Page 11 of The Paternity Puzzle
“Yeah,” Sawyer admitted dreamily. “I know it’s not smart to get our hopes up so high, but I can’t help myself.”
“I can’t either,” Royce admitted. “I did what I promised not to do today.”
Sawyer laughed because he knew what Royce was about to divulge. “I texted Kels too,” he confessed. “The doctor made me nervous with all the talk about cramping and spotting.”
“But she’s doing good. No issues so far.” Royce pressed a kiss to his neck. “Do you feel different?”
Sawyer smiled again. “Yeah. I feel…giddy. Is that the right word?”
Nodding, Royce said, “Yeah, I don’t know how else to describe it. Do I look different?”
Sawyer narrowed his eyes and studied the handsome face he adored so much. “Yeah. You look like you’re at ease with your place in the world. Serenity is very attractive on you.”
Royce chuckled. “No one would ever describe me as serene. I might be more laid-back than you are, but I have a restless energy that never seems to fade. It feels more like a contented hum right now though. And I like it.” He kissed Sawyer gently before pulling back to study him. “And you’re glowing like you just spent a day at the spa with your mom and sister.”
“Do you think anyone suspects what’s going on?”
“I doubt it with this crew,” Royce said. “We didn’t tell anyone about our plans, and most people will have too much going on in their lives to notice. If they guess, it won’t be the end of the world.”
“True. But I want to exist in this happy little bubble with you for as long as I can.”
They kissed again, lingering until childish giggles dragged Sawyer’s attention away from his husband. Jackson Blue stood just inside the open patio door, holding a girl and boy in each of his massive arms. The detective’s linebacker size hid a teddybear’s heart, and no one delivered a quicker smile or joke than Blue. His current grin showed off a lot of teeth, and his dark eyes sparkled with humor. He wore swimming trunks and a pair of flip-flops, showing off gleaming dark skin and a mountain of muscle. Blue and his husband had adopted the twins a year ago, and they’d taken to parenting like ducks to water. DeMarcus wore a pair of trunks that matched Blue’s, and Zoya wore a pink bathing suit that matched the beads in her braids. Both kids wore inflatable floaties on the arms they’d wrapped around Blue’s neck.
Zeke closed the sliding glass door behind them and shook his head when he clocked his husband’s mischievous expression. He was shorter and leaner than Blue, but his firefighter’s build was impressive as hell. He placed his hand between Blue’s shoulder blades and gave him a little nudge. “We have two toddlers we’re trying to potty train, Blue.” He patted his husband’s back. “You can harass your friends later.”
The big man nodded his bald head. “And I will.”
“Pee pee,” Zoya announced.
“Pee pee,” DeMarcus mimicked.
“You know the way to the bathroom,” Royce said. They’d hosted countless poker nights and gatherings over the years, and their friends were as familiar with their home as Sawyer and Royce were, and that’s the way they wanted it. “I’m going to get the burgers and brats going on the grill.” He picked the tomato up off the counter and placed it back in Sawyer’s hand. “Try not to slice off a finger while daydreaming.”
Sawyer wanted to scoff but couldn’t with his history. He’d lost track of the number of times he’d embarrassed himself by getting too absorbed in audiobooks and podcasts while performing tasks. It was due more to luck than skill that he’d never hurt himself or others. “Got it. No daydreaming with sharp objects in my hand.”
Royce kissed him once more before retrieving the seasoned meats from the refrigerator and going outside. Sawyer set the tomato on the cutting board and returned to the sink to wash the rest of the vegetables he’d need for his topping bar. He had a reputation for being bougie about food, and he would not disappoint. Sawyer made the mango chutney, tomato jam, and the spicy remoulade a few days ago. All he needed to do was cut and arrange the vegetables. He’d worked his way through the tomatoes and lettuce by the time Blue, Zeke, and the kids passed back through.
“How’d it go?” Sawyer asked.
“We made it.” Zeke looked at his husband. “But it was close.”
Zoya spotted the strawberries on the fruit plate. “Berry!”
“You can have them with dinner, baby girl,” Blue said.
“My little princess can have one now,” Sawyer told him. “Do you want a berry too, Dee?” The little boy nodded excitedly and clapped. “We never say no to fruit in this house,” Sawyer said as he picked the two best berries off the plate for them. Zoya blew him a kiss on their way out the door, and he settled back on his tasks.
Holly came through a few minutes later with a sleeping Harper. His chubby pink cheeks and pale blond hair made him look like a cherub. “I’m just going to put him in his pack-n-play. Want me to wash up and help?”
“Sure.” Conversation would help prevent his mind from wandering too far.
Holly joined him a few minutes later, and he assigned her the avocados. “Slices or chunks?” she asked.
“Slices.” Sawyer pulled out a second cutting board from the drawer, then handed her a knife, a spoon, and a lemon to squeeze over the fruit to keep it from browning.
“Did you get to enjoy any of the conference presentations between your own speaking engagements?” Holly asked.
“I did,” Sawyer replied and listed some of the favorite lectures he attended. “Alec Bishop was there.”