Page 34 of Manny Included
“Sounds good.”Don’t let them see you sweat.He repeated it to himself over and over.“Now what am I doing to help with dinner?”
“You’re going to get comfortable, put on some shorts and a T-shirt, and we’ll all go sit outside to watch the kids play.You can tell me about your trip.”
“Okay, I can do that.”He gave Pete a smile and headed upstairs to get changed.This was so different from usual, but he thought he liked it.
He got changed and grabbed the bag in his suitcase that was the gifts for the kids and headed back downstairs.Everyone was already out in the backyard, so he joined them there.
The baby was in a little pen with an umbrella next to Pete’s feet, Merida and Eric were playing in the sandbox, and Belle was swinging and singing.
“This looks very idyllic.”He sat in the bright blue adirondack chair next to Pete’s and set his bag of goodies next to him.
“Until it gets brutally hot, these babies love being outside in the yard.”
“It’s a nice yard.I can see why it sold Tony on the place.”
“Yeah, he liked that, and he loved the fact that there were six bedrooms.There are two master suites, which you know, and we had that amazing basement.”
“We’ll get it finished—the waywewant it.It’s ours now.”He needed to remember that.They all needed to remember that.
“Yes.It is… ours, huh?”Pete’s eyes were bright red.
He reached out and put his hand on Pete’s arm, squeezed.He let it sit there, keeping them connected.
He wasn’t sure what was building between them, but he knew it was.He could feel it.
Merida squealed, breaking the quiet, and he smiled at her.She held her hands out and opened and closed them, so he reached down and lifted her up onto his lap.
“Bay-Bay!”She kissed him, smacking him happily.
“Bay-Bay, huh?”He kind of liked it.He rubbed their noses together.
“Bay-Bay!”Her laughter made him feel ten feet tall.
He hugged her close.She smelled like sand and baby.“What were you building in the sand?”he asked her.
“House.”She beamed at him, so pleased with herself.
“Well look at that, so it is.Is this our house?Do we all live here?”This was such a different life than what he was used to.Not bad, but different like whoa.
“Uh-huh, you and me and sisters and brothers and Petey, all of us, a fambly.”
He wasn’t sure if it was amazing that she was recovering so quickly or devastating that she didn’t remember her mom and dad.
He figured it was probably best to look at it on the good side.This was easier on her than it was Belle, that was for sure, and he wouldn’t wish the pain of loss on any of them.
His stomach growled loudly, and Merida’s eyes went wide.“Bay-Bay!”
“I’m hungry, baby girl.”
“Itz-a, itz-a, itz-a!Petey, bring the itz-a!”
“It’s coming, baby girl.It takes a little while to cook.”Pete rolled his eyes and shook his head, but his smile was warm and fond.“It’s all right, it’s gonna be soon.Soon, soon, soon.”
“I’ll be okay, the monster in my tummy won’t eat me,” he promised her.
Her eyes went wide, “A monster?In you’s tummy?”She poked him.“Lemme see.”
“You can’t see it, you can only hear it.”As if on cue, his belly growled again.