Page 35 of Manny Included

Her lips dropped open.She squealed, clapping, and then leaned down to put her ear against his belly.“Monster?Monster, I hear!”

Oh god what if it didn’t growl again?She was going to be disappointed.So he picked up a trick from when he was a kid, swallowing as much air as he could.The resulting belch was loud, like really.

Her eyes went wide and she gasped, “Wow!”

“I know, right!”He was as surprised as she was; he hadn’t expected that to work quite as well as it had.

She giggled at him, then she wiggled down.“I make monster a house.”

“That’s very kind of you, but doesn’t he already have a house in my tummy?”

“Tummies not houses.Tummies don’t have winnows.”

Pete was cackling now.

“Tummies have belly buttons,” he countered, giving Pete a glare.

“I had babby butt too!”Merida yanked up her shirt.

Babby butt… He had to bite his lip to not burst out laughing at that.“Belly button,” he said slowly.

She nodded and patted her tummy.“Babby butt-bun!”

He supposed that would be close enough for now.

The doorbell went off, announcing the arrival of their pizzas.

“I’ll grab them.Be right back.”

Now he was alone with four children.For the first time.He’d somehow managed to avoid being alone with all of them before.

It wasn’t going to be for long, though, right?Pete would be back in a minute.He could do this for a minute.What could go wrong in a minute?

Belle popped off of her swing.“Is the pizza here?Was that what that was?Are you excited?”

“I’m very excited.I’m soooo hungry and can’t wait to eat.Are you excited?Is pizza a good food?”He was learning that the things he didn’t know about kids, and these kids in particular, was monumental.

“Pizza is the best!”

“Nuh-uh, tacos is the best,” Eric argued.“But pizza is good.”

“Itz-a yum!”Merida added in.

“Pizza is yum.Eric is right.though, so are tacos.”

“And murmurs!”

His eyes went wide, and Belle whispered.“Hamburgers.”

“How about chicken fingers?”he asked Merida.“Are those good, too?”Everyone loved fast food, it seemed.

“And sketties!”

Belle nodded, “Oh yeah, Psghetti and meatballs?Yum-o!With garlic bread that has cheese.”

“I like my garlic bread without cheese,” Bay admitted.He liked cheese, and he liked garlic.He wasn’t sure the two belonged that closely together.

“I’ll take the cheese from yours,” Belle said.“No problem.”