“Okay, that works.”He just needed to make up for the extra strain he was putting on Ian.The man hadn’t asked for this, but he’d taken JP in without question when he’d had nowhere else to turn.
“Thank you.Seriously.You’ve been great with the twins, but they’re starting to demand their exercise and classes.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to disrupt their routine.I mean, I know I have, but let’s mitigate it, eh?”
“Thank you.”Ian looked so worried, but he hid it by going to the window and checking on the kids.
JP frowned.He didn’t know what Ian was worried about, but he had a hunch it was something to do with him, so he called Ian back.“Come here again and tell me what’s wrong.”Clearly it was more than just the cooking and cleaning.He remembered what that pretty face looked like when Ian was happy and carefree.
“I don’t know.I’m just stressed out.”He was chewing on his bottom lip.“I know you have to be so bored.”
“Out of my fucking mind.”
“Do you want to play cards?Or checkers?”
“Oh, I would totally play cards with you.Even cribbage if you wanted.”
Ian was a whiz at the game.Him, not so much.
“How about rummy?You used to like that.”
That was so dear.Seriously.So fucking nice.
“Yeah, I still do.”They played a lot of games when they were on road games.A couple guys would bring their Switches and stuff, and they’d play cards, Yahtzee, anything to pass the time.
“Cool.I’ll peek at the kids and grab the cards and some paper.”
“Sounds great.”He was actually going to get to do something other than lie there like a lump, and with another human being who wasn’t younger than five, too.Score.
Not only that, but Ian had smiled at him.
Honestly smiled.
It wasn’t a lot, but it was something.Maybe he’d get another one while they played cards.
“They are pretending to be…kangaroos, I think.”Ian chuckled.
“They’ve got amazing imaginations.They’re great kids,” he added.They might be his, but he knew damn well he had nothing to do with how they were turning out.That was all Ian.
“They are.They’re both so different, so amazing.”
“I wish I could skate with them,” he said softly.Skating was… had been pure joy.The doctors had told him if he was patient, if he did everything right, he’d probably be able to do it again, just not as well.And certainly not at the level he’d need to be at to play hockey.
“She’s excited to skate with you.So much.She will be wild when you heal enough,”
“Does Peter not skate at all?”
“He’s scared of the ice.”Ian rolled his eyes.
JP frowned.“Scared of the ice?Not of skating, but of the ice?”How did you get scared of ice?
“He’s scared of chickens.He’s scared of brooms.He’s scared of tater tots and pickles and the ocean.”
JP didn’t understand.How could someone be scared of pickles?“You mean he doesn’t like them?”
“I mean he cries and shakes and acts like he’s terrified.”Ian shrugged.
He shook his head.Nope, he didn’t get it.Like at all.But he wasn’t sure what he could do about.If there was anything to be done.If Ian gave two shits what he thought about it.
