Page 39 of Manny Included
He had to think about that.
Sometimes, he sort of wished that he had just had babies of his own, a lover, a life that wasn’t raising everybody else’s babies.
And it would have been easier if Bay looked like an ogre.But the man didn’t.Or if he’d been an asshole, but he wasn’t.Bay was generous to him, to the kids, and he was trying hard to be what they needed.
Maybe he should take a vacation at some point.Maybe over the holidays or something.
Go on one of those gay cruises and just get laid a lot.
Maybe that would do it.
It didn’t matter.What mattered was he had to get his shit together and get out there and have grown-up dinner night and just remind himself that this wasn’t a thing.
It was never going to be a thing.
Ever.
ChapterNine
Bay avoided going down for lunch or supper for a few days after their last adult night.He cursed himself constantly.He had to keep his desires to himself because he was going to wind up driving Pete away, and that was about the worst thing he could do.The kids needed Pete.Hell, he needed Pete because he couldn’t deal with the kids all on his own.
Falling for the guy was about the stupidest thing he could do.And yet here he was…
His stomach growled, and he sighed.He had to get a hold of himself and be a grown-up and just go have supper with the family.He couldn’t spend the next eighteen years avoiding Pete.
A soft knock came to his door.“Uncle Bay, Petey says supper’s ready.It’s spaghetti and meatballs.And he didn’t put cheese on the garlic bread, even though I told him I was supposed to have your cheese.”Belle sounded aggravated.
“I’m coming, Belle.”He closed his laptop and told himself to be a grown-up already and went out and took her hand so they could head downstairs togeether.“Maybe he didn’t want cheese on the garlic bread today?”
“No, I told him.He’s just sad, I think.”
“Oh, why is he sad?”
She shrugged.“I guess he misses Daddy and Mommy.They were very best friends.”
“Yeah, I know.We all miss them, eh?Some days that hits harder than others, you know?”He hoped it wasn’t because of him.
They walked into the kitchen.
The kids were sitting around the kitchen table, except for the baby, who was on Pete’s back in a carrier.“Hey there, supper’s ready.There’s chocolate silk pie for dessert, so we should all be good to go.”
Bay had to admit it smelled amazing.
“My stomach is going to start growling, it smells so good in here.”He went to his spot and offered Pete a smile.Damn, the man looked good.
“Happy Friday.”Pete smiled for him.“The kids requested pasta.I hope you don’t mind.”
He offered a smile back.“I’ve never had any complaints about the food you’ve made.”They’d stopped the food delivery service after the first couple of weeks of it, Pete saying he prefered doing the meals himself.“It smells absolutely delicious.”
“Well, come on in, sit down, and eat.There’s salad too.”Pete got everybody set up, and then started putting the baby in a highchair, grabbing some applesauce in a jar out of the fridge.
Bay sat and dished himself up a bunch of noodles, then covered them in the sauce.“Can you pass the garlic bread, please, Belle.Naked, just how I like it.”
He was pleased to discover that some of the garlic bread did in fact have cheese on it.Pete hadn’t left cheese-loving Belle wanting.
“Poor Uncle Bay.You don’t know how to eat garlic bread,” she teased.
He chuckled.“I just don’t like it drowned in cheese because I like the garlicky flavor—it’s called garlic bread after all,” he dared to tease back.