Page 64 of Mr. Infuriating (Mister #1)

Gretchen

Gabe offered Jake pudding for dessert, so once again, my son went directly from the kitchen table to the bathtub. And, probably because Brittany wasn’t here, he decided to streak through the house naked, screeching, “Nakey time!” as he did.

“Good heavens,” Gabe declared as Jake ran into the kitchen ahead of me. “It’s a streaker! Gretchen! Keep Jake in the bathtub! The naked boy is here, again!”

I came around the corner to watch Jake stop in his tracks and turn to Gabe.

“No, Gabe. I, Jake.” He patted his bare chest and repeated, “I, Jake.”

“Jake?” Gabe pretended to study the little man’s face. “Oh my goodness, it is you! Where are your clothes?”

“Right here!” I declared with a fake roar as I held up his pajamas and pull-up diaper.

That elicited a shriek from Jake who took off running around the island.

“Be careful!” I warned. “Stay in the kitchen!”

He did as I said and raced by Gabe, who feigned reaching for the streaking child and missing, much to Jake’s delight.

Finally, after five minutes of running around, Jake was tuckered out and allowed me to get him ready for bed.

“Do you want a game or story?” I asked as I zipped up his pjs.

“Story.”

“Go pick one out of your bag. ”

I’d tossed a couple of his favorite books and games in his suitcase while packing, which he’d immediately noticed as I fished his jammies from his bag—right before he’d declared nakey time and took off running.

Gabe chuckled as he hung a dishcloth over the kitchen faucet.

“Damn, I wish I had his energy.”

I nodded my agreement. “They say ‘youth is wasted on the young’ for a reason.”

Jake came back with his favorite bear book, and as I reached for it, he pulled it away and announced, “No, Mama. Gabe read.”

I winced when I glanced over at Gabe, unsure how he’d react.

To his credit, he came around the island and asked, “What have we got here?” when Jake handed him the story. “ Bradberry Bear Plays Baseball ? Oh, I’ll bet this is a good one, come on.”

The two sat on the couch, and as Jake gave his rapt attention to Gabe while he told the story—complete with varying voices, I couldn’t help but rub the spot where my heart ached in my chest.

****

Gabe

The little dude fell asleep next to me before the story was over, so I carried him to the guest room. While Gretchen quietly plugged in the baby monitor and placed it on a nearby dresser, I gently put Jake in the plaype n

The mattress in that thing was thin and flimsy, and I didn’t like the idea of him sleeping on it.

I glanced at the queen guest bed and whispered, “Maybe we could put him in the middle of the mattress and line the edges with pillows, like bumpers?”

“It’s safer for him to be in the playpen. He’s fine there for a few nights.”

I made a mental note to pick up a toddler bed and mattress tomorrow, like the one I’d seen in Jake’s room at Gretchen’s house, along with the stools.

It’d be good to have for company in the future, I reasoned. Never mind that I hadn’t used the playpen once until their visit.

When we stepped out of the guest room and closed the door, she quietly whispered, “Thank you for doing that. I’m sorry he put you on the spot.”

“He didn’t put me on the spot. I enjoyed it. Britt and Brayden haven’t wanted me to read them a story in years. It was nice.”

“Well, I appreciate it.”

With my hand on the small of her back, I directed her toward my bedroom door and leaned down to growl in her ear, “You know what I’m going to appreciate? Seeing you in that lingerie, then ripping it off you.”

The corner of her mouth hitched, and she shook her head at me, like I was being silly.

That did nothing to deter my new mission. Instead, I prompted, “Get changed, sweetheart. I’ll be in soon.”

Not fucking soon enough.