Page 62 of Manny Included

“Wanna go home!”Merida cried out.

“Me, too.”

“Me, too.”

Yeah, they all did.

He looked at his watch.Bay ought to be here shortly, and the rain was letting up a little.

Bay pulled up and he started loading up the kids, moving as fast as he could.Everyone was fussy.

Bay got out and dealt with the groceries, piling them in the back of the van.

“Sorry you had to wait,” Bay said as they both climbed into the front seats.

“No worries.Thanks for coming.The natives were getting restless.”

“I didn’t want you all on the road in a strange vehicle,” Bay told.

“Well, thank you.I know this is… hard.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Bay said softly.“I took one look at the weather and kind of… panicked.”He mouthed the final word, no doubt so the kids didn’t hear.

“I understand.”He didn’t have the same fear, but he did understand.

Bay started the car and pulled into traffic, relaxing as the rain slowed, and then stopped altogether.

“I can’t believe you walked to the grocery store with all four kids on your own.”

“Well, the phone said it was going to be pretty.”

Bay chuckled at that.“The phone lied, man.And what I actually meant was that it was a long way to walk with all of you.”

Bay was wrong about that.It had taken them twenty minutes, tops, and they’d been dawdling too.

“We like to walk.We like to explore and wander.There are times that we walk all the way down to the park and play all day, and then just take the bus back.”

“Yeah?Huh.”Bay turned onto their block, seeming to relax some more.

“Yeah.It tires us all out.”And sometimes, he liked hanging with the other nannies.

“Ah.Everyone sleeps well those nights, eh?”They pulled into the driveway, and Bay turned off the engine.

“Like rocks.”He winked over.“Heavy little rocks.”

Bay chuckled.“I’d like to see that.I don’t thing all four have slept the night through since… I got here.”

“Well…” Things were a little different now.

“I know, I know.I’m just saying that it’s hard to imagine.”Bay grabbed his hand and squeezed.“I’m glad we all made it home safely.”

“Me too.”He held on.“Let’s get the kids and the food in.”

“Yeah.I hope the only ice cream you bought was in cones for the kids to eat while you waited.”Bay got out and went around to the back of the van, started unloading groceries.

“I would have been way more panicky otherwise.”Pete got the baby in, and everybody else went straight outside in the backyard to go jump around in the mud.“No one come back in until I get the groceries in, so we don’t get mud everywhere, okay?

“Okay!”