“Dammit.” Dash let out a disgruntled groan, and the bedroom sounded like a wildlife observatory. I couldn’t hold back a grin as those bedcovers rustled, and Dash’s body thrashed about. I knew he was rocketing those pajama pants on faster than a speeding bullet.
“I’ll get him, Amelia,” I called to the real superhero in our house. She flashed me with a warm smile while I tightened the knot on my robe and let out a yawn. The signs of age had begun to settle on her face, and I genuinely wished for her well-being. She took care of us as if we were the joy of her world. I hoped she felt the same love from us.
“His bottle’s ready.” As if West tried to hurry us up, he burst out with a small infant cry.
I didn’t know how long we’d have that newborn cry, but it warmed my heart as I took the bottle and pivoted to the foyer, and up the sweeping staircase, two steps at a time.
“Scott’s pulling up.”
“Tell him I’ll meet him at the office after we have breakfast,” I said. Ever since the kids arrived on the scene—and our three girls arrived almost immediately after we moved in—the house had been babyproofed in every way. Back then, Dash and I went way overboard, making me now have to climb over an oversized gate at the top of the stairs while holding my cock and balls to keep from getting pinched like so many times before.
“Shh, West,” I murmured as I gently pushed open his bedroom door. Overall, he was a good little guy. His tear-filled eyes met mine, curiosity flickered over his face, wondering what I was about this morning. As if he hadn’t just called me up. I placed the bottle on his dresser and moved to the side of the crib, smiling down at my son. “Good mornin’. How’d you sleep last night? It had to be at least four hours this time. I’m proud of you.”
He stretched his tiny arms over his big head. Well, at least he tried to. His fists actually reached his hairline. I patted his diaper, checking what needed to be done there and lifted him into my arms. “I told your sisters to tickle your dad for his birthday. All those little hands coming at him at once. Someday you’ll appreciate these stories,” I said, lifting his fist for a high five. “Maybe I should’ve told them to jump on the bed. That always drives your dad crazy.”
“Beau!” Dash called from the first floor as I began to change West. Our gazes connected. He had a way of looking into the deepest, most peaceful parts of me. If old souls existed, West surely had one. He regularly overwhelmed me, drawing out a sense of contentment I didn’t know was there.
Just as I snapped his onesie back together, I heard the girls squealing, their footsteps pounding down the hallway. Dash was on their tail, moaning as if he pretended to be a zombie. Another set of feet—booted this time—stomped up the staircase. I went for West’s bottle, waiting for everyone’s entry.
“He’s in here, Daddy.” The girls’ laughter and shrieks filled the room as they ran to hide behind me, presumably to avoid being eaten by the zombie hot on their trail. Dash made it around the doorframe, looking adorably disheveled with his arms stuck out, head rocking back and forth, making grunts and groans. Screams bounced off the sheetrock as they ran past him to get away. None of it bothered West who cooed happily in my arms.
Dash dropped the act. The days of him always having perfect hair and immaculate style were harder to find. I loved this new Dash and the precious moments he created.
“Amelia sent me up,” Scott said from the doorway. The girls gathered around his legs for protection.
“Uncle Scott’s here, Paw,” Livie announced as if it weren’t obvious.
“Happy birthday, Dash,” Scott muttered, looking down at the girls.
“I’ll meet you at the office after breakfast, unless you wanna stay. It’s Amelia’s famous pancakes,” I said, gently brushing West’s lips until he opened for the bottle.
“We’ll be out by then,” Scott replied, grinning as he lifted his gaze to mine. “We scheduled our charter an hour early today.”
Dang it, I’d forgotten. The day was rearranged to get me home by noon to spend the rest of the day with Dash. We had an entire day and night of celebration planned, including Amelia, the kids, and Scott’s family. I quickly transferred West to Dash without my little guy losing his meal.
“Paw’s late for work.” I smiled down at Livie, giving a play by play for anyone who didn’t understand what was happening.
“I gotta go. I’ll be home early. Be good and be ready,” I said to their upturned faces.
Amelia was a real pro at the hair braid, but nothing could hold together through their tossing and turning at night. Factor in tickle time, and their tendrils of curls sprang out every direction, making them cuter than normal.
“I’ll have the boat ready for the firework show tonight.” As if they had only just heard the plan, all three began bouncing with excitement. They absolutely loved our boat trips, and I’d done my best to foster a love of the ocean. Even so, they were strangely girly considering the strong masculine presence in their lives. I suspected, as they grew older, Mia would be the one to accompany me on my adventures. We’d see.
Dash’s brows knitted together. “I liked the idea of you being home all day. Let me see if Amelia’s started breakfast. Maybe we could go to the café while Paw works this morning.”
“Amelia’s plannin’ to have a birthday breakfast on the patio. Lauren’s bringin’ their kids. They want to swim,” I explained, maybe delivering more bad news. There were ten kids between both of our families. Dash was always the center of attention, playing tirelessly until either he or the children gave out. “Y’all be good for Dad,” I said, and bit the bullet to the conversation. By law, Scott couldn’t take the charter without me on board to help, or someone there. We couldn’t hire anyone, because we weren’t even paying for ourselves yet. On my way out, I leaned in, giving Dash a quick kiss on the lips.
“Lauren wants me to remind you of the reservations at Chuck E. Cheese so the animatronics can sing happy birthday to Dash,” Scott said, yawning to a jaw-cracking effect. The girls responded with another round of excited bounces. “We’ll meet y’all there.”
“I can’t tell you the joy,” Dash deadpanned, but I knew he was genuinely excited about the time spent together.
I bent for a peck and left the room. Dash and the girls followed.
“We need to get dressed so we can eat, play, then swim.” At Dash’s pronouncement, the girls walked more subdued. They’d have to endure hair brushing before braiding again. Their least favorite thing. Though I wasn’t sure if it was the brush or sitting patiently they actually disliked more.
“Give me five minutes, and I’ll meet you at the dock,” I said, hearing Amelia coming up the elevator to help Dash. I went the other way, following Scott over the gate.
“I’m grabbin’ a thermos of coffee. Meet me there. They’re probably waitin’ on us.” He cut to the right toward the kitchen. I went left to our room.
