Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 1
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,
and incidents either are the product of the author's
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations,
or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
and beyond the intent of either the author or the
publisher.
Daddy, Daddy, & Me
TOP SHELF
An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers
PO Box 2545
Round Rock, TX 78680
Copyright 2011 by Sean Michael
Cover illustration by S. Squires
Published with permission
ISBN: 978-1-61040-726-7
www.torquerepress.com
All rights reserved, which includes the right to
reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form
whatsoever except as provided by the U.S.
Copyright Law. For information address Torquere
Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.
First Torquere Press Printing: December 2011
Printed in the USA
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 2
Daddy, Daddy, and Me
By Sean Michael
Chapter One
Donny got off the bus and headed right like his GPS
was telling him to. 3479 Blueberry Lane. Blueberry. He
smiled again and shook his head. When he'd first seen
the ad, he'd thought it was a joke.
It wasn't, though, and so he was going to give it his
best shot. Since graduating with his degree in early
childhood care, though, even his best shot hadn't been
good enough. He was a man after all.
And a gay one at that.
He'd been interviewed for more jobs than he cared to
count and the only silver lining he could find was that at
least he was now an expert at being interviewed.
When he got to 3479 Blueberry Lane he'd expected it
to look like a clone of its neighbors. It wasn't, though.
This one looked like someone had taken the time to do
some planning before it had been built. It was beautiful.
He couldn't see anything in the fenced off backyard, but
the flower beds weren't quite as neat and tidy as most on
the block and there was a little shovel and a pail sitting
in the dirt. Of course, kids would do that to your lawn,
leave you with no time to care about what was actually
growing in the beds.
He made sure he was all tucked in and that he didn't
have anything stuck in his teeth before heading up the
walk and knocking on the door. There was a bell, but if
there were little kids there was always the chance they
were sleeping and he didn't figure it would endear him
to anyone if he woke the wee ones up.
"Just a second!"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 3
Someone inside screamed. "No! No! No! Daddy Jeff!
NO!"
Then there was a crash, followed by a wail from an
infant.
Good Lord.
He hesitated for no more than half a second before he
tried the door; they clearly needed help in there.
A little, dark-haired boy came squealing toward him,
naked, screaming, covered in what looked like marker,
followed closely by a man, hopping on one foot, blood
dripping from the hand wrapped around the foot in the
air. "Robin! Robin, are you okay?"
Wow.
Donny closed the door quickly and went to his knees
to catch Robin before the kid could streak by him. "Hey,
buddy, slow down there."
"No baths! NO! NO!" Bright blue eyes met his, filled
with tears. "I drawed!"
"I can see that. You know what the problem with no
baths and using yourself as paper is?" The boy shook his
head. "You run out of places to draw too quickly!"
Donny looked past Robin to the good-looking, bleeding
man, and gave him an empathetic smile.
He got an exhausted grin, a mouthed "thank you."
Robin frowned, chewing his bottom lip. "Daddy Jeff!
Want bath! Now!"
"Okay, Robin. Okay. Let me grab your sister." The
man let go of his foot and blood sprayed. "And a paper
towel."
"I can either get the little girl or help him with his
bath, if you want?" Hands on help would be an excellent
way to prove that despite the fact he was a man, he
could do the job and do it well.
"I. I don't even know you. You..."
The baby started screaming at the top of her lungs.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 4
"Watch the glass. The bathroom's this way."
"I'm Donald Gleason. I'm your three o'clock nanny
interview." He lifted Robin up over the glass as he
followed Daddy Jeff down the hall.
"Jeff Roberts." Jeff pulled a huge piece of glass from
his foot. "Oh, better."
God, blood was getting everywhere.
"Sit," Donny ordered when they got to the bathroom.
It wouldn't kill the little one to cry for another moment
as her father got his foot wrapped.
"I need to get Kimberley."
"Daddy Jeff, you got blood everywhere."
The man sighed. "Yes, Robin, I know."
"Sit and let me doctor that; you're not going to calm
her down if you're flustered." He grabbed a washcloth
and ran it under the water, and then wrung it out. He
handed it to Robin. "I've got a really important job for
you -- can you hold this against Daddy Jeff's foot while I
find a Band Aid?"
"I can. I'm big." Robin beamed, bounced over, and
placed the cloth on Jeff's big foot.
"The Band Aids are in the medicine cabinet. There's a
lock thing. On the top." The man sounded utterly wiped.
Donny got the child lock undone and found the gauze
and the Band Aids, grabbing them and handing them
over to Daddy Jeff. Jeff. He locked the cabinet back up.
"Just keep holding that there, Robin. I'm going to get
your sister."
He heard Jeff telling him he didn't have to, but he
followed the wails upstairs into a tiny little room, half-
painted, half-decorated, with the most beautiful, tiny,
dark-haired baby screaming her head off, legs kicking
furiously.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 5
"Well, hello there, beautiful." He picked her up and
leaned her against his shoulder, bouncing her a little.
"Don't you have a good pair of lungs?"
She hiccupped, sobbed a little, her baby head
bobbing.
"Aw, sweetie, it's okay. Things just got a little busy,
that's all. You weren't forgotten, I swear." He kept
crooning to her, bouncing her as he headed back down
the stairs toward the bathroom.
The bath water was running, Robin lecturing his
father about temperature, very firmly. "You have to
make it right. Mommy says not too hot."
"I won't make it too hot, Robin."
Donny hid his grin in the little girl's hair. "Looks like
things are almost under control here."
"Yes. Let me get him clean and get her changed. I..."
Tired blue eyes met his. "I fell asleep."
"Hey, man, it happens. That's why you're advertising
for a nanny, right? I'll change her, and then you can hold
her while I doctor your foot. Then we'll get Robin de-
markered. In the meantime," he turned to Robin, "why
don't you get in and see how much water that tugboat
can take on before it sinks?"
"Boats! Daddy Jeff taked me on a boat!" Robin
splashed into the tub, almost falling, and Jeff caught him
before he went down.
"Nice save." Donny chuckled and set the little girl on
the changing table in the corner, making quick work of
her diaper. "What's this beauty's name again?" It was
something with a K, he thought.
"Kimberley."
Jeff stood, limping over to find a wash cloth. The
bathroom was well-appointed, fancy and fabulous and
marble, and incredibly not-kid friendly. All that marble
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 6
would be hell on falls and bumps. While there was a
lock on the cabinet, there wasn't on the toilet.
"What a lovely name for a lovely girl."
He took the washcloth when Jeff gave it to him, and
cleaned her up, got a new diaper on her. "Sit back down,
man and I'll give her to you, get that foot checked out.
And Robin can tell me all about this boat you took him
on."
Robin was laughing and splashing, making a mess
and generally ignoring him, which worked, too.
Jeff sat on the toilet, held his hands out for the baby.
God, the kids looked just like him, both of them.
He handed Kimberley over and kept a half an eye on
Robin while he took a look at Jeff's foot; as long as
Robin was making noise, he knew the kid was okay.
"This looks pretty deep. You should probably keep
off of it."
"Yeah. He broke a lamp and it just shattered."
"You probably shouldn't need stitches or anything,
though." He smiled at Jeff. The man was good-looking.
"I don't. It'll heal. It has to; I have to work
tomorrow."
He decided the gauze would work best on the foot
and started wrapping it. "What do you do?"
"I'm the head chef at Dejeuner."
The restaurant was famous enough that Donny'd
heard of it, though he couldn't afford to eat there. "Wow,
that's cool. What's your wife do?" He finished wrapping
the foot and used a clip to keep the gauze in place before
settling back on his haunches to look up into Jeff's face.
"I'm not married."
Not married, well, no wonder the man was exhausted.
Toddlers were hard work; throw in a baby and you could
kiss a decent night's sleep goodbye, especially if you
were doing it alone.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 7
Jeff shifted Kimberley, and the baby gurgled. "This
had got to be the weirdest interview for you, ever."
"It's more like a trial by fire than an interview, eh?"
He grinned up at the man, patted the baby on the butt
and turned his attention to Robin. "And how about you -
- are you ready to help me show your Daddy that I know
how to do bath time properly?"
"Yes!" Water went flying, the little boy as joyous as
he had been hysterical. It was a beautiful thing about the
age; emotions were big and swift and bad moods were
usually easy enough to take care of. Even when the
"terrible twos" lingered into the threes.
Laughing, he wiped the water off his face. It was too
bad he hadn't brought along a change of clothes. He
would next time. If there was a next time; he was hoping
like hell that he was proving his worth right here and
now.
Between the two of them, they got Robin clean, dry,
and dressed, and sitting at the kitchen table with a snack
of apples and cheese. Jeff fixed Kimberley a bottle and
then offered him a tired smile. "Would you like some
coffee? Water?"
"I'm good, man. I can feed her if you want, while we
do the interview."
"It's okay. You've helped a ton already. Come on,
let's sit at the island and you can tell me about yourself."
"Sounds good. This is a gorgeous kitchen," he added
as he sat on one of the stools next to the island. Of
course, the man was a chef -- it made sense he had a
great kitchen. This one was bigger than most kitchens
he'd seen, though. There was a table big enough for six
next to a large window that opened onto a covered porch
that held another table with four chairs around it. The
island was fabulous, but the corners hadn't been covered
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 8
and would probably do some damage to a little head if it
careened into them.
The counters were light marble, and the cupboards
were dark with gold knobs. A double oven sat next to
the stovetop, and the fridge had one of those ice
dispenser things. There was a door out to the porch. The
whole thing was bright and while it was fancy, it felt
like it was inviting to sit in, and he'd bet to cook in as
well.
"Thank you. I had it built just last year."
"Must have been hard with a little one underfoot." He
gave Robin a grin, the little boy munching away on his
apple slices.
"Oh, they just moved in... three weeks ago?
Kimberley was just nine weeks old."
"I thought she looked little-little." This was clearly
not your standard family going on here -- the kids were
definitely Jeff's, they just looked too much like him not
to be, but Jeff wasn't married and they'd only just moved
in a few weeks ago. "I'm not prying, but I do need to
know the family situation if I'm going to work for you."
Jeff sighed. "The kids were... God, this is
complicated. Beth wanted babies and she was my best
friend. I... I was the donor for both."
"Okay." That was a pretty big thing, no matter how
good a friend the lady was. He gave Jeff an encouraging
look.
Jeff looked down at the baby, rocking her. "She was
doing great, was getting ready to go back to work,
when..." The man stopped, cleared his throat. "There
was a fire. She got the kids out. But..."
Oh, God. Oh, damn. That was. God. "I'm so sorry,
Jeff. Man, that's... I'm so sorry." What could he say?
"Yeah. It sucked. And I'm the godfather. They came
to live with me." The godfather and the actual father. It
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 9
made sense, given the circumstances, but at the same
time, wow.
"So how long have you had them?"
"Since March twenty-third. Three weeks. My sister,
Jillian, she came for ten days at the beginning, but..."
Jeff suddenly looked desperate. "My leave at work is
short and what if one of them gets sick? And potty
training. He's wet the bed since he came."
Someone needed a nap. And it wasn't Robin. Or
Kimberley.
"Sounds like you really need a nanny. Good thing
you put an ad in for one." He gave Jeff a grin. "How
many people have you seen?" Was he still in the
running? How many of them could have displayed the
hands on skills like he just had right now? That had to
put him in the running, right?
"Twelve." Jeff sighed. "Ten people who told me I
needed to give them to their grandparents, one who
wanted to be my live-in lover, and one who lectured me
on the evils of butter."
Donny frowned. "People suck, man -- how you
decide to raise your children is your business and dude,
butter is awesome." He thought he definitely had a
chance here. For the first time since about his twentieth
interview, he had hope that he might get the job.
"I've got my degree in early childhood care, but no
practical experience, unless you count being the coolest
uncle to my sisters' kids. I can start tomorrow -- well,
even today, I guess. What kind of hours are we talking?"
If Jeff was a chef he was going to work afternoons and
evenings, right?
"I work from two in the afternoon to midnight,
Tuesday through Saturday. I know that's like a lot of
hours for you, but I'll provide room and board and a
good salary. You'd have Sunday and Monday off and..."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 10
Jeff trailed off. "Do you have references? I should
probably ask for those."
Oh, room and board -- he wouldn't have to bus it in
every day, which was a relief if he was going to be here
until after midnight on a regular basis. It meant he could
bank most of his salary, too.
"I do. I have written references in my bag, which I
left in the hall, and you can call them, too, if you want.
It is a lot of hours, but if I'm living in, I'm saving transit
time." And money on paying for his own place. "I've
met the kids and like them and they don't seem allergic
to me."
"No. No, they don't." Jeff offered him another half-
smile. Robin was falling asleep in his snack, the baby
was sleeping again. "I've never done this before. She
wasn't supposed to die."
Donny nodded. "Yeah, life has a way of throwing
punches. I'd really like to take the job. I could stay the
rest of the afternoon as a trial while you get some rest, if
you wanted."
"You don't want to see your room or anything?"
"I'll be honest with you, Jeff. I've been to a lot of
interviews and most of the time I barely make it past the
first two minutes because I'm a guy. And if I do, well
then I tell them," he took a deep breath, hoping like hell
Jeff wasn't a homophobic prick. "I tell them I'm gay, and
they can't get rid of me fast enough."
"You're family?" Jeff's eyes went wide.
His own mouth dropped open at Jeff's words and then
he grinned, nodded. "How about that?"
"I... Seriously? Are you fucking with me, man?"
"Daddy Jeff! BAD WORD!"
Donny had to bite his lip, hard, to keep from
laughing. "That was a bad word, wasn't it?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 11
Robin nodded, then teared up. "Mommy says no bad
words."
Jeff's eyes closed. "I hate four in the afternoon. He
acts like it's naptime, but then he won't be able to sleep."
Shifting his chair closer to Robin, Donny took the
little boy's hand in his. "Sometimes people forget they
aren't supposed to say bad words. That's what Daddy
Jeff did. He'll try very hard not to say it again, okay?"
He got a solemn not from Robin, the little boy still
sniffling.
"You have any DVDS of the Teletubbies or anything
like that? Something he can settle at and just chill for
forty minutes or so?" If Robin was resisting naptime, he
would still benefit from some quiet time.
"I bought a bunch of sh...stuff. They lost everything.
It's been crazy."
"Okay, it's all good. Why don't you go put Kimberley
down and then put your head down yourself? You look
like you haven't had a decent night's sleep in a while.
Robin and I will check out your DVD collection
together."
He'd bet this job that Robin would fall asleep in front
of the TV if they found something gentle to watch. He
would also bet that if Jeff got some sleep and relaxed, it
would help Robin relax as well.
He really felt for them all, and suddenly he was glad
he'd not gotten a job yet. These people needed him. He
knew things always happened for a reason; he shouldn't
have stressed it so hard.
"We'll just all come rest together."
`That was fair -- Jeff didn't know him from a hole in the
wall. Donny had no problem with the man needing a
little more than a bit of help in an emergency to leave
the kids alone with him.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 12
Jeff led him to a huge great room, the furniture heavy
and leather and masculine, the little child's bean bag
next to the dark brown couch looking incongruous.
There were shelves full of books and DVDs, a coffee
table, and a couple of little tables next to the each of the
recliners that bracketed the couch. Knickknacks were all
chest height and above, but Donny knew how easy it
would be for them to tempt Robin into climbing the
shelves to get to them.
He would have to sit down with Jeff after the man
had managed to get some sleep and talk about some of
the things that needed doing to properly childproof the
place. Clearly an attempt had been made, but it was
amazing how much more was needed. Especially when
the baby got old enough to be mobile.
Jeff sat on the couch, the baby on his chest. Before
Donny could get a movie on for Robin, the man was
sound asleep.
He found a Max and Ruby DVD and put it in.
"Where should we sit, Robin?"
"I... That's my big boy chair." Robin pointed to the
bean bag.
"Oh, it looks comfy. Is it?"
Robin nodded, chewed his bottom lip. "You can't fit."
"No, but I could sit next to you? Or we could sit on
the couch together."
"Okay. With Daddy Jeff?"
At the sound of his name, Jeff twitched.
"Yeah, you can sit between us." Donny sat on the
other side of the couch and patted the space between
him and Jeff.
Robin crawled up, settled beside him, little hand
around his father's ankle. The boy's thumb popped into
his mouth.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 13
He held his hand out by Robin's thigh. "Hold my
hand?"
The little boy stared at him for a long, long time, then
the thumb came out, fingers placed in his. He smiled
gently and curled his fingers around Robin's, then turned
his attention to the TV, to getting the DVD going.
Soon the gentle sounds of Max and Ruby filled the
room. It took seven minutes before Robin cuddled into
his side, and fell sound asleep. He nodded: nap time.
Donny looked at the three of them. The family he
was here to take care of. He felt like this was meant to
be; they were his family.
Pretty fu-- no, not fucking, pretty darn cool.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 14
Chapter Two
Jeff woke up to the smell of something cooking. He
sniffed. Tomato sauce. He frowned. Had Mitch come
home?
No. No way.
He sat up, heart suddenly racing. He'd fallen asleep,
with the kids. Both of Beth's kids.
"Robin?"
The baby was gone, too and he panicked for a
moment, until he heard voices coming from the kitchen,
one of them definitely adult.
He stumbled into the kitchen, blinking. "Robin?"
"Daddy Jeff! The man's making pizza!"
The man? He looked over, smiled at the young man
behind the stove. Shit, what was the guy's name? What
was he doing? Sleeping while this stranger was with his
children?
The guy turned his attention to Robin first. "It's
Donny, remember?" When Robin nodded, Donny turned
to Jeff and gave him a smile. "You looked like you
needed the rest, so I thought I'd start supper."
"I. Thank you. God, I'm sorry, man." He headed for
the coffee machine, started pressing buttons. "Have you
been good, Robbie?"
His son -- his son, Jesus Christ -- nodded. "Uh-huh."
"He's been great. And no apologies necessary -- my
nefarious plan is working -- I'm proving just how
indispensible I am. You'll have to hire me now."
Kimberley gurgled from the car seat on the floor in
the corner, as if agreeing.
"Let me call your references and the job is yours." He
needed help and Donny was here and needed a job.
"Go ahead and call them now -- I've got supper under
control." Donny's cheeks went slightly red. "Not that I'm
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 15
trying to tell you what to do, but I'd really like this job
and you seem like you need me to have it, too."
"Did you find everything you needed?" He knew his
kitchen was better than well-stocked.
"Oh, yeah, it's all very organized and well put
together." Donny nodded to a backpack on one of the
chairs in the breakfast nook. "My reference sheet is in
the backpack, front pouch."
"Thanks." He gave Robin a kiss on the way by and
chuckled at Kimberley, who was kicking and cooing.
It didn't take long to find the references and he
stepped into the den, calling his sister, Jillian, first.
"Jellybean? I think I found a nanny."
"Truly? Oh, Jeff, thank God. I was beginning to think
you weren't going to. Tell me all about her."
"His name's Donny. He's got a degree in early
childhood. He has references."
"His name? You've picked a boy to be your nanny?"
She sounded skeptical.
"Yeah. Yeah, I have, unless you want the job."
"God, no. You know me and children don't mix
unless in very small doses." He could picture her
exaggerated shudder. She'd been a trooper the first ten
days he'd had the kids, but she'd all but run out of there
the second he'd said he thought he could handle things
on his own. "So he's got a degree, huh? And good
references?"
He shuffled the papers. "Two professors, a day care
center director, and Mickey over at the Out-Reach."
He knew Mickey -- the man had asked his boss to do
fundraisers for them, and in the few years since then,
Mickey and Jeff had become good friends.
"Those sound like good references. I hope he works
out, Jeff; I know how badly you want to keep the kids."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 16
He rolled his eyes. They'd had this discussion. Beth's
parents and he had had the discussion. His lawyer. Matt.
Everyone in the world who knew him had an opinion.
Hell, people he didn't know probably had an opinion. It
didn't matter; he was these children's father -- like it or
not -- and more than anything, Beth had wanted him to
raise them, if she couldn't.
So, no matter what, he would.
Beth had been his best friend since kindergarten, for
Christ's sake.
"Yeah. I just wanted to check in."
"Good luck, Jeffster. You know I'm pulling for you."
"I do. Love you, Jellybean."
"Love you too, Jeffster." The phone went dead as his
sister hung up.
He called the first two references and got glowing
results, the third he left a message for, then he called
Mickey. "Mickey? Jeff Roberts. How goes it?"
"Hey, Chef Jeff. How's it hanging, man? I haven't
talked to you since what? End of January?"
"Yeah. Yeah." They'd had a little debrief over how
the Christmas fundraisers had gone. "How's it going?"
"Great. I was just thinking about you. You and Mitch
should come over for dinner, man. Lew loves to try and
impress you."
He winced. "Uh. Mitch and I... It. Well..."
"What? You two had been together forever! It's been,
what?"
"Seven years." He'd thought they really were going to
be together forever, too.
"Jesus!"
Donny's head popped around the corner. "Supper's
gonna be about five more minutes, man."
"Thank you." He nodded and sighed. "Look, I'm
calling about Donny Gleason."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 17
"Donny Gleason? He's a good kid. What about him?"
It had to be a good sign that Mickey knew him by name.
"I'm interviewing him for a nanny position."
"A nanny po... What the... Oh, my fucking God. It
was your Beth. I told Lew I thought so, but he said no
way." Mickey sighed. "Oh, God, Jeff. I'm so sorry, man.
She was a good woman."
"She was." Hysteria bubbled up in his chest and he
swallowed it down. He had to get through this; which is
what he told himself every time her death started to feel
overwhelming. "Tell me about Donny."
"He's a good kid. He's been volunteering here since
he was fourteen."
"Yeah? I've never seen him, but my hours..." He did
more behind the scenes stuff like cooking for fundraisers
than he did actual hands on with the kids Out-Reach
mentored.
"Shit, Jeff, I haven't seen you in months. You're busy.
Especially now with Beth's... Are you going to keep
them?"
"They're mine." Of course he was. It was what Beth
wanted.
"Well, Donny's good with kids and I know he's been
working damn hard on his degree. If you hire him to
look after your kids, he's going to do a damn good job."
"That's what everyone's said." It looked like he had a
nanny. Thank God.
"Well, there you go. Good luck with them, man. And
don't be a stranger."
"I'll see. Maybe we'll get together." When the kids
were grown.
Mickey's laughter came through the line. "I know a
blow-off when I hear one. Take care, man."
"See you."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 18
He hung up, closed his eyes, and prayed. "Please.
Please, Bethy. I'm trying so hard for you, for them. Help
me make the right decision. I miss you, you bitch."
"Food's ready!" The cheerful call came from the
kitchen.
"I'm coming." He wiped his eyes, headed in. "Looks
good, man. If you want the job, it's yours."
"Really? That's awesome! I do. I want it. Thanks!"
Donny beamed at him, then came toward him, looking
for all the world like he was going to hug Jeff. Instead,
at the last minute, one hand shot out.
He shook Donny's hand, tried to smile. "Can you start
now? I mean, you sort of have."
Donny grinned and nodded, turning him toward the
table where Robin was sitting with his very own little
pizza in front of him. "I can. I'll need to go home tonight
and bring my stuff back tomorrow. Is that okay? It's just
I don't even have a change of clothes or anything."
"That's completely reasonable."
"Cool. I made you a tomato, ham, and cheese pizza,
but if you want a different kind..."
It was only then that he noticed the table had been set
with three settings -- one for him and Donny as well as
where Robin sat, Kimberley was still in her car seat in
the corner, dozing by the looks of things.
"That sounds lovely. Thank you." He sat, staring at
the plate, suddenly so fucking tired. He'd been on his
own for two weeks and it was almost overwhelming
now, to have help, to not be the only adult.
"What do you want to drink?" Donny asked, opening
the fridge door.
"Papple Dus!" shouted Robin.
Donny laughed. "Okay, one apple juice, one bottle of
formula and..."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 19
"I would like a root beer, please." Jeff smiled at
Robin. "Would you like me to cut your pizza up?"
"No! I do it!"
"That knife is pretty dull; he shouldn't be able to hurt
himself with it." Donny handed him a can of root beer.
"Unless you have one of those pizza wheels?"
"I do." He stood, going to one of the dozen
meticulously organized drawers. "This entire section is
the bladed tools." He pulled the wheel out, smiled. "I
bought this in Chicago during a food festival." He and
Mitch had met that weekend.
"Cool. I couldn't help but notice you hadn't really
child-proofed the place yet. Is that something you'd like
me to do?" Donny sat at the table with a glass of water
for himself and a pizza that looked the same as Jeff's.
"I... I put locks on the medicine cabinet." He'd put all
the breakables at least four feet off the ground, too. He
knew he'd have to do something about the stairs when
Kimberley started crawling, but that wasn't for awhile
yet.
Donny grinned at him. "What about that lovely
drawer of sharp objects you just fished the pizza cutter
out of? How about the stairs? Do you have a gate for
that?" Donny shook his head. "I'm not trying to make
you feel bad, man -- you've only just gotten the kids, so
it's no wonder you haven't known where to begin with it.
But there are a hundred different ways a kid could hurt
themselves and it's fairly easy to take precautions. I can
make a run to the store tomorrow on my way back."
"I... should I give you some money?" He felt so
stupid. "What... what is it exactly you'll be doing and
won't? I have a housekeeper who comes in three times a
week for cleaning and laundry..."
"Oh, yeah? That rocks. I guess if you're working two
'til midnight, you're going to be gone from about one in
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 20
the afternoon until one in the morning, right? I'll be
making their meals, playing with them, naps, baths,
bedtime."
He nodded, sighed. He was going to miss so much.
"And yeah, if you could give me a couple hundred
dollars, I can get the whole place childproofed. I'll want
to sit down with you at some point and talk about how
you want them to grow up, goals, stuff like that."
"Goals..." He stared at the pizza again. God, what
was he going to do?
"Yeah, like reading, writing, potty-training, that kind
of thing. Whether or not you want Kimberley to use a
soother."
"A what?"
"A soother. A soose? Binky? The little nipple like
thing that some babies suck on? It's a hot button issue
for a lot of parents."
"A pacifier? A button issue? Why? Does she need
one? Robin had one." He was going to cry. Maybe he
needed a beer.
"I don't think she needs one, but some parents want to
use it to keep the babies from crying." Donny gave him
a gentle smile. "You don't have to decide everything
today."
"Good." He looked at Robin, who was eating eagerly.
"Is it good, kiddo?"
Robin nodded. "Like."
"Good."
Donny gave him a brilliant smile. "Yeah, it is."
He ate one slice of his pizza -- it tasted just fine and
he hadn't had to cook it, so it worked for him.
"You want some peaches for dessert, Robin?" Donny
gave his son an easy smile.
"No. Cookies."
"Robin isn't an herbivore. At all."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 21
"You don't like peaches?" Donny's eyes went wide. "I
love peaches. They're so sweet. Like candy."
Robin's head tilted. "Candy? Daddy Jeff? Candy?"
He didn't know what to say. Robin could have
peaches, but not candy.
"Sorry," Donny mouthed at him.
"You can try the peaches, sure."
"They're awesome, Robin." Donny got up and
grabbed a couple from the bowl of fruit on the island
and brought them over along with a knife and started
slicing the fruit. Robin didn't look convinced and Jeff
reached over, stole one, and popped it in his mouth. Not
bad, for early in the season.
Donny laughed. And pushed the plate he was slicing
the peaches onto closer to Robin. "Are you going to let
your daddy steal them all?"
"NO!" Robin laughed and popped one in his mouth,
face screwing up as he chewed. They waited, watched,
then Robin swallowed. He took another piece.
"Pretty good, huh?" Donny cut the second peach up,
adding the slices to Robin's plate before licking juices
off his hand.
Jeff's eyes were caught for a moment, but he looked
away. He wasn't looking for a fuck, not right now. Right
now he wanted five hours of sleep in a row.
"So what time is bedtime for this one?" Donny asked
around another bite of pizza.
"He falls asleep around ten, mostly." He knew that
Beth had put Robin to sleep earlier, but Jeff simply
wasn't up to the fight. The kid missed his mom, there
was no way Jeff was going to be evil and force Robin to
sleep.
"Okay. What about the baby, I assume she's still up a
couple times in the night?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 22
"Every couple of hours. She's just taking the bottle."
That had been a nightmare. Beth had been breastfeeding
and Kimberley had reacted badly at the switch to the
bottle.
"Okay, good to know. Is there a number where I can
reach you? I don't anticipate calling you a lot, but it
might be necessary the first couple of days, you know?"
"Oh, God yes. You'll have my cell, the number of the
kitchen, my sister. Anything you need." He wouldn't
leave this kid high and dry.
"Awesome. Anything else I should know?"
"I don't know. I've not been doing this long..."
"So we'll figure it out together, Jeff. Kids need love
and care." He got a big grin. "And not to be able to reach
into a drawer full of knives."
"Right." This had been his dream house -- his and
Mitch's. Well, his. Mitch had just wanted perfection.
"It'll all work out, you'll see. At least you will once
you've caught up on your sleep." Donny sounded so
sure, so cheerful.
"Yeah." He was suddenly so tired he was afraid he
was going to burst into tears. "Thanks for the pizza."
"No problem. Are there books in Robin's room?"
"I bought a couple. I didn't know which ones were
right, the ones Beth read, and he just cried, so I found a
twenty-four hour kids channel and put that on." Clothes,
toys, books -- he didn't have anything to help them.
"Okay, I can see what he's got and pick some more
books up tomorrow when I get the stuff for
childproofing."
"Thank you. I. Do you want to see the rest of the
house?" He couldn't eat.
"Sure, if you're done." Donny gave him a wry smile.
"I guess you're used to better food."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 23
"No. No. I just..." He shook his head, actually teared
up. "Sorry. Look, let's look at the house. Robin, you
want to show Donny the house?" Jeff was living on
coffee and toast.
"Me show! Me show!"
Donny grinned and held out his hand, Robin taking it
easily.
"I'll be right there." He scooped up his baby girl,
buried his face in her sweet smelling skin and sobbed as
soon as they walked away.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 24
Chapter Three
Donny paid the taxi driver and hauled the shitload of
bags he had with him out of the car. It took him two
trips to get them from the sidewalk to the front door. He
knocked the door and then let himself in. "It's only me.
Donny."
"Are you the nanny?" A tall, dark woman who looked
just like Jeff met him at the door, grabbed one of his
bags. "I sent Jeff to work early. He needed some time."
"Yeah, I'm Donny. I had to get my clothes and stuff
and pick up things for the kids."
"I'm Jillian, Jeff's sister. I'll help. Robbie's watching
cartoons." She hauled his stuff up the stairs, into the
huge private suite that Jeff had given him. It was
beautifully decorated, expensive, and, like the rest of
this huge house, totally not kid-friendly.
"Cool. I can look after them on my own, though, you
know." Jeff hadn't decided he couldn't do the job, had
he?
"I know, but he left about an hour ago. He just... well,
he's down. He needs some time with his menus and food
costs."
He'd bet Jeff was down. Not enough sleep, two little
kids suddenly dumped in his lap and his best friend
dying. "It's a terrible thing that happened. I'm glad he
was here for the kids, though."
He put his backpack and duffel in his room and then
gathered up the rest of the bags. "I got a bunch of stuff
to childproof the place. It's pretty overwhelming, all the
stuff you need to do to be ready for kids and he didn't
have the usual nine month warning most folks get."
"No. No, he didn't, and he should have had help, but
that selfish fuck walked away."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 25
Donny frowned. "I'm sorry?" Their mother had died,
right? What was he missing?
"Mitch. Sorry. I mean, you do know that Jeff is gay,
right? Mitch didn't last three days."
"I did know he was gay, I didn't know he'd been in a
relationship." Christ, what a mess. Was it any wonder
Jeff had looked strung out?
"Seven years. Seven years, they built this house
together, and Beth dies holding Jeff's hands, worrying
about those babies and then motherfucker says he
doesn't want the mess." Jillian's eyes were flashing. "I'm
seriously considering castrating him."
He nodded; this guy sounded like a real peach. "Once
you have, you should give his nuts to Jeff so he can
make a meal of them and feed it to the guy."
Dark brown eyes -- which were the one thing that
was different from Jeff -- met his, widened, then she
started to laugh. "I like you."
He grinned. "Thanks. If you're sticking around for a
bit, I'll go ahead and start with the childproofing." He
had locks for cupboards and drawers, the toilet and the
fridge and stove, as well as childproof covers for the
doors so if they closed them, they'd stay closed. Then
there were the outlet covers and he hoped Jeff didn't
mind, but some of the books and DVDs and stuff were
going to have to move up a few shelves. He was
surprised that Robin hadn't already destroyed stuff just
out of curiosity
"I can stay all day. I took the day off at the firm.
They've been very decent."
"That's great." As long as it didn't meant that Jeff and
Jillian didn't trust him with the kids.
"How about you look after the kids, then, while I get
all the child proofing done, then we can look at what all
else the kids might need. I picked up a few toys and a
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 26
bunch of books for Robin, but if they need more clothes
or anything, it should be easy enough to figure out."
