Page 73 of Love in Mission City

Axton stopped wailing, hesitatingly took the proffered food, and then promptly shoved it into his mouth.

“Like uncle and father,” I commented.

“I’m never having kids,” Knight hissed.

“Understood,” I replied. I knew this. We’d had the conversation about a day after I moved in. Which was the week after we signed the contract with Jacqui Friar. I was already practically living with Knight after thephotocopierincident. Two weeks of intense negotiations with Ms. Friar had led to many late sessions, and I’d just sort of started to come home with Knight every night. I couldn’t even be certain he’d asked me to move in or if I’d just assumed it. When my lease ended, I didn’t renew it. “Maybe grab Paisley before she…”

Too late.

She knocked over the vase of flowers which were, fortunately, dry.

Knight snagged Paisly in an impressive one-armed move, hustled to rescue the bouquet, moved the vase to the fireplace mantel, and eyed me. “Whose bright idea, do you think?”

We held each other’s gazes for a moment, then said, “Marvin,” at the same time.

“Yep.” At that moment, Marvin appeared. He’d combed his hair into some kind of submission and wore clean jeans and a shirt.

Knight snickered. “Simone making you dress up as well?”

“Yep.” Marvin rubbed his cheeks. “Family portrait.”

“Are we the only ones coming?” Knight looked around. “Somehow I expected more people.”

Marvin snagged Paisley from his arms. “We’re having a big birthday for them but we didn’t invite you to that. Fifteen toddlers.”

“Oh my God.” Knight paled.

I supported him by the elbow. “We can help cover food costs.”

“Yeah?” Marvin cocked his head. “That’d be great. Simone…” He gazed back and forth between the two of us. “Well, I’ll let her explain.”

Vaguely intrigued, but far more concerned about the bundle of toddler in my arms, I headed to the couch. “Do you want to walk?”

Axton eyed me and shook his head.

“Well, then you can sit on my lap.”

“I wish you were sitting on my lap.” Knight whispered that.

I grinned. “Later.” We didn’t really play age games, but I loved teasing him about his advanced age and he loved carrying on about my youth. The truth was, we’d settled into our age gap and begun to embrace it. I didn’t give a shit—and neither did he.

Simone breezed in with a cake.

Axton lunged.

I barely restrained him.

“Okay, Marvin, you set up the camera.” She placed two chairs strategically behind the coffee table—and the cake. “Knight, you sit on one with Paisley in your arms. Orlando…oh, perfect, you’ve got Axton. Marvin and I will stand behind.”

Knowing Simone meant business, I angled myself to stand, managed to keep Axton away from the cake, and got us seated in the appointed chair. Soon after, Knight wrangled Paisley from her father and, miracle of miracles, she didn’t squawk. We held our positions and Marvin hustled back and forth several times to take pictures. I suspected each had something wrong with it—usually a twin not wanting to sit still—but at some point, Simone agreed he had a good one.

Simone removed the cake just as Axton lunged again. “No, darling, this goes into the fridge until tomorrow’s party.”

Knight scowled. “Wait, we’re here and we don’t get cake?”

Marvin chuckled. “Only those who withstand fifteen toddlers get cake.”

My man straightened. “Well, then we’re quite fine without it.”