Moments like this, when I think about what my dad would’ve done to me if I’d worn a rainbow shirt around him, slip through the cracks before I can stop them. I’d have ended up black-and-blue in minutes while he lectured me about how he wasn’t raising some pussy gayboy, and I needed to learn how to be a man.
Fucking asshole.
I vowed to Finn the minute he was born that he’d never know a moment of pain, emotionally or physically. I tried so fucking hard to shield him from the vileness his mother spewed. He was only a few months old when it was at its worst, so he doesn’t have memories of it. It’s just been the two of us for the last six years. They’ve been the best years of my life.
Finn sticks with me throughout the afternoon while I get some random shit done around the farm. We’re gearing up for the tourist season, which starts next month. The cabins I built on the property are almost booked out until August at this point. The best thing I ever did was hire someone to manage all that shit for me.
I’d originally planned to run that side of the business with Finn’s mom, but after the mess she created, I’m glad we hadn’t gotten very far on it before she left.
“Did I do it right, Daddy?” Finn asks, his brown eyes wide as he looks over his shoulder at me.
I run my hand down his downy-soft hair that’s the exact same shade as mine. “You did great, buddy.”
“Are you going to put the bigger logs in it now?”
“Yep.” I grab several from the back of my truck, stacking them in my arms and carrying them over to the firepit. Finn got the kindling set up how I would’ve done it, so all I have to do is handle the larger logs he’s too little to carry.
He decided against putting on his rainbow shirt right away, saying he didn’t want to risk getting it dirty while we piddled around the farm. Instead, he’s got on his overalls with a red T-shirt underneath.
Every now and then, I’ll grab him by the back straps of his overalls and spin him around in the air. He always laughs so hard when I do it. I can’t really help myself when he looks so damned cute in them.
Once the fire is built, we head back up to the house for dinner. I whip up a quick pasta dish for us, knowing Grayson will be arriving any minute now. Finn eats fast so he can get dressed before Leah arrives. He’s up and out of his seat before I can say anything.
“Freeze right there, mister,” I call after him. He stops with his arms in a running position. It makes me grin. “I think you might’ve left something on the table.”
He frowns over his shoulder. When he clocks his plate, he gets a sheepish look on his face. “Oops. Sorry, Daddy.” He comes back over to grab it and sets it by the sink.
I stand and grab my dishes as well. “It’s okay, buddy. I know you’re excited. Go on and get ready. I can do the dishes by myself tonight.”
“Thank you.” He rushes to my side to hug me and presses a kiss to my forearm since that’s as high as he can reach. He’s off running upstairs before I can even offer a better hug.
I shake my head, turning the water on to heat. Through the window over the sink, I can see headlightsflash down the driveway. It’s not dark yet, so I know Grayson is doing his best to tell me he’s here. I’ll probably get a text any minute.
My phone dings thirty seconds later, and I don’t bother looking at it.
“Grumpy Bear! You got a cooler in the garage?” Grayson calls from the front of the house a few minutes later.
I roll my eyes at the nickname. Unfortunately, that one’s going to stick. “Yeah, and ice in the deep freeze.”
“Hell yeah. Thank you!”
“Uncle Knox!” a little voice calls out as the sound of feet pattering across the floor gives me a warning of her arrival.
“Hey, Luddy girl.” I squat down right as Grayson’s daughter, London, barrels into the room. Her tiny body slams into mine with a force you’d never think possible for a four-year-old. Her blonde hair has been braided into pigtails tonight with multicolored bows lining the length of both braids. I have a feeling she couldn’t pick which one she wanted, so Gray put all of them in for her.
“Where’s Finn?” London asks.
“Upstairs getting dressed. He’ll be down in just a minute.”
“I learned all my letters.”
I widen my eyes. “You did? Very well done. You’ll have to show me sometime, yeah?”
“I’m gonna read soon. Daddy said he’d teach me.”
“I can’t wait for you to read me a story.”
London grins at me but quickly gets distracted by Finn coming downstairs. The two of them take off together to play in the living room while I help Gray get everything loaded in his truck to take down to the firepit. It’s not too far from the house, but it’s annoying to carry everything back and forth. There are too many people coming to get it all down there in one trip.
