Page 31 of Manny Included
“Yes.And it’s been so nice, having company for lunch and coffee.It would be lonely otherwise.”
“I’m glad I’m not in the way.I would have gone back to the office if I was, but it seemed best to be available for you and the kids, under the circumstances.”
“I’ve enjoyed it.You.Your company.”God, Pete!Shut up!
“Ditto.This evening is nice.Did you want to watch a movie or something when we’ve finished eating?”
“Sure.What kind do you like?”Please not scary.Please not scary.
“I haven’t been to the movies in a very long time so pretty much anything you choose I likely won’t have seen,” Bay admitted.
“I don’t like horror movies.I don’t like being scared.I have nightmares.”Pete shrugged, feeling a little silly and adolescent, but it was true.He had terrible nightmares, and it was already bad enough with his best friends being gone.
“I don’t mind scary movies, but they aren’t my favorite or anything.Like I said I haven’t seen much in the last ten years really, so the world is your oyster, so to speak.I bet you’re not going to choose anything animated or starring an animal,” Bay added, a teasing glint in his eyes.
“Uh… no.I was thinking about the new Jurassic Park movie.I’m only three or four behind…” And he loved those films.Loved them.
“There are three or four more?I just remember there being two and it’s been so long I would totally need to watch from the beginning.Or you would need to remind me what the heck happened in the first one.”Bay laughed.“All I remember were dinosaurs and scared kids.”
“Well, I could totally do a Jurassic Park marathon.That’s too cool.We could just do one a week for the next however many weeks there is to do it.”Did he sound as stupid as he felt like he sounded?He thought so.
Bay nodded, though.“It’s a date.Or a standing date, I guess.Grown-up food we don’t have to cook and a good movie.Something to look forward to each week when the kids are being especially fractious.”
“To be perfectly honest, I would kind of like it if the kids weren’t particularly fractious.”He chuckled softly.“But I’ll take what I can get.”
He figured at this point he was getting an offer of company one evening a week, a conversation with an adult, and some chance to not be losing his mind.He’d take it.
Bay laughed.“We can still have dinner and a movie even if they’ve been angels.”
“Fair enough.This is very kind, thanks.”Pete felt a little flushed.That had to be the wine, though.
It had to be.
He couldn’t be casting eyes on Bay.Bay was the kids’ guardian.
Once they’d finished their meal, Bay cleared up, leaving two boxes behind.Then he returned with a couple of forks.“Those are dessert.I figure we can dig in when we want to.”Finding the remote, Bay passed it to him and settled on the couch, looking comfortable.Looking good.
He grabbed the remote, pulled a toy out from under his butt, tossed it into the toy box, and leaned back.Jurassic Park, dessert, and company.He was in.
ChapterSeven
Bay climbed out of the Uber and grabbed his suitcase.He gave the driver a wave and dragged himself up the stairs.He was fucking exhausted after six days in Europe.He’d been in a different city every day, meeting after meeting keeping him from even appreciating where he was.In the old days, he would have gone to his penthouse and crashed until midnight, had a meal and then gone back to bed.Now he had no idea what he was walking into it.
It was the first time he’d had to go on a business trip since Tony had died, and he was wondering if it should be the last.He didn’t have to keep expanding the scope of his reach, business-wise, right?Maybe it was time to start cutting back as a permanent thing.Or at least as an until-the-kids-were-all-over-18 thing.
He let himself in, wondering if he should call out or something.
There was quiet music playing and some kind of strange scent on the air.It was pleasant but odd.And when he walked in, he’d be damned if everybody but the baby was sitting on the floor on a yoga mat, stretching and humming and breathing.
The baby was on a sling on Pete’s chest as they all leaned and stretched and breathed.
Well, now he couldn’t say anything or he’d startle the crap out of them, right?So he very quietly set his bag down and all but tippy-toed to the kitchen to grab something to eat.He was starving.
“Namaste, guys.”Pete grinned and waved to him.“Okay, Belle go tell your Uncle Bay hi!He’s home!Eric, yay!You know what that means right?What did we decide?”
“Pizza night!”the little boy cheered, and little Merida clapped for him.
“That’s right, pizza night.Welcome home, we missed you.”