. "You forgot handsome and sexy."

"I was going to cover those in a few hours after we got someone down for a nap," Adam said, letting his hand rest gently on Amber's head. She, however, was completely enamored with the carrots and hummus and didn't seem to notice. As far as we could tell, the hummus was because of the taste but the carrots...well, I assumed she just liked the crunch, considering how noisily she ate them.

My attention was on his words, however, and I raised a brow. "Aren't you supposed to go back?"

"I'll go back in after nap time," he said with a smile. "I'm hoping that after being with you for a little bit and getting her nap in, someone will be a little more willing to come to the shop with me."

"That shouldn't be a problem...for her anyway," I said slowly. It was kind of funny. She wasn’t a fan of loud human noises, which was going to make the upcoming festival a little tricky, but she loved industrial noises.

That had been discovered by sheer accident when Adam and I had been at work, and Chase had been looking after Colin and Amber on one of his days off. He'd been forced to take the kids with him when he went to the shop to deal with some emergency, and to his and everyone else's surprise, it had been a hit. Colin hadn't been that much of a fan, but the sound and smell of machinery had positively enamored Amber. Based on that, Adam had taken her to the shop the next chance he had, where he ran his handyman services and custom furniture business, and...again, it had been a hit.

Again, kids were weird.

"But what about you?" I asked, raising a brow. "You're drowning in orders right now ever since the dickhead— grown-up word—over in Fovel bailed out on his half of the orders."

"And we brought on some people temporarily to help," Adam said with a shrug. "Now Felix has gone through his apprenticeship and is confident; he helps me keep the ship tight and clean. Plus, everyone at the shop loves Amber to pieces anyway. Half the time, she follows Felix around like a miniature shadow."

That was news to me. "Really?"

"Yeah, barely pays attention to me," Adam said with a fond smile as he fixed her hair before she managed to get hummus in it.

There wasn't a trace of resentment or hurt feelings as he said it, and I felt a wave of love for him at that moment. For how much of a blockhead he could be sometimes, he was also good at rolling with the punches and not taking things to heart. What mattered to him wasn't that our children loved and adored us solely but were surrounded by love and felt secure wherever they were.

I remembered how much he’d fretted and worried shortly after Colin arrived, practically risking breaking his neck to get out of bed in the middle of the night whenever Colin woke up crying out of fear something had gone horribly wrong. Or he had done something wrong to lead to it. Yet here was the same man, pouring all that love and concern into these small, half-feral, weird, lovable creatures and not batting an eye that he wasn't always 'the favorite.'

"Didn't you say that she follows Julian around whenever she sees him?" Adam asked curiously.

That made me laugh. "Yeah. Or tries to anyway. Cracks Isaiah and me up."

"Of all the guys to torment, you two choose poor Julian," Adam said with a shake of his head, grabbing some baby wipes off the counter to clean Amber's face .

"Well, Isaiah's allowed. He's dating him," I said with a chuckle. "And you have to admit, it's kind of funny seeing that big guy get so weirded out because some little girl loves him so much."

It was also funny that she was so taken with Chase, who was equally bewildered by her attention but was far more gruff about it. Colin, however, seemed to take after people like Devin and Isaiah, gentler, more energetic souls. Adam liked to joke that his son was just like him, drawn to people who were his opposites. I wasn't quite sure how I felt being compared to Devin and Isaiah, but there were worse comparisons.

"Speaking of Felix," I said, changing topics on a dime as usual. "How's uh, that whole thing going for him and Luke?"

Adam's gentle stroking of Amber's face paused for a moment. "Well, it's not like he talks about it much. He's mentioned they were...trying, but other than that, I don't know."

"Hmm," I said, not sure what to say, but my heart ached for them. Adoption could be difficult, especially for a gay couple, even a gay couple in Colorado. But it was further compounded by the fact that Felix had...a history. One I didn't know completely and didn't need to know, but those things could and usually were dug up by agencies, which could prove difficult for them.

It was already kind of a miracle that Felix decided to follow through on marrying Luke last year. Even his brother was surprised. It was even more surprising that either of the brothers decided to adopt a kid, let alone Felix, who had always been the more...well, shakier, I guess. Then again, he had been actively trying to put his life back together before he'd met Luke, and the man's presence in Felix's life had only helped .

"I wish there was something we could do to help," I said with a sigh. "Did Felix ever get back to you on the offer?"

"He said he appreciates you offering, but he would prefer he and Luke get a kid on their own merits."

"That's what he said?"

"Well...he actually said gifted a child if they're worthy enough."

"Jesus."

"Yeah. I didn't know what to say to that, and I just told him I understood."

"I don't think there’s much more you can say to that."

Amber stirred in her chair, looking up at me with big eyes. "Fuit."

"Fruit?" Adam asked, cocking his head. "Aren't you full?"

I snorted. "No, the dancing fruit. Those videos."

"Oh, right," he said with a hum, pulling her out of her seat. "Well, I'm sure we can accommodate you. I'm sure Papa would appreciate some mindless entertainment."

"I don't know if mindless is the right word. That damn thing is hypnotic. If I watch it for too long, I feel like I'm going into a trance. That's what you're trying to do, isn't it? Get me to fall asleep on the couch."

"Well, that way, you might be rested for the nap-time activities I offered you," he said with a smirk, putting a hand on my lower back and steering me toward the living room. "We've been ships passing in the night, and I think we could afford to dock."

"God, that's awful."

"Nautical puns are cool now I'm a dad."

"No, I just...when we sit down and she's not paying attention, look up what docking means."

"Uhhh...this doesn't have to do with ships, does it?"

"Nope. Look it up under a p-e-n-i-s context."

"Oh God. What have I stumbled into? "

"You'll see," I said with an evil chuckle as I dropped down onto the couch with two of my favorite people and let Adam scroll through the video list on the TV to find what we were looking for. Amber, now content that she could stay here and be given her favorite snack and her video of choice, snuggled between us perfectly. I could smell the familiar scent of sawdust and the faint bite of gasoline on Adam as I leaned in to rest my head on his chest as we laid back.

"Do you think Chase will ever have the courage to pop the question?" I asked as fruit danced monotonously across the screen, cartoon smiles painted on their faces and beginning to add a pleasant numbness to my thoughts. The problem was, I never got Adam's answer, as the warmth of the silly little domestic scene combined with silly dancing fruit wrapped itself around the exhaustion in my mind and pulled me into the abyss of sleep before he managed to reply.

Honestly, I could live with that.