"Uh, sure. Except that I don't have kids and I have no
idea. None."
"Okay, I can check out what else they need." He tried
not to laugh, but it looked like Jeff and his sister were
both entirely not equipped for kids.
She shrugged, winked. "We grew up in restaurants.
Our families were bus boys and chefs and maitre'ds."
"Well, I bet that means you know the pots and pans
and wooden spoons drum kit very well." Invented toys
were often a bigger hit than store-bought ones.
"I do remember that, yes."
Robin started hollering. "Jellybean!"
"Coming, Robbie!" She grinned. "I'm going to beat
Jeff's butt, for teaching them that old nickname."
Donny laughed and shook his head. It was going to
stick, too.
He started getting to work on the child-proofing
while Jillian occupied Robin. He started with Robin's
room first, putting the covers on the outlets and
checking to see if the chest of drawers was bolted to the
wall. It wasn't, and he made a note of that; he'd bet there
was more than one dresser or bookshelf that was going
to need that treatment.
Then he moved on to the kitchen, figuring it was
probably the room with the most potential for tragedy.
He had to admit that Jeff's house was stunning -- four
bedrooms, three and a half baths. A swimming pool in
the... Oh, God. There was a lot to do.
He didn't even have the stuff they'd need for the
backyard. He'd have to find out when Jeff would be able
to take him to the hardware store. For now, keeping the
back door locked and putting the round bobble on the
knob so Robin couldn't open it would have to do. And
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 27
he'd have to emphasize how the back door had to be
kept locked, always.
He spent a couple hours doing basics before
Kimberley woke up.
"I've got her," he called out to Jillian, heading for her
room.
The wee girl had a set of lungs, little face bright red.
Lord, she was mad!
"Hey, sweetie. I bet you're wet and hungry." He
picked her up, putting her up against his shoulder and
jiggling her. Her wail seemed to agree with him and her
tiny fingers clenched tightly in his shirt.
He put her on the changing table and would have
made short work of her diaper, except that things weren't
organized so it could all be reached while still keeping a
hand on her belly to keep her from rolling off.
He also discovered a distinct lack of anything but
onesies in her drawers. They definitely needed to add
clothes to the shopping list. Donny wondered when
Jeff's next day off was.
He managed to get her changed, then headed down to
the kitchen to feed her. Robin was running in circles,
hooting, holding his shirt in one hand.
"What'cha doing?" he asked casually.
"Bein' a Ind'an."
"Oh, yeah?" He went into the kitchen, Robin trailing
him. "You want to help me get Kimberley's bottle
ready?"
"Yes! I get powder!" The sweet boy grabbed a
kitchen chair.
"Awesome."
He tousled Robin's hair. He was a good kid; they just
had to make this transition as smooth as possible for
him. In one way, Robin was lucky he was as young as
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 28
he was -- it would have been way harder on him if he'd
been a little older.
They needed to get the boy a stepping stool --
something safer than the kitchen chair so he could help.
"What should we make for supper tonight?" He
would find out what kind of foods Robin liked, what he
was used to eating. He would have to ask Jeff if the man
wanted him to pick up the groceries or if it was
something Jeff would do on his weekends.
"Peanut butter." Robin grabbed the formula jar in his
little hands.
"Oh, I like peanut butter sandwiches. You like them
with honey and bananas?"
"Nanas! Nanas! I no like honey."
"Ba-na-nas." He said the word slowly for Robin.
"I love honey." Jillian came in, hands open for
Kimberley, who immediately started screaming. Jillian's
hands dropped, but she didn't look particularly upset at
the rebuff.
"Someone's being fussy." He jiggled her, pulling out
a bottle and giving it to Robin. "Two scoops, please."
There was a little spillage -- okay, a lot -- but the look
of pride on Robin's face was worth it.
"Great job!" He filled the bottle with water and got
on the cap, which let him shake it one-handed.
Robin jumped off the chair and started running again,
cheering. It would be great to be able to package that
kind of energy. Smiling, he popped the bottle into
Kimberley's mouth.
Jillian looked at him, eyes rolling. "He's very...
energetic."
"He's three. It's kind of a prerequisite." At that age it
was mostly go, go, go, then bam, tired, asleep.
"Yeah? I don't remember Jeff at three. We're only
thirteen months apart."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 29
"Not surprising then, as you were only four. It's a
good thing he has that energy. I'd be more worried about
him if he was quiet and still all the time."
"Yeah. I." Her words trailed off as Robin bumped
into the table and started to cry.
"Oops, did you bump your head?" The bigger of a
deal you made, the bigger they made, so he kept calm.
"Let me see."
"Mommy kiss it!"
Jillian groaned.
"Could I kiss it better? I've got really good make it
better kisses." It broke his heart; kids shouldn't lose their
mom like that.
Robin burst into tears, threw himself on the floor.
"No!"
"God, I'm sorry." Jillian looked horrified. "Should I
call Jeff?"
"Nope." He knew how to deal with this. Besides, if
they called Jeff every time there was a little bump in the
road, the man would never get any work done.
Donny crouched next to Robin. "I'm not going to talk
about this when you're behaving like that. When you're
ready to stop, you come see me." He stood, bouncing
Kimberley to keep her at the bottle.
Jillian stared at him, eyes comically wide.
"If you give into the temper, that's what he'll fall back
on." Once Robin knew he was going to be consistent
about this, that a temper tantrum was not going to get
the boy what he wanted, Robin would stop using that. It
didn't mean it was easy to listen to Robin pitch his fit,
but he knew it would be better in the long run.
"This is just... I can't deal with this noise. How can
you?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 30
"They're kids, so they're going to be noisy." He gave
her a wry smile. "You don't have to stay; I've got it
under control."
"You sure? Because..." She looked panicked.
He patted her arm with his free hand. "I'm sure. Go
on. We'll be fine." If she was going to freak out, the kids
were going to pick up on it and follow her lead and it
would take that much longer for things to settle.
"Okay. Tell Jeff I said hey." She disappeared like a
puff of smoke, leaving him alone with the kids.
Okay. Okay, so now he could do his job without
feeling like someone was looking over his shoulder; that
was a good thing, right?
Kimberley started sucking on air and he tugged out
the bottle, putting her over his shoulder to burp her.
Come on, Robin, he thought, let it go and come get
your make it better kiss.
It did happen, after about five more minutes, the little
boy running to him, clinging to his leg. "Want Daddy."
"I know, Robin. He'll be home late tonight and you
can see him in the morning, okay?" This poor kid
needed some stability, a schedule. And the same people
in his life on a daily basis.
Kimberley was half asleep, so he put her in her little
bouncy seat he'd bought and put in the middle of the
kitchen table and sat, pulling Robin up into his lap.
"Your daddy has to go to work, but I'm going to be
staying here with you now to help out, okay? We'll be
able to do all sorts of things together."
Robin sniffled softly, held him.
"My name's Donny. Did you know that?" He knew
he'd told Robin that a couple of times yesterday, but that
didn't mean Robin remembered.
Robin shook his head.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 31
"Well, it is. And I'm staying here. I have a room
upstairs next to yours."
He rubbed Robin's head, surreptitiously confirming
that there was only a little bump -- the skin hadn't been
broken by the collision with the table.
"Momma coming too?"
"No sweetie. I'm sorry, but your momma had to go
and she isn't coming back. She loves you very much,
though, and she gave you to Daddy Jeff to take care of
for her." There was no way for this little boy to
understand this. No way at all. It was going to come up
again, and he was just going to have to be calm and help
Robin through it.
"Doctors take care for Momma."
"They tried. And now she's in Heaven and God is
taking care of her." He hugged Robin close.
"No." Robin fought him for a second, then grabbed
him and cried. Before Donny could worry, the boy was
asleep. Boom.
Jesus, these kids needed structure.
That's exactly what he'd give them. He'd talk to Jeff
tomorrow and find out exactly when the man would be
home, so he could include that in a schedule.
It looked like he had a plan.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 32
Chapter Four
The baby started crying at six a.m., and Jeff stumbled
out of bed, desperate to get her before Robin woke up.
Every bone in his body was sore, his eyes crusted and
watery. So tired.
He was so tired.
He scooped her up. "Hush. Hush, please." He
grabbed her bottle, a diaper, and stumbled back toward
his room.
Donny met him in the hall. "Hey, you got her."
"Huh?" He blinked, swayed, so fucking sleepy.
Donny took Kimberley from him. "I got to bed at ten
last night. Why don't you go back to sleep, okay?"
"You sure?" His head was throbbing, the world
spinning a little.
"Come on, back to bed with you." Donny gave him a
little push.
He stumbled forward, heading into his bedroom,
collapsing forward on his bed.
The next thing he knew when his eyes opened, the
sun was up. The sun was up and he felt human.
He heard giggling from the direction of the kitchen.
He grabbed the clock. Ten a.m. Thank God. Okay.
He had on shorts and a t-shirt, so he headed down the
stairs, hunting coffee.
The pot was full in the kitchen, Robin and Donny at
the sink, doing dishes, his son on a footstool he'd never
seen before.
"Morning." He grabbed a mug, kissed Robin's head.
"Is Kimberley in her car seat?"
"Nope. She's got a swing now, gets her up off the
ground and gives her some motion." Donny gave him a
grin. "Sleep well?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 33
"God, yes. Yes. Thank you." He smiled back.
"Robbie! Come hug me! I missed you yesterday!" He
knelt down, held his arms open, beamed when his son
leapt at him.
He felt Donny's eyes on him and looked up to see the
man smiling at them. He blushed, grinned. Just because
he hadn't expected them didn't mean he didn't love them.
He'd been their godfather.
"You hungry? We could make you some breakfast."
"Coffee first. Thank you. What did you have for
breakfast, Robin?"
"Me 'n Donny made pancakes!"
"No way... You? Wow. And I missed it?" He clasped
his hands over his heart.
"Saved you some!"
"Oh, what a lover." He lifted Robin up, kissed his son
on the nose. "Where did you hide them?"
"Fridgelator!"
Donny chuckled from where he was putting away the
last of the dishes. "On a plate, ready to microwave."
"Thanks. How's your morning been?"
"Good. We're starting to carve out a routine, which'll
make life easier on everyone." Donny went to check on
Kimberley, smiling and goofing at her as she swung
slowly back and forth.
"Good." He'd been trying, hard, to do this right, but
he wasn't a pro, by any means.
"What days are your weekends again?"
"Sundays and Mondays." He winked at Donny.
"Same as yours."
That had Donny laughing, nodding. "Unless I've got
plans, I'd like to stick around on the weekends if you
don't mind. Robin really needs the structure right now."
"I... Are you sure? I don't want to burn you out."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 34
"It's not like I'm working much past eight o'clock
when Robin goes to bed. And I'll say something when I
need a break. I just think for the next little while, it'll be
better for him if things are stable."
He nodded. "I'll pay you extra for your time."
Donny's mouth twisted. "That's not why I'm doing it,"
he said softly.
He sighed. Great. Pissed the man off on his second
day. "I'm just trying to be fair."
"I know, and I appreciate it, but it's important for me
that you know I'm not sitting here trying to figure out
ways to get more money out of you." Donny gave him a
wry smile now. "You should see the list of things I've
made for you to buy..."
Jeff let one eyebrow raise. "You have lists?"
"I do." Donny went to the fridge and took a piece of
paper off it, handed it over. "Clothes, toys, kids'
furniture."
"Wow." Okay. Okay, cool. He'd been needing
something like this. "Thank God. Yes. Okay." He was so
in the weeds with the basics, with just the normal stuff.
"Cool. That's a better reaction than I was expecting
actually. It's going to cost a small fortune."
"There's..." Robin called his name and he scooped the
boy up, hugged him tight. "...lots of insurance. Lots.
That's not an issue. Beth was fucking prepared."
"BAD WORD!"
His eye ticked. "Yes, Robin."
"Maybe we should have a bad word jar." Donny gave
him a grin. "And whenever it gets full, you can choose
something fun to do with the money."
"Buy beer?" He winked. "Did you want to walk down
to the park with me before I have to start thinking about
work, Robin?"
"Daddy Jeff! I get shoes!"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 35
Robin stomped off and Jeff grabbed another cup of
coffee. "He loves the park."
Donny nodded and grinned. "Yeah, I noticed that.
You want company or to keep it just the two of you?"
"You're welcome to come. You need to know where
it is. I got one of those stroller deals."
"Did you get a harness for Kimberley? It's better for
carting the baby around. Especially if there's more than
one adult on the outing." Donny went over to Kimberley
and turned off the swing, picking her up out of it.
"A what?"
Kimberley's little legs were kicking furiously.
"Look at you go, girl." Donny held her back against
his chest, hand across her belly so she could move. "One
of those harness things that you wear so the baby can
hang off you. Hands free, comfortable."
"I got one of those fold up things. With wheels."
He nodded. "For Robin. What did you get for
Kimberley?"
"I just put her in and put that cushy thing on her sides
to hold her up."
Donny shook his head. "She needs a proper baby
carriage."
"Okay." God, Beth, why did you leave?
"There's a lot of shit to think about, but I'm here to
help now. Come on, before Robin starts worrying that
we're not going."
"Right. Let me grab some clothes." He nodded to
Donny, then headed upstairs. Park. Food. Then service
tonight. Lord.
He heard Donny downstairs as the man talked to his
kids, chatting away to Robin and Kimberley both.
He could do this. He was going to figure this out. For
those two sweet babies.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 36
Chapter Five
Donny got up Sunday morning at his usual time and
showered, dressed before going to check on Kimberley.
The baby's bed was empty. Empty. Shit. There was
no way she could have climbed out. She was still too
little.
He took the stairs two at a time but all was quiet.
Kitchen, quiet. Living room, quiet. Den, quiet. Shit. He
high-tailed it back upstairs and checked Robin's room.
The bed in there was empty, too.
Fuck.
A quick check of the bathroom confirmed that the
kids were definitely MIA.
He went to Jeff's door and knocked, not waiting for
an answer before opening the door, his heart going about
five thousand beats a minute.
The kids were in their daddy's arms, Robin sprawled
out on one side, Kimberley cradled on the broad chest,
one hand on her diapered butt.
Oh, damn. The cuteness. He wished he had a camera
because he'd bet Jeff would love to have a shot of this.
He watched for a moment longer, enjoying the cute and
the handsome and then backed slowly out.
He could make some bacon and some coffee and
watch bad Sunday morning TV.
He'd just about finished with the coffee when he
heard squealing coming from the upstairs, then a low
roar and Kimberley laughing. Now those were good
noises. Jeff might be struggling a little, but he had good
instincts, father instincts. Those kids were going to be
okay because their father loved them and wanted to do
the right thing.
"Daddy Jeff!" Robin's voice rang out. "Daddy!"
"Going to get you, Robbie! Gonna nibble your toes!"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 37
Robin's happy scream rang out.
"Come on, Kimmie! Let's get your brother!"
Donny laughed and got the bacon going, putting on
enough for Jeff and Robin to have some, too, seeing as
they were all up now.
The three of them came tumbling in, Jeff's arms full
on the way down the stairs. "Good morning!"
He chuckled, nodded. "Yeah, it is."
"I'll cook breakfast, if you want. I have a request for
icky drippy eggs!"
"Daddy Jeff! NO!"
Jeff's eyes were twinkling. It was amazing what a few
nights of sleep could do for a man.
Donny bit his lips to keep from laughing. "Icky
drippy eggs, eh?" He was actually looking forward to
getting food cooked by a real chef.
"Yep." Jeff winked. "Although, I guess if Robin
washed his hands and face, I could make his scrambled."
"That sounds like a very good deal." Donny grinned
down at the little boy. "What do you think, Robin?"
"Yay!" Robin's bare feet padded into the downstairs
bath, and Kimberley was put into her swing.
"Morning. Do you eat eggs?"
"I do, thanks." Donny went to the cupboard and
started pulling out plates.
"Excellent." Jeff turned on some music, grabbed the
eggs out of the fridge and a loaf of bread from the bread
box.
Donny set the table, familiar enough with the kitchen
now that he didn't get into Jeff's way.
Robin came back just as Donny finished and dragged
his new stool over to the counter by Jeff, climbed up it.
"Me help!"
Donny held his breath, Robin was used to helping
him in the kitchen -- he'd let the boy do something, even
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 38
if it was just tiny, right from the start -- but Donny'd
seen the professional chefs on the television...
"Sure. You want to butter some bread?"
Donny blew out his breath in relief. Good job, Jeff.
The man really did have good instincts; he just needed a
bit of sleep for them to kick in.
A dull knife was handed over along with a piece of
bread and some soft butter. "Make sure you smooth it
out for me."
Jeff worked quickly, making eggs, taking the bacon
out. A little fruit salad was created, along with slabs of
toast. It was pretty neat, watching the man in his
element; everything seemed like second nature, and the
food looked and smelled great, too.
"Okay, Robbie. Table. Does your sister need a bottle
before we eat?"
"Nope, she'll let you know when she does, though."
Donny grabbed the milk out of the fridge and grabbed a
seat.
Jeff served easily, eggs over toast with this super
little sauce, the bacon crumbled over the top, fruit salad
over on the side.
"Damn. This looks amazing." He could get used to
this.
"Thanks." Robin got eggs, toast, and fruit and milk.
As soon as Jeff's butt hit the chair, Kimberley started
crying and he chuckled, grabbing her. "Is it time to eat,
Beanhead?"
"Babies always seem to know just when you're
starting to eat yourself or relaxing." Donny'd noticed
that Kimberley seemed especially good at timing diaper
changes.
"I remember Bethy saying that." Jeff bounced her
gently. "Should I feed her, you think?"
"Check her butt first."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 39
"I changed her before we came down." Jeff peeked,
gingerly. "Woo! We're safe! Bottle it is!"
Donny laughed and dug into his food. It was nice not
having to take charge of the kids. Not that he didn't love
doing it, but it was nice to have a break while they were
still up. Jeff was whistling, bouncing Kimberley,
laughing. It was like seeing a whole new man. A very
handsome new man.
He went back to his eggs. He couldn't think those
sorts of thoughts about Jeff. It just wasn't cool. The man
was his boss. And a damn good cook.
"So good," he muttered around another mouthful.
"Thanks." Jeff fed Kimberley, burped her, put her in
the swing.
Donny grabbed his toast and used it to wipe up the
last of the sauce on his plate.
Jeff ate his, nodded, smile. "I need to go to the
market for supper."
"If you wanted to take the kids I'd be happy to help
out." He would be at loose ends otherwise. Not that
there was anything wrong with getting to lounge about
and watch movies or something, but he genuinely liked
the kids and figured not only could Jeff use the help, but
it would be good for Robin to have both adults in his life
around at the same time.
"I know you had shopping for me, too. We could
make a day of it."
"That works for me." It would be nice to spend some
time with Jeff in this better mood.
"Good deal." Jeff smiled at Robin. "Would you like
to go on an outing?"
"Can we see Mommy?"
Jeff sighed. "No, Robbie. Mommy's in Heaven."
"We're going to go and get you some new clothes and
a proper stroller for Kimmie and maybe even some new
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 40
toys. And I bet Daddy Jeff would love your help with
choosing what to buy for supper."
"Bananas!"
Jeff chuckled. "He's obsessed."
Given it was about the only fruit Robin seemed to
ever ask for, Donny figured there wasn't anything wrong
with that. "Hey, at least he can say 'bananas', that's not
an easy word to master." He'd spent the week gently
correcting Robin and the boy had been so proud the first
time he'd said it right. "And what's not to be obsessed
about? I bet you've got a wicked banana bread recipe
you could do up." Or did chefs not do dessert?
"Actually, yes. I do." Jeff grinned, started doing
dishes.
"Cool. You should teach Robin to make it. Wouldn't
that be fun?" he asked, turning his attention to the little
boy who was running for his stool and pushing it next to
Jeff.
"Me help!" Robin stepped up onto the stool, putting
him high enough to reach the counter.
"I'm doing dishes, Robbie."
Robbie nodded. "Me help."
Jeff looked panicked. "I... Baby, the water's hot..."
"Let him hand you the dishes and once they're
washed you can dry and he can put them away," Donny
suggested. Robin never needed a big job; he just needed
to feel like he was contributing.
"Oh. Okay. Hand me a plate."
Robin picked up one of the plates and handed it over,
looking as proud as could be. "Me help Daddy Jeff."
"You do. You're a good boy, Robbie."
"He is." Donny brought a last fork over from the
table. "He just wants to help, and there are very few
things you do where you can't find something for him to
contribute."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 41
"Contribute. What a yucky word, huh?" Jeff winked
at Robin.
Donny laughed and went over to make faces at
Kimberley, working on getting some laughs out of her.
It didn't take Jeff long to get the dishes done, then
Jeff stretched. "Okay. Clothes. Robin, pants and
underwear, a sweater. It's chilly outside."
"We'll have to wrap a couple blankets around
Kimberley, unless you've got clothes other than the
onesies hidden somewhere I haven't found them yet."
Clothes for both kids were on his list, but Kimberley
especially needed a bigger variety of outfits.
"I just got what I could remember Beth putting her
in."
"I didn't mean it as a dig." He knew how much stuff
kids needed and how out of his depth Jeff had been, still
was, really.
"I know. I just... It's crazy. The world is crazy."
He went over and gave Jeff's shoulder a pat, though
what he wanted to do was hug the man. "I know, man.
I'm really sorry."
He'd been very focused on making sure Robin got to
a good place, he'd almost forgotten that Jeff had just lost
a very good friend as well as had full time fatherhood
thrust on him.
"Yeah. I mean, I saw them once or twice a month,
but..." Jeff shrugged. "I need to get them dressed."
"You do. And I should grab non-slobby clothes to put
on. Meet you back down here in half an hour?"
Jeff nodded. "That works."
Kimberley was scooped out of her swing, and Jeff
headed up the stairs.
Donny ambled up to his own room more slowly. He
was not watching Jeff's ass. Not. Even if it was a
gorgeous one.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 42
***
They stumbled into the house with ten thousand bags
and more being delivered. He was exhausted and the
kids were in hysterics and Jeff knew that it was Donny's
fucking day off so he couldn't even ask for help, but
Jesus. If Robin screamed one more time, he was going
to lose his shit.
"You want Robin or Kimberley?" asked Donny,
dumping his bags on the kitchen table.
He looked over. Oh, thank God. "Kimmie?" Her
issue might be solved with getting mostly naked, having
a blanket and a bottle.
"Works for me." Donny gave him a smile, patted
Kimberley on the cheek and then went to Robin. "How
about a glass of milk and then a bath, Robin?"
Jeff grabbed a bottle and headed for his bedroom,
Kimberley screaming the entire way. "Hush, you. Let's
have a snuggle."
Her extra layers came off, her onesie deal, and he
changed her, her wails intensifying. He pulled off his
sweater, toed off his shoes and grabbed her off his bed,
settling in the big chair, and popped a bottle in her
mouth.
She settled almost immediately, suckling like she was
starving, her little eyelids beginning to droop within
seconds.
He could hear Donny with Robin now, the man's
tones staying soft and calm, even as Robin fussed. His
eyelids drooped, too, exhaustion heavy on his shoulders.
The sounds of water running made a backdrop to
Kimberley's breathing, the sound of the chair rocking
underneath him.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 43
Robin wasn't crying or fussing anymore, though the
usual bath time joy was conspicuously absent. It didn't
matter. It was quiet.
He must have dozed off again, because the next thing
he knew, Robin was at his chair, wanting a goodnight
kiss.
"Hey." He leaned over, kissed his boy, hugged him
one-armed. "You want a story?"
Robin nodded.
"I can read it to him if you want. Or I can put
Kimberley down while you do the honors." Donny gave
him a tired smile.
"I can. You look like you need a pre-supper nap."
He'd found some lovely meat at the butchers.
"I might just indulge in that. Is it still called supper if
it's after eight?" Donny took Kimberley from his arms,
hands warm where they slid against him.
"You know it." He nodded and took Robin's hand.
"Goodnight Moon?"
"Yes, yes, Daddy Jeff!" Robin climbed up onto his
lap and Donny slipped from the room with Kimberley.
He held Robin close, grinned. "How am I supposed to
read to you with you in my lap and the book in your
room?"
Robin's little eyebrows moved together as Robin
really thought about it, then his face brightened. "Carry
me."
"Oh, is that it?" He chuckled, hefted himself and
Robin up, heading toward what had been Mitch office.
Robin laughed, little arms winding around his neck.
He held on, wishing, not for the first time, that either
one of the kids had looked like their mom -- blonde with
eyes the most interesting color, part whiskey, part
sherry.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 44
Donny passed him in the hallway, heading
downstairs. "G'night, Robin."
"Nigh-night!" Robin waved and grinned. "That's
Donny."
"Yes, son. I know."
They found the book, got Robin settled.
"Are you gonna go now?" Robin asked before he
could start the book.
"Go where, son?"
"Away. Where Mommy went." Big, serious eyes
looked up at him.
"No." He didn't care that he should say something
about how he didn't know for sure but he was going to
be around a long time. He'd fight God himself to make
sure these kids had a parent. "No, Robin. I am not. I'm
staying right here with you and your sister."
Robin wrapped those little arms around his waist and
buried his face in Jeff's abdomen.
"I have you. I promise. I'm here." He rocked gently,
tears slipping from his cheeks. Poor babies.
"Donny staying too?"
"I hope so, very much." Donny was a good man,
solid, and knew kids.
"'Kay." Robin held on tight for a few more minutes
and then curled up into him. "Book now?"
"Yes, Robbie. Book now." He rested one arm around
his son, held the book in the other and started to read.
He headed downstairs after he'd finished reading and
tucked Robin in.
Donny was in the kitchen, going through all the bags,
sorting them. It looked like the groceries were already
put away.
"Hey, thanks." He didn't know how he'd do without
Donny, even after just a few days.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 45
"No problem. Everything that needed to be fridged is;
the rest of this stuff I'm just organizing. It's not like we
can put the kids' clothes away while they're sleeping
anyway."
"Yeah. Kimberley's going to need a whole extra
room."
Donny laughed; the guy looked good happy. "I
believe the time that comes into play is when she turns
into a teenager. My mom said my sisters each needed a
whole wing to themselves, but especially their own
bathrooms."
"Hopefully by then things will be different." One day
he'd have his own restaurant.
"By then you'll be old hat at being Daddy Jeff and
you definitely won't need me anymore." Donny had a
sweet smile.
"Are you only interested in little kids?" He hadn't
thought of that, if nannies had... specialties.
"Not at all, I was really hoping to find a family where
I could get in on the ground floor and see the kids
through to the end, if you know what I mean, but I
suspect once kids hit the mid to late teen years, they're
not so eager to be nannied."
"No, but that's when they need adults the most. God
knows I did."
"Not that they know it." Donny laughed, still sorting
all the crap they'd bought into piles.
He shook himself, started helping, then began
working on supper. He put the beef into a simple
marinade, created a salad dressing.
"You should have included the perk of incredible
food in the ad for your nanny." Then Donny shook his
head. "No, wait. You shouldn't have. I wouldn't have
gotten it if you had."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 46
Jeff chuckled. "I love to cook. I mean, honestly. It's
all I ever wanted to do." Ever since he was a young boy,
he'd known.
"That's cool. Kind of how I felt about kids. And I'll
never be a daddy myself, you know?"
"You don't think you'll adopt?" He started putting
spices away, organizing them quickly.
"A single gay man?" Donny shook his head. "The
odds are pretty long against me."
"You're young. You won't be single forever." The
thought made him chuckle. Donny was cute.
"Hopefully not."
"You won't be." He would. No one wanted a man
with two kids.
Donny ducked his head, cheeks actually darkening a
bit.
"So, tell me stuff about yourself so we can make
small talk over supper." He winked, doing his best to
chill Donny out.
"Stuff about me?" Donny gave a little laugh. "I love
baseball and figure skating -- I know, go figure, but I
do."
"Do you play baseball?"
"I know how, yeah. I used to play pick up with
whoever showed up at the park back in college." Donny
folded all the plastic bags, putting them in the recycle
bin.
"Cool. Do you miss university?"
"Not now that I'm working. I did while I was looking
for work, you know? I love working with kids."
He nodded, then grabbed some cheese from the
refrigerator. Parmesan crisps would be a good starter,
maybe with some apple.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 47
"You interested in getting Robin into any sports? He's
coming up on that age. There's swimming courses at the
Y and stuff."
Jeff pondered that. "Beth hated sports, but I want him
to swim and... it's going to be hard, having a gay dad. He
needs places to fit in..."
"The Y's got some great programs, and it would be
good for him to know how given the pool out the back. I
like swimming, so I can go in with him. I'll try and find
a time when you're home so you can look after
Kimberley. Out-Reach has some great programs, too."
He nodded, brain working over his schedule. How
was he going to do this?
"I'll get the schedules from the Y and Out-Reach and
see what fits in with us." Donny started setting the table.
"How do you like your steaks?" The parm went in the
oven along with two oil-rubbed sweet potatoes.
"Medium rare, please. Man, this is the sweet side of
living with a chef."
Jeff chuckled, nodded. "Good man. So, do you come
from a big family?"
He pulled out the steaks to warm up, the spinach,
mushroom, onions.
"Yeah. Four older sisters, four younger ones."
"Jesus Christ." He actually stopped, stared.
"Honestly?"
Donny laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Can you believe
it? I was the only kid with dark hair, too. The milkman
jokes were legendary."
"Jillian and I are the only two." They had been
together in foster care for most of their lives. They'd
gone through three foster homes before Angela and Jim
had taken them in, kept them. Loved them both.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 48
"Yeah? I had my days where I wanted to be an only
child, but it wouldn't have been the same with just two.
Are you two very close?"
"Yes, very. She's my best friend, now." He smiled,
started chopping mushrooms. He had a lot of good
friends, actually, and he'd be well served to remember
that.
"That's great. I met her my first day." Donny gave
him a rueful grin. "She seemed a little overwhelmed by
the kids."
"She isn't maternal. Not compared to Beth."
"You wanted kids too, though, huh?"
He stopped chopping, looked at Donny. "I love the
kids, but I was supposed to be their godfather. Beth
wanted children. I saw them twice a month for an hour,
brought presents, had a glass of wine with Beth."
"Yeah? So what made you decide to keep them when
she passed?" Donny frowned suddenly. "If that's none of
my business..."
"I didn't decide. It's what she asked for. It's in her
will, and it was her last wish. I was with her at the end."
Holding her hand. Her poor, blistered hand. Fuck.
Nobody should die like that. Especially not Beth.
Donny shivered. "I'm really sorry, Jeff."
"I am, too." He got back to work. "I don't regret
taking them. I love them. I just... My life is very
different than it was a month ago." Mitch had left almost
immediately, and then there were the kids themselves
and the lack of sleep...
"I bet. And this is a long term change."
"Yes. And I think I might still be in shock,
sometimes." There were times where none of it seemed
real, like it was a bad dream and all he needed to do was
wake up.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 49
"It's going to be okay. You're doing great with the
kids and it will get easier. Most people have time to
prepare, you didn't. Plus you've got two at once,
different ages. Hell, I'm not telling you anything you
don't know." Donny had warm eyes, sweet, kind. Sexy.
"I know. Do you like onions?"
"I do. I'm not really picky. Comes from having to eat
the 'cooking lessons' of eight girls."
Jeff grabbed a red onion, started heating the pan for
the steaks.
There was a cry from the baby monitor. Donny got
up and put a hand on his arm. "Just wait a minute, she
might settle back down. It's good for her."
"You sure? Do you think she misses Beth?"
"No. She's never going to remember her. Hell, Robin
will only remember what you tell and show of her.
You're going to love them and they're going to be okay.
Kids are resilient. Way more than people think."
Kimmie stopped fussing almost immediately, her
cries turning into little coos.
"See?" Donny smiled. This close Jeff could smell
him.
Stop it. Donny was off limits. Off.
"Yeah. Yeah, I do. Hand me the butter?"
Donny reached for it, t-shirt rising up and exposing a
strip of flesh. Jeff looked away, telling himself to just
chill the fuck out. Donny handed over the butter, almost
dropping it as their fingers brushed together.
"Oh, sorry."
"No problem." Oh, man. Stop it.
Donny looked at him, blinking a little and then he
took a couple steps back and gave him a smile. "So...
what do you like doing in your down time?"
"I don't know anymore." The words were the absolute
truth.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 50
Donny didn't seem surprised by his answer. "Well, I'd
suggest, until Kimberley is sleeping through the night,
that you find stuff like watching movies and reading
books -- stuff that a sleep-deprived Dad can enjoy. I
happen to love movies on the couch with popcorn,
myself."
"With my schedule, it'll be watching late-night Kung
Fu theater, but yeah. Mitch was a go-baby. He'd pick me
up at the restaurant and we'd stay out 'til dawn. Life is
different now." Not worse, but different.
"I heard what happened with him. And I'm sorry, but
that kind of thing is better to know from the start, before
you get used to the help, you know?" Donny's eyes were
sympathetic. And pretty.
