Page 59 of Manny Included

Pete snorted and started giggling.“You are a nerd.I love it.I promise that if you explode, I’m just going to run out of the house screaming.”

He gasped, putting his hand over his heart in mock dismay.“And leave the kids?”

Pete pondered it.“If you literally exploded?”He groaned.“I hope not, but probably.Probably I would just panic and run out screaming.And then I’d run back in and step over your brains and your chunks and go get the kids.”

Bay cackled, tickled that Pete had actually given it enough thought to give a detailed response.

“I’ll try not to explode,” he offered, taking another bite of his fourth slice.

“Fair enough.”Pete grabbed another piece of pizza himself.

Bay managed to finish that last piece—without exploding—and then finished his beer, which was the perfect accompaniment.The only problem was that now he was stuffed and had had a beer, not to mention sleep deprived, and he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to keep his eyes open much longer.

“Want to take your beer to bed, that way we can collapse there?”Pete was so good to him.

“Sounds great.I’m pretty sure I won’t be awake for even five minutes once I’m prone,” he warned.

“Fair enough.I may make it eight.”

“Ooo.A whole eight minutes.”He chuckled, stole a kiss.

“I know.I’m a stud.”Pete cracked up, shaking his head.

“I have discovered a problem with your plan to go to bed.”

Pete’s eyes went wide.“What?What’s wrong?”

“We have to move.”And his body was telling him, pretty clearly, that it didn’t want to have to move a muscle.

“Ah.Yes.I get it.I also know that I don’t love sleeping on the sofa.It’s neck-cricky.”

“You’ve spent the night here before, have you?”He could picture it, Pete sacked out, drooling.

“God yes.Too many times.”

“So we should try to make sure we don’t pass out down here, I guess.”Moving still wasn’t sounding particularly fun.

“Uh-huh.Come on.I’ll help.”Pete stood and held out one hand for him.

“You’re just trying to get me into bed.”He waggled his eyebrows, but he also took Pete’s hand and let the man help him get vertical.

“Nah.We both barely fit in my bed, but I am into time with you.”

“We’d both fit great in my bed,” he noted.That was a clear offer, right?

“Yeah?”Pete met his eyes, the worry just barely obvious.“I guess I have to go in there sometime, don’t I?It’s not a sacred space.”

“Not if you don’t want to.”All the old worries rose up.“It’s totally up to you.”

“I do.I want to be with you.It’syourroom now.”

“Okay.Then, come on up.Or help me get up there with you.Whatever.Let’s go to bed.”

“Yes.”Pete held his hand, squeezing his fingers tight.

They headed up together, and Bay admitted, the stairs seemed really steep today, but they finally got there and he opened the door to his room.“Come on in.”

Pete came in, but Bay wasn’t worried—he’d changed the furniture, the mattress, the art.Everything.