Page 78 of Manny Included

“Of course.I enjoy hanging out with you.”

“I know.I enjoy being with you, too.I just…” Bay shrugged.“I’m not used to having someone in my life looking forward to time with me.”

“No, that’s a shame, but I’m glad it’s me.”

Bay grinned, nodded.“Yeah, I’m glad it’s you too.Like super glad.You make me happy.I didn’t even know I needed to be happy, but it’s a good thing.”

He nodded.They deserved a little good things.

“The talk with the kids went pretty darn well, didn’t it?”Bay asked.

“I think so.I’m fascinated to see what Belle comes up with.”

“Yeah.And I’m pleased that the only issue with us coming together was making sure no one was leaving and who got your room.”

“Belle’s the only one it matters to.The little ones?They just want stability.”

“They’ll have that,” Bay promised.“We’ll all have that.”

“That’s what’s important, lover.”

Bay, the kids, their lives.

Everything they needed was right here.

ChapterSeventeen

The first day of school.Bay couldn’t quite believe it.The summer had gone by so quickly and now the two older kids were back in school and Merida was off for a morning at daycare because she wanted to be a big girl and go to school too.So they’d enrolled her.And Flynn was fast asleep.He didn’t quite know what to do with himself.

Oh, he could have gone to his office and gotten some work done, but it was the first day of school and he’d told Will he wasn’t coming in today.He was thinking of cutting back even more.Letting Will handle more, or possibly even just really slowing down; it wasn’t like he needed the money.

“Pete?”he called out.If there were no kids and he didn’t have to go to work…

“Yeah, honey?”Pete was in the kitchen messing with something.

“We have an almost empty house and Flynn is napping hard.”

“He is.In his crib.”Pete’s eyes danced for him.

“I took the day off…” he added, wagging his eyebrows a little.

“Did you?”Pete’s eyes went wide.“You want to… play tiddlywinks?”

“As long as we’re talking about the tiddlywinks I think we’re talking about, you bet your butt I do.”

“Come on.Let’s go see if there’s something… fun to do in bed.”

“I can think of a thing or two.”He took Pete’s hand, feeling like a teenager, sneaking into his parents’ room with his boyfriend while nobody was home.

“Ooh… Are we going to be naughty?”Pete’s soft laughter was eager, warm.

“I sure hope so.I was tempted to give Flynn a drop or two of something to keep him asleep.”He winked, then added, just so Pete knew for sure.“Just joking, I would not do that.”

“I know, you dork.You’d never hurt the babies.Never.”Pete squeezed his hand, offering him a warm smile.

“Are you calling me a dork?”He’d have preferred stud.But he would take dork because he figured that was actually more accurate.

“You’re mine.That’s what’s important, right?”Pete pushed up into a hard, hot kiss.