"Yeah. If I meant that little..." He shrugged. What
else was there to say?
"Oh, I don't believe that. You're a sweet catch -- good
looking, a chef, comfortably well-off. And obviously he
loved doing stuff with you."
"He loved his life. He still does, from what I can see.
He just isn't interested in children or in men who raise
them. He wants to play." Bitter? Him? No...
"Sounds like he's pretty shallow."
Jeff shrugged. "He's beautiful, wild. He knows what
he wants and that's his freedom."
"I feel like I should say something, but it all sounds
pretty trite."
That made Jeff laugh. "You know, you're right.
There's nothing good to say. It just sucks."
"So you gotta focus on the stuff that doesn't. If you
look, there's a lot of it."
He nodded, put the steak on the built-in grill, the
onions in the hot pan with the butter.
"Oh, damn, smell that."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 51
Jeff nodded, sliced the bread, happy as he'd been in
weeks.
Donny opened the fridge and looked in it. "What do
you want to drink?"
"I'll drink sparkling water, please."
"Sounds good." Donny grabbed one of the big blue
bottles out of the fridge and set it on the table.
Soon they were sitting together -- plates served,
music on, things simply easy.
"This is really, really good, Jeff."
"I hope so. I've been working at it a very long time."
Donny chuckled. "You make it sound like you're
sixty."
"I'm close." Not even. Not even close.
Donny laughed outright at that. "You are not."
"Ancient." He fought the grin.
"You'd better tell me your secret then, because you
look great."
They laughed together then, and it felt surprisingly
easy, to relax and just have a meal.
After they'd eaten, Donny did the dishes, sending him
into the living room to find a movie to watch. He picked
up The Producers, then put that down. That was
stereotypical. The Matrix? Too loud. Oh, The Thirteenth
Warrior was harmless and eye candy.
Donny wandered in with another bottle of the
sparkling water and a couple of glasses. "You pick
something for us to watch?"
"The Thirteenth Warrior?"
"Oh, yeah. Antonio Banderas is such a sweet bottom
in that one." Donny's eye went wide for a second and he
bit his lips.
They stared at each other, then cracked up, both of
them laughing hard together. They put the movie on and
settled on the couch together, comfortable.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 52
"Thank you." He smiled at Donny. "It's nice to just
sit."
"It is, isn't it? Just relax for a bit. And I won't even
ask for gourmet popcorn." Donny's eyes twinkled at
him.
"Oh, you just wait; I'll get the curry out."
Donny made a face. "Damn, I was thinking more
caramel..."
"Caramel corn with cashews. Mmm."
"Oh, now that's a flavor I can get behind." Donny
grinned at him.
"Maybe tomorrow." He was too full to move.
"I might hold you to that." Donny stretched and
started the movie, smiling. Their legs settled against
each other.
It was better than he'd feared, less awkward. Weird.
The movie was entertaining, Donny making comments
that had him laughing. He thought Antonio Banderas'
little blond friend was completely edible.
Donny stretched when the movie was over. "Man, I
love this movie. Thanks."
"Me, too. You heading to bed or you want to watch
one more?"
"It's a nice grown-up evening. I wouldn't say no to
another movie." Donny's smile was warm, friendly.
Maybe a little sexy.
"You pick this one." That way he could watch.
"It's a deal." Donny went over to the bookcase of
DVDs, taking his time to look through them.
Jeff relaxed back, let himself admire when no one
would notice.
"You have Grease!" Donny laughed and pulled out
the movie. "This is the only one that my sisters watched
over and over that I actually liked."
"Summer lovin'..." he sang, playfully.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 53
"Had me some fu-un." Donny laughed. "I think I
recite this movie word for word."
"Well, put it on, we'll sing along."
Donny cackled and changed out the DVDs before
coming back to sit with him again.
Crazy. Absolutely crazy. That he'd be sitting and
singing "Hopelessly Devoted to You" with a nanny
while his children slept. Life was strange.
Donny actually got up and did the dance for "We Go
Together" at the end of the movie, laughing like crazy.
He applauded, threw a pillow at the dork, both of
them rolling with laughter. It wasn't until a tiny hand
grabbed his shirt and tugged, that he looked down.
"What are you doing out of bed, Robin?"
"I heared you."
"Oops. I'm sorry, Robin. We were singing along to
the music." Donny bent down in front of Robin, smiling.
"We didn't mean to wake you."
Robin hugged Donny. "I sing?"
Jeff chuckled. "I don't think these songs are for you,
buddy."
"We could sing Twinkle, Twinkle." Donny sat back
down, putting Robin between them.
"Star song!" Robin clapped, leaned against him and
Jeff grabbed a blanket, wrapping his baby boy up.
Donny led them through it, Robin's little voice
joining in enthusiastically. He did love that happy
sound, how Robin cuddled into him, fingers holding his.
They went through the song twice before Robin's eyelids
started to sag. He hummed softly, nodding as Donny
turned the lights down. Donny kept singing, voice
becoming softer and softer until Robin's eyes closed for
the last time.
"Thank you," he mouthed.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 54
Donny just smiled and mouthed back "I'll take him
up."
He nodded, handed Robin over and started cleaning
up from their snack. Donny disappeared, the soft sound
of his singing trailing behind him. For the first time in
almost a month, Jeff felt like he could do this.
The house wasn't just quiet, it was peaceful; he had
help; he'd gotten some sleep. Yeah. Maybe he could do
this.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 55
Chapter Six
Donny settled happily into a routine with the kids.
Now that they had the things they needed, and the house
was child-proofed, he felt like he had a handle on stuff.
Jeff worked pretty crazy hours, but as they were
consistent, Donny thought they were working.
He was working more than originally agreed upon,
but he didn't mind; it wasn't like he had a huge social
life that he was missing by getting up with Robin in the
mornings so Jeff could sleep in, or hanging out with
them.
This morning was no different. He was at one end of
the couch, baby in one hand, Stephen King in the other,
while Robin played with his building blocks -- which
were spread everywhere -- in the middle of the living
room.
"...me alone, you bastard!" Jeff's voice trickled
downstairs, the man sounding utterly furious.
"Hey, Robin, you wanna tell me about what you're
building?" He gave the boy a smile and patted the space
next to him. Hopefully if Robin was talking and
distracted, he wouldn't hear Jeff.
"Momma's house."
"...anymore." Something upstairs shattered. Oh man.
It did not sound like things were getting any better with
Jeff's phone call.
"It looks like a great house. How many rooms does it
have?"
"Momma's room. Kim's room. My room. Bathroom."
"Is there a kitchen?" He just needed to keep Robin
occupied.
"No. Daddy Jeff's house has a kitchen."
Jeff came down the stairs, face like a thundercloud.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 56
"Didn't Momma's house have a kitchen?" he asked
Robin the question, but he was looking at Jeff, let his
eyebrows go up.
Jeff almost looked like he was going to cry.
"Nope."
Jeff shook his head. "It did, too. It was yellow."
"Why don't you see if you can remember and can
build it? I'm going to go to the kitchen and get Daddy
Jeff a cup of coffee, okay?" He kissed the top of Robin's
head and stood, Kimmie still sleeping in his arms. He
nodded toward the kitchen.
Jeff followed him, heading right for the backdoor,
head leaning on the screen. "That motherfucker."
"The ex?" It was his best guess.
"He wants the house. My house!"
"Wow. That's... Can he do that?" What an utter
fuckwad. Why had a nice guy like Jeff been with him?
"No. No, but he can bluster and bitch and threaten to
sue and piss me off." Jeff sighed. "He's claiming this
was our house. I designed it. I built it. I paid for it."
"I thought he broke up with you? Isn't it the
breakupee who's supposed to be an asshat?"
"Yeah." Jeff sighed, rubbed the back of his neck. "I
hate waking up to that sh...stuff."
"I bet. Is there anyone you need to call? Like a
lawyer or someone?"
"I'll talk to Cathy later. Right now, I just want my
coffee and to believe that the day's getting better." Jeff
winked at him, and that warm smile hit him, balls deep.
"How are you, Donny?"
He found himself smiling back at Jeff, caught in the
lovely eyes. "Hmmm?"
"Having a good day? Have you guys eaten
breakfast?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 57
"We are. We had Cheerios and then quiet time in the
living room."
"Would you like bacon sandwiches?"
"Really?" He all but drooled, only this time over the
food. "Yes, please."
"I'll make some." Jeff started moving, then stopped,
came over, and kissed Kimmie's little head. "Morning,
sweet baby," he whispered.
Donny felt his heart melt a little bit and he had to
stop himself from taking a kiss of his own. He was
going to have to stop noticing how handsome Jeff was.
He was going to get in real trouble. Long term
heartbreak trouble.
"I should check on Robin."
"Okay, I'll start bacon." Jeff smiled at him, the look
simply breathtaking.
He smiled back, caught there for another moment
before he shook himself, hard, and went to check on
Robin, Kimmie still asleep in his arm.
Robin was busily building either a dinosaur, a semi
truck, or an elephant. It was hard to tell. He watched for
a moment, enjoying the happy kid; this was why he had
to resist falling for Jeff because then he'd have to leave
and he didn't want to leave these kids.
Robin looked up, grinned. "A twuck."
Oh, he'd been right. Go him. "I thought so. It looks
good."
The little boy beamed at him, then bent back to his
work, at least until the scent of frying bacon hit the air.
Grinning, he held out his hand. "Come on, let's go see
if Daddy needs any help."
Robin took his fingers and grinned. "Daddy Jeff! I
help!"
Jeff's laughter trickled in. "I have a bowl of grapes on
the table for you to pull off the stems."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 58
Donny had to admit, the man learned quickly.
They joined Jeff in the kitchen and Donny started to
prepare a bottle for Kimberley, who was beginning to
make her wake up faces.
It looked like Jeff had recovered, the smells of
brunch delicious.
"I'm going to get fat," Donny announced as he took
the bottle of milk out of the microwave.
"Nonsense. This is good, honest food."
He laughed and that was what woke Kimmie up, her
little face screwing up immediately to scream. "Hey,
sweetie, none of that." He jogged her in his arm and
tested the temperature on the bottle.
He popped the bottle in her mouth just before scream
number two, and Robin looked up from the grapes.
"She's a stupid loud baby. You should give her back."
He bit the inside of his cheek, really hard, to keep
from laughing. "I know she doesn't seem to do much but
cry and poop and sleep right now, but soon you'll have
someone to play with."
Jeff nodded. "Besides, she needs you to be her big
brother. You're the only big brother she'll ever have."
"I wish I'd had a big brother like you." Donny sat
next to Robin. "Can I have a grape?"
"Yes." Robin picked out one for him and he ate it.
"Yum. That was a good one." It was all so domestic.
Donny loved it.
Jeff leaned over his shoulder, chest solid and hot
against him. "Me too."
Oh, man. That felt good. For half a moment, he
leaned back against Jeff. Robin popped a grape into
Jeff's lips, and then that heat faded, a touch to the side of
his neck making him shiver.
Okay, he had to get control of himself here. He was
just the nanny. That was all. Just an employee.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 59
"Do you want mayo with your sandwich, Don?"
"No, thanks." He'd take the hunk of a chef cooking it
though. He mentally rolled his eyes at himself; that was
not remembering he was just an employee.
"Okay. Robin, are you almost ready?"
Robin nodded. "Almost finished!"
Donny chuckled, pulling himself together. "So's
Kimberley."
"Excellent. Bacon sandwiches and home fries for the
family."
Donny put Kimberley over his shoulder to burp her
and licked his lips. The food looked very yummy.
"You eat. I'll burp." Jeff took Kimberley and the
cloth, bouncing her and walking around.
Donny didn't say no to that; he was too busy stuffing
his face and making "Mmm good" noises.
"You like bacon sandwiches?" he finally asked Robin
as he slowed down to savor.
"Sammiches." Robin ate his sandwich slowly, in
pieces.
Donny went to the fridge and grabbed the ketchup for
his home fries.
Kimberley was popped in her swing, Jeff humming
under his breath.
Donny nodded, pleased to see the man getting into
the swing of things, coming into his own as Daddy.
These kids needed the man present and happy and there
for them as much as possible. He was beginning to
believe Jeff had just needed a little sleep.
"Thanks, Jeff. That rocked."
"Thanks, Daddy Jeff!" Robin went and hugged Jeff's
leg before heading back to his blocks.
Donny cleared his own and Robin's plates, started
washing them.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 60
"Anytime." Jeff leaned against the fridge, eyes
closed.
"Tired?" Donny asked as he put the last glass in the
dish rack.
"No. Headache. I'll be fine."
"Can I get you some aspirin, or an ice pack or
something?"
"No, Don. I'm good. I just... I hate being woken up to
nastiness."
"How about a massage? That should help wipe out
the crappy phone call."
Those eyes met his. "Are you cool with that? I don't
want to make you... uncomfortable."
"I think I can handle it if you can. And I wouldn't
have offered if I hadn't meant it."
Jeff nodded and sat at the kitchen table. Donny stood
behind Jeff and started rubbing his shoulders. They were
wide and strong, warm. And maybe this hadn't been
such a good idea because maybe he was going to like it
just a little too much.
He dug his thumbs in, and Jeff groaned, head falling
forward toward the table. Ignoring the fact that Jeff
smelled good, and that the skin beneath his hands was
warm and smooth, Donny kept massaging, working the
tense muscles.
"God. You rock."
Donny chuckled, the warmth going to his belly and
all the way to his toes. "Thanks."
"You're like the best damn present, you know? I'd
have been insane by now."
He chuckled. "Like the gay version of Mary
Poppins?"
Jeff chuckled. "You're way cuter and less stiff upper
lip."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 61
"Thank you, Daddy Jeff." He kept the comment about
exactly what he could do with his upper lip to himself.
There were, after all, kids in the room. Not to mention
Jeff was his boss.
"You're welcome, Donny Poppins."
They cracked up together, their laughter filling the
air. When Kimberley laughed, hard and loud, they both
stopped. God, how beautiful.
"Did you see that?" he asked quietly, hands resting on
Jeff's shoulders.
Jeff nodded, body beginning to shake, sobs rocking
the man. "Beth should be here. That laugh belonged to
her."
"Oh, Jeff. Man." He squeezed Jeff's shoulders and
then went down onto his knees, arms wrapping around
the man. "It isn't your fault."
Jeff stiffened for a second, then pushed into his arms,
crying hard, mourning. Had Jeff had a chance to really
let go and cry over Beth before now? Or had he tried to
tough it out because of the kids? Donny rocked the man,
patted his back and murmured soothingly. Jeff held on,
the sorrow hard and deep, pouring out of the man.
"It's okay, Jeff. It's okay. Let it out. Let it all out."
It took a few more minutes, then Jeff wound down,
breath hitching. Donny kept rocking, patting Jeff's back.
He wondered again if it was the first time Jeff had really
let go like that. If so, it had been long overdue.
"I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry, Don."
"It's okay. Really. I bet you've been holding it in for a
long time."
"I just... She loved them, so much."
Donny nodded. She'd gone to a fair bit of trouble to
have them. "It's pretty fucking shitty that she died."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 62
"It is. And she hurt for twenty hours before she went.
She smelled like burned flesh. I just... It's not right, Don.
It's just not fucking right."
Donny held back his shudder; how terrible for Beth
to have gone through it, and for Jeff to have seen it, held
her hand 'til the end. "No, it's not. But it's what
happened." You couldn't change what had happened. No
matter how hard you wanted to. It was awful, but you
couldn't wish it away.
"I know. I hate it."
Kimberley gurgled and Jeff reached out, tugged her
little toes playfully. "And you. Listen to you laughing
right out loud."
"She's a sweetie. And you have to hold onto that,
huh? It isn't fair and it isn't right, but you got these two
beautiful kids who love you and you take the good that
comes with the bad and hold on tight."
"Yeah. I can do that." Jeff sighed. "It'll get easier."
"It will. Not to be glib or anything, but time does do
that." His hand slid around, down to rest on Jeff's thigh
as he looked into the wet eyes.
"Hey. I promise not to melt down weekly."
Donny laughed. "You do it as often as you need to,
man. I won't judge."
Jeff hugged him hard, kissed his cheek. "Thank you,
Don."
He hugged back and then sat on his haunches. "I'll
keep an eye on the kids if you want to go ahead and call
the people you need to call about the asshole ex."
"Thank you. Thanks. I think we should maybe walk
to the park before I have to go in, too. The weather's
supposed to get wet the rest of the week."
"Sounds good. You do your thing and we'll be ready
for fun in the sun when you're done."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 63
He resisted the urge to take a real kiss, stood and
grabbed up Kimberley before heading back to the living
room to see what Robin was up to.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 64
Chapter Seven
Jeff stumbled in from a brutal dinner service. Two
reviewers, one of the flattops was down, and he'd had a
sous chef walk out. Christ. Thank God he had the next
two days off.
He locked the back door, grabbed a beer, and leaned
against the counter, staring into the dark. The baby
monitor started squawking, Kimberley beginning to
wail. Before he had a chance to react, he heard Donny
cooing at her.
"Hey, sweet baby girl, what happened? Do you need
a change already? No. And I know you're not hungry.
Maybe you just need a hug, huh? We all need that now
and then." Then Donny started to sing softly, a gentle
lullaby, and Kimberley's tears faded away.
Jeff stood there, just listening. Maybe smiling a little
bit. "Oh, Bethy, she's so pretty. She looks just like
Robin."
The singing turned into humming, getting softer and
softer.
He stood up, grabbed some milk and eggs and the
waffle iron out, along with some sausage. Maybe Don
would come down and share. He was about halfway
done when he heard indistinct whispers from the
monitor and then everything went quiet.
A few moments later Donny joined him in the
kitchen. "Hey, you're home."
"Hey, Don. You hungry?"
"I would have said no until I smelled the food." Don
laughed and parked his hip against the counter.
"Waffles, eggs, and sausage." He finished his beer
and tossed the empty into recycling.
"I could definitely eat." Donny started setting the
table. "Reminds me of my college days when we'd eat at
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 65
all hours. Well, except it usually wasn't good food like
you do."
"How was your evening?"
"Not bad. Robin was a little cranky tonight -- with all
the rain he's not getting out as much as he was and I
think he was missing the physical activity in his day."
"There's this bouncy castle inside thing. I bought
tickets from Groupon." It had looked fun, like
somewhere Robin could goof off.
"Oh, yeah? That sounds like fun. I don't suppose they
let the adults bounce, too?"
"You know they do." He grinned and started making
waffle batter.
Don's eyes lit up. "Oh man, really? This must be
bigger than the birthday party backyard version I've
seen."
"It's like a store thing at the mall."
"Sounds like a hoot. When are you taking him?"
"I was thinking Monday. I know it's your day off..."
He sighed at himself. "You know, no. That's not fair to
you. I know you've got to be dying to get away from
us." He turned the sausages.
"If you have a ticket for me, I'm so there. Dude, it's a
bouncy castle." Don really did sound excited.
"I bought enough for the whole family, yeah."
Don gave him this smile, beaming and warm. "Thank
you."
He pulled one waffle out, poured another. Don was,
somehow. Family. And the man was still smiling goofily
at him.
"You want eggs, too?"
"Nah, waffles and sausages sound perfect."
"Good deal." He put the eggs back into the fridge and
plopped sausages on the plate.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 66
Don rubbed his hands together and grabbed a knife
and fork. "This is great."
"Late night breakfast is the best." He used to have it
all the time with Mitch. They'd drag themselves in from
partying before dawn and he'd cook up eggs and bacon
or sausage and waffles and they'd wolf it down before
hitting the sack.
"We used to do dawn breakfast after study sessions
back in school. It always tasted better than regular
breakfast." Don's words broke him out of his reverie.
"I get that." He pulled out the last waffle and grinned.
That life was over, Mitch was a bastard and he had his
family to feed now.
Don grinned right back at him. He thought maybe he
could see something in Don's eyes.
"Come on, let's sit on the back porch. It's not too
chilly."
"Sounds good." Donny grabbed the syrup on their
way out.
They settled at the table, next to each other, leaving
the door open so they could still hear the kids if they
woke up.
Don made happy noises as he ate -- the man always
made him know his cooking was appreciated, even if it
was just something simple like a bacon sandwich.
Jeff found himself just watching, enjoying Don. The
man sucked on one of his fingers, licking it clean. Jeff
moaned, then buried his face in his sausage.
Donny frowned at him. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Fine." He took a big bite.
Don shrugged and went back to eating, including
some more finger licking when he was done and ran his
fingers through the leftover syrup on his plate.
Jeff was going to fucking die. He had to go find
someone and get laid.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 67
Don looked over and smiled. "Thanks -- this was
awesome."
He tried to answer, but his mouth was dry, so he
cleared his throat. "You're welcome."
Don's gaze lingered, his smile slowly fading as he
stared.
"I." Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck, he wanted.
"Yeah." Donny licked his lips. "You're... you're
fucking gorgeous, man."
"I want to kiss you." The ache in his belly wasn't
getting better. "It's a bad fucking idea, but I do."
Don bit his lower lip. "Oh, God. That's what I want,
too."
"We shouldn't." He reached out, tugged Don's lip
from his teeth.
"No, we shouldn't." Don's lips surrounded his
fingertip.
Jeff's knees got weak. Oh, fuck...
Donny's eyelids dropped to half closed, his teeth
scraping along Jeff's finger before letting go. "Wrong,
huh?"
"Uh-huh." He leaned forward, brought their faces
closer together.
"So we shouldn't do this?" Don's lips touched his, the
gentle kiss sparking brightly.
"No." He wrapped one hard around Don's nape,
tugging them together. This kiss was less gentle, more
about learning if that chemistry was real or just late
night maple syrup.
Don's lips parted beneath his, the electricity between
them sudden and undeniable. His tongue slipped in, the
tip touching Don's before slipping back and tracing the
curve of that soft bottom lip.
Don's groan filled his mouth, a soft hand landing on
his shoulder, Don's fingers curling on his skin. He
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 68
scooted forward, deepening the kiss, letting his tongue
press deeper. Don's other hand landed on his head,
grabbing hold of his hair as Don opened right up to him.
Fuck. He'd never once have imagined sweet, gentle
Don as this... needy, forward man. It was hot as hell and
he met that passion head on.
Don moved out of his chair, kneeling in front of Jeff
and pressing close as the kisses deepened even further.
Oh, thank God. These chairs weren't going to hold both
of them. He wrapped his arms around Don, gathering the
slim body close.
He could feel Don's cock pressing against his belly
through their clothes, the heat and hardness confirming
what the kisses were telling him. His body was equally
as hard, as interested, as needy.
Don fed him a needy, hungry little noise, body
humping against his.
"Want you." He groaned the word against those soft
lips as he reached down, cupped that sweet cock.
"Oh, damn." Don bucked into his touch, the words
hardly more than needy sounding whimpers.
He pushed his fingers into the loose sweats Don
wore, wrapped his fingers around Don's erection, and
started tugging, pulling in steady, sure pulls.
"Oh, God." Don's breath stuttered, his whole body
going tight for a moment. Then he moaned softly and
began to move, pushing into Jeff's hand.
That was it. Just like that. Jeff wanted to feel that.
One hand still wrapped in his hair, the other clinging
to his shoulder, Don kept moving, undulating and filling
his mouth with gasps and needy moans. Jeff watched
every second, watched the need and hunger in Don's
face. He could... Damn.
"Oh, please. Oh. Soon. Jeff..." The words were
breathless.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 69
"You're okay. Come on. So hot, Don."
"Fuck!" Don's eyes went wide, hot spunk pouring
over Jeff's hand.
He mashed their lips together again, this kiss long
and slow; the only thing keeping it from being lazy was
his need. Don's hands fumbled at his waist, finding and
undoing the ties to his chef whites.
"Oh, damn." He spread, nodded. "Yes, please."
His pants were pushed down, Don going for his cock
and getting a hand around it. "Oh, wow. Can I taste?"
All he could do was groan, ass lifting from the chair
in a restless little thrust. "Uh-huh."
Don bent over him, tongue flicking out to lick across
the tip of his prick.
"Don!" The chair arms squeaked as his hands
clenched.
Don's answer was to wrap hot lips around the head,
the suction sudden and oh so good. His head fell back,
throat working as he pushed up, fucked Don's lips. Don
took him in, hand at the base of his cock and jacking it
as Don's tongue licked and slapped. Jesus, Don was
good at that. Too good. Brutally good.
Don kept sucking, kept pulling, making him feel like
a million bucks, like he was fucking going to explode.
His balls drew up tight, his heart skipping a beat. Don
hummed, hand letting go of his cock so he could push
all the way into Don's throat.
That was all it took; Jeff shot hard, pushing into
Don's mouth. Don swallowed him down, tongue busy
making sure he got as much out of this orgasm as
humanly possible.
By the time Don's lips left his cock, he was panting,
sweating, boneless in the chair. Don stayed kneeling in
front of him, head on his thigh.
"I. Wow. Damn." His world was spinning.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 70
"Uh-huh." He could feel Don's smile against his
thigh. "Even your spunk tastes good. Gourmet."
He blinked down, then cracked up, laughing hard,
tickled deep down. Don grinned at him and slipped back
into his own chair, adjusting himself.
"I. I should make waffles more often."
Donny's gaze met his, held it. "I'd like that."
"Yeah." Damn. Just... damn.
Donny bit his lower lip, looked like he was going to
say something for a moment, but in the end, didn't.
He reached out, touched Don's leg. "You okay? I
mean, you can talk to me."
"I just." Don cleared his throat. "I don't want you to
think this is why I took the job."
"Don, when you took the job I hadn't slept in two
weeks and I was insane. No one's that masochistic."
That had Don chuckling, clearly relaxing. "It's not
going to make it weird between us, is it? I don't want
things to be weird."
"We'll just have to make sure it doesn't. I like you too
much to fuck this up."
Don nodded. "Ditto." Then Don leaned in again, lips
pressing softly against his. When Don pulled back, he
was smiling, eyes soft, happy.
"You want to..." He found himself blushing. "Come
talk to me while I do dishes?"
"I'd like that. I could even dry."
He nodded, stood, not able to stop his smile at all.
"It's a deal."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 71
Chapter Eight
Donny helped Robin with his blocks, grinning as
Robin was able to recognize and name almost all the
letters. "Good job!"
"Good job," repeated Robin. "Cookie?"
"How about a box of raisins?" He went to the kitchen
and grabbed a snack box of raisins, giving it to Robin at
the kitchen table.
"Count them and tell me how many you have," he
suggested.
He leaned back against the counter, watching as
Robin slowly counted the raisins, listening enough to
correct Robin and help once Robin hit six.
Part of his mind was rabbiting, though. He'd blown
Jeff. He'd sucked his boss' cock. And he wanted to do it
again. He'd been waiting all morning for Jeff to come
down. Finally, he heard footsteps on the stairs, heard
Jeff's whistling and his prick jerked eagerly in his jeans.
"No one came and woke me up!"
"Daddy Jeff!" Robin went running over to Jeff before
Donny could say something silly like "I'll volunteer for
that position."
Jeff scooped the boy up, kissed his nose. "Good
morning, son. Don. How's Miss Kimberley?"
He gave Jeff a warm smile, telling himself to stop
acting like a moonstruck teenager. "She's good." She
was swinging, half asleep.
"And how are you?" Jeff's eyes were so warm.
"I'm good, too." Falling in love a little, no matter how
silly or dangerous or stupid it was.
"Excellent." Jeff was looking at him like he was the
center of the world. Wow.
He found himself smiling goofily at Jeff.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 72
"You guys want something amazing for lunch or..."
Those pretty eyes danced. "Do we want to go get a
burger and play on the bouncy castles?"
"Bouncy castle!" Don and Robin shouted it out
together.
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
"Do you need something to eat before we go?" He
also needed to get Kimberley's go bag, make sure there
was a fresh bottle in it, more than one diaper -- you
didn't want to be caught short -- a couple juice boxes
and some snacks for Robin, a change of clothes for both
kids just in case...
"I'll grab a cup of coffee. I have the diaper bag and
Robin's backpack ready."
"Oh wow, really?" Man, that was awesome, not to
have to worry about that. Not that he minded, really, but
it was cool having another pair of hands and another
grown up thinking about that kind of thing. "Cool. We're
ready to go, then."
"Excellent. I thought we'd walk down, have burgers
at Dave's, then the fun is only a block down."
Jeff put Robin down. "Get your shoes on and let me
grab a cuppa."
"Sounds perfect." Don got his own shoes on, feeling
so happy -- like he was really a member of the family
and not just the nanny. And Jeff had included him
before they'd... gotten each other off. Which meant this
was more than just because of that.
He went into the kitchen, stopping as he watched Jeff
dance Kimberley around in one arm, coffee in the other.
Oh man. It made him warm inside to see that, made his
heart beat a little faster. He was definitely falling for
Jeff; seeing this just made it that much easier to do.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 73
She laughed, the sound pure happiness, and Jeff
grinned. "That's right, baby. We're going to go out and
play."
"She's a joy, isn't she?" He was smiling so hard it
almost hurt.
"She's amazing." Jeff danced toward him, dropped a
soft kiss on his mouth. "Good morning, Don."
No one had ever called him Don but Jeff.
He licked his lips, gave Jeff a warm smile. "Good
morning." It was. It was a really good morning. "Yes."
Kimberley turned and grabbed his shirt in her tiny
grip, holding him.
"Hey, pretty girl." He stayed there, close to Jeff,
making faces at the beautiful baby. She cooed and
wiggled, flirting madly. She was going to be a
heartbreaker.
"Are you trying to steal Don, baby girl?"
"There's no stealing here -- she already has my heart."
He grinned. "The only girl who ever has." Okay, so he
loved his sisters, but this was different; Kimberley
wasn't related.
"See? You're magical." Jeff blew a soft raspberry on
her tiny neck, making her squeal.
That sound had Robin barreling in. "Me too, Daddy
Jeff!"
Donny laughed. Robin did love his getting
raspberries.
Jeff handed Kimberley over, then stalked Robin,
playing hard. Don was still laughing as he followed
them slowly. It was so good, seeing Jeff relaxing and
playing with the kids. It was amazing, the way they were
all becoming a family. It was so much more than he'd
ever hoped for when he'd decided to become a nanny.
He got Kimberley's sweater on and grabbed the
backpack, putting in on and sliding her in it. She
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 74
laughed and giggled at him, the sweet girl almost always
in a good mood if she wasn't hungry, tired, or in need of
a diaper change.
"Okay, let's go, guys. I am starving." Jeff scooped
Robin up. "I think we should have frog burgers!"
"Do you think if we have frog burgers we'll start
hopping all around?" Donny asked. Hopping was one of
Robin's favorite outdoor activities.
"Hopping!" There he went. Boing. Boing. Boing. In
Jeff's arms, his feet right at Jeff's balls.
Donny winced and hoped no harm came to them; he
wanted to love on them. God, he had it bad. He'd known
from the start that Jeff was good-looking, but the way he
was feeling now had kind of snuck up on him.
Jeff scooted Robin up higher as they wrangled the
stroller out of the garage. "It's a beautiful day."
"It is. The nicest day ever." Donny was practically
skipping for Christ's sake.
"I don't know, Don. Last night was fabulous."
Oh. Yeah. He smiled even wider, nodded. "Yeah,
yeah, it was."
Jeff looked at him, gave him a burning smile.
Donny beamed back. He was in so much fucking
trouble.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 75
Chapter Nine
Exhausted. They were exhausted. He was exhausted,
Kimberley and Robin were exhausted, and he could tell
Don was exhausted. It had been totally worth it, though.
Jeff dragged himself up the driveway, pushing the
stroller with a sleeping Robin and the handful of
groceries they needed. Don had an equally sleeping
Kimberley in the harness thingy.
Don moved ahead and unlocked the front door before
helping him get the stroller up the front steps.
"Thanks." He grinned over, winked as they got them
inside. "Bed, you think?"
"Oh, God, yes."
Robin started whining and Don nodded hard. "Very
yes."
"Okay, I'll get him in, you change Miss Kimmie."
"You sure? He's going to be a bit of a bear this
evening."
"Yeah. I'll manage." He scooped Robin up, heading
upstairs.
He could hear Don behind him, talking to his
daughter. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get you a clean
diaper and you can have that bottle. It was a good day,
wasn't it?"
It had been. They'd walked and played. Robin had
actually made a couple of little friends at the bouncy
castle place. Jeff had found some lovely produce and a
piece of lovely pork loin at the store.
It was surprisingly easy to get Robin settled in bed
and he'd barely gotten his story book open when those
little eyes closed and Robin was out.
Jeff sat there for a minute and let himself breathe, let
himself just relax for a second.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 76
"Everything okay in here?" He opened his eyes to
find Don looking in on them.
"Sorry. Dozed off." He stood up, stretched. "She go
down okay?"
"Yeah, the two of them had a long day." Don leaned
against the door, looking like he was ready to fall asleep
where he was himself.
"Us too. You want a pre-supper nap?"
"I'm not sure I'll actually wake up for supper if I take
one. I can give you a hand."
