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Gray let out a soft laugh and shook his head. “I think I can speak for Mrs. H here when I say we feel anything but poor.”
Lincoln smirked and put out his smoke. “Well, we can be pretty fucking charming.”
Too true.
At the sound of kids’ voices, Gray looked up and couldn’t fucking believe what he was seeing. “You gotta be kidding me.”
No way had Darius used up his twenty minutes.
The man marched out like some professional babysitter, Julia still on his front, Cass on his back, and he was holding Ryder like a damn football under his arm. All the other kids followed him, each one with a lollipop in their mouth. Darius included. Well, Ryder was holding his in his hand.
Jayden and Abby had been put in charge of carrying the shopping bags
“Daddy, we bought the things!” Justin yelled.
Good for you, baby.
Gray hopped down from the truck and squinted due to the sun. “I need you to look more frazzled, Dare. Come on.”
The man just smirked around his lollipop and started helping Julia out of the carrier.
Judging by the disgruntled look on Ryan’s face, he hadn’t gotten the pleasure of seeing his brother flip his shit. Avery looked impressed as he took over and grabbed Julia, with Hazel and Grace following.
“This was fun!” Ace said happily.
“It was anticlimactic.” Case was a little disappointed too.
“You’re just jealous you didn’t get a lollipop, son,” Ace replied.
Gray laughed.
Case didn’t argue.
Then Abel let out a sharp whistle. “Kids! It’s very important you don’t discuss what you bought with Gray and Darius. We’re about to drive over to a restaurant, where you’ll get to help put the gifts together. And until then, zip it! Okay?”
Abel sure knew how children functioned.
They were eager to mimic his zipping motion, but kids talked. A lot. All the time.
Once Darius no longer had kids strapped to him—and Ryder had stolen his uncle’s lollipop and run off to his daddy—he came over to Gray just as Lincoln was called away by his daughter and Haley.
“Can we be on the same side for one moment?” Darius asked quietly.
Gray was instantly intrigued. “Of course.”
Darius glanced around them to make sure nobody else could hear. “Do you ever feel like you can love children but not like them?”
Oh hell. Gray so wanted to laugh—but this wasn’t the time. His man looked like he’d just confessed a cardinal sin.
“As long as you’re not talking about our own kids—baby, that’s me most of the time.”
The relief in Darius’s eyes was so swift and so evident, and it must’ve hit him hard because it was as if he couldn’t quite believe it. He stopped himself and had to make sure.
“You’re not joking now, are you?”
“I’m not joking,” Gray chuckled.
“Thank God.” Darius threw his arms around Gray’s shoulders and squeezed him in a hug, his scruffy face buried against Gray’s neck. “I’m never doin’ that again. Worst fifteen minutes in a long time. My fuck, they just don’t shut up, knucklehead. Their mouths don’t stop running. There were so many of them.”
Gray’s stomach tightened with amusement and so much affection that he barely found his words.
Darius must’ve pulled off a solid act, though.
“You looked so unfazed when you came out,” Gray murmured. He glanced over Darius’s shoulder and made sure Cass was with someone—Avery. Julia and Cass were trying to pull at Avery’s shoestrings.
Jayden and Justin were goofing off with Ryan and the twins.
“I ain’t givin’ Ry that satisfaction,” Darius grumbled. “Fucker was eyeing me the whole time.”
Gray laughed softly. “My sweet man. Do you need some aftercare when we get home?” He scratched his fingers along the back of Darius’s neck, and he hummed appreciatively.
“I think I might.” He shivered. “I don’t get how my brother does it. How he can be so goddamn high-energy all the time.”
Eh, Ryan had his limits too. But yeah, Ryan and Darius, a set of Irish twins where one was as extroverted as he could be and the other introverted as hell. Ryan created chaos, he thrived in it, he gained strength from it. Darius did his best to tame it, to endure it, and to end it.
Gray loved his homebody.
“When we’re done here, I’m gonna take care of you.” He tilted his head and pressed a kiss to Darius’s cheek. “I’ll make lasagna for dinner. You change into sweatpants and throw yourself on the couch.”
Darius groaned with longing. “That’s where I wanna be. Preferably with you in my arms, but the lasagna ain’t gonna make itself.”
Gray laughed and inched back enough to see the sweet, exhausted little grin on Darius’s face. “I love you.”
“More than words, knucklehead.” He dipped down and kissed Gray