He reached out, took Don's hand. "Come on. If we
sleep through supper, we'll eat a big breakfast." He
needed a nap.
"Where are we going?"
"Bed?" He was so tired he couldn't think. "The food
can wait a few hours and the front door's locked, Don."
"Oh. It's just I'm in the other direction..."
He frowned, then shook his head. "God, I'm sorry.
That was presumptuous."
Don's eyes widened. "You want me to sleep in your
bed? It's just last night we didn't... you didn't. I. Shut up,
Donny and just go to bed with the man."
"Just... look. I'm sleepy. You're sleepy. The bed's big
and I haven't gotten to touch you all day."
Don beamed at him. "I'm up for it. I mean, yeah,
sleepy." Don rolled his eyes and tugged Jeff the last few
steps to his bedroom.
He chuckled and toed off his shoes, undid his belt.
"It's cool with you if I strip down a little?"
"As long as I get to watch."
"Watch away." He wasn't modest. He stripped down
to his boxers.
Don sat down on his bed. "Such a nice body. Makes
me want to touch."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 77
"It's not bad." He used to work out a lot more, before
the kids had come and swallowed up all his free time,
and he had more scars on his hands than most, but
whatever. He headed to the bed, sat.
"Not bad." Don laughed softly. "If you're only not
bad, I'm not good."
"C'mere." He helped Don strip down to his boxers so
they matched, then drew him close. "This cool?"
"Yeah, cool. Somehow I'm not so sleepy anymore,
though."
"No?" He hummed, rocking slowly.
"No." Don began to move with him, their bodies
sliding together.
"We're napping." It didn't feel like napping.
"Okay." Don closed his eyes, but kept meeting Jeff's
movements.
Jeff took a soft kiss, hips rolling slowly.
Don kissed him back, lips slightly parted as they
bussed and rubbed against his. "You feel so good."
"Mmmhmm. It's easy."
"Huh? Easy?" Don blinked at him, licked the pretty
lips.
"To be with you."
"Oh!" Don smiled and pushed closer. "I'm an easy
guy. Only not as slutty as that makes me sound." Don
laughed, and he did, too.
They chuckled together, forehead to forehead.
Don pressed another soft kiss on him, hand sliding
over his belly. "So sexy, Jeff."
Jeff grinned, blushed. Don made him feel amazing.
Don's fingers slid down, caressed him through his
boxers.
"Oh." His cock went rock hard, like Don's touch was
electric.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 78
A low, sexy moan sounded, Don's fingers wrapping
around him.
"Not napping." Good thing he wasn't sleepy anymore.
"Who needs a nap?" Don grinned at him, let go of
him and then pushed a hand into his boxers to grab him
skin on skin.
"Damn." He took Don's lips, fucked them in time
with that touch.
Don fed him a groan and moved his hand faster. He
shoved Don's briefs down, got their cocks sliding, side
by side. Another moan pushed into his mouth, Don's
hand wrapping around both of them.
Yes. Fuck, yes. He rolled, landing on top of Don,
giving them both more. Groaning, Don let go of their
pricks in favor of grabbing onto his ass and pulling him
down. Hard and hot, Don arched up into him, another
sound ringing through the room.
"Yeah." Hot little man, Jeff wanted to wallow in him.
Don leaned up, mouth latching onto his, hands
squeezing his butt cheeks. Fuck. Fuck, yeah. His rhythm
stuttered, shifted. Don had him, though, hands moving
him, mouth enticing his tongue to come out and play.
They were making enough wetness between them to
slick stuff up so nicely.
Don's mouth left his for a moment, a deep breath
lifting him off Don's chest, then they were kissing again.
It was beginning to feel like Don was getting desperate,
needy with it. He shoved one hand between them,
grabbed their cocks, and stroked them off.
"Oh, God!" Don humped up into his hand, just twice,
and then come sprayed up over his hand, over his cock.
The heat was fucking perfect, the smell pure male
and enough to make his balls ache as they emptied.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 79
Don's arms and legs wrapped around him, holding him
close as their mouths met again, this kiss lazy, almost
half asleep.
"Mmm." He patted Don lazily, eyelids heavy.
"Good."
"Uh-huh. I think I like this as a pre-nap activity. A
lot." Don nuzzled into him.
"Mmm." Jeff yawned, settled Don. "Sleep."
"Yes, boss."
He popped Don's hip playfully, hand barely hitting
the sheets before he was asleep.
***
Donny half woke, one side cold, the other warm from
the body wrapped around him.
Body.
What?
His eyes opened and he tried to sit up, though he
couldn't, not with Jeff's arm wrapped around him. Oh.
Jeff. Right. Napping. And stuff.
He glanced over at the clock. It was after ten. They'd
napped quite a bit longer than planned. Still. He wasn't
going to hurry Jeff awake. He was enjoying being in the
man's arms. Enjoying it a lot.
Jeff hummed softly, lips brushing his jaw. It sent a
jolt of warmth to his belly, his balls. God, it felt good;
Jeff felt amazing. He snuggled in closer, letting his hand
pet Jeff's abs.
"Mmm. Don." Jeff dragged him closer.
It made him smile, how Jeff knew him even mostly
still asleep. Jeff knew it was him.
Jeff looked so young like this -- lovely and dark and
relaxed. Don watched each slow breath, feeling himself
getting more and more attached. Unable to stop himself,
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 80
he leaned in, pressing his lips to Jeff's in a barely there
kiss.
Jeff's eyes opened, a soft breath pushed into his lips.
"Hey."
"Mmm. Hey." He gave the next kiss a little more
strength.
Jeff's hand wrapped around the back of his head,
holding on. He hummed happily. He was going to be
stupid in love here any minute. In fact, he was pretty
sure he already was. Falling in love with Jeff had been
so easy.
They kissed, then Jeff's stomach rumbled against his
own.
It made him chuckle. He patted Jeff's abs. "We
should fill this, huh?"
"I've got some lovely... Did I buy pork?"
He laughed. "I think that was it. You seemed pretty
happy about it." It was sexy, really, the way Jeff talked
about food, the way he handled it.
"Mmm. I should cook for you. Pork loin with cherry
sauce and mashed sweet potato." Of course, it also made
a man really hungry.
"That sounds divine. Is it fair, though, if you're
always cooking me restaurant grade food?" Of course if
he was doing the cooking it was peanut butter
sandwiches, mac and cheese, and hot dogs. Robin wasn't
complaining; Donny thought Robin's father just might.
"Well, I could try to cook something bad."
Donny blinked and then laughed, shook his head.
"That's not what I meant."
Jeff kissed his nose. "Come on, hotness. Food."
He found his cheeks heating a bit at the "hotness." He
liked it, though. He liked that Jeff thought that.
"I'll set the table," he promised as he hauled himself
out of bed and looked for his jeans.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 81
Warm hands landed on his ass as he bent over. He
squeaked and then chuckled and pressed back into the
touch. He loved how sensual Jeff was.
"Mmm. Just had to touch."
"You can touch." Jeff could so touch. He so wanted
Jeff to touch. Touching was a good thing if it involved
him and Jeff.
Those callused thumbs rubbed his skin, worked him.
He closed his eyes, a moan coming out of him at the
touch.
"This is not getting us to the kitchen."
"You started it." He'd just been trying to get his jeans
on.
"I did." The brush of lips on the small of his back
sent lightning up his spine.
He moaned, shivered, trying to press back harder, to
melt up into Jeff.
"Sweet man." Those lips were maddening.
"You feel good. Hot." He wanted more; he just wasn't
in a position to get it.
"Mmmhmm. Hungry. We should eat."
"You're going to have to let go of me for that." Like
really. Because he couldn't move or think or make his
brain function at all when Jeff was doing that. Not that
he was in a hurry to have Jeff stop touching him.
"Oh, damn." His butt got a firm squeeze.
It made him groan again and he pushed harder into
Jeff's touch, wishing all the blood wasn't rushing to his
head.
"Come on." Jeff stood him up, arms wrapped around
him.
He leaned back against Jeff, face lifting up to bring
their mouths together for a soft kiss. "Feed me."
"Absolutely." He loved to see Jeff smile.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 82
He got his jeans on and Jeff pulled on a pair of
sweats and they headed downstairs together, fingers
brushing as they made their way to the kitchen.
This was crazy.
Wonderful, but crazy.
He let Jeff get to the food and started setting the
table. Every couple of minutes, he'd go back, touch the
man. Because he could.
Soon the kitchen was filled with amazing smells --
and Jeff's tuneless music. He went over and leaned
against Jeff's back, head on one shoulder.
"Mmm. You're warm." Jeff was relaxed, easy, like
this was so natural.
"So're you." He turned and kissed Jeff's neck,
breathing the man in.
"Mmmhmm." The meat was turned, the smell like
heaven.
His stomach rumbled loudly and Donny laughed at
himself against Jeff's shoulder.
"It'll be about ten more minutes for the potatoes."
"Whatever are we going to do for ten minutes?" He
had a suggestion or two.
"We could talk about politics."
"Ew." He rubbed against Jeff, trying to give the man
some other ideas.
Jeff's soft chuckles were pure sex. How had anyone
left this? This Mitch guy was an idiot as well as an
asshole.
Don pulled Jeff around, not needing to get off, but
wanting so much to taste Jeff's mouth again.
"Hey." God, that smile. Look at that smile. He never
wanted to stop.
He beamed back. "Hey." Then he took the kiss he
wanted, his own lips parted, and the kiss was just as
good as Jeff's smile. Okay, better.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 83
Jeff hummed, tongue sliding over his lips, his teeth,
the touch lazy and simple. It was nice, unhurried and
sweet. Like they had all the time in the world to just
breathe each other in.
Jeff kept smiling, as if he'd never been happier.
Donny leaned against Jeff's strength, soaked up his
warmth.
"Thanks for getting up with me." Jeff's chest rumbled
gently as he spoke.
"Hey, you're gonna feed me -- how could I say no to
that?" And why wouldn't he want to be where Jeff was
whenever he could?
Jeff chuckled. "That I am. Let me check the pork."
"If I have to." He groped Jeff's ass a moment and
then backed off.
"You don't want to waste this." Jeff put some cherries
in the pan, the fruit sizzling.
"No, no, I don't. I bet if you'd let people know that
you were an amazing chef, you'd have gotten better
applicants for the job." It wasn't the first time he'd had
the thought; this was a definite perk.
"I don't know, Don. I couldn't keep a man who said
he loved me for years."
"He was an idiot. I mean really. You're hot, and you
can cook like a dream. You have two beautiful kids..."
And Jeff kissed like a dream and wanted to do it with
him. Donny thought it didn't get much better than this.
"He is an idiot. And an asshole." Jeff winked.
Donny laughed; he'd been thinking the exact same
thing just a couple minutes ago. "Yeah. That's a bad
combo." He grabbed a couple of Perrier waters from the
fridge.
"Hand me the butter, please?"
He grabbed it and handed it over before opening the
water and leaning against the counter to watch Jeff
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 84
finish up their supper. It was like watching a musician or
a dancer.
Soon they were sitting together with this amazing
meal on the table. Wow. He dug in eagerly and wasn't
disappointed. Groaning, he took another bite.
"You like it." Jeff cut a bite, smiled.
He nodded, too busy eating to say anything -- it
would be impolite to talk with food in his mouth, right?
Sweet and savory and rich -- God, he was never
going to just shove food in his mouth again, this
deserved to be savored, even if he was eating it like he
hadn't had food in days. While every bite was awesome,
that he was sharing it with Jeff made it that much better.
They pretty much ate in silence, enjoying the food
and the company. He actually sighed when he was done.
"So good."
"Thank you." Jeff licked cherry sauce off his upper
lip.
"Oh..." He leaned over and Jeff moved slightly
toward him, enough for him to lick at the corner of Jeff's
mouth. "You missed a spot."
"Do I taste like cherries?"
"I'm not sure. I think I should double check." This
time he let his tongue slide between Jeff's lips, and then
into his mouth.
Jeff cupped his jaw, let the kiss deepen, sweet and
slow. Donny felt his whole body responding to Jeff,
from his scalp to his toes, and of course all points in
between.
When their lips parted, Jeff smiled at him. "Well? Do
I taste like cherries?"
"Huh?" Cherries? Oh! He felt his cheeks heat, he'd
totally forgotten, and he chuckled, nodded. "Yeah, I
think you do."
Jeff kissed his nose. "I think you're addictive."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 85
"Ditto." He looked into Jeff's eyes, wondering if they
could hold onto this moment, to this feeling forever.
"The morning's going to come early." Jeff sighed. "I'd
better do the dishes so we can get some sleep."
"No, you cooked, I should do them." He gave Jeff
another quick kiss and made himself get up.
"We'll do them together." Jeff gave him a sideways
glance. "Then, if you wanted, we could go upstairs.
Together."
"Yes, please." It was more than he'd hoped for and
his smile came from somewhere deep inside.
They started doing the dishes together, Jeff washing,
him drying, and Donny thought it was way more
romantic than washing up should be.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 86
Chapter Ten
"Daddy Jeff! Daddy Jeff! Donny's in your bed,
sleepin'!"
An incredibly heavy for being so little boy landed
right on Jeff's balls, making him curl up, grunt. Fuck.
"Uhn."
"Oh, f--." Don cut off the curse word, burying his
head in the pillows next to Jeff.
"I know, buddy. We were tired. Good morning." He
hugged his son, telling himself not to wig out. They
were both adults; they weren't doing anything wrong.
Don unburied, face appearing above the covers. He
smiled at Robin. "Hey, Robin. Did you have a good
sleep?" Don's hand petted Jeff's thigh under the covers.
"I did! I pottied by myself in the potty!"
"Excellent!" Jeff grinned. "Pancakes or eggs and
bacon this morning?"
"O'meal!"
"Oatmeal? Can Daddy have eggs?"
"You don't like oatmeal, Jeff?" Don blinked owlishly
at him and yawned.
"No." He winked. He hated it. Hated. "You need
some more sleep? I can get breakfast started and stuff,
since Kimberley's still--"
A sharp wail filled the air.
"Never mind."
Don laughed. "Go on and start breakfast -- Robin can
help you, and I'll get Kimberley."
"Okay." He grinned at Don, scooped Robin up. "It's
my Good Morning Boy!"
He swooped his sweet boy around the bedroom
before he grabbed a robe. "Do you want apples or
peaches or raisins in your oatmeal?"
"Bananas and raisins, Daddy!"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 87
"Mmm, that sounds good. That's what I want, too."
Don was clearly waiting for him to take Robin out
before getting up. Which was probably for the best.
"It's a deal." He headed out, trying not to look back to
see his new lover's body.
Don came down with Kimberley a couple of minutes
after he got the oatmeal started, Robin carefully putting
bowls for himself and Don on the table.
"She's hungry!" Don bounced her, but she was clearly
not happy.
"Her bottle's on the counter. Do you want eggs?"
"I'm easy. Eggs or oatmeal." Don's glance lingered on
him.
"I'll give you oatmeal." After all, Robin had already
set that bowl out for Don. "I'll make myself toast." He
really just needed coffee.
"Whatever you want, Boss." Don grinned at him.
He nodded, cut up bananas, listened to the morning
show, found the raisins and the brown sugar. Don fed
Kimberley and entertained Robin, throwing him hot
looks now and then. It made making the oatmeal
difficult, but he managed it.
"Do you have to go to work today, Daddy Jeff?"
"No, son. I have Mondays off. Yesterday was
Sunday."
"Yay!" Robin waved his arms in the air.
Don grinned at Robin's enthusiasm.
"Yes. Yay!" Jeff waved, too, wiggling his butt.
Don laughed, and Kimberley laughed in his arms.
Fuck, it was a great morning, the best one he could
remember in a long time.
Jeff made himself a cup of coffee, Don a cup of Earl
Grey.
"Thanks." Don's fingers lingered on his as he passed
the cup over.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 88
"You're welcome." They shared a slow, secret smile.
"Donny! I need brown sugar on my oatmeal."
"You do? Are you sure it's not salt you're supposed to
put on it?"
Robin laughed. "No, that's silly."
Jeff chuckled, but he started thinking -- salted
caramel breakfast oatmeal might be interesting. Donny
helped Robin with the brown sugar and with adding a bit
more milk to his oatmeal to cool it down before shifting
Kimberley to burp her. Jeff took the opportunity to grab
his book from the cabinet, and he scribbled down the
idea. He had thousands of little scribbles in there, it
seemed like. Notes for when he had time to experiment
at will. For when he was his own boss.
"Come and sit, Daddy." Don pushed out his chair
with a foot.
"Mmmhmm. Let me write this down and grab my
toast."
"It's supposed to be your day off." The chide was
gentle.
"I know." He chuckled. "This is my wish book." He
finished the scribble, put the book away and came to
take Kimberley so Don could eat. She was warm and
soft, and she grabbed one of his ears and tugged.
"Wish book?" Don put some brown sugar on his own
oatmeal and dug in.
"Uh-huh. For recipes when I build my own
restaurant."
"Oh, wow. That's awesome."
"Some day." He nuzzled Kimberley's cheek. After he
paid for college for his two babies.
"I could build you a restaurant, Daddy," Robin told
him seriously.
"Can you? What kind of restaurant?"
"LEGOs!"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 89
He snorted his coffee a little. "Son, you can't eat
LEGOs."
"They make great building materials, though," Don
noted.
"They do. I like the red ones best."
"Blue for me," said Donny.
Robin giggled.
Jeff grinned. "Do you hear that? Blue better than
red?"
Robin nodded, laughing harder.
"Blue is always better than red." Don looked
affronted, but Jeff could tell it was an act.
Robin tilted his head. "I likes green."
"Oh, green is okay, too." Don nodded, giving him a
grin and a wink. "Why not a restaurant made out of all
the colors?"
"Rainbow Restaurant!"
Robin's words made Jeff clap around Kimberley's
diapered butt. "That's right, son. That's what we'll name
it one day, Rainbow Restaurant!"
Don gave him another of those slow, intimate smiles.
"I like it."
"Me too." He kissed Kimberley's forehead. "Me too."
"So what are we doing today, Daddy?" Don asked.
Jeff appreciated that, even before they'd become lovers,
Don had always been happy to spend the mornings and
weekends with him and the kids. It was probably part of
why he felt like he did about Don.
"I don't know. What do you want to do today? Is it
pretty outside?"
Don looked out the big window behind him and
nodded. "Looks like it's sunny."
"We could go to the park, we could play in the yard."
He stopped, thought. "We could go downtown and look
at the farmer's market."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 90
"Your daddy likes food, Robin. A lot." Don was
talking to Robin, but had a teasing smile for him.
"Yes. I want a tree house," Robin announced.
"A tree house?" Don frowned. "Like in the yard?"
"Yep. Like on Dora."
Jeff blinked. A tree house. In his perfect yard. Wow.
"We'd have to figure out what to do with the pool."
Don gave him an apologetic look. "You know that's not
safe, right? It needs to be fenced in or something." This
wasn't the first time Don had mentioned it.
"Can we swim?" Robin bounced. "I like to swim."
Jeff nodded. "I guess. I haven't even been outside in
the back in weeks." They'd talked about Robin taking
lessons at the Y or something a few weeks back, but
Don had called around and apparently their timing was
wrong just at the moment.
"You could get a cleaner," Don suggested. Then he
turned to Robin. "You remember the rules about the
backyard, Robin?"
"Only with Daddy Jeff or you. Ever ever."
"That's right. Never ever on your own and you never
try to get into the pool without me or Daddy Jeff."
God, sometimes Jeff realized how unprepared he
was.
"Only with Daddy Jeff or you. Ever-ever," Robin
repeated again.
Don smiled and nodded. "Good boy."
Jeff gave Kimberley her bottle back to finish,
watching her as he held it. Maybe they should move.
Find somewhere more... kid-friendly.
"I bet we can find someone to fence the pool in if you
want to keep it." Don sat back with his tea, his oatmeal
finished.
"Keep it? You can't just get rid of one..."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 91
"No? I bet you can. It's probably cheaper, though, if
you just fence it in so the kids can't get to it."
"Yeah." He leaned against Kimberley, tried not to
sigh.
"Jeff, man." Don waited until he looked up at the
guy. "Don't beat yourself up about this kind of stuff --
you weren't prepared to have little ones here."
"No. No, I wasn't." And now things were... askew.
Not bad; he loved the kids, and this new thing with Don
was fucking amazing, but... they weren't right either.
"Well, then, it's just a matter of figuring out what all
you still have to do." Don was always so positive.
"Yeah." He nodded. He wasn't sure if he was capable,
all he knew is that he'd try.
The way Don smiled at him, made him feel like he
could do anything.
"You okay, Daddy Jeff?" Don asked softly.
Jeff nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking."
"Thought I smelled smoke." Don grinned at him.
"Why do you smell smoke?" Robin sniffed. "I don't
smell smokes."
Jeff goosed Don. "He's making a joke, son."
Don yelped a little, laughed. "Yeah, I was. There's no
smoke, Robin."
"Oh." Robin looked almost disappointed.
Don tousled Robin's hair. "Have you had a fire in the
fireplace yet?"
"Hmm? No. No, not yet." He'd been worried Robin
might associate it with what had happened to Beth, but
maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe it was different
enough...
"Sounds like Robin might like it."
"Yeah." It had. "You think it's cool enough to try?"
Summer was coming, but it had been a very rainy and
cool spring so far.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 92
"How about this evening? We could have a campout
for supper."
"Oh. Oh, Daddy... Daddy, please! Like Dora, with a
tent and sh’mellows and hot dogs. Oh..." Robin's eyes
were huge.
How could anyone say no to that? Certainly not him.
"I think that is a fabulous idea. I think we should do it."
"Cool! We're having a campfire tonight. There's no
sleeping bags are there? We can use sheets to make
bedrolls instead. We'll figure something out." Don
looked almost as excited as Robin.
He chuckled and shook his head. "I have sleeping
bags in the garage, but we'll have to make a tent."
Robin started jumping and bouncing, making noise.
He ran around the room yelling tent and sh’mellows.
"Some blankets, a couple of chairs. I remember
building some of those when I was little." Don rubbed
his hands together.
"Yeah?" Jeff wasn't sure he did, but he didn't
remember wanting to do it, either.
Don nodded. "Yeah. It was one thing my sisters and I
agreed on."
"Well, it's a good..."
His words trailed off as Robin banged himself against
a chair, went crashing to the ground.
Robin started screaming and Don jumped up, went
over. "Hey, hey, it's okay, Robin."
"MOMMY!" That wail broke Jeff's heart. Then
Kimberley started wailing, too, her brother's upset
setting her off.
"Shh. It's okay. Me and your daddy are here. We're
right here, sweetie, and you're okay."
"I want my mommy! I got a boo boo!"
Jeff stood up, juggling Kimberley, reaching for
Robin. "Come here."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 93
Don stood and took Kimberley from him, nodding at
him. "Daddy Jeff is here for you, sweetie."
Robin hurtled into Jeff's arms and he hugged his son.
"I want Mommy."
"I know, but I'm here." What else could he say?
Don's gave him a sad little smile, support there, for
him, for his son.
He kissed the little bump on top of Robin's head. "So,
we need to plan our campout."
Robin's lower lip pouted out, quivered for a moment
as his son teetered on the edge of starting to cry again.
"We have to have songs and s'mores. Do you know
what a s'more is, Robin?"
Don's question had that lower lip pulling in between
Robin's teeth as he pondered the question and then
shook his head. "No."
Jeff chuckled. "Oh, s'mores are so good. Graham
crackers and chocolate and marshmallows all squished
together."
"The important bit is that the marshmallows are
toasted over the fire, so they're all melty. And you, lucky
boy, have two people who can help you toast them -- me
and Daddy Jeff."
"Oh..." Robin's eyes were wide. "Can I do Kimmie's,
too?"
"Kimmie's not old enough for s'mores yet, but you
can help me with mine. I bet Daddy Jeff will let you
help with his, too."
"Absolutely. We'll do it as a family." He loved that
they were one, a family, all four of them.
"That sounds great." Don got this little smile
whenever he said stuff like that, warmth in those pretty
eyes.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 94
"It does." He hugged Robin. "Come on. Let's get
dressed and get your room picked up, then we'll start
planning."
"I'll get Miss Kimberley changed and get dressed
myself and then join you."
"You don't mind?" He didn't want Don to think this
whole... thing... was about taking advantage.
Don blinked at him and then shook his head. "No, of
course not."
"Yeah? Cool."
"Yeah, cool." Don glanced at Robin, and then blew
him a quick kiss.
He couldn't have stopped smiling if you'd paid him.
Then Robin put those little arms around him and rested
his head on Jeff's shoulder. So he didn't even try.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 95
Chapter Eleven
They'd set up a make-shift tent in the living room
with the coffee table, the couch, a couple of chairs and
three sheets. There were pillows and sleeping bags for
sleeping on, and a blanket on the ground in front of the
fire to sit on, like they were at a real campfire.
There was a plate with hot dogs, one with the s'more
fixings, and three mugs of hot chocolate sitting on the
hearth. And there were a couple of hot
dog/marshmallow sticks made out of metal with wooden
handles.
Not bad at all for cobbled together, if Donny did say
so himself.
Robin's eyes were huge, so excited, and they were all
in their pajamas. Jeff's were SpongeBob. Donny had
laughed when he'd first seen them. They still made him
chuckle. Of course, he had Oscar the Grouch ones
himself. Robin's were covered in dinosaurs, and Miss
Kimberley was in her swing wearing butterfly pajamas,
laughing, kicking her feet.
Donny leaned over and asked Robin quietly, "So, you
wanna do the s'mores first?"
"Daddy Jeff says we hafta do hot dogs."
"Aww, come on, Daddy Jeff. It's a campfire in the
middle of the living room. Can't we do dessert first?" He
batted his eyes at Jeff.
"Oh, that's totally unfair." Jeff chuckled, and Donny
knew he'd won.
He grinned and clapped his hands. "Yay. Come on,
Robin, in case he changes his mind back."
Robin hopped into his lap and Jeff chuckled, shook
his head, smiling at them both with obvious fondness.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 96
"So the first thing we do is prep the graham cracker
and chocolate portion, so that we can just slide the
toasted marshmallow right on it, okay?"
He grabbed the plate and let Robin take a graham
cracker and a piece of chocolate. "Now break the
graham cracker in two, because half of it is your top to
hold everything together -- like the bread for a
sandwich." It was so easy to be patient with Robin.
"Is it yucky?"
Jeff chuckled. "No. It's amazing."
They got the "sandwich" set up next to them and then
he gave Robin a marshmallow and held the stick for
Robin to push the sweet onto it.
"Now, you're going to have to figure out, Robin,
whether you're a burned guy or a toasted guy." Jeff
bumped shoulders with the little boy. "Me? I'm a toasted
guy."
Robin frowned and Donny could see him trying to
work it out and he had to bite his lip when Robin finally
said. "I don't wanna be burned."
Jeff looked at Robin, all the color draining out of the
man's face, leaving him ghost white.
Oh, damn. He hadn't even thought... Donny reached
out and took Jeff's arm, squeezed. "No, of course not,
Robin. Daddy was talking about your marshmallow.
Some people like it more cooked. That's all."
He met Jeff's eyes. The man had to keep it together
here, for Robin's sake. The boy hadn't associated this
kind of fire with the house fire at all and they needed to
keep it like that.
Jeff nodded, lips opening and closing, then the man
cleared his throat. "Let's do one together."
He rubbed Jeff's arm and nodded, letting Robin move
over to Jeff's lap. He'd never even thought about it when
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 97
he'd suggested lighting the fire and having a camp out. It
was maybe a good thing for both of them, though.
Still, the joy was sucked out of the room a bit, the
ghost of a woman he'd never met right there.
"You know any campfire songs?" He knew quite a
few, or little rounds that worked as campfire songs for a
three-year-old, anyway.
"No. No, I don't. Do you?" Jeff helped Robin
carefully hold the marshmallow above the fire.
"I know a few." He started with Row, Row, Row Your
Boat because it was pretty simple and he'd already sung
it before with Robin, who could already remember most
of the words.
By the time the marshmallow was toasted -- not a
singed edge in sight -- Jeff was relaxing and Robin was
smiling again. Donny helped them get the roasted
marshmallow onto the prepared cookie and chocolate,
and closed it with the second piece of cookie so Robin's
little fingers wouldn't get too hot as he held it.
"Ta-da! This is your very first s'more."
Robin leaned back into Jeff's arms. "Hold it for me,
Daddy?"
"Sure." Jeff held it and Robin nibbled, nose
wrinkling. "Sticky."
Donny laughed. "But good?"
Robin took another bite. "Uh-huh."
Jeff snorted, looked over Robin's head, mouthing,
"Sorry about earlier."
Donny shook his head and mouthed back, "It's okay."
Jeff ate the last three-quarters of Robin's s'more, then
helped Robin toast another one. Donny had to admit, the
real draw of the s'mores was always roasting the
marshmallow over the fire.
"Is that one for me?" he asked
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 98
"For you, Donny." Robin grinned at him, lips coated
in marshmallow goo. "Did you like my Mommy?"
"I never got to meet your mommy, but your daddy
told me that she was very special."
Robin nodded, then turned to Jeff. "Hot dog now?"
"You'll have to make us gourmet hot dogs for next
time," he teased Jeff.
"I can do that." Jeff didn't even blink.
He did, though. "Really?"
"Of course."
"That's too cool. Isn't that neat, Robin? Your Daddy
can make anything."
"Uh-huh. Hot dog." Robin pointed, imperious.
Laughing, Donny put a hot dog on the end of Robin's
roasting stick, making sure it was firmly set and wasn't
going to fall off into the fire.
Jeff reached over, tickled Kimberley's toes, and the
baby squealed.
Donny pulled Robin over to sit with him, and helped
him hold the stick at a good spot. "The trick with hot
dogs is to turn your stick pretty often. That way it gets
warm all over instead of too much in one spot."
Robin nodded, eyes on the fire. "Like hot dogs."
Donny knew that and thank God, because he wasn't a
chef like Jeff and he made a lot of hot dogs. He slid his
hand along Robin's shoulder. "You're doing a great job.
You just need to be careful. Just like that."
They managed to get the hot dog cooked, and then
they did a couple more so they each had one. Robin was
laughing and snacking on his supper when the door bell
rang.
Jeff frowned. "I'll get it. You guys camp."
"Sure." It was a little late in the day for visitors.
Donny hoped it wasn't bad news.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 99
The door opened and he heard Jeff sigh. "What do
you want?"
"We need to talk."
"Not here. Not now. I'm busy."
"With SpongeBob pajamas on?"
"Yes."
Well, that didn't sound particularly friendly. Don
turned to Robin. "You want another marshmallow?"
"Uh-huh. Who's that?"
"I don't know. Daddy's taking care of it, though." He
handed Robin a marshmallow, watching as Robin's
tongue came out as he tried to put it on the end of his
stick.
"Outside, you ass." No. No, not friendly at all. Donny
guessed this was the evil ex.
"Bad word!"
"Yeah, yeah, that was, wasn't it?" He tucked Robin
into his lap. "Let's get that marshmallow toasted."
***
"What the fuck do you want?" Jeff was going to lose
his shit. He was having an evening with his son. With
the hours he worked, those were few and far in between.
"I want my half of the house. I want my fucking lover
back, my life. I want you to finally decide to stop
playing daddy."
"I'm not fucking playing!" he roared. Jeff was so
fucking tired of this shit.
"Oh, please, you're not happy tied down with two
kids. You've done 'the right thing' now, you've made a
good show of it for everyone. It's past time for you to
give them up and let us get back to our life."
He'd never realized how strident Mitch could be.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 100
"Look, you fuck, you left. Go. Whatever. This is my
home and those are my children." Asshole.
"This is half my home, you son of a bitch and I am
your lover. You are not choosing those fucking brats
over me."
"I built this house. Me." His fists were clenched.
"Don't you talk about my kids."
"You selfish prick. You're going to throw our perfect
life away like this?"
Selfish. Him. Right. "Get out, Mitch. Go away. I'm
busy."
"You fucking owe me, asshole." Mitch's face was all
twisted up with anger and it made Jeff kind of wonder a
little what it was he'd seen in the man.
"I'll give you until the count of three, and then I'm
going to beat the fuck out of you." He'd never hit
another man in his life, but he thought he could.
"You lay one finger on me and I'll sue the hell out of
you! I'm calling my lawyer as it is. I want my half of this
house. I want my half of everything, and I'm going to get
it, you fucking bastard."
"You're not getting a dime. Not a dime. I'm the one
who worked. I'm the one that got the loan. I'm the one
paying the bills. You rode on my coattails. Fuck off."
"We'll just see." Mitch sneered at him. "I'm going to
take you to the cleaners. Let's see how much you like
those kiddies when they've cost you a fortune. You
should have gotten rid of them and taken me back, Jeff.
You'll see -- I'm gonna make you pay."
Mitch turned and slammed the door hard enough Jeff
was worried for a moment it was going to come off its
hinges or the glass was gonna break.
He watched the bastard leave, then leaned against the
house, sucking in hitching breaths. He'd loved that
bastard, had thought he was loved in return. Jesus.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 101
Now that they weren't yelling, he could hear Donny
and Robin singing. Very determinedly. Okay. Okay,
man. You have kids. You have to do this.
"Beth, you bitch."
He went back into the living room, and the singing
faded, both Don and Robin looking at him, eyes wide.
"Hey. Did I miss all the hot dogs?"
"No, we've got a couple left. Let's make a hot dog for
daddy."
"Bad words, Daddy!"
"Yeah. Yeah, I know. Sorry, Robbie."
"Everything okay?" Don looked a little shell-
shocked, shaken.
"Yeah. Sorry." He cooked the hot dog, lips tight.
Don shifted closer to him once he'd finished cooking
it.
"Hey." He kissed Don's temple, the top of Robin's
head.
Don took his hand and squeezed it. "What can we do
to help?"
"You're doing it."
Don smiled and leaned against him a little. "You
wanna sing another song, Robin? Or should we tell
campfire stories?"
"I want Dora on the TV."
"Is that okay, Jeff? We could put out the fire and get
him ready for b. e. d."
"I think that's fine." He'd burned his hot dog to a crisp
anyway.
"Good. You want to deal with the fire or teeth and
stuff?"
"I'll clean up." He needed a shot of whiskey,
something to just take the edge off.
"Okay." Don touched his arm. "We can talk once
Robin is settled."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 102
"Yeah." He nodded -- a little pissed off, a lot
ashamed of losing his temper.
Don kissed his cheek and grabbed Robin's hand.
"Come on, let's go get ready for bed and then we can put
on Dora."
"Can I sleep in here?"
Jeff listened to the idle chatter, then grinned at
Kimberley, who was sound asleep in her swing. "Let me
clean this up and I'll put you to bed, baby."
He soon had the fire out and the DVD set up, and
then Robin and Don were back, Don helping Robin
climb into the sleeping bag under the chair and sheet
tent. As they settled, he got Kimberley out of her swing,
managed to change her and get her into bed without
waking her. Score one for Daddy Jeff.
Don met him on the upstairs landing, moving in to
give him a hug. "Are you okay?"
"No." He held on tight.
Don simply held him. "Let's go sit in your bedroom --
Robin's asleep in front of Dora, he'll be fine."
"You sure?" He led Don into the room.
"We'll hear him if he calls out, but I think he's down
for the night." Don tugged him down onto the bed and
took his hand. "You wanna tell me about it?"
"He came to see if I was ready to stop playing
daddy." Jeff leaned hard against Don. Asshole.
Don's arms went around him, holding him close. "He
sounded like a real asshole. I tried to make sure Robin
didn't hear everything."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault he's being suck a dickwad about
this." Don kissed the top of his head. "Does he actually
want you back, or is he just being an asshole?"
"I have no idea. I'm not sure I care."
Don squeezed him gently.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 103
"He's an idiot, you know. Giving a hot, studly guy
like you up."
"He's... He's not who I thought he was."
"No, I hope not. I'd hate to think you'd go for an
asshole like that."
All Jeff could do was nod. He didn't have an answer.
"Would it be tacky if I wanted to kiss you to try and
make you forgot about him?" Don looked like he might
do it anyway.
"Probably. Would it be tacky if I let you?"
"Most likely." Don leaned into him.
"Good to know." He let one arm wrap around Don's
shoulders.
Don pressed their lips together, the touch soft, but
with a hint of electricity in it.
"Mmm..." He moaned, leaned into the touch.
Don's tongue slid along his lips. He opened up,
willing as hell to let Don make him feel better. Don
shifted, moving to straddle him as the man's warm hands
cupped his face. Don deepened the kiss.
He moaned and reached out, fingers wrapping around
Don's waist.
"You taste good," murmured Don, hips rolling a bit.
"Thank you." He imagined he tasted like
marshmallow.
Don grinned and pressed against him, pushing him
off balance and onto his back on the bed.
He wrapped one arm around Don's shoulders, holding
on tight as the kiss deepened, their tongues sliding
together.
"I want to feel you inside me." He barely heard Don's
whispered words.
"Oh, damn, baby..." Jeff moaned, hips rolling up, his
body all over that thought. He nodded, hand sliding
down Don's spine to find that sweet ass and...
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 104
The crash was huge, Robin's scream from downstairs
bigger.
"Robin!"
He shoved Don off him, falling to his knees as he
scrambled for his son. Don was right there with him, the
two of them flying down the stairs.
Robin was sitting up in his makeshift tent, crying
softly.
"You get him upstairs." There was a brick, sitting in
the floor, the huge bay window shattered. "Now."
He grabbed the phone, dialed 911, and pulled the
door open, looking for Mitch. Fucker.
Don gathered Robin up, talking softly as he took
Robin upstairs.
"911 operator, can I help you?"
"Someone just threw a brick through my window.
My children are here with me. I don't know if whoever
did this is still out there."
His babies were here. That brick could have hurt his
son. Jeff's fingers clenched around the phone.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 105
Chapter Twelve
Don woke up with the sun, curled around Jeff, his
head on one shoulder.
Thinking about what had happened last night, he
shivered and pressed in against Jeff. He'd been calm and
with it last night, taking care of Robin, getting him back
to sleep. He'd even dealt with the two bouts of
nightmares Robin had had, poor little thing.
Now, though, with the morning light shining through
and feeling warm and safe in Jeff's arms, all the
possibilities went flooding through him. What if
something had happened to Robin? What if that brick
had hit him? What if it had been something even more
dangerous than a brick?
He tried to shake it off, focusing on the warmth here
in Jeff's bed. Still, this wasn't the kind of thing he was
used to, and it would be so easy to freak out.
He looked over Jeff's shoulder, smiling at the sight of
Robin and Kimberley with them -- the little boy curled
on Jeff's other side, the baby on her daddy's chest. Jeff
had them all.
Donny had the whole world, right here. Jeff, the kids.
What more could he ask for?
Jeff's hand stroked his back. He closed his eyes and
breathed, the touch calming him back down. God. He
loved this man and his kids. It didn't matter that it hadn't
been a long time; it was just how it was.
Kimberley's little lips were moving like she was
sucking, a frown drawing her eyebrows down. He bit
back his chuckle. It wasn't going to be long before she
woke up crying for food. They were going to need to
start her on rice cereal soon, but in the meantime, he
could go get her bottle going. He began to slip from the
bed.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 106
"Mmm. Stay, love. You're warm." God, it made him
feel good to hear Jeff call him love.
"Kimberley's about to explode."
"No exploding. That's messy." Jeff kissed Kimmie's
head.
He chuckled softly. "Have you had an exploding
diaper yet? Because you're right -- it is messy."
The baby's eyes opened, staring at him. He smiled at
her. God, she was cute. She smiled back, blinked for
him. He slid his finger into her palm, her little fingers
closing around it.
"Hi, beautiful."
She drew his finger toward her mouth, and Robin's
head popped up from the other side of Jeff. "She's
hungry."
He grinned and nodded. "She is. You know how to
take good care of her, don't you?"
"I'm her brother."
"You are. You're her big brother. That's a very
important job."
Robin nodded, so seriously.
"I'm a big brother too." And also a little brother, but
still.
"No. I'm the big brother."
Donny chuckled and nodded. "Here you are. I meant
that with my mom, dad and sister, I'm a big brother,
too."
"No." Robin frowned. "Me!"
Jeff chuckled. "He hasn't figured that out yet."
"Yeah, I see that. Okay, Robin. You're the big brother
and I'm the nanny."
"You be Donny." Robin crawled over Kimberley,
into his arms. "My Donny."
"What if I want him to be my Donny?" Jeff teased.
"No. Mine. You have the baby."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 107
Donny burst out laughing, his arms going around
Robin and squeezing the boy tight. Robin snuggled in,
hugged him back.
"Fix the window, Daddy?"
Jeff shook his head. "There's a board on it. Someone
will come to fix it today."
He reached over and squeezed Jeff's thigh. "It'll be
good as new in no time."
Robin nodded. "Can I go see?"
Jeff shook his head. "Ava's coming today with her
good vacuum to get all the glass."
"We'll stick to upstairs and the kitchen for today. In
fact... why don't we have breakfast in bed?" That way
the kids wouldn't have to go downstairs at all.
"Oooh." Robin bounced and squealed, which got
Kimberley to kicking. They were so damn resilient.
Thank God.
Jeff sat up. "Okay, guys. I'll go make breakfast and
bring it up and make some calls before I head to work."
"You sure? If I did it you could spend more time with
them." Jeff didn't get enough time with them, given his
hours. He only got to put them to bed two days a week,
and he missed so much.
"I need to call the insurance agent." Jeff kissed all
three of them, then stood, slipping on a pair of shoes.
Donny took Kimberley from him and jiggled her.
"You wanna get me her bottle, first? She's about to
blow." Still. It was a miracle she'd given them as long as
she had. "Then maybe her big brother can give her her
bottle."
Robin nodded. "I can. I'm big."
"I know." He put Kimberley over his shoulder,
rubbing her back to keep her sweet. "Come sit next to
me so we're all ready when Daddy brings up her bottle."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 108
Robin nodded and grinned. "I don't want to change
her butt."
That had him laughing again, Kimberley jiggling
from it. "Can you get me a diaper and wipes from her
room?"
"Yes!" Robin bounced off.
God, Robin made him happy. Both kids did. So did
their father. He just prayed the asshole Jeff used to be
with didn't screw any of it up.
Kimberley cooed and wriggled, reached for him. Jeff
came up with a bottle and some cereal for Robin. "There
are muffins going in the oven."
"God, you're amazing. Robin's going to feed her as
soon as he gets back with her diaper and wipes." He
looked at Jeff. "You all right?"
"No, but I will be. The window guy is coming at four
p.m. Do you think you can handle it or do you want me
to see if I can get Jillian to come over?"
"Do I need to do more than show him the window
and make sure the kids stay out of his way?"
"Not a thing."
"Then I think I can handle it." It wasn't rocket
science, after all.
Robin came bouncing back in, carrying a diaper and
a handful of wipes.
"Here's some cereal, buddy. I've gotta go check the
muffins."
"'kay, Daddy. I'm going to feed the baby."
"Robin's a big help." He got Robin cuddled up next to
him and laid Kimberley across the boy's lap, her head on
his thigh. They could change her once she'd fed -- the
bottle was clearly what she was after this morning.
Robin jabbered idly through the feeding, and the
house began to smell like bananas. Donny answered the
odd question Robin had, but mostly just reclined there,
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 109
dozing happily. He could learn to love this. Okay, so he
already did.
When Kimberley had finished her bottle, Donny
picked her up and burped her. "Get me the diaper from
the bottom of the bed there, Robin."
"Poopy butt! Poopy butt! Baby has a poopy butt!"
He chuckled. "Yes, she has a poopy butt. One day
she'll go in the big boy toilet like you do."
"Uh-uh." Robin shook his head.
"No? Why not? You don't think she's going to get big
like you?"
"No." Robin looked at him like he was an idiot. "It's a
big BOY potty for you and me and Daddy."
Oh, God. He bit the inside of his cheek. Hard. "So it
is. What do you think we're going to do for her then?
When she's no longer wearing diapers?"
"She'll have to move to a girl house. With pink."
"Wouldn't you miss her if she moved to a girl
house?"
Robin frowned. "She could go live with Mommy."
"Mommy lives in Heaven now, Robin."
Robin frowned. "When is she coming back?"
He shook his head, and hugged the boy. "I'm sorry,
sweetie, but she's not ever coming back."
"Why not?"
Jeff sighed from the doorway. "Because she died,
son. She's in Heaven. When you're old, you'll go see her.
Muffins."
He gave Jeff a sympathetic look. This wasn't the last
time Robin was going to ask, either and as he got older,
he wasn't going to be so easily appeased.
"You promise, Daddy."
"I do. Now, Kimberley, diaper change. Robin, finish
your cereal and have a muffin."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 110
Donny handed Kimberley over and grabbed a muffin,
himself, cuddling Robin close as the boy ate. Robin
leaned into him, and Jeff changed the baby, forehead
creased in a worried line.
"You okay, Jeff?" he asked softly.
"Yeah." Jeff sounded lost.
He put down his muffin and slid out of the bed,
moving to stand behind Jeff. He put his head on the
man's shoulder. "You sure?"
Jeff leaned toward him, let him touch. "No, Don. I'm
not."
"Okay. How can I help?"
"I don't know."
He pressed kisses to the back of Jeff's neck, just
looking to soothe the man.
"Donny, you're kissing my daddy."
He smiled, blushed, nodded. "I am." It would be
wrong to try to pretend to Robin that they didn't care for
each other.
"Okay. Can I go play?" And it was as easy as that.
"Sure thing, sweetie." He leaned his head against
Jeff's shoulder, watching Robin bounce off. "We should
all be so resilient."
"God, yes." Jeff nodded. "What if he comes back
when I'm at the restaurant? What if he hurts you guys?"
Donny tried not to stiffen, but he couldn't help it. "He
wouldn't dare."
"I wouldn't have thought he'd dare to throw a brick."
"He wasn't always a bully then?" Part of him wanted
to know, part of him just didn't want to hear it.
"I didn't think so. We were busy. I worked long
hours. We just... it was very busy."
He wrapped his arms around Jeff's waist. "Always
out doing stuff, huh?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 111
"Working, drinking, movies, openings -- we were
young and single with money."
"Your money?" Had Mitch just been around for the
money?
"Sure. Mitch is an artist -- lots of talent, not a lot of
cash." Jeff sighed, picked Kimberley up and patted her
back. "He wasn't a bad man, just... not one for problems.
Or poop. Burping. Responsibilities."
"He doesn't miss this house; he misses your money."
Jeff sighed. "It's amazing how fast all those years can
turn ugly."
"I'm sorry, Jeff." He couldn't be too upset, though. If
Mitch had been a good and decent man who'd really
loved Jeff, he would have stuck around and then where
would Donny be?
"I just want him to leave us alone."
"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" He rested his head
on Jeff's shoulder, breathing the man in.
"Yeah." Jeff didn't sound like he believed it was
going to happen, though.
"Is she ready for her swing or her seat?" He could
give Jeff a blow job -- start his day off better.
"I don't know." Jeff nuzzled her neck and she
gurgled. "Sweet baby."
"Yeah. She's got a great disposition. They both do."
Happy more than not, easy to make smile, to cheer up
when they were upset.
"They're like their mom."
"I don't know, there's a lot of good in them from their
daddy, too."
"I wish I could believe that today."
Don squeezed Jeff tightly around the waist. "They
do," he answered fiercely. "You're a great guy. Look
how generous you were, giving Beth your sperm in the
first place."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 112
"She was my best friend."
"That doesn't mean it wasn't generous, and it just
goes to show what a good guy you are that you feel like
it wasn't something special because she was your best
friend. Not a lot of guys would feel like that." Jeff was
one of a kind. A keeper.
Jeff leaned over, kissed his fingers.
"You are a good man, Jeff. And you and your babies
deserve good things." There had to be a lot of good
coming their way to balance out the crap.
"They deserve a lot."
"You all do." And Donny really, really hoped he was
one of those good things.
"We do." Jeff sighed as the phone rang again.
"Hopefully things will settle down."
"Yeah." He kissed the back of Jeff's neck again and
grabbed Kimberley. "Unless you want me to get the
phone?" It was likely to be for Jeff, though -- Donny's
family and friends called him on his cell.
"No. It'll either be the police or the insurance."
He gave Jeff a proper kiss and took Kimmie with him
downstairs to give Jeff some privacy with the call.
He needed to come up with something fun and
relaxing and good for Jeff. Something that wasn't work
or drama. Maybe he could have a picnic supper ready
tomorrow night when Jeff got home from work. With
candles and something decadent for dessert. Sure, he'd
have to go buy the dessert, but there was that bakery he
and the kids sometimes walked by...
That would make Jeff smile.
Happy with his plan, he went looking for Robin;
today would be a good day for all of them if he had
anything to say about it.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 113
Chapter Thirteen
"Chef, what are you still doing here?" Ben peered
into the kitchen where Jeff was elbow deep in soapy
water.
"Nick walked out in the middle of service. I'm
cleaning." Damn it.
"Seriously? Did you tell Martin? He'll need to get
someone in for tomorrow."
"Yeah." He was so fucking tired, so pissed off. So
ready to go home.
His cell phone rang and when he pulled it out, the
house number showed on the caller ID.
"Hey." He finished the grill, started wiping down the
cabinets. "How's it going?"
"Everything's cool. The kids are asleep. I didn't want
to disturb you at work, but... well, to be honest you're
usually home by now and I was worried."
"I had staff walk out on me. I'll be done here in
fifteen minutes, give or take. How was your day?"
"Oh, that sucks. We had a good day. You should ask
Robin to count for you tomorrow." He could hear the
pride in Don's voice. How great was it that Don felt that
way about his kids?
"Yeah? Would you like some cheesecake? We have
extra."
"Uh... no, not tonight. I'll let you go -- you'll be home
soon, right?"
"Yeah, Don. Won't be long." He wouldn't be long if
he could help it.
"Okay, cool." Don paused for a half second and then
added. "See you soon." Then the line went dead, leaving
him with his dishes.
"Everything okay at home, man?"
"Yeah, just Don checking in."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 114
Jeff smiled as Ben grabbed a rag, starting helping.
"Thanks."
Even with Ben helping it was still nearly an hour
before he was home. God, it was late. Hopefully Don
was already asleep. The light in the kitchen was
flickering, though, and he headed in, stopping short
when he realized it wasn't the kitchen light flickering,
but candles on the table in the enclosed porch.
Candles, a set table and Don, fast asleep in his chair.
"Oh..." He teared up, so tired, so ashamed. He
reached down, picked Don up to take the man to bed.
Don's eyes blinked open and a he smiled brightly.
"You're home."
"Hey, Don. Sorry."
Don waved his hand. "There's food... Wait. Are you
carrying me?"
"You were asleep."
"I made midnight supper for you...."
"Oh..." He stopped, let Don's feet touch the ground so
he could kiss this dear, wonderful man.
Don moaned into his mouth, arms going around his
neck. "Come and eat? It's not fancy, but I got these
amazing little pastries from La Patisserie Jacques."
"Mmm. Yeah." He didn't stop kissing, though.
Don pushed closer, seeming eager enough to keep
kissing, too. Jeff found that fine ass with one hand,
drawing them together, rocking them together nice and
slow. One of Don's hands slid into his hair, rubbing his
scalp.
He needed this, just a nice minute of quiet and
touching and heat. Don rubbed against him, body hard,
prick even harder against his hip. Sweet, hungry man.
Jeff moaned low, fingers in Don's soft hair. An
answering moan pushed into his mouth and Don rubbed
harder, fingers opening and closing.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 115
"Taste so good, babe." He kissed the corner of Don's
lips, nibbled the full bottom lip.
Don grinned at him. "You could have me for
midnight supper."
"Mmm. Or you could be dessert." He licked his way
down Don's throat.
"Uh-huh. Okay." Don's head dropped back for him.
"Pretty man." He nibbled a little.
"Me? You're the hot one."
"I smell like old grease and chicken stock."
Don laughed and tugged him toward the table. "You
smell like good food."
"So, what do you have for us?"
He sat, curious and hungry, all at once.
Don went to the oven and pulled out a pair of plates.
"It's meatloaf and mashed potatoes, with carrots and
parsnips. I don't think it's too dry -- it's been warming in
the oven for awhile..."
"Mmm. Smells good." He'd eat it even if it was drier
than two by fours.
Don beamed at him. "It isn't gourmet or anything..."
The plates were set on the table, Don sitting close.
"It looks good." He dug in. He'd have eaten it if it
was ash, but it wasn't bad. Definitely edible. Even good.
Don dug in as well, eating heartily. "I thought you
deserved a break, you know?"
"You're too good to me."
"Someone needs to be."
Oh, that was dear. He leaned over, kissed Don's
cheek. "Ben, the new guy? He stayed to clean up so I
could get home faster."
"Oh, I like Ben -- he can stay." Don winked at him.
"I hope he does. His girlfriend's expecting. There's no
telling what that means."
Don frowned. "What do you mean?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 116
"Well, he works nights at a restaurant. What if she
wants him home? What if she wants him to have
something with insurance?" Their life was not
conducive to normalcy.
"Ah." Don ate some more of their supper. "You don't
have insurance?" he finally asked.
"I do for the kids, as long as I keep paying for
Beth's."
"Huh? But she's..."
"Apparently she had insurance for the kids and I can
just pay for it." He just had to pray he never got sick.
"Oh. Well that's good, yeah?"
"I think so?" They looked at each other, just grinning.
"This whole thing is so hard."
Don nodded. "And your asshole ex isn't helping any.
You've got to focus on the good stuff, though, you
know? You love being a chef, right? And you've got two
amazing kids."
"And a lover." Right?
Grinning, Don leaned against him. "Yeah. I like that
word."
"Me too, babe. Me too." Their fingers twined. "Did
the kids have a good day?"
"Yeah. Robin drew a whole bunch of pictures for
you. I put them together for you on your bedside table."
Don grabbed a fork and speared a piece of one of the
pastries, offering it up to him.
He opened up, moaning over the sweet, the flaky
crust, the cream.
"Oh..." Don leaned in and licked the corner of is
mouth.
"Babe. 'nother bite." He wanted more -- more
cheesecake, more kisses.
Don squeezed his hand and then scooped another bite
of the pastry, offering it over with a warm smile. He ate
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 117
it, then took Don's lips in a hungry, deep kiss. Sweet
sounds filled his mouth and Don pressed hard against
him.
He wanted. God, he wanted a piece of that. He
wrapped his arms around Don, drew him into his chair.
Groaning, Don dropped a hand to his lap, stroking
him through his chef's whites. "I want you inside me."
"Yes. Fuck, yes. I want to make love to you, babe. I
want to feel you around me."
"God, yes. Upstairs?" Don was rocking, rolling like
he was being fucked.
"Uh-huh. Should we do dishes?" He didn't want to do
dishes.
Don shook his head. "No, we're going upstairs and
you're making love to me before one of those beautiful
babies of yours wakes up."
"Oh, thank God." He nodded, pushed Don off. "Yes.
Now. I'll lock up. Now, babe."
Don got up and started getting undressed, pulling his
t-shirt off as he blew out the candles and then headed for
the stairs.
Jeff locked the house up, made sure the security
system was on, turned off all the lights, then followed
Don up. Please don't let anything weird happen tonight.
When he got to his room, he found Don already in
bed, under the covers. There was lube and condoms on
his bedside table. Someone had gone shopping.
"Did you have to explain what those were?" He
stripped off his work clothes. "Let me jump in the
shower. I stink."
"I told him it was stuff for grown-ups. He was happy
with that." Don watched him like the man was still
hungry. "You want some company?"
"Absolutely." He held one hand out to Don.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 118
Don climbed out of bed, naked, cock half-hard. Don
had a nice body. Very nice. Jeff licked his lips, moaned
softly, eyes on the fine body.
Don blushed a little, pressed against him as they
moved down the hall. "You like what you see?" Don
asked him softly.
"Yeah. You make me hungry."
Don swallowed and pressed even closer, body warm
and solid against him.
They managed to make it into the bathroom before
Jeff knelt down, cheek rubbing Don's prick. "Smell so
good, babe."
"Fuck. Damn, I mean. God." Don rocked, prick
moving against his cheek.
"Uh-huh. Fuck my lips, Don. Then we'll shower and
you can take my cock."
"Yes. Please." Don pushed along his cheek again.
He opened up, let Don slid that hard cock into his
lips, paint his tongue.
"Oh, God. Jeff..." Don's hands slid into his hair.
He hummed, wrapped his lips around Don's shaft,
tongue flicking the tip. One whimper after another came
from Don, and the hands in his hair tightened. It was
easy, just to relax, to let Don in and focus on loving the
man, adoring the sweet cock.
Don was soon moving harder, hips pushing forward
and sliding the hot prick across his tongue. The heavy
balls nudged his chin, and he swallowed each time Don
pushed in.
"Oh, please. Jeff. God." Don's rhythm stuttered, and
then he moved faster.
Jeff pushed those sweet balls in their sac, nudging.
"Jeff!" Don cried out, cock pushing deep as he came.
Jeff swallowed Don's salty spunk, groaning around
the long cock.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 119
Don gasped and panted, hands sliding shakily
through his hair. "That was... wow."
"Mmmhmm." He cleaned Don's cock off, tongue
sliding on the shaft.
Don smiled down at him, hand moving to touch his
cheek, his eyelids, so gentle. He flicked the tip of Don's
cock with his tongue. Don gasped, his whole body
jerking.
Jeff chuckled, winked. "Good?"
"Yes. God, yes, Jeff." Don chuckled, the sound more
than a little breathless. "Shower? I kind of need to lean
against a wall."
"You know it." He let Don help him up, drag him
into those warm arms.
Don kissed him thoroughly, tongue sliding through
his mouth. Some people didn't like kissing after you'd
sucked them off; he was glad Don wasn't like that. He
was pleasantly hard, needing, but not desperate, and
ready to play, to explore each other.
Don ended the kiss, smiling at him, eyes warm,
happy. "Come on. Shower."
"God, yes. I stink."
They stumbled in, getting water warmed up, the
spray started.
"I'll wash you." Don grabbed the soap and worked up
a lather.
He stood under the water, got his short hair wet and
Don began to touch him, soapy hands sliding on his
skin, rubbing, exploring him.
"Mmm..." His head fell forward, the touches so right.
Comfortable.
"I love these." Don rubbed soapy fingers across his
nipples. "They're tiny and perfect."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 120
His eyes crossed a little bit, the ache in his balls
perfect. Don brought their lips together and licked the
corner of his mouth.
"Mmm." God, this man made him smile.
Don nodded, rubbed their noses together and then
gave him a real kiss, hands focused on his chest, mostly
on his nipples. The heat started building between them
again, steady and bright. Moaning, Don pushed gently,
pressing him against the tile and leaning against him. He
opened up, tongue sliding against Don's as their cocks
moved together, slid.
"You taste so good." The words were mumbled, but
Jeff could hear them.
"More, hmm?" The little touches and tugs to his
nipples made him shake a little.
"Yeah. More is good." One of Don's hands slid down,
wrapped around his hip.
The steam and the water made everything a bit
otherworldly. Don kept touching, exploring him like he
was the most interesting thing ever. He found himself
shivering, pushing into the touches, gasping for more.
"I want you, Jeff. I want to feel you inside me."
"God, yes. I want you to ride." He wanted to watch.
"Do I smell better now?"
"You smell like you." Don licked his neck.
"That's better than eggplant and grease." Don found a
hot spot and Jeff jerked, head smacking against the tile.
"Oh, ow! Sorry." Don's hand slid behind his head,
massaging where he'd hit the wall.
"It's okay. That's a... wow."
"Huh?" Don tilted his head, looked confused.
"Hot spot. You know, like this?" He brushed the
inside of Don's elbow.
Don gasped, eyes going wide. "How did you know?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 121
"I pay attention." He touched again, fingers feather-
light.
Don's knees buckled, his lover half-collapsing against
him. "That's so good."
"Mmmhmm." He turned the water off. "Bed."
"You do that to me, and then expect me to walk."
Don laughed and did manage to step out of the tub on
his own, grabbing a couple of towels.
He chuckled, got a double handful of Don's butt and
squeezed.
Don groaned for him. "We gotta get back into the
bedroom like now."
"Uh-huh."
Please, God. Don't let the kids wake up.
Don dried off fast as anything, leaving lots of drops
of water on his skin, then grabbed Jeff's hand and
headed across the hall to the master bedroom. There was
blessed quiet coming from the kids and Jeff climbed
onto the bed, ass in the air.
Don grabbed hold of his ass, one cheek in each hand
and squeezed. "So sexy."
"Mmm. Glad you think so." He wiggled it a little bit.
"Who wouldn't?" The squeeze turned into caresses,
one of Don's hands cupping his balls, moving to stroke
his cock.
His head fell forward, his body rocking. "Oh, babe..."
Don's lips were soft as they planted a kiss on his right
ass cheek.
"Oh." Fuck, he hadn't felt so sensual, so hot ever.
"Can't wait to feel this inside me."
"Want you." He rocked, slid back and forth, hummed.
"Yes. Yes, please." Don's hands slid away, the man
moving onto the bed next to him,
Jeff leaned down, took a long, hard kiss. Don's hand
slid behind his neck, holding him there as one kiss
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 122
became two. He let his hand slide down Don's belly,
bypassing the filling cock to cup the sweet balls. Don
pushed into his touch, moaning into their kiss.
"Get the slick?"
"Yeah." Don nodded, too, then stretched, body spread
out for him as Don reached for the new tube on his
bedside table.
Jeff leaned over, let his tongue drag over Don's abs.
Yum. Don moaned for him, arching for him. He rubbed
his chin along the tip of Don's cock, nuzzling it.
"Oh, damn. Jeff." A shiver moved through Don.
"Mmmhmm. Slick."
Don handed it over, pushing the tube into his hand.
"Thank you." He kissed his way back up Don's belly
as he squirted lube on his fingers.
Don twisted and arched beneath him, eager for each
touch. Jeff let his fingers slip back behind the heavy
balls, searching for that tiny hole. Don spread for him
like butter, legs sliding apart to give him access, the trust
right there. His lips found one nipple, his fingers sliding
in deep.
"Jeff!" Don called out, and then shoved his hand
against his mouth. Jeff chuckled, pleased that he'd done
that, made Don need. Don smiled up at him, then
reached, touched his cheek. "Don't stop."
"Not until we're both satisfied."
"Mmm. Sounds good."
"Feels good." He pushed deeper, stroking Don's
gland.
Don's fist went back to his mouth, sweet whimpers
pushing out from around it.
He stroked, steady and slow, driving Don out of his
mind. The sounds Don made got louder, even with his
hand shoved in his mouth, and Don shifted and
squirmed, riding his finger. It was so easy, to slip
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 123
another finger in, stretch Don nice and easy, playing that
sweet gland all the while. Don's hands grabbed hold of
his arms, fingers digging in, all efforts to be quiet
abandoned.
"So hot, babe. Need it. Need to feel you all around
me."
"Yes. Yes, please." Don arched again, body begging
for it.
He backed away and gloved up, slicked up his cock,
moaning at the pleasure of his own touch. Don moaned
for him again, hands sliding to grab his knees, pulling
them back to expose the shiny little hole. He'd wanted
Don to ride, but he was too hard, too close. He needed in
and that offer was too good, too fucking sweet to deny,
so he muscled in, rubbed his cock against the tiny hole.
Crying out, Don bucked and arched, trying to get him
in.
"Easy. Easy, babe. I'm so fucking close."
Don closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip, clearly
making an effort to still his body. Jeff leaned down, took
a kiss and pushed in, nice and steady, eyes rolling at the
heat and pressure.
"Jeff. Oh, fuck." Don moaned, body rippling around
his cock.
"Uh-huh. Feels so good." His eyes crossed as he
pulled back, Don's body tugging his cock.
"Good? Feels amazing from this side."
"Mmmhmm. Like Heaven." He found a rhythm, nice
and steady, in and out.
Don moved with him, body undulating beneath him,
ass so tight around him.
"Touch yourself, huh? Want you to feel good, too."
"Not sure I need to." Don's gave him a smile that
came from deep in his eyes. One hand let go of his arm,
Don wrapping it around his cock.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 124
He ducked his chin, watching, matching his thrusts
with the motion of that hand.
"Jeff. Fuck." Don swallowed and sped his hand,
breath panting out of him.
"Uh-huh. Look at you." Don's cock was hard, red,
wet-tipped. For him.
"No." Don gasped. "You. Look you."
Jeff groaned, but he couldn't tease, he couldn't focus.
All he could do was fuck. Don's legs slid around his
waist, pulling him in every time he thrust.
"Yeah. Yeah, Don." He pushed in deep, rolling his
hips, searching for that sweet spot.
"Jeff!" Don screamed his name out, whole body
going tight and hard.
Oh, right there. He stayed there, moving, hitting the
spot over and over.
"Please! Oh, fuck, Jeff!" Don's hand moved faster,
and then everything went impossibly tight around his
prick as come shot up over Don's hand.
"Shh. Shh. Don't you wake them up 'til..." So close.
So fucking close.
Don's hands slid around him, legs squeezing tight, ass
even tighter. "Come on, man."
"Uh-huh. Soon. Soon. Please." His hips kept moving,
slamming faster.
Don leaned up, mouth wrapping around his right
nipple. That was all he needed. He grunted, cock jerking
as he came, hard. Don's arms wrapped around him,
pulling him down to rest on hot, sweaty skin. He
moaned softly, dropping random kisses on his lover's
jaw, throat.
"That was so good, Jeff." On one pass, Don moved
his face and brought their mouths together.
Jeff hummed into the kiss, groaning as his cock
slipped from Don. He dealt with the rubber before
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 125
grabbing a hand towel to clean them both up. Don curled
up with him, boneless and smiling.
"Stay here tonight?" He wanted to hold, be held.
"Yes, please." Don kissed him.
He pulled the blankets around them, settled them
together.
Perfection.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 126
Chapter Fourteen
Donny was happy Kimberley woke him in the middle
of the night for a feed, because he was butt naked and in
Jeff's bed and that's not how he wanted Robin to find
them -- again -- in the morning. He threw on his boxers
and his robe and fed Kimberley, rocking in the big chair
in her room and then burped her.
He dozed off before he managed to get her back into
her crib.
"Donny? Donny? I threw up." Robin tugged his arm,
crying.
He blinked. He had a crick in his neck from sleeping
in the chair.
"Okay, sweetie. Let me just put Kimmie down." He
got her into her crib, and then knelt to talk to Robin.
"Did you throw up in your bed?"
"Uh-uh. On the potty." The little boy started to sob.
"I'm sorry. I don't feel good."
"Oh, sweetie, I just wanted to make sure we didn't
need to clean your bed." He drew Robin in close. "Do
you want to come to bed with me?"
"Want to be with you and Daddy..." Robin was
burning up, little body drenched with sweat.
"Robbie? Baby? Are you okay?" Jeff came stumbling
out, a pair of soft shorts on backward.
"No, he's sick. Fever, throwing up. Let's see if we can
get a bit of baby Tylenol into him and get him to sleep it
off." He met Jeff's gaze. "He wants to sleep with you
and me." If Robin wasn't sick, he'd be really happy
about how that fit so nicely with how he most enjoyed
sleeping lately.
"Okay. Yeah. Come here, baby." Jeff opened his
arms and Robin went to him and promptly threw up, all
over Jeff.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 127
"Oh, God." Don got up and grabbed Robin. "Go on
and get a quick shower, man. I've got this."
"I want Daddy!" Robin screamed, and then
Kimberley started crying.
"Robin, sweetie. He needs to clean up, and then he'll
be with you, okay?"
"DADDY!"
Jeff nodded to him. "You calm her down; I'll clean us
up together in the shower. Could you bring the medicine
and some orange juice when you're--"
Robin lost it again.
Donny just nodded and handed Robin over. Poor
little guy. He grabbed Kimberley and went back to the
chair, rocking. Robin stopped screaming. At least he
hadn't been screaming for his mommy. That was
something.
He heard the water starting in the master bath, heard
Jeff singing softly and Robin's sobs fading.
He kept rocking, Kimberley's eyelids growing
heavier and heavier. "You hear your daddy and brother,
sweet girl? It's a great sound."
She sighed softly, little fist curled on his chest.
He kissed the top of her head. "Love you, sweetie."
How could he not love these two sweet little ones?
She fell asleep and Donny put her down, then went to
put some Tylenol and some ginger ale together. The
juice would just make it worse, too acidic for an upset
tummy.
He found Jeff and Robin in Jeff's bed, Robin's cheeks
bright red, his eyes half-closed and glazed.
"Hey, you feeling any better, Robin?"
Robin shook his head, then nodded. Poor baby.
"Here, have some ginger ale. It'll make you feel
better." He sat on the edge of the bed and brought the
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 128
sippy cup to Robin's lips. "Slowly, though. Your poor
tummy can't handle a whole bunch all at once."
"He's burning up, love." Jeff whispered. "Did you
bring the Tylenol?"
He nodded and tapped the cup. "Taken care of. This
is normal at his age. If he's not better in the morning
we'll take him to the doctor."
"Okay. Yeah." Jeff patted the bed. "You staying?"
"If that's okay."
"Want to sleep with you and Daddy." Robin started
crying again.
"Shh. Shh. You can stay here." Jeff rocked the boy.
"I've got you, son."
Donny nodded and rubbed Robin's back for a
moment. "We're both here, sweetie."
He climbed in on the other side, cuddling Robin
between him and Jeff.
Jeff leaned over, kissed him on the forehead. "Get
some rest, hmm?"
He mouthed, "You too," and slid his hand over to rest
across Robin and on Jeff's chest. They were both going
to need to get what shut-eye they could.
He fell asleep exhausted, but with a smile on his face.
***
Jeff called into the restaurant at eight a.m., about the
time Kimberley started vomiting. When Donny started
at noon, Jeff called a doctor.
Lots of fluids, lots of rest and if the kids were still
sick tomorrow morning, he was supposed to bring them
in.
"Okay. Okay, sure. Yeah." He got online and made a
Green Bag order, thankful for delivery, then went to
make sure everyone was still sleeping.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 129
Donny was curled up in his bed, Kimberley on his
chest, Robin sprawled out next to him. God, it smelled
bad. He opened a window and took a load of laundry
downstairs.
When he came back through the kitchen, he found
Donny sitting at the table, looking rough, a glass of
water on the table in front of him.
"What are you doing up?"
"Thirsty." Donny rubbed at his face. "You're okay?"
"Just fine. Drink your water, babe. You want to try
toast?"
"Um... yeah, okay. Maybe." Don managed a couple
of sips of his water. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" He started some dry toast. He'd make
rice later.
"Getting sick."
"Because you did that on purpose." He winked over.
Don managed a soft chuckle. "No, but you're stuck
with three sickies."
"Just wait 'til I get it. You'll have to listen to me
moan." Hopefully he wouldn't get it.
"God, I hope you don't get it. It sucks hard."
"I hope not, too." He gave Don the toast, just in time
for Kimmie to start crying. "I'll be back."
"Hopefully she's just hungry."
"Hopefully." He had some of that stuff the doctor
suggested coming. Some juice with electrolytes in it.
Kimberley was fussing, but not screaming, tears
streaming down her little face.
"Hey, baby." Jeff scooped her up, changed her diaper
and got a bottle of pear juice and settled in the rocking
chair. She cuddled in, chewing on the nipple, tiny fists
clenched.
Robin showed up about ten minutes later, color high
on his tear-stained cheeks.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 130
"Hey, son." He opened his free arm. "Come here."
Poor baby.
Robin crawled up into his lap, too. "My tummy
hurts."
"Yeah? You feel like you're going to throw up
again?" He kissed the top of Robin's head.
Robin pursed his lips for a moment and then shook
his head. "No."
"Okay. Tell me if you think you will. It's nice, just to
sit together, hmm?"
Robin hugged him. "Yes. I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, son. I talked to the doctor and he says
you can try to eat toast or rice. Maybe a banana."
"I like nananas." It was a testament to how sick
Robin was feeling, if he was back to pronouncing the
word wrong.
"I like nananas, too." He chuckled. "I like nananas
better than snails."
"Ew!"
"Ew? Are you sure?"
Kimberley was sound asleep, little mouth barely
working the nipple.
"Snails are slimy!"
"They can be, yes." He winked at his son. "Would
you like to try some juice?"
Robin considered his question again and then
nodded. "My mouth tastes funny."
"I bet. Let's put your sister down, hmm?"
"Is she okay?" Robin slipped off his lap, but stayed
close, clinging to his leg.
"Her tummy hurts like yours, but she's going to be
fine."
"Okay." Robin stayed with him, one arm wrapped
around his leg as he put Kimberley back in her crib.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 131
As soon as she was settled, he picked his son up.
"Better?"
The little arms went around his neck, Robin resting
his head on Jeff's shoulder. "Uh-huh."
God, he hated that his babies were sick.
He headed downstairs, down to get a cup of apple
juice. Don was still at the table, head on it, snoring
lightly.
"Donny's sleeping!"
"Mmmhmm. Shh. Let's drink some juice and we'll
get him to the sofa."
"He's too big to carry!" This time the words were
"whispered".
"You think so?" He grinned and sat Robin on the
counter so he could pour.
Robin nodded. "He's big like you, daddy."
"I'm a little bigger, though." He flexed his muscles
playfully, making Robin laugh. He'd been able to pick
Don up the other night.
"Hmm? Bigger than what?" murmured Don.
"Bigger than you!" answered Robin.
"Come on, babe. Couch. You can rest."
"What time is it? You've got to work, right?" Don
blinked at him, looking more than half out of it, though
judging by the empty glass and plate on the table, Don'd
managed to keep the water and toast down.
"I called in. Come on. Sofa. I need to make nananas
for my boy." He got Don moving, chuckling as Don
automatically corrected his pronunciation. He handed a
blanket over before heading back to his son.
Robin was still sitting on the counter, sucking on his
little sippy cup with watered down apple juice.
"Such a good boy." He grinned over. "Let's try a
banana and then some Dora on the TV, hmm?"
"I like Dora! Pooh-Pooh is Donny's favorite."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 132
"Do you want to watch Pooh first?"
Robin nodded. "'Cause Donny's really sick."
"You're a good boy. So good." Jeff's chest hurt a little
with it.
Robin beamed at him, looking as proud as he felt.
"Let me get you settled and I'll cut up a banana."
Maybe he could get in a shower before Kimberley
woke up and started crying again.
***
Getting sick had sucked, and they'd all gotten it.
At least Jeff had waited to succumb until Donny was
feeling better. The kids had been, too, so it had just been
a matter of keeping them out of Jeff's hair until the sick
ran through him, too.
They'd weathered it well, though, and tonight they
were all sitting together on the couch, watching the new
Winnie the Pooh movie. God, Donny loved that silly
bear. He always had and it was wonderful to be able to
share Pooh and the other creatures with a new
generation.
Jeff sat quietly, rocking Kimberley, half-dozing.
Robin was on his lap, his own head on Jeff's shoulder.
Yeah, it didn't get much better than this. He couldn't
quite believe how awesome his life was right now.
"Daddy, does Winnie Pooh have a mommy?"
Jeff shrugged. "I suppose he does. Roo has one."
"He's got Christopher Robin." Don grinned. "A name
like yours, eh?"
Robin nodded. "I have you and my daddy."
"Yeah, you do." He grinned, tickling Robin gently.
Robin's laughter made him smile, the happy sound
perfect.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 133
He caught Jeff's eye and grinned. Jeff winked over,
hand patting Kimberley's butt.
It took his breath away for a minute, just how good it
was. Right here, right now, this minute. And like he'd
been thinking a lot lately, he kind of wanted to freeze
time right here. The three people he loved most in the
fucking world, right here. Happy.
Which was of course, when the doorbell rang.
He shook his head when Jeff went to get up. "You
stay with the kids, and I'll deal with the door."
"Okay. Tell whoever it is we don't want any. We're
fine."
He was still laughing when he opened the door.
An older couple stood at the door, one with a huge
cake box, the other with bags from Walmart.
"Can I help you?" He'd gotten to know the neighbors
by name, so hopefully he could direct these guys to the
right house.
"Is Jeff home? We were in town and we ran into
Jillian. She said everyone had been ill and we wanted to
stop by."
"Samantha! Mike! Hey, guys!" Jeff came up,
Kimberley on his shoulders. "What are you doing here?
Robin! Your Gran and Pop are here!"
Oh, the grandparents. They were at the right place
after all. Donny stepped back out of the way.
"Gran!" Robin came running and Jeff grabbed the
cake box, just in time. "Guys, this is Don. Don, this is
Samantha and Mike. Beth's parents."
"Hi, nice to meet you." He put on his best smile, and
held out his hand, inordinately pleased that Jeff hadn't
introduced him as the nanny, but simply as Don.
"Hey, there." Mike shook his hand and Samantha
smiled at him, arms full of three year old. "I hope we're
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 134
not interrupting. We brought soup and Sprite and some
ginger cookies and Pedialyte."
"That sounds like just what we need." He took the
bags from Mike. "Thanks, man."
"Any time." Mike held his arms out for Kimberley.
"Let me have that stunning girl."
Jeff chuckled and handed Kimberley over. "Come on
in. We were watching Pooh."
"We can't stay too long; we have late movie tickets."
Samantha kissed Robin's head. "But I can stay long
enough to read bedtime stories."
"That's Donny's job," Robin announced as they all
made their way back to the living room.
Donny blushed. "We have a routine." He said softly
before turning to Robin. "Your Grandmother can do it
for tonight, though, can't she?"
"No. Donny reads me stories. Gran can sing me a
song."
Jeff chuckled. "So there, Gran."
Donny gave Samantha an apologetic look.
She laughed softly, lifting her grandson. "I suppose I
can remember a song or two."
"Robin's a good singer, he can help you." Donny
gave Robin a wink. "Can I get anyone something to
drink?"
"No. No, we don't want to put you out. I just wanted
to make sure everyone was feeling better." Robin's
grandmother had a warm smile.
"Cool." He looked at the sofa and tried to decide if he
should sit or go hide in the kitchen.
Jeff wrapped one arm around his waist, the act
casual, simple. Shooting Jeff a grateful smile, he leaned
in a little. He really had gotten unbelievably lucky; Jeff
was a keeper.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 135
They wandered to the family room, where Mike sat
with Kimberley and Samantha held Robin. "So, stomach
flu?"
Jeff nodded. "Quick and harsh. I'll be back at work
tomorrow."
"It went through all of us," Donny added. "Thank
God it was quick."
"Yes. It's so scary when they're little." Samantha
hummed softly. "I remember when Beth was little and
she got sick, it was a nightmare."
"Did she get sick a lot?" Donny asked, settling on one
end of the couch.
Mike shook his head. "No. No, she was healthy as a
horse most of the time."
Samantha nodded. "Just like her daddy. She looked
like him, too."
Jeff nodded, smiled. "She was amazing. She was a
runner. Every day. Even when she was pregnant."
"With me!" Robin bounced.
Donny laughed, fascinated to hear about Beth.
"With you, with your sister." Samantha smiled, even
if it was a little shaky. "She was an Amazon."
Jeff nodded. "She was a stud. Okay, Gran. Time to
get ready for bed so you make your movie."
"That's our cue for singing, huh?" Donny smiled at
Robin.
"You read. Gram sings."
"Let's go get the book you want tonight, then."
"Goodnight Moon!" Robin bounced off, laughing.
Donny couldn't help but grin as he and Samantha
headed up the stairs after Robin. "His favorite."
Samantha nodded. "Good to know."
They met Robin in his room and he brought the book
and climbed onto Donny's lap for his story. He knew
this one by heart and they read together, cheek to cheek.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 136
He deliberately put one of the goodnights out of order,
loving it when Robin called him silly and corrected him.
Samantha chuckled and clapped for them, her eyes on
Robin.
When they were done, he kissed Robin on the top of
his head. "Okay, song time."
"'kay. Gran!" Robin ran to her. "When can I come
spend the night at your house?"
"Whenever. I'll talk to your daddy, see when is good
for him."
"Where do you guys live?" Don asked.
"We live near Greenburg. It's about a forty minute
drive, give or take. We come into the city to shop, see
the sights."
"Cool."
Robin tugged on Samantha's sleeve. "Sing, Gran."
Donny got up, gave them their privacy and headed
downstairs. He heard Jeff and Mike talking, the sound
weirdly serious.
"...an asshole, Mike."
"Beth never liked him. I tell you, son. This is a bad
deal. You don't think he poisoned you guys or anything,
right?"
"Of course not!"
Donny went down the stairs, frowning. "Is everything
all right?"
"Just fine."
Mike shook his head. "It is not, Jeff. There's someone
threatening my grandchildren, my... You." The man had
a thunderous glare. "You've been part of my family
since you met Beth when you two were sixteen. I will
not stand by and let some asshole threaten your home!"
"Did Mitch do something new?" Donny asked. What
now?
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 137
Jeff shook his head. "No, nothing more than threaten
to take the house and throw a brick through the
window."
Mike stared. "That's enough!"
"I was worried something else had happened. It's
been quiet since then." Donny stood next to Jeff, giving
his support.
"Mike here is a retired policeman. He's convinced
Mitch poisoned us."
Donny stiffened. "How could he have done that? You
changed the locks since he moved out, right?"
"I did. He couldn't have."
"Good, good. He couldn't have. The locks were
changed." He smiled at Jeff. They were going to be
okay. He had to work on not letting the thought of Mitch
worrying him, though.
"That's right. Ignore the old paranoid cop."
"Hey!" Mike glared. "Just be careful. I worry."
Samantha came down, took the sleeping baby from
her husband. "Worry about what?"
"Nothing. There's nothing to worry about." Jeff's
smile was a little tight.
Her eyes narrowed. "Are they humoring me,
Jeffrey?"
"Now, Samantha. When's your movie?"
Donny bit his lip to keep from laughing as her
husband handled Samantha.
"Mike!"
"We'll deal with it, love. For once, Jeff is right. Give
the baby back."
Donny held out his hands for Kimberley, cuddling
her close when Samantha handed her over, looking
exasperated.
"Robin wants to spend the night. Do you think it
might be possible soon? I know we agreed to give it
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 138
time, but..." Samantha shrugged. "I hate to keep telling
him no."
Donny spoke up before Jeff could. "If it was
something he used to do before.... well, before, then I
think it would be a good idea."
"Let me check my schedule and we'll arrange for
them to come for a few days. Maybe week after next?"
Samantha hugged Jeff. "Thank you, dear."
Jeff kissed her cheek. "I love you, Mom. I know it's
been hard to stay away."
She sobbed once. "Nothing about this has been easy.
The only thing not hard is knowing you love the
children."
"They're easy to love," Donny murmured.
"No shit." Mike grinned like an idiot. "They had a
great mom."
Jeff nodded. "She was a fabulous broad."
Donny just smiled, not sure exactly what to say to
that.
Samantha met his eyes. "Did you ever get to meet
her?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"Don came here to help with the kids and... Well,
now he's family." Jeff sounded so proud.
God, this man made him feel good, important. Like
he really was family.
Beth's parents nodded and Samantha smiled. "It's
obvious Robin loves you. I'm glad Jeff found someone
to help him make a family."
"Thank you, ma'am. I'm the lucky one here, though."
Mike chuckled. "That's the phrase of a man in love.
Come on, Samantha, we have our movie."
He blushed, but it was totally true, and he didn't try to
deny it.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 139
Samantha hugged Jeff, smiled. "Call me with your
plans. We'll be free. I can't wait to have them overnight."
"It was nice to meet you both."
"Nice to meet you, too." Both of the kids'
grandparents shook his hand, then left.
"They seem really nice."
"They are. They really are." Jeff locked the door,
sighed as Kimberley muttered restlessly. "I should put
her down."
"I can do it." He took Kimberley from Jeff. "Meet me
in the bedroom?" Not Jeff's bedroom, but the bedroom.
When had he started thinking of it like that?
"Sure, Don. You want a snack? Maybe some peanut
butter on toast?"
"I'd rather have some Jeff on sheets."
Jeff looked at him, blushed and grinned over.
"Yeah?"
He nodded, grinning back at Jeff. "Yeah."
They stood there for God knew how long, smiling
goofily at each other until Kimberley made a sleepy
noise. "I should get her to bed."
"I'll meet you upstairs, Don. Maybe... maybe you and
I could go somewhere. You know, when the kids go to
their grandparents?"
"Oh, that'd be cool. What have you got in mind?" A
vacation. It only just occurred to him that if the kids
went to Beth's parents that's what they'd have. Some
time without the kids. While he loved and adored them,
some time for just him and Jeff would totally rock.
"I don't know. I just... I'd have to figure something. I
wouldn't mind having a date, though."
He leaned in and gave Jeff a quick kiss. "Yeah, that
sounds great."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 140
Taking another quick kiss, he beamed at Jeff and headed
upstairs with Kimberley.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 141
Chapter Fifteen
"Daddy? Daddy, please. Don't go." Robin was
sobbing softly, clinging to his leg, and Kimberley started
kicking, reaching for Don.
After the last two weeks they'd had -- from
Dejeuner's owner having a shit fit over his missed days
to being served with papers from Mitch regarding the
house and dealing with the lawyer to countersue -- Jeff
didn't blame the kids. Everyone was bitchy, everyone
was on edge, and everything was off.
Still, he'd managed to finagle time where Samantha
and Mike could take the kids and he could... sleep. Fuck.
Something. Anything.
"This is going to work best if we just go. The longer
we linger, the harder it's going to be." Don reached
down and grabbed Robin up, giving him a hard hug.
"We'll be back in two days, Robin. I promise."
"NO! DADDY!"
Jeff gave Samantha a panicked look, but she didn't
look worried at all.
Don took his arm, tugged. "Come on, babe. It's not
going to get any easier."
Mike took Robin. "He did this with Beth."
"And every single morning at day care!" Samantha
waved.
Don pulled him toward the car. "Look, we'll call
them in a couple hours and if he'll still freaking out,
we'll come back and get him."
"Okay..." Jeff surprised himself by tearing up.
Don squeezed his arm. "I'll drive."
Jeff nodded. This was ridiculous. Utterly stupid.
Dave grinned at him as they pulled away. "You're a
dad. They're your world and you want to give them
everything."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 142
"I do. They're okay?"
"They're fine, babe. They're with people who care
about them. And in two days we'll be back and next time
it'll be easier."
He offered Don a half-smile. "You're sure?"
"I am." Don reached over and grabbed his hand,
squeezed it.
"Okay. I'll believe you..."
"So am I taking us home, or...?"
"No. No, let's go to the B&B. They're having a
supper brought in for us." Not only that, but the B&B
was closer.
"Yeah? Sounds cool."
"I think it will be. Simple, homey. Private."
"It's going to be strange, spending time together, but
not having the kids with us."
"Yeah, but good, huh?" He wanted it to be good.
"Oh, God, yeah. I mean I love Robin and Kimberley
but it'll be nice to spend some time without worrying
about one of them waking up..."
"Or both of them."
Don chuckled and nodded. "What's the first thing you
want to do when we get to the B&B?"
"I... I don't know. We have a little pool, a trail to
walk. I just don't know." He grinned over. "Not real
suave, huh?"
"I think it sounds awesome. And you might not have
noticed, but I don't really have suave and smooth in my
repertoire, either."
"No? And here I thought you were a player!"
"Me?" Don laughed for him, face bright and happy.
"Uh-huh. Like whoa." He cracked up, tickled.
Don shook his head. "No time." Then he shrugged.
"Not really my thing, anyway, you know?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 143
"No? Me either. I have had three relationships, no
fuckbuddies." He liked having that stability.
"I've had just the one relationship. Well, two, but the
first one didn't include sex. We were too scared we'd be
caught." Don flashed him a grin before taking the turn-
off to the B&B. "And during university, I just didn't
have the time."
"No. No, my first lover was a sous chef at the place I
was waiting tables at."
"You started in the dining room?"
"I did. Anything to get in. I washed dishes, did
salads. Anything."
"Did you go to chef's school or are you self-taught?"
It seemed almost weird, to be talking about grown up
stuff, to not have the kids to think about at all for two
whole days. "I went to culinary school for a grand total
of two weeks. Then I moved from dishwasher to cook
and I never looked back." He'd always wanted to be a
chef. Always. He was damned good at it.
"Cool -- good for you. It's nice to know what you
want to do, isn't it?"
"It's really the only thing I know. I'm a restaurant
guy. I cook."
"I wouldn't say it's the only thing." Don pulled up at
the B&B. "You're an amazing father, a great lover..."
"Oh, how cute is that..." The place was small, and
with the sun setting behind it, it was quaint and lovely.
"Very." Don turned off the engine and undid his belt.
"Thank you."
"I wanted us to be able to chill out." Touch. Be
adults.
"It's going to be great!" Don got out and went to the
trunk for their bags.
He grabbed the little bag of electronics -- phone
chargers and the like -- from the backseat.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 144
"How'd you hear about this place?" Don asked as
they went up the front steps.
"Ben at the restaurant. He brought his girlfriend." The
whole kitchen was cheering him on, teasing him about
Don, good naturedly. Hell, the servers had given him a
"love package" -- lube, rubbers, wipes. He'd cracked up.
"Cool." Don's hand slid into his. "Is this okay?"
"Better than. Place is run by family, hmm?" No lying
for him.
Don squeezed his fingers. "Cool."
They headed in, and this charming older man met
them at the door. "Are you Jeff and Don?"
Jeff nodded at the dapper older man, smiled. "I am.
Are you Ken or Timmy?"
"Timmy. Ken's out feeding the chickens."
"Is that's what's for supper?" Don asked, corners of
his mouth curling up.
"We're having a spaghetti and meatball supper
brought in."
Jeff was suddenly grateful he hadn't told anyone he
was a chef.
Don chuckled. "Cool. I was just teasing about eating
your chickens."
They all grinned and Timmy shrugged. "I couldn't do
without the fresh eggs, but that old rooster? Don't tempt
me."
Don suddenly sobered. "It doesn't crow at six a.m. or
anything, does it?"
"No. He's just grumpy." Timmy winked, led them
into a lovely place, charming and warm. Jeff gasped at
the space. It was fabulous. The perfect size and shape
for a little high end restaurant, if it had a commercial
kitchen and wasn't so far out.
Don gave him a look. "You okay?" he asked softly.
"Yeah. Yeah, it's fabulous in here."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 145
Timmy grinned. "Isn't it? I wanted to turn it into a
restaurant, but it's not going to happen."
"How come?" Don asked, looking around. "Oh, if
that's not too rude."
"Well, I'm not a chef and we're not really young
enough to handle anything that busy. Ken and I are
getting up there, you know?"
"How long have you been together?" Don looked and
sounded genuinely interested.
"Thirty-seven years." Timmy grinned.
"And eighty six days." Another voice sounded, a big,
gruff-looking man showing up. "Hey, y'all. How's it
going?"
"Wow, that's really cool." Don held out his hand to
the newcomer. "You've got to be Ken."
"I am. Welcome."
Jeff nodded. "This place is amazing. I love it."
"You probably want to see your room." Timmy gave
his partner a smile. "I've put you upstairs at the back.
There's a great view of the farm."
"As long as there's no crying babies at two a.m...."
Jeff winked. Hell, he already missed them.
Timmy laughed. "No, no babies. Even the animals
will be quiet, I promise."
Don squeezed his hand, smiling at him.
"How many kids do y'all have?"
"Two, a three-year-old and a six-month-old."
"A boy and a girl," Don added and Jeff could hear the
pride in Don's voice.
"Lucky guys. Are you going to have any more or are
you done?"
Jeff looked at Don, maybe a little panicked. Hell,
they hadn't even talked about next week.
Don chuckled. "I'd say we're undecided."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 146
Timmy laughed, too, and opened a door for them.
"Well, here you are."
The room was old fashioned and simple -- a
fireplace, a rocking chair, a love seat. A lovely king-
sized bed. A pink clawed-foot bathtub evident through a
second door.
"Oh, it's great." Don let go of his hand and walked in,
looking delighted.
Timmy smiled at him and handed over a key. "Let us
know if you need anything."
"Are we coming downstairs for supper?" He loved
the idea of a real key, not a plastic card.
"We'll deliver it around seven. I'll leave it outside
your door."
"Oh, that's stunning. Thank you, so much."
Timmy shook his hand, beamed. "Breakfast is at
nine. We'll see you in the morning, hmm?"
"Nine?" Don lit up. "We get to sleep in!"
"Well, you do." He winked, then patted Don's butt.
"Thanks, Timmy."
Timmy gave them a salute and left, closing the door
behind him.
Soon as the man was gone, Don turned to him,
pushing into his arms. "This is awesome. Thank you."
"Yeah. It's not bad at all."
Don laughed and then pressed their lips together, the
happy sounds filling Jeff's mouth. The kiss was slow,
long and lazy. It felt illicit, a little naughty, oddly
enough.
Don rubbed against him. "God, why do I suddenly
feel so horny?"
"Because we're alone?" He rubbed back, loving the
ridge of Don's cock.
Don laughed, nodded. "Maybe. Take me to bed?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 147
"You got it." They stepped backward, toward the
huge bed, one kiss chasing another.
Don was hungry, biting at his lips and touching him
all over.
"You know, I never got to date you." He eased Don
back onto the bed.
Don lay back and reached up for him. "No, we
skipped to the good parts."
"We did." He crawled into those open arms. "Hey,
baby."
"Mmm, hey." Don smiled, wrapped his arms around
Jeff.
They knew how their bodies fit together, now, how
they settled, and Jeff loved that, loved having a partner.
Don moaned for him, the sound sweet, hungry.
"What should we do first?" He grinned down, let his
body rub along Don's.
"Go for a hike?"
"In the dark?" He goosed Don, chuckling.
Don shrieked and jerked, then laughed.
"We could play Tiddlywinks. Poker. Scrabble."
"I vote poker. You've got one right here for me." Don
pushed a hand between them and rubbed his prick
through his jeans.
Jeff snorted, hips pushing into that warm touch. "That
was terrible."
"This isn't, though." Don slid his hand up and down,
squeezed Jeff a little.
"No. No, this isn't." He wasn't really focused on what
he was saying. He wanted Don's mouth.
Don smiled at him, fingers still stroking, playing. The
man's eyes looked drugged, but they were staring right
at him.
"Want you, babe. Want to suck you while you do
me."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 148
Don made an incoherent noise and nodded, started
tugging at his shirt, pulling it out of his jeans. He started
working Don's belt open, fingers needing skin. Don
sucked in for him, giving him room as Don pushed his
shirt up, fingers going right for his nipples.
"Cheating..." He murmured the word against Don's
lips.
"Am not!" Don laughed, pinched his nipple.
"Too!" They rolled together, their laughter on the air.
Don pulled his shirt the rest of the way up, fingers
going back to his nipples.
"You sure they're not just decorative?"
"Let's make sure." Don grinned and then slid down a
little, licking all the way to his nipple.
Jeff tangled his fingers in Don's hair, careful not to
tug, not to pull. Don's lips wrapped around his nipple,
sucking gently, tongue flicking across the tip.
"Oh, damn. That's nice, Don. Sweet." The tender
touches melted him, made him feel like he was precious.
The sucking became a little stronger. Then Don let
his nipple go, moved to the other one.
"Yeah." Jeff tried to focus, tried to make his fingers
work.
When Don let go of Jeff's other nipple, he grinned up.
"I don't think they're decorative."
He moaned an answer that could be a yes or a no, but
was mostly "don't stop".
Seemed Don spoke his language because his nipple
was surrounded by heat again, Don sucking. He started
rocking, eyes crossed with the fucking heat of it, like all
the need was distilled and just right there.
It was so good he almost didn't notice Don undoing
his belt, his zipper. His cock noticed, though, pushing at
the fly, wanting that touch. Don pulled down the zipper
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 149
and opened his fly, fingers finding his prick in his
underwear and wrapping around it.
"Yeah..." He bucked up into the touch, toes curling.
Don kept sucking on his nipple, hand sliding up and
down his needy prick.
"Wanted to..." He was going to suck Don, but...
"Shh. Let me love on you." Don tongue-flicked his
nipple again, then began to kiss his way southward.
"Love..." He rolled the word in his mouth, in his
brain.
"Yes, love." Don sounded distracted, tongue flicking
out to touch the tip of his cock. He nodded and twisted,
moved around, reaching for Don's waistband. Don
groaned, hips pushing restlessly toward him.
"That's it." He pushed Don's jeans down, fingers
stuttering as hot lips surrounded his cock.
Don hummed, mouth starting to pull on his prick.
"Shit. So good. I just want to..." He managed to work
Don's fly open, the scent of Don's cock so right.
Another sound from Don's mouth vibrated Jeff's
prick. He groaned and arched his neck, managing to get
his lips around the tip of Don's flesh. Don gasped, his
cock sliding from Don's lips, then they took him again,
sucking strongly.
He tugged at Don's leg, rested his head on it and
started sucking, matching Don's rhythm. Don shuddered
for a moment, and then started sucking harder again.
Yeah. Hell, yeah. Don's cock was heavy and dripping on
his tongue. The flavor exploded in his mouth, made his
balls ache.
He rolled over Don, cupped that sweet ass in his
hands and pulled Don in deeper. Don's hands grabbed
his ass in return, pulling him deeper into Don's mouth.
Yes. Fuck. He swallowed hard, head bobbing, even as
he thrust down into that heat.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 150
They moved together like they were born for this.
Don's prick tasted amazing, the suction around his own
cock felt even better. Don's ass was hot, skin soft and
smooth in his hands. Don began to hump up into his
mouth, ass clenching and releasing. Yeah. Fuck, yes. He
groaned low, pulled harder.
Don's movements became almost frantic. He pushed
one finger against Don's hole, sliding it in. Don pulled
off his cock, shouting out as heat filled his mouth. Jeff
grunted, swallowing hard, his own cock so hard it could
cut glass.
Don quickly wrapped his lips back around Jeff's
cock, head bobbing, lips tight.
"Oh. Oh, babe. God, your mouth..." He arched,
fingers gripping Don's thighs.
Don kept sucking, pulling him right into Don's throat.
He pushed down, slipping in deep, taking Don's mouth.
He lost all grace, everything but his need. Don just kept
sucking and swallowing around his cock, hands hard on
his ass.
"Please." He rolled, the tip of his cock sliding on
Don's soft tongue and that was all he wrote.
Don took in his come, each swallow making him
shudder, making his orgasm last. He moaned, forehead
on Don's thigh. Don slowly let him go and then kissed
his balls.
"Damn." He rolled off Don, thumping to the bed.
Don shifted and curled next to him, head on his
shoulder. "Yeah, that was nice."
"Nice?" His heart was still beating in his chest.
Don laughed, almost giggled. "Really, really nice."
"When my brain starts working again, you're getting
such a goosing."
Don laughed, the sound happy and bright.
"You mock. I will pinch your butt." Later.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 151
"I thought you were going to goose me." Don
snuggled in closer.
"Mmmhmm." He licked Don's lips. "Later."
"Okay, Boss."
He draped one arm around Don's waist. "Is it silly, to
miss them?"
"I don't think it's silly at all -- they're a huge part of
our life."
"Yeah." He kissed Don's shoulder, letting himself
relax.
"You want me to put the alarm on my watch so we
don't miss supper?"
"I'm not sleepy. Just lazy." Besides, he needed to call
Samantha, make sure the kids were okay, calmed down.
"'Kay." Don snuggled in closer, eyes drifting closed.
He kissed Don's forehead, smiled.
Damn.
***
Don thought maybe this was the most decadent day
he'd had in a long time. They'd woken up and made
love, then gone down to breakfast followed by an easy
wander through the woods around the B&B. Now they
were sitting together on a porch swing, idly rocking. The
weather was warm and pleasant, and there was no kiddie
monitor.
If he was anymore relaxed, Don figured he'd be
asleep. He thought Jeff might actually be dozing, eyes
closed, lips parted.
They'd called Samantha and Mike last night before
dinner to check up on the state of the kids. They were
both fine, the tears having stemmed as soon as he and
Jeff were out of sight.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 152
He pushed with his feet, making them swing a tiny
bit faster.
Jeff was a little in love with this place, Don thought.
He'd oohed and aahed over the breakfast, over the
grounds. It had been adorable.
He leaned his head on Jeff's shoulder. It was nice out
here and the house had great personality. Even the damn
grumpy rooster added to the charm.
"Mmm. I like it here, babe." Jeff murmured the
words, settled against him.
"Yeah, I can see that. It is beautiful." Peaceful in a
way that had nothing to do with the lack of noise or
kids.
"You think the guys would let me bring the kids
here?"
Donny smiled and nodded. "Ask them. The worst that
happens is they say no."
"Yeah. Yeah, you know, I would have hated this,
even a year ago. But..." Jeff shrugged.
"Do you think you changed just because you had to
or do you think this was always inside you, just waiting
to be drawn out?" Was Jeff going to eventually start
chomping at the bit for his old life?
"I don't know." Jeff got them rocking again. "I had a
certain responsibility to Mitch to keep up appearances.
You know, Beth hated him. Hated him."
"Yeah? Was he good to you?" Donny still wasn't sure
what Jeff had seen in that asshole.
"I thought so. He was handsome, smart; he gave
elegant parties." Jeff sighed. "I don't think this whole
thing was his fault. I found something besides cooking I
loved more than him."
"A man who loved you would have tried to make
your kids fit into his life." Donny couldn't figure out
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how anyone could not simply fall in love with Jeff's
kids.
"I think he loved my ambition. To be able to say he
had a chef as a partner."
Donny kept his mouth shut on the words that wanted
out. Jeff knew Mitch was an asshole and didn't need him
to rub it in, to point out how selfish Mitch had been long
before the kids had come into Jeff's life.
"I'm sorry you got hurt." He couldn't be sorry Mitch
had left, though, he just couldn't. Mitch's loss was most
definitely his gain and he would not give his family up
for anything.
"I don't know, Don. I don't know that I was all that
hurt, to be honest. I was tired, missing Beth,
overwhelmed."
He squeezed Jeff's leg. "Good. He's not worth your
hurt." He just wished Mitch wasn't being an asshole now
so Jeff could just draw a line on the past and forget
about it.
"I just wish he'd fucking go away." Jeff pulled away a
little bit. "Although that's not very fair, is it? It's not his
fault that Beth died and that his world got upended."
"No, but it was his choice to leave you and he's being
an utter asshole about things." He stroked his hand along
Jeff's thigh this time. "I wish he'd just go away, too."
"Yeah." Jeff sighed. "You think I'm a shit, for finding
someone else so soon? Someone I love?"
"No." He chuckled and kissed Jeff's cheek. "Could be
I'm a little biased, but no, I don't think you're a shit."
"I'm not fickle. I just... Shit, Don. I want to feel like
I'm not the bad guy because I'm happy with my life."
"Jeff, you were good to that man for a lot of years.
Way better than he ever was to you. And then he
dumped you. Not the other way around. You have every
right to get on with your life, to be happy. To love again.
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To love me. You're not the bad guy here and you aren't a
bad person. I wouldn't love you like I do if you were."
Jeff's fingers twined with his. "How do you love me,
Don?"
"Let me count the ways?" He smiled. "You're hot.
You're good. You cook like a dream. Your kids are cuter
than you. You love me. You make love to me."
"You forgot my sense of humor and my incredibly
studly bellybutton."
"Uh-huh. Your sensitive little nipples, your fat cock
that you know what to do with. Your ass..."
"Listen to you..." Jeff's cheeks were pink and his
lover leaned in close. "You perv."
He laughed softly. "The kids aren't here -- I'm
allowed to be."
"You got that right. We might have to explore this
later, this pervy side of you."
"Well, it's not like I'm suggesting whips and chains."
Jeff looked at him and started chuckling. "Please.
True torture is making me eat McDonalds..."
"Oh, God, I'm going to remember that and let you
deal with the kids when they want to start going there.
And you know they're going to want to at least try it,
because all their friends are gonna be eating there."
Jeff so wasn't the fast food type, though.
"Not my babies. Never. Not a single McNugget."
"That's definitely going to be your job." The kids
probably weren't going to like the food any, not after
eating as good as they would thanks to Jeff, but he'd bet
they were going to want to at least try it.
"I'll just tell them how awful it is -- feed lots and
grade G beef."
"Grade G? I don't even want to know." He made a
face. Fast food and college students went together, and
he'd definitely had his share of the stuff.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 155
"Nope. It's foul." Jeff looked satisfied, almost smug.
"Food snob."
"Absolutely."
Laughing, he took a kiss. God, he was happy. Just
really, really happy.
Jeff's head wrapped around the back of his head,
holding him there a second as the kiss deepened.
Moaning, he opened wide, letting Jeff in. Jeff explored
his mouth, kissing him lazily, tongue dragging over his
teeth. He touched Jeff's tongue with his own as he
leaned against Jeff's heat.
"Yeah..." The soft moan pushed into his lips, Jeff
smiling. At least until Jeff's phone rang, the ring tone
unfamiliar, and Jeff sat up, frowned. "It's Mike."
Jeff flipped the phone open, frowned. "Hey. The kids
okay?"
Donny sighed and stayed snuggled up. It was okay,
though, that's what happened when you had kids. They'd
had a lovely evening and day together and that was
enough.
Jeff went stiff. "What? What the fuck are you talking
about? When?"
Donny's eyes went wide, his heart starting to pound.
Oh, God, what had happened to the kids?
Jeff stood up, the swing tilting wildly. "Okay. Okay,
you... You just... Fuck, Mike. You stay. I'll go."
Donny jumped up and followed as Jeff headed up for
their room. "What? What!"
"The house. I need to. I have to go. We have to go."
Jeff started packing wildly.
"The house?" He went to the bathroom and grabbed
their stuff. "Are the kids okay?"
"Yes. They're at Samantha's. Hurry up." Jeff was
white as a ghost.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 156
He dumped his stuff into the suitcase and grabbed
Jeff's shoulders. "Tell me what happened."
"It's burning. Someone set it on fire."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 157
Chapter Sixteen
It had been the longest drive of his life, and he'd
floored it the entire way. Jeff hadn't said a word the
whole time, if he'd opened his mouth, he'd start
screaming and he wouldn't stop. Ever.
Cursed. He was cursed.
"It'll be okay," Don said quietly. "Nobody was at
home."
"Don't. Just don't." It wasn't going to be okay. He'd
seen Beth's house. He'd smelled it. Now his kids were
homeless again. Nothing was going to be okay again.
"You have to focus on the good stuff, Jeff. Nobody
was in the house."
They rounded the corner onto a disaster.
There were fire trucks and police, the entire road
blocked off and he pulled to the side, sliding out of the
car and running past the barricades. His home. God
damn it.
"Oh, God." Don was on his heels. "Oh, God."
Someone stepped in front of him, hand on his chest.
"I'm sorry, sir. You can't be here."
"That's my fucking house." He was going to hit
someone. That was his fucking dream, right there.
"I'm sorry sir, but until the fire is contained and the
area is cleared, you have to stay behind the line.
Don took his arm, tugged. "There's nothing you can
do."
"That's my HOME!" He pulled out of Don's arm, just
wild.
"Don't you mean our home?" The voice was sharp,
mean, and totally unwelcome. "Guess you won't have to
share now, you selfish bastard."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 158
He spun around, hit Mitch square in the mouth. "You
fucker. You did this." Jeff hit the man again, and then
again.
"Jeff!" Don grabbed him around the waist and started
pulling him back.
"Help! Police! Did you see that? He assaulted me!"
Mitch was shrieking.
"He set the fire. You know he did."
The fireman looked at Mitch, looked at Jeff. "I didn't
see a thing, man. You need to call your insurance
company. Let us do our jobs." The fireman looked at
Don. "Where there any pets we should... search for?"
Don shook his head. "The house was empty." Don's
fingers wrapped around his arm again. "Come on. If he
set the fire, the investigators will find out and they'll put
him in jail."
"Where the fuck am I supposed to go? What am I
supposed to tell my kids?" Enough. He'd had enough.
"We'll figure it out, Jeff. They're safe at Samantha
and Mike's right now. It's going to be okay. I swear."
"Jeffy!" Jillian's voice could cut glass. "Jeffy!"
"Jellybean." He looked at her, and her arms opened
and he collapsed, dissolving into tears.
"We'll get him, Jeffy. We'll tear his heart out and feed
it to him." She squeezed him tight.
"What am I going to do?" He couldn't do this, not
again. He couldn't function.
"First, where are the kids? Donny?"
Don chimed in with the answer to that. "I'm right
here. And the kids are at Samantha and Mike's. I tried to
tell him we were going to be okay, but I'm not sure he
even knows I'm here."
"Okay. Okay." Jillian looked over at Don. "Thank
God you were with him."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 159
Jeff looked over at Don, heart sinking. "All your
stuff, too. Yours. The babies'."
"It's just stuff, Jeff. It can all be replaced." Don
touched his arm, smiled at him. "The rest is just details."
"Okay, I'm going to get on the phone to the insurance
agent and get everyone coffees. Don, take Jeff to the
car?" She handed Don a little box from her purse. "One
of these for him now, one in an hour."
"Okay." Don looped their arms together and pulled
him back toward the car.
He heard Jillian's voice as she screamed at Mitch, but
Don didn't slow. Don pushed him into the passenger seat
and leaned against him to grab the water bottle from the
slot. "Take this."
"What is it?" He took it, knowing full well it was
Valium.
"I'm guessing Valium. She's probably right -- you
need this one."
He blinked at Don. "I can't do this. I can't do this
again." He could still smell the smoke of Bethy's house.
His babies' clothes were burned.
"No, its different this time. Nobody was hurt, and
you're not in this alone."
"I..." He grabbed Don's hands, holding on tight, the
world spinning. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see.
Oh, God.
Oh, God.
Somebody help him.
***
Donny couldn't believe it.
He couldn't think of anything more cruel than to burn
down Jeff's home. Thank God, nobody had been in the
house. Had Mitch known that? He shuddered at the
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thought that maybe Mitch hadn't known that, maybe
Mitch had expected him and the kids to be there while
Jeff was at work. He shook his head, trying to clear it.
He needed to be strong for Jeff.
Jeff was simply hysterical, not even able to make
sense.
Don'd gotten him to a hotel, made sure the kids were
okay to stay at least until tomorrow with their
grandparents. He'd made a few calls, too, made sure the
cops and firefighters knew where to find them to update.
Now he just... he didn't know what to do.
Luckily, Jillian kept calling. The insurance adjuster
was there. A five thousand dollar check would be there
in the morning. She had threatened to hit Mitch with a
car. She'd called the restaurant. She'd said to give Jeff
another Valium.
Jeff sat on the edge of the bed, eyes blank, tears
rolling down his cheeks.
Don knelt between Jeff's legs, cupped the loved
cheeks. "This isn't the end of the world."
"I." Jeff stared at him. "I don't know... Fuck."
"The kids are good, Jeff. They're just fine. And they
don't care where we live." He pressed his forehead
against Jeff's.
"But... all your things. I'm so sorry. What if you'd
been there? What if I'd lost you guys? What if he goes to
Mike's?"
"Stop that. My stuff is replaceable. I wasn't there. The
kids weren't there. He doesn't know where Mike lives.
You have to stop torturing yourself."
"I." Jeff sucked in a hitching breath. "I don't know
what to do."
"I don't know. I don't think we have to decide
tonight."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 161
"I need to see the kids. I don't... What do I do with
the kids?" Jeff stood, pacing. "What if Mitch tries to hurt
them? God. Why did Beth leave them with me? I'm
dangerous."
"Whoa, stop that!" He got up and got into Jeff's
space. "Come on, Jeff. You are not dangerous and you
love those kids. You're a good father."
God, Jeff was losing it.
"Don." Jeff grabbed him, held on. "Help me. Fuck.
Please help me."
"Anything, Jeff. Whatever you need."
Jeff's knees gave out and Don walked them to the
bed, put Jeff in it, pulled off his lover's shoes. "You need
to sleep, okay?"
Jeff needed to get it together before they went and
saw the kids; it would freak them out, especially Robin,
to see Jeff like this.
"I can't. I have to..." Jeff started sobbing again and
Don covered him up, hand on Jeff's shoulder.
He toed off his own shoes and slipped into the bed,
wrapping Jeff up. "Let it all out. Let it all out now." He
could only imagine the memories of Beth's death that
this fire had brought up.
Jeff's phone rang about the time Jeff fell into a
restless sleep.
He grabbed it, answering it before it could wake his
lover up. "Hello?"
"Don? How's he doing? I'm worried." Jillian. Again.
"He's finally asleep, but he's pretty wigged out." He
got up and went to the bathroom, hoping Jeff would
keep sleeping.
"Yeah, I bet. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just worried." About Jeff, about how the
kids were going to take being uprooted again. Replacing
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everything was going to be a bitch, and where would
they stay until they had a new house?
"Well, we have an appointment with the insurance
adjuster at nine a.m. at the house. I mean. You do, but I
can be there, to take notes, help." Jeff was lucky to have
a sister like her, really.
"That would be great if you could come, Jillian. I'm
not sure how much he's going to take in, and seeing the
place again..."
"Yeah. It was his dream home, you know? He'd been
planning it since our first foster home."
"I know." Donny sighed. "He can rebuild, though.
And now he can make it his new dream home, the one
that includes kiddies."
"Yeah, I guess." Jillian sighed, too, the sound so sad.
"I don't know. Maybe he'll just get an apartment closer
to the restaurant."
"No, the kids need a house. He'll do what's right for
then. We don't need to decide right this minute, though."
They had time. They'd figure it out.
"Yeah. I guess. I. What do you need from me,
Donny? Food? Booze? A hug?"
"You're doing it. I wouldn't know where to start with
the insurance and stuff."
"That I can do. Do you know how long Beth's parents
can keep the kids?"
"They said as long as we need them to."
"That's nice of them." He heard a lighter, a long
inhalation. "Did you call his boss?"
"No. He's got tomorrow off already, so I didn't think
to."
"I'll call. It's going to be crazy. He may want to go in
tomorrow. I don't know."
Donny heard a noise from the bedroom. "We'll figure
it all out tomorrow. I have to go now."
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"Okay. Call if you need me. I'll have the phone
close."
"Thanks, Jillian."
He hung up the phone, had a half a glass of water and
went back into the bedroom. Jeff had thrown the covers
off, was muttering and flailing, still asleep.
He got back into bed and stroked Jeff's belly. "Shh.
It's okay. Just sleep."
"Don... Don, the house. You need to get the babies..."
"Shh. They're fine. Everyone's okay." He kept
stroking, kissed Jeff's shoulder. "Everyone's safe."
"The babies. Oh, God."
"No, they're fine. Jeff. Kimberley and Robin are
safe."
God, Jeff was breaking his heart.
Jeff pushed close to him, rocking. He wrapped his
arms around Jeff, encouraged the rocking.
"My head hurts."
He bet it did. "We could take a shower; that will
help."
"Yeah? I'm so sorry, Don." Jeff held him tight.
"You didn't do anything to apologize for." He got up
and tugged, encouraging Jeff to stand. Jeff came with
him, swaying, eyes looking bruised.
Don got the shower going, then started working on
Jeff's clothes, pulling them off. Jeff didn't fight him,
didn't help either. Just stood there like a child. It made
him want to cry, but he didn't. Jeff needed him. So he
tugged Jeff into the shower, under the spray of water.
Jeff just kept apologizing to him, over and over.
"Hush. Hush." He finally pushed their lips together,
stopping the words.
Jeff sobbed into his lips, but kissed him back, hands
wrapping around his hips. He held Jeff's face between
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his hands, letting the kiss go on and on. Jeff held on, the
tension slowly, slowly easing.
He didn't give up on Jeff. He took another kiss, his
hands sliding down to cover Jeff's nipples. They could
survive this. They had to, right? They would. Those kids
needed them and they had lots of love between them.
They'd come out of this together. He'd keep telling
himself that until someone else could say it to him.
He slid his tongue into Jeff's mouth, deepening the
kiss, but keeping it gentle. Jeff rested their foreheads
together, both of them breathing slow. He ran his hands
up and down Jeff's chest, along his sides and over to his
back, helping the water sluice over Jeff's skin.
"I'll make it up to you, Don. I promise."
"Hush. There isn't anything to make up." They just
needed to get through it. Together. Like a family.
Jeff nodded, but those eyes dropped.
"I love you," he told Jeff, breathing the words into
Jeff's mouth.
Jeff's breath hiccupped, the hands on his hips
tightening.
"I do. And this doesn't change that. I'm here for you.
I'm not going anywhere. We can tackle anything
together."
"What if you'd been in the house?"
"Stop that right now." He shook Jeff a little. "No
what ifs. What happened, happened. Nobody was in the
house."
"But..."
No. No more buts. He shook his head and brought
their lips back together again, shutting Jeff up. Jeff
needed to relax, breathe for a little while. He pressed
Jeff up against the tile, and kissed his way down toward
Jeff's cock.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 165
Jeff shook his head. "I can't. Please, just come here.
Hold me a minute."
"Only if you relax and stop making yourself crazy
with what ifs and buts."
"I'm trying, babe. I swear. I just... It hurts."
"I know, but you've got two beautiful kids and a lover
and the house was covered by insurance and now you
can make something that doesn't have any associations
with that asshole..."
Jeff nodded, took one breath after another.
Donny held him, arms wrapped tight around Jeff. "At
least you have a suitcase of clothes."
"I... It takes months to build a house."
"So we live in someone else for awhile." He was sure
they could find someplace to rent.
"I just... I can't think right this second. I can't be
reasonable."
"Then you can't think about the negatives either." He
kissed Jeff hard. "You don't have to be reasonable."
Their lips parted with a pop. "Okay."
"Okay." He leaned their foreheads together and
breathed. "Okay."
"I... I need something to eat. Maybe a cup of coffee.
Or a Sprite."
"We can see what's in the mini-bar to tide us over
until room service can get up here." He turned the
shower off and grabbed a towel, started drying Jeff off.
"Okay." Jeff let him dry, then took the towel and
dried him off, too. "I need to... no thinking."
"That's right. No thinking." He drew Jeff back into
the room.
He grabbed Jeff a Sprite and the room service menu.
Something quick and simple, right? Something yummy.
"How does chicken parm sound?"
"Is there a BLT?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 166
"Yeah, you want the fries with that?" Jeff was being
choosy, that was a good sign, right?
"Please, yes. Mustard. And something sweet."
"You got it."
He ordered two BLTs with fries and two different
cakes for dessert, along with more Sprite.
Jeff rested on the pillows, watched him, not speaking,
not moving. He didn't know what to do, so he just sat
with Jeff and rubbed his hands, his shoulders. The tears
came and went, and his poor, overwhelmed lover was
asleep again before the food ever came.
Donny sighed and rubbed his face. It was going to be
a long, long night.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 167
Chapter Seventeen
Jeff stared at the wreck that was his house. Had been
his house. This was a dream, right? A sick, sad dream.
Don held his hand tight, reminding him that he had
someone there in his corner.
The insurance agent kept talking, saying words that
made no sense. Jillian was taking notes, asking
questions. But all he could see was the ruin that was his
dream home. He could see the ruined parts of furniture,
of his life. He had been so proud.
"Hey." Don hugged him from behind. "It's just stuff."
"Yeah." No. No, it was his life. His whole life. His
memories.
"It is. The important things are all safe. You, the kids,
me."
He tore his eyes away from the wreckage. "Yeah, I
know. I'm just... stunned."
"It's a terrible thing. Don't let him win, though, Jeff.
The best revenge is to get on with your life and turn this
into a positive."
"Stop. Please. Right now I need to be pissed, okay?"
Don needed to stop Pollyanna-ing him. This was his
fucking house.
"What good is that going to do?"
"It's not. It's not going to do any good at all." His
fingers curled into fists. "But I need it right now. I need
to be angry."
Don's lips pursed, but he didn't say anything.
Jeff shook his head, took off without a word, heading
closer to the house. There was still heat from it, and the
smell was awful. Like Beth. His phone rang and he
checked the number. The restaurant.
He answered. "Hey."
"Hey, Jeff. Martin. God, I'm sorry."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 168
"Yeah, me too."
"You guys need anything?"
A new house? Clothes? DVDs? Pots and pans?
"Time. I'm going to need some time." Which he knew
was a damn near impossible request. Hell, he'd just
taken a month off when he'd gotten the kids.
"Jeff... I can't give you more than a day or two.
You've got that nanny, though, right?"
"I do, yeah, but..."
"Man, I've been cool. I really have, but, look. There
are a lot of guys looking to climb and..."
He looked at his phone, then turned it off. Enough.
He was done. He was going to get a plane ticket to
Belize and stay there, forever.
"Jeff, the insurance guy needs to talk to you." Jilly
waved him over.
"Okay." He stood there, took a deep breath. "Okay."
He could see Robin's face, Kimberley's sweet smile.
He was never going to be able to desert them. Ever.
"It's going to take a week to ten days for the
insurance to come through, but I can give you a check
for five thousand now to get a place to live in the
meantime, buy new clothes and stuff."
"Okay." He nodded, sighed.
The agent handed over a check. "I'm really sorry
you're going through this. I'm going to stay on top of
this one, make sure that check comes through as quickly
as possible."
"It will. Thank you." He put the check in his back
pocket, then headed away again.
Don caught up with him as he walked. "Where are we
going?"
"I don't know." He grinned over.
"We should go have food, figure out what we're
going to tell Robin."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 169
His grin disappeared. "Yeah. I have one more day off
before I don't have a job anymore."
***
Donny waited until they had their lunch in front of
them. "What do you mean one more day off before you
don't have a job anymore?"
"Martin says I'm back in tomorrow."
"Then go back in. I can take care of the kids, Jeff --
why would that change?"
Jeff gave him a long, blank look. "I guess it wouldn't.
I'll take you to Mike and Samantha's. You can stay there
with the kids until I figure something out."
"I can help you find a place for us to live until you
can rebuild. Don't shut me out, Jeff -- we're a team,
right?"
Jeff looked at him, eyes furious. "How the fuck can
you be so calm?"
"Because it's not going to help anyone for me to lose
my shit."
Jeff didn't answer that, just looked down at the table.
Donny sighed. He was more upset about how this was
affecting Jeff than the fire. Jeff was what mattered, not
the house.
"I'm sorry."
"For what? The fire wasn't your fault." And he was
tired of Jeff apologizing for something he hadn't done,
couldn't control.
"I know, but I know you don't think I'm dealing
worth a shit."
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to." Jeff met his eyes. "This is a big
deal to me."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 170
"I know it is. And I know you're upset, of course you
are. But if you dwell on the negative..."
"What is the positive? I have to go tell a little boy
who lost his mom to a fire that his home is gone, again.
Every single thing I owned -- my first cookbook, the
only pictures of my folks, the only pictures I had left of
Beth, of Robin's birth? My recipes. All those plans?
They're gone!"
"No they aren't!" He reached out and touched Jeff's
heart. "They're all in here. Your parents, Beth, the kids.
Your recipes and your plans. He can't take those away
from you."
"I... I can't. I can't breathe." Jeff pushed back from the
table, gagging. "I can't breathe." He fell to his knees,
grabbed the edge of the table.
"Jeff!" Donny jumped up. "Someone call 911!"
Donny went to Jeff, crouched next to him. "Jeff? What
is it?"
Jeff gasped for air, grabbed him, then his eyes rolled
back into his head. Oh, God. Oh, God.
Don got Jeff down on his back and listened for a
breath, for anything that said Jeff was still alive. Jeff's
heart was beating hard, steady. Strong.
"The ambulance is coming, sir." The restaurant
manager was right there, putting a folded up emergency
blanket under Jeff's head.
"Thank you." He kept his hand over Jeff's heart,
needing to feel that beating, to know Jeff was alive.
Jeff started moved, shifting underneath him, about
the time the EMTs came, started talking and taking
vitals and getting information. Don found himself
pushed aside as they worked on Jeff. He took one deep
breath after another, telling himself over and over that
Jeff was going to be okay.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 171
He had to be. Don needed him. Those kiddies needed
him. They all did. In such a short time, Jeff had become
the center of everything Donny loved.
***
A panic attack.
Jeff sat in the bed at the ER, waiting for his release
papers, so embarrassed he could just die.
The doctor had been dear, explaining that panic
attacks could be completely overwhelming, that there
were drugs for the next few weeks. Maybe he should see
a shrink.
A stupid fucking panic attack.
Jeff blinked at Don. "I'm sorry."
"Shh." Donny hugged him hard. "Stop apologizing. I
know how hard this is for you -- it's no surprise your
body shorted out."
He wasn't sure what they had given him, but he could
breathe, he could think. Sort of. "I need to talk to Mike
and Samantha and see if you can stay there with the kids
for a few days."
"I'm betting I can, but we should go there together
now, so the kids can see you. Robin especially is going
to need the physical you to understand that you aren't
leaving him, too."
"Yeah. Okay. That makes sense. I'm not sure what I'll
do. Just work the week out, then plan."
"Sounds good. It should be easier then, with a little
time to ease things."
"Yeah." Or more of these drugs. Whichever. Jeff
found he really didn't care.
"Come on, then. We've got a plan. Go to Mike and
Samantha's. It's a start." Don held out his hand.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 172
"As soon as the doctor signs the paper. You'll have to
drive." He'd spend the night there, sleep, then drive back
into town tomorrow.
"I can do that. This is going to work out in the end.
We'll make sure of that."
He nodded. Whatever. He needed to find a condo or
something, an apartment, maybe. He didn't want to build
another house.
"Don't let Mitch steal your dreams, Jeff."
"I just want them to prove it was him."
"Yeah. Let's hope they can do that." Don squeezed
his hand. "We have to put him and this behind us."
"How?" He didn't want to snap, but he didn't know
how.
"By focusing on the good, by continuing to live your
dream. There's a saying -- that living well is the best
revenge." Don was going to Pollyanna him to death.
The doctor came in, with prescriptions and
instructions not to drive or drink, plus a suggestion to
see a shrink, and he signed and signed and nodded and
paid. "Let's go."
Don grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together as
they left. He handed Don the keys, keeping his head
down and...
"Jeffy!" Jillian came running like an avenging angel.
"What happened?"
Don answered for him. "He's okay. It was a panic
attack. It's under control now, though."
"A panic attack. Oh, God. Are you okay? What do
you need?"
Really, he just needed a little time alone. In quiet.
"We're just going to go hug the kids." Don kept them
moving toward the car.
"Okay. Do you want to stay with me?"
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God, no. "Yeah, I probably will, if that's okay.
During the work week."
Don sighed. "We'll get something figured out soon,
though. So the kids get to see you every day."
"Soon." He kissed Jillian. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"You still have a key?"
"I..." It was in the house.
She winced. "I'll drop it by the restaurant tomorrow."
"Thanks."
Don gave her a hug and then opened the passenger
door for him. He dropped into the car and closed his
eyes. He just needed to hold his shit together for a few
hours, then he would go to work where things were
normal. Right?
Don got them moving. "Are you ready to talk to the
kids?"
"No." But he would. He'd told Robin his mom had
died, hadn't he?
"You need to reassure him that you're not gong
anywhere."
"I will. I will do everything right. I will lie and tell
that little boy that it's going to be an adventure, that
we're going to find somewhere amazing."
"That's not a lie, Jeff."
He reached over, not even able to really feel angry,
and took Don's hand. "I love you." There. That was not a
lie.
Don glanced over to give him a beam. "I love you,
too."
"Okay."
That was going to have to be enough for right now.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 174
Chapter Eighteen
Robin had taken the news better than Don had
expected. He'd been more upset that Jeff wasn't staying
with them for the next week than he had been about
losing the house. Don figured that part wasn't really real
yet for Robin. Without seeing the house, it was kind of
abstract.
Once he'd been told that Jeff would call every day
and that they'd all be together again on the weekend,
Robin had calmed down.
Now, four days later, Don and the kids had a routine
going with Samantha and Mike. It was weird, having
other grown ups around in the afternoon and evening,
but aside from missing Jeff a whole lot, Don was
adapting as quickly as the kids seemed to.
This morning, he was introducing Kimberley to
smashed sweet potatoes with hilarious results. More of
the food was coming back out than going in, but Robin
was nearly in tears he was laughing so hard and Donny
couldn't argue with that.
"You want to give it a try?" He offered the spoon to
Robin. Maybe she'd be happier with it coming from her
brother. She definitely adored him.
"I try." Robin fed her a bite, so careful, and
Kimberley drooled, pushing the yams with her tongue.
"You're a natural at this. Must be because you're her
big brother." God, he loved these kids. Good thing he
was sweet on their father, too. A surge went through
him; he could have lost them all in that fire. He reached
over and hugged Robin tight, not caring that they were
both covered in the mashed orange mess.
"Isn't that a... messy scene?" Samantha came in,
smiled at them all. "I'm going out to the garden to get it
ready for Halloween. Does anyone want to come with?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 175
Robin squirmed out his arms. "Me! Me! Halloween is
candy!"
Donny chuckled. "If you don't need me, I'll see if I
can't get a little more food into Kimmie and then get
everything cleaned up first."
Samantha and Mike had been so good to all of them.
"We'll be fine. Have you heard from Jeff today? I
told him you three are welcome to stay as long as you
need, but... Well, he needs to come visit."
"He hasn't called yet. He will when he wakes up, I'm
sure." He checked his watch. It was almost ten; he'd bet
Jeff would call soon. He hoped so. He missed his lover a
lot, and he knew Robin and Kimberley did, too.
They needed to sort out what they were going to do
so he and the kids could be with Jeff, even if it was just
a temporary solution.
Jeff always sounded so flat, so quiet on the phone.
Tired. Distant. Depressed. He needed his family with
him. Donny knew it was hard to look at the positive in
the circumstances, but focusing on the negative and
being depressed was no way to live.
"Just yell when he does, Donny, and I'll send my
grandson in."
"Will do."
He waved at Robin as the boy went out with
Samantha and turned his attention back to Kimmie and
her orange mess. "Okay, little miss. Let's see about this
before I break out the apple sauce."
She laughed for him, hands banging on the high chair
tray.
He laughed back and then tried tasting the sweet
potatoes himself. "These aren't bad. They could use a bit
of spice, but still." He took another little spoonful and
slid it into her mouth.
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She rolled those huge, pretty eyes and spit it right
back out.
Picky.
Just like her father.
He should make Jeff do gourmet baby food for her.
Maybe then she'd eat it. Chuckling at the thought, he
grabbed the little jar of apple sauce; he knew she liked
that. She squealed happily, kicking for him.
Donny laughed again and started feeding her the
applesauce. Jeff needed to be here, or rather they needed
to be with Jeff. There was no way the man could stay
depressed with this little bundle of joy in his life.
He'd just finished with her when the phone rang. Jeff.
Thank God.
"Hey, Jeff!" He smiled, wriggled his fingers at
Kimmie.
Kimmie crowed happily, like she knew who it was.
"Hey, Don. How's things going?"
"We're missing you. How're you?"
"Tired. Been working lots of hours."
"Yeah? Have you found somewhere for us all to
stay?" Jeff needed his family.
"Not yet. I don't know."
"I know you're working hard -- how can I help? I
could find a place to rent." He wasn't going to leave Jeff
to deal with this all by himself.
"I don't know. I can't... I need to come out, see the
kids, you."
"We want to see you before Sunday. We could come
to town for the morning tomorrow."
"How, Don? I have the car. I'll just... I'll try to come
out this week. I swear."
"I can rent a car." Jeff was not going to do this. He
was not going to push them away in a funk. "We can be
at Jillian's by nine tomorrow morning. That'll give us all
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some time together with the kids before you have to be
at work."
"And then what? That will upset Robin."
"You think seeing you will upset him? He's going to
be thrilled. I think we should look at places to rent while
you decide if you want to rebuild or buy. If he's involved
with that, it's going to help him."
"I... I don't know. I'll call you later, okay? I will. I just
need to get in early."
"No, you don't need to call later; we'll see you
tomorrow morning." He was not going to be fobbed off.
"I'll call. I love you. I love all of you." Jeff sounded
so lost. So fucking confused.
It broke Donny's heart when the line went dead. It
made him more determined than ever that he'd take the
kids to see Jeff tomorrow. Once Jeff saw how well the
kids were doing, how well they could do without a
house -- that it was the people who counted -- he might
start coming around.
Mike walked by just then and Don called out to him.
"Hey, Mike. I'm taking the kids to see Jeff tomorrow
morning. You think you can get me to a car rental
agency or something?"
Mike looked at him, smiled. "You can borrow the
van, kid. I don't mind."
He smiled back. "Oh, that'd be awesome, thank you!"
"No problem. Can you bring Sam home some of that
fancy chocolate shit she likes from the store on Vegas?"
"I'd love to. You need anything else while we're in
town?"
"I'll get Sam to make a list." Mike came over, kissed
Kimmie's head. "Hey, sweet baby."
Kimmie giggled and grabbed Mike's finger in her
little fist.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 178
"Cool. Thanks again for loaning me the van. Jeff
needs to see his kids."
"Yes. Yes, and his..." Mike looked. "What would you
like us to call you, Donny? His partner? Lover?
Husband? Friend?"
"I like how partner sounds." Mike and Samantha had
been so accepting of him. It made him so happy,
knowing these were the people his kids had inherited
genes from.
"Good deal. Anyway, he needs his partner, too. He's
got to be at loose ends."
"I think he's burying himself in his work -- he needs
us to remind him there's more to life than that."
"Yep." Mike grinned at him. "I believe my wife
wants my help in the garden."
"Yeah, I imagine she does. And I have a mess to
clean up before she comes back in."
Mike chuckled, nodded. "Indeed."
He watched Mike go out and turned his attention
back to Kimmie. "You hear that, sweetie? We're going
to go see Daddy tomorrow."
Kimberley squealed happily, banging her little fists
onto the tray, sweet potato spraying. Donny just laughed
and picked her up, swinging her up into the air.
They were going to bring this joy to Jeff. Whether the
man wanted it or not.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 179
Chapter Nineteen
"You have got to stop this shit, man."
Jeff blinked at his sister, trying to figure out that the
fuck she was talking about. "Huh?"
"This whole depressed-avoidance-self-centered
bullshit thing. It’s old. You lost the house. Tough.
You’re getting shit at work because you’re fucking up.
Big deal. You had the bad taste to date a psycho house-
burning fucker. Cope."
He looked at her. "You’re helping so much."
Jellybean plopped down on his lap. "Yep. I am.
Mitch is an ass. He’s also disappeared and the cops can
only do so much. What do you want?" She poked him
right in the nose. "And you can’t say 'My house back'
because one, you can’t have it, and two, that’s a pussy
answer."
"I want you to leave me alone."
She swacked him. "Try harder."
"I want out."
Her head tilted. "From your thing with Donny? From
the responsibility of the kids? Because now’s the time to
do that."
"No." No, on that he was sure. He didn’t want to
fucking try to deal with Don and the house and all the
plans, but that wasn’t Don. That was his shit.
"Then what? Focus, Jeff. What do you want out of?"
"The city. The hours at Dejeuner. I want…" He
sighed and Jillian poked him in the ribs.
"Keep going."
"I want the kids with me. I want to see Don. I want to
be closer to Mike and Samantha so that I can have some
adult time with my lover. I want a little restaurant of my
own so the kids could come see me. I want a house
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without fancy expensive marble bathtubs that I never
liked anyway. I want a goddamn dog!"
"Then why don’t you?"
"What?" She wasn’t making sense.
"Why don’t you go get your family and get those
things, you idiot? You have money, you’re young, and
healthy, and whole." Jillian wasn’t laughing now. "Go
take your life back and quit wallowing in your own
crapulence."
"Oh fuck you, you bitch!"
Jillian chuckled at his little outburst. "Does that feel
better, man?"
He looked at her, started laughing, feeling lighter in
his chest. "Yes."
She hugged him. "You should listen to me more
often, you know."
"I…" She was right. "I hate you."
"I know. It sucks, dude, but it is what it is. You can’t
mourn forever; you have babies to raise."
"Yeah. I need to see them."
"Go tonight. They need you, too."
Jeff nodded, brain making plans that he’d wanted to
make for months, but hadn’t had the courage to make.
He reached for his phone; he needed to make some calls.
He barely noticed Jillian’s little muttered. "Save me a
guest room for when I visit, Jeff."
***
Jeff got to Mike's house about two a.m., and he let
himself in with the key hidden in the pot of cannas. He'd
called this evening, warned them he was coming. He
needed to see his kids. He needed to see Don. They
needed to talk. It wasn't fair to make Don drive into the
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 181
city with two little kids in a rented car when he could
drive here after work.
He headed down the hall past the guest room where
Don was. First he wanted to see Robin and Kimberley.
They were both there, and so was Don, his lover in the
middle of the pile, Robin snugged up on one side of
him, Kimberley on top of him.
He chuckled softly. God, they were beautiful. His
babies. He gently picked up his daughter, murmuring
softly to keep her asleep. One little fist stretched out and
she turned her head, but didn't wake. He settled in the
little rocking chair beside the bed, rocking her, holding
her.
Don's eyes opened and he smiled slowly. "Oh, you're
a sight for sore eyes."
"Hey, babe." He smiled back. How could he not?
"You look good like that. Welcome home."
"I couldn't wait until tomorrow." Don deserved to
know that. Jeff needed his family now. He was so tired.
"I'm glad. We didn't want to wait, either." Don
slipped out of bed, managing not to wake Robin. "Come
to bed?"
He nodded and put Kimberley in the little travel crib,
then kissed Robin's cheek. "I need a shower."
"Sure. I'll get a couple of fresh towels."
He grabbed Don's hand, squeezed. "Thank you."
Don moved in and kissed him quickly. "Thank you
for coming home to us."
"I needed to." That was the cold truth. It had been too
long.
"I know. Come on." Don tugged on his hand, leading
him from the kids' room. "Didn't feel right doing this in
front of them." This was another kiss, a deeper kiss, a
longer kiss.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 182
He kissed Don back, letting himself feel it, letting
himself relax for the first time in days. Don cupped his
cheeks, tenderness and care in the way Don's fingers
stroked his skin. Their lips parted slowly and he stood
there, foreheads together.
Don breathed in deeply. "Missed you so much, Jeff.
It isn't right, us not all being together."
"I know. I. Look, we need to talk, together. About
what we're going to do."
Don nodded. "A part of me says that it's your money,
so it's your decision, but a bigger part of me wants to
believe that we really are partners, and what I think
matters."
"Come to the kitchen. We'll shower after. Let's talk
first." If Don didn't know they were partners, he needed
to deal with that first.
"Okay." Don led him back to Samantha and Mike's
kitchen. "There's leftover spaghetti if you're hungry."
"I grabbed a sandwich on my way out." He pulled
two beers from the fridge.
Don took one and sat next to him, took his hand
again. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know." That was the most honest answer he
had.
"You need your family with you, Jeff. The joy of
those kids -- that will give you a better answer to that
question."
He nodded. "And you. I just... I gave notice at the
restaurant, Don. I... I don't know what we're going to do,
but I can't do it there anymore, in the city. If you need to
stay there, I understand, but... I can't. It's full of bad
memories for me." He wasn't sure what he wanted, but
he knew it wasn't that.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 183
Don reached out and took his hand. "I want to be
with you and the kids, Jeff. I love you, I love them.
We're a family together -- where doesn't matter."
"I'm tired of missing everything. I'm tired of not
seeing them." Shit, he was just tired, bone deep.
Don nodded and stood, moving behind him to rub his
shoulders. "We're right here."
He groaned, head falling forward. "Missed you. All
of you."
"I believe you made the right decision. You're an
amazing chef. You'll be able to find work anywhere. Or
we can find a small apartment somewhere and you can
use the insurance money to build your dream restaurant.
As long as we're all together the details are just that,
details."
"We can build." He'd thought about this shit a lot.
More than he ought, probably, but damn it, if Don and
he were... a them, then, they had to work at this.
"We'll make all your dreams come true, Jeff."
"You don't understand, babe. I want us to have
dreams." Together.
"It's your money, though, Jeff. It was your house,
your kids..."
He nodded. "It was. Before that, they were Bethy's
kids. I just... If we're going to make this work, we have
to make it work."
Don moved around and knelt between his legs. "I
love you and if you're sure..."
"I'm not talking about just a few years, Don. I'm not
talking about short-term. I'm talking about forever. I'm
talking about first days of school and teenagers and
grandchildren."
A smile grew across Don's face, sweet and bright.
"Jeff... Yes, please."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 184
"I know we didn't get to date and I know that I get
overwhelmed and shorted out and..." He sighed softly.
Great, was he trying to talk Don out of this?
"Hush." Don leaned up and brought their mouths
together, cutting off anything else he might have said.
He sobbed once, softly, tongue pushing into Don's
lips. This was what he'd dreamed about, that silent
dream you never shared. This was his family. Don's
arms wrapped around him, his lover opening for him,
welcoming him in. Jeff let himself relax, let himself
believe in it, and he tugged Don close.
Don pressed against him, moaning into the kiss
before drawing back. "Maybe we should go to our room,
huh?"
"Yeah. I think so." He touched Don's bottom lip.
"We've got so much to do." But there was something
else they needed to do first.
"It won't seem like as much with two of us working
on it." Don nibbled on his fingertip before standing,
holding out his hands. "Come on. Mike and Samantha
have been so nice, I'd hate to have them come down for
a midnight snack and find me sucking you off."
His cock jerked, loving that idea. "That could be
awkward."
"Uh-huh." Don tugged on his hands, encouraging him
up, and began to walk backward toward the guest room.
He followed, his face hurting with his smile.
Don didn't stop to kiss him or feel him up or anything
on the way, just kept leading him to the bedroom, eyes
making all sorts of promises.
Jeff thought he'd take Don up on each and every one
of them.
***
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 185
Donny woke up warm and happy, Jeff's body curled
around his. He'd known he missed Jeff, but it was only
now that he realized just how much. He made a happy
little noise, pushing back against Jeff. His lover was
warm and cozy and had morning wood.
He was just deciding what to do about that when the
patter of little feet came toward the guest room and Don
grinned, knowing he had about two seconds to shift
before Robin bounded on the bed. "Daddy home! Daddy
home!"
"Robbie!" Jeff's eyes popped open and he grabbed
the little boy, grinning hugely. "I missed you, so much!"
"Me, too!" Robin's arms wrapped around Jeff's neck.
God, they were cute together.
"Oh, man. It's so good to see you." Jeff held on tight.
"I missed making you pancakes and oatmeal, and
singing songs with you and going to the park!"
Robin laughed and bounced on Jeff. "Pancakes!
Pancakes!"
"Pancakes!" Jeff's laughter rang out. "Is your sister
awake?"
Right on cue, Kimberley started crying.
"I'll get her." Don gave Robin a kiss on the cheek and
reached over for his jeans, slipping into them quickly.
"She doesn't eat pancakes, Daddy. I do."
"He's got a point. I'll let Robin tell you about our
adventures in sweet potatoes." He gave Jeff and Robin a
fond smile and went to get Kimberley. She was going to
need a change and a bottle.
He heard Jeff chatting, and he was smiling when he
went to grab his daughter. The thought made him stop.
His daughter. She was his. This was his family. Not the
family he looked after as the nanny, but his family.
Samantha came out, rumpled and blinked. "Donny?
Everything okay, honey?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 186
"Yeah, we're good. Jeff came home last night." He
was aware his smile was more than a little goofy.
Oh, I know. He called to let us know yesterday. Did
you want me to get her?"
"No, I've got her. Jeff's going to make pancakes. But
thanks." He went in and rescued his girl, moving to the
changing table to change her diaper.
She hushed when he stripped her, gnawing happily
on her fist.
"Hey, pretty girl. Your daddy's home."
She gurgled and he got her cleaned up, redressed, and
headed into the bedroom where Jeff was listening to
Robin tell him about his day.
She held her arms out to Jeff. "Dadadadada."
Donny nearly dropped her.
Jeff looked over. "Kimmie?"
"Da!"
"Oh, my God. Her first word!" Don laughed. She'd
said her first word.
Robin stared, wide-eyed. "She knows your name,
Daddy."
"Isn't she smart, Robin?" Donny thought if he smiled
any harder, he'd hurt something.
"Uh-huh." Jeff opened his arms and Kimberley
crowed. "Da!"
Donny passed her over and tugged Robin into his lap.
"Your baby sister said her first word!"
"Uh-huh." Robin snuggled with him. "Donny,
Daddy's going to make pancakes."
"I know. Aren't we lucky?" He smiled at Jeff, so in
love. So very, very much in love.
"Uh-huh."
Jeff was playing with Kimberley, tickling her and
making her laugh. Donny dragged Robin closer and
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 187
started tickling him, too. They all laughed together, all
four of them.
He'd known this was what Jeff needed -- to be with
his family. To be with them.
One of Jeff's legs slid over, nudged his. He nudged
back. "We should go get breakfast. Someone promised
us pancakes."
"Someone did? Whoever would do that?" Jeff's eyes
went wide.
"It was you!" Robin leapt from his arms into Jeff's
lap. "You said!"
"Did I? Are you sure?"
Robin nodded. "Daddy, can we go home now?"
"We kind of already are home, Robin." Donny gave
Robin a warm smile. "As long as the four of us are
together, we're home, no matter where we are."
"No. No, Daddy. I want my room."
Jeff stopped, then smiled at Robin. "I think we should
look for a new house."
"A new house?"
Jeff nodded. "A house with a big yard, a swing set."
"That sounds great." Donny smiled at the two of
them. "You could help choose the decorations for your
room, Robin, the furniture."
Robin frowned. "My big boy bed?"
Jeff nodded. "Yes. A big boy bed, maybe one that
looks like a car."
"Oh man, do they make grown up beds that look like
a car?" Donny asked. Actually, he wanted a king-sized
four poster, so there would always be room for the kids
to crawl in with them.
"I don't think so, love, but we can check."
"Can Kimberley have a dinosaur room?" Robin
looked so earnest.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 188
Donny considered it. He didn't see why not -- she
could always change it when she was old enough to
care. "If you think that's what she'd like, sure." He
looked up at Jeff, smiled; these were the type of
decisions he was a part of now. Not just in a consult the
nanny kind of way.
"You don't want her to have a zebra room? Or an
elephant room?"
Robin's eyes went wide. "Daddy... Daddy, can I have
a zoo room?"
Jeff shrugged casually. "Ask your Daddy Don."
Man, if he got any more happy and full of love, he
was going to explode. Donny nodded. "Robin, you can
any kind of room you want."
"Oh... a zoo room." Robin bounced on his lap. "With
helephants and zebras and cows and sharks!"
"Planning zoo rooms is hungry work, though. I think
we need to make Daddy make good on his promise of
pancakes."
Jeff chuckled. "I think Daddy Don is hungry, son."
"Me too!"
"Okay. Okay, let me get some socks on and we'll go
mess up Gran's kitchen."
Grinning, Donny grabbed Kimberley out of Jeff's
arms. "We'll meet you downstairs." He held out his hand
for Robin.
Robin went to him easily. "We're going to make a
zoo room with bugs and snakes and lions. Rawr."
"Yeah, it's going to be awesome. You think we can
find a zoo big boy bed?"
"Uh-huh. And a monkey."
"Oh, I think we already have a monkey for the room."
He reached down and tickled Robin's ribs.
"Ooo-ooo-ooo!"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 189
That sound made him happy. Almost as happy as the
sound of Jeff's soft whistling as he slipped on some
socks. They were a family, a real family. And he
belonged.
He was still grinning like a fool as he got to the
kitchen with the kids. With his kids.
Mike and Samantha were sitting there at the table,
drinking coffee. "Good morning, Donny."
"Good morning."
Robin went bounding over to Samantha. "I'm gonna
have a zoo room!"
"A zoo room? What on earth is that?"
"The design for his bedroom. Why don't you sit and
tell Gran and Pop all about it?"
Robin plopped down and started jabbering and Jeff
appeared seconds later, kissing Samantha's cheek and
nodding to Mike. Donny started setting the table as Jeff
began to gather the ingredients for the pancakes. Just
like they were at home. He made Kimberley's bottle, and
got her started on that so he could make her some cereal.
He hummed happily, brushing by Jeff, just barely
resisting palming Jeff's ass.
The pancakes started coming out, one after another.
A plate for Robin, for Samantha, Mike, him.
He put out the maple syrup and the butter. "Do you
need help cutting your pancakes, Robin?"
"I do it!"
Mike moaned over a mouthful. "God, you should
open a breakfast place, Jeff."
"I intend to."
"Yeah?" Donny took his own first bite. God, it was
good.
"Yeah." Jeff looked serious. "I can be up early, be
home with the kids in the afternoons and evenings. By
the time Robin's in school, it should be rocking and I can
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go to Little League games and Girl Scout things with
everyone else."
"It would be nice to have you around in the
evenings."
Jeff nodded, made more pancakes. "It's a good idea
for us."
"It is. What else have you thought about?"
Mike and Samantha steadfastly busied themselves
with feeding Kimberley, helping Robin.
"I think we should go house-hunting. Somewhere out
here. There's enough people to keep a breakfast/lunch
place going."
Donny thought about it, nodded. "If you open a
dinner restaurant, we'll never see you."
"That doesn't sound healthy." Samantha added. "For
anyone."
"Will breakfast and lunch be enough, though? Or are
you going to feel like you've had to cut back on your
dreams?" He didn't want Jeff to feel for one second like
he had to give up on his dreams.
Mike snorted, and he looked over, surprised. "Jeff's
always wanted to do that. Hell, he did it all while Beth
was in college and loved it."
"Really?" He looked over at Jeff.
Jeff shrugged. "It's where I started."
"And it's what you really want?"
Jeff met his eyes. "I love the idea of a little place, my
place. Somewhere the kids could come. Where you
could come."
"Like that bed and breakfast where we stayed."
He saw a moment of pure, unadulterated want in
Jeff's eyes. "Yeah. Yeah."
"Cool..." He nodded, his mind busy turning over a
new thought. The guys that ran the place were getting
older... Jeff had fallen in love with it. Completely,
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 191
totally. The kids could grow up there, the community
was used to having a gay couple there.
He didn't say anything; he didn't want to get Jeff's
hopes up. He was going to call them, though, feel out
their situation.
Jeff looked at the clock. "I have a couple of hours
before I have to head back. Two weeks left of the job."
"Maybe when we're finished eating we can go to the
park."
"I'd love that." Jeff poured another cup of coffee. "Is
it okay for them to stay two more weeks, Mom?"
"I think we can manage that."
"I'm sorry. I just..." Jeff shrugged. "I want to make
this as easy as possible."
"The kids and I could look for a house around here
while you're at work..." Donny suggested.
"We're not in a hurry to kick you out." Mike refilled
Robin's cup of milk.
"Thank you, Mike. If you want to Don, sure."
"We can see what's out there anyway." He smiled at
Jeff; he couldn't seem to stop smiling today.
Jeff grinned back, winked. "Okay. Park, before I have
to go."
"I'll do the dishes when we get home," Donny
promised.
"I don't mind, boys. You go. Play. Enjoy the nice
weather."
"Thanks, Samantha." He grabbed his and Robin's
dishes and stacked them next to the kitchen sink. "You
gonna help me get Kimberley ready for a walk, Robin?"
"Yep-yep!" Robin bounced out of the kitchen,
excited, ready.
Mike grinned. "There are going to be tears when you
leave, Jeff."
"Yeah, I know."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 192
"We have a date when you're coming home for good,
though now. And we will make a couple of treks into the
city between your weekends to spend mornings with
you." Donny wasn't letting any of his family miss each
other for too long.
Jeff nodded. "We'll manage."
He caught Jeff's gaze. "Yeah, we will. Because we
have each other."
"Romantic."
"Tell me I'm not right -- you've smiled more in the
last twelve hours than you did all week." Jeff was letting
go of that anger and sadness, embracing the joy of his
kids, of their love.
"Yeah, yeah." Jeff squeezed his fingers. "Let's go."
"Hurry up! I'm ready!" Robin called from the front
hall, and Donny laughed.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 193
Chapter Twenty
"Last ticket." Fuck, he was tired.
The last two weeks had been brutal, training the new
chef, trying to think, dealing with the fire inspector and
the police. He knew Mitch had set the fire. Knew it, but
there wasn't any solid evidence, and Mitch was fucking
gone. Gone. Like disappeared.
The police were talking about searches and shit, but
Jeff knew Mitch. He'd had his say. That would be the
last of it.
Jeff helped Brianna get the last salmon out, then
sighed.
Over. It was over. He could feel it in his soul. Mitch
wouldn't be back.
"You've got a visitor," Martin told him, coming in,
Don trailing behind him.
"Something about coming to take you home."
"Well..." He looked, beamed over. "Don. Guys, this
is my partner."
He loved the way Don's face lit up when he said
things like that.
Don waved. "Hey."
They all waved, Ben coming up to shake Don's hand.
"I'm glad to see you. Sorry to see Jeff go."
"I'm sure you are -- he's an amazing chef." Don
grinned at Ben, shook his hand.
"He is."
Jeff grinned. "Shut up." They'd already had his going
away party; it was time to go.
"It's the truth." Don beamed at him. "Come on. I'm
not sure I'm legally parked."
He nodded, looked around the restaurant. He'd
thought he was going to have this forever. Forever.
"You okay?" Donny asked him softly.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 194
"Yeah. How are the kids? Did you drive down?"
"The kids are great. And I did. I want to take you
somewhere." Don was parked in the alley behind the
restaurant. "Although you can do the actual driving if
you want."
"That's cool. Go ahead."
He'd left the car with Don last weekend so he and the
kids could drive around looking at houses, and Jilly had
been dropping him at work, then he'd taxied back to her
place every night.
Don got them on the road and headed out of the city.
"So, how does it feel?"
"Odd, but okay." He probably wouldn't process all of
it 'til later. "Let me text Jillian and let her know you
came in."
"She knows." Don gave him a grin. "I've got your bag
in the trunk."
"Yeah? Wow. Okay. Are the kids in there, too?" he
teased. Sometimes Don's efficiency scared him.
Don laughed. "No. They're safe with Mike and
Samantha."
They spent most of the drive in silence, a
comfortable, companionable silence, but when they got
to the turn off, Don didn't take it.
"Don? Love, you missed the turn."
He got another grin. "I did if we were going to Mike
and Samantha's."
"Where are we going?"
"To that bed and breakfast we stayed at. I thought it
would be nice to have a night to ourselves and we need
to talk."
"Oh." How dear. He leaned over, kissed Don's cheek.
"Maybe this time will be less traumatic." He loved that
place, even with the bad memory of that phone call.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 195
"God, yes." Don looked so happy as he turned off the
highway. They'd be there soon -- it wasn't that far off the
beaten track and yet still felt private.
"Did you and the kids see any good houses?"
"Yeah, we saw a few. There's this one place,
though..." Don shrugged. "It's one of the things we need
to talk about."
They rounded a corner and there the place was. It
looked as good as he remembered.
"Good deal." Jeff couldn't help his smile. "Still a
beautiful damn place."
"And actually pretty close to everything, isn't it?"
Don pulled up into a parking spot on the big round
drive, turned off the engine.
"Yeah. Are they expecting us? I hate to wake them
up."
"Yeah. But I wanted to talk to you first. I talked to
Ken for a while when I called him up. I know you like
this place a lot, especially the living and dining room
downstairs. They'd convert into a manageable and lovely
room for breakfast and lunch. And there'd be income
from the rooms as well. So I called and asked if they'd
be interested in selling and they said they were, they
wanted to retire, but they wanted the place to stay with
family, too, so they hadn't just put it on the market or
anything--" Don drew a breath.
"I... Really? They... Really?"
"Yeah. I hope you don't mind, but every time it got
mentioned, you got this look on your face and I didn't
want to suggest it if it wasn't a possibility, so I called
them to feel them out."
"But... do we have enough? I mean to get it and
everything and try to make it work? Do you even want a
bed and breakfast?" Oh, God. Oh, God.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 196
"It's a gorgeous place and it would be a source of
income, even after the kids are older. We'll have to talk
price and stuff with Ken and Timmy but if your check
won't cover it, I bet you can get a loan for the rest. And
I've been putting my salary in the bank, so we'd have
something to live on while we're waiting for the place to
start making money." Don smiled warmly. "Just think --
we'd be all together."
"We have a... a lot. The house was well-insured."
Could they do it? He had the insurance from the house
and there was money from Beth's insurance, so the kids
would never want, no matter what else happened.
"So if you want to do it, we need to go talk to Ken
and Timmy about it."
He turned, looked at Don. "Do you want to? It's a ton
of work, for both of us, with the gardens, the kitchen,
the rooms." There were even barns for animals.
"It's a lot of work, but we'd be working for ourselves,
right? Making something good for our family." Don
touched his cheek. "I'll support your decision -- back
you a hundred percent."
"I love it here. Fell in love at first sight."
"Then let's go make your dream come true."
"Yeah?"
Don nodded. "Yeah."
Jeff took Don's hand. "Okay."
***
Donny's cheeks were hurting, he was smiling so
much. He and Jeff and Ken and Timmy had come to an
agreement on price and on when they'd take possession
of the rambling house that was their new home and
business. Oh, nothing had been signed yet, but that was
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 197
just a formality. Jeff had cried a bit, hugged Timmy, and
Don and Ken had sat and beamed.
Ken handed Jeff a bottle of champagne to open as
Timmy passed around four flutes. Jeff got the
champagne open with a pop, and they hardly lost any of
the fizzy wine. Laughing, Donny held his champagne
out, waiting for Jeff to make their toast.
Jeff grinned. "To the future."
Timmy nodded. "To retirement in Hawaii!"
"To both!" Donny clinked glasses with his lover and
the two older men, then drank down his drink. It was a
new beginning for all of them. A new dream they could
share.
There were the public areas, the big kitchen, the
private parts of the house and they'd still have three
lovely rooms to let.
They were going to have to put in more tables, but he
had some ideas about that, about making the dining
room a collection of tables they found in antique shops
and garage sales, restored, made beautiful.
He looked over at Jeff, met his lover's -- his partner's
-- eyes.
Jeff was looking at the space, excited, focused. This
was it, Jeff's dream. Fortunately he had his dream, too.
A family. People to love and support and live with who
loved and supported and wanted to be with him.
"Do you mind if I steal my man away for a private
celebration?"
Ken laughed. "I was just about to ask the same
thing."
Timmy giggled happily, pushed into Ken's arms.
"Take the room you had before. Tomorrow we'll talk to
the lawyers and have papers drawn up."
"Sounds perfect." Donny smiled and waved, then
grabbed Jeff's hand, tugged him toward the stairs.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 198
Jeff followed him, quiet, wide-eyed, and Donny
could see Robin in that beloved face, see where the
wonder and joy came from. He would spend the rest of
his life helping both of them, and Kimberley, too, keep
that look on their faces.
"So you're happy."
"I'm stunned. I hadn't even considered that this could
be ours."
"I could tell you wanted it to be, though." He'd seen
the look on Jeff's face, had wanted to do this for his
man.
"This place is amazing, Don. Everything I want in
one place."
"Like it was made for us, isn't it?" He was totally in
love with that look on Jeff's face.
"Yes. A safe, homey place for the kids, a breakfast
place, a hotel for you to put your mark on."
"Yeah, I do have a few ideas." He squeezed Jeff's
hand. "So, will you hit me if I point out that this
wonderful thing would never have happened if it wasn't
for that fire?"
"Probably, so I wouldn't."
He chuckled, but didn't push it. This was why he'd
been able to look past the fire, though; maybe not
always, and maybe not obviously, but he really believed
that you could turn things around, make something good
out of the bad stuff. He didn't need Jeff to acknowledge
that to make it true.
Besides, they were at their room and he could think
of better things to do than talk, or get thumped. He let
them in and wrapped his arms around Jeff's neck. Oh
damn, he'd missed this. Missed it so much.
"Hey." Jeff smiled for him. "We're going to buy a bed
and breakfast."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 199
"Yeah. We're going to live together and work
together and raise a beautiful family together." He
walked Jeff back toward the big bed.
"And we're going to make amazing pastries and
quiches and lunches and eat supper in the garden
together."
"It sounds like a dream." It did, too; he wasn't being
facetious. It sounded like a wonderful, amazing dream.
Jeff stopped, then nodded. "It does. It sounds like our
dream, Don."
"Yeah." He swallowed and nodded. How had he
gotten so lucky?
He pushed Jeff down onto the bed and crawled up
after him. Jeff's hands wrapped around his waist, that
happy smile waiting for him. He pressed kisses on Jeff's
lips, on his cheeks and his eyes, wanting to let Jeff know
how good he felt, how happy.
This was it. His life.
He was going to hold onto it, forever.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 200
Epilogue
"Christina! Here's the bacon quiche and that egg
salad. The BLT is coming next."
She waved at him. "Got it, boss. There's a three top
coming up."
Jeff looked up from the hot station. "Yeah?"
"Two orders of daddy pancakes and o'meal with
sugar and no raisins."
Jeff laughed happily. "Coming right up."
Five pancakes for Don, five tiny ones for Robin --
Robbie now, thank you very much -- and a bowl of not-
too-hot, sweet, raisinless oatmeal with cream for his
Kimmie. When those plates were done, he took them out
himself.
His family was sitting in their usual spot -- in the
nook, looking out over the garden. Don was listening
attentively to Robbie, Kimmie laughing in her high
chair.
He delivered breakfast and kisses. "Good morning,
my loves."
"Daddy!" Kimmie banged her spoon on the table.
"I tied my shoes today," Robin announced proudly.
Don just smiled at him, looking relaxed and happy in
his skin.
"Good for you, son!" He gave Kimmie her breakfast.
"Here you go, baby."
It was amazing, how much a year changed things.
"O’meal!" It was her favorite; she'd eat it for every
meal if they'd let her.
"Can you sit with us for a bit?"
"For a couple, yes." He sat, brushing the hair out of
his eyes. "We have a new couple coming this afternoon,
love?"
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 201
"Yeah, from New York. They're got their six-year-
old son with them."
"Oh, how fun! Twenty bucks says they go out to
Ritchie's for supper."
Don had made up sheets with different suggestions
depending on the type of customer they had. They'd
decided early on that they wouldn't provide any dinner
services. That time was for family.
"That's a sucker bet." Don dug into his pancakes.
"Have you eaten?"
"Hmm?" Don knew he usually waited until after
lunch service. It was a constant push between them.
Don rolled his eyes and offered him a forkful of
pancakes.
He opened up, humming over the pancakes. "I'll be
done here at two, then I'll come up and give you a
break." Take his nap with the kids.
"Sounds good. We're going to go work on the
garden." They were growing their own herbs and
vegetables, which Robbie was taking very seriously.
Robbie nodded. "There's going to be 'matos, Daddy."
"Excellent. I love tomatoes. What do you want for
supper tonight, son?"
Robbie pondered and he waited. Lasagna or pizza?
"Chickens with sauces."
"What kind of sauces?" Don asked between
mouthfuls.
"Yellow and red and brown."
Jeff chuckled. Broiled chicken breast with honey
mustard, cranberry, and gravy it was. "Can we have
broccoli and rice, too?"
"No. No rice. Noodles."
"Noodles."
"I like the three-colored springs," Don noted.
Robin bounced. "Yes! Fancy noodles."
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 202
He could do that. "Fancy noodles it is."
Christina waved a ticket at him.
"Gotta go make good food, guys." He stood, kissed,
Kimberley, Robin, Don. "Have a good time in the
garden."
"Okay, Daddy Jeff. I'm gonna put Daddy Donny to
work."
Robin sounded so serious that Jeff cracked up, and
the customers in the restaurant beamed at them.
"I guess I've got my marching orders." Don leaned
over and kissed him softly. "Don't work too hard."
"I won't. Love you, babe." More every day.
Don caught his gaze and nodded. "Yeah. Me, too."
"Good deal." He winked at Robin. "Come see me for
a late lunch, sir?"
"Yes, Daddy!"
Kimmie banged her spoon and crowed. "DA!"
He nodded and waved, heading back into his kitchen
to make pancakes and plan something fun for fancy
noodles.
Noodles for his kids and their daddies.
End.
Daddy, Daddy, and Me - 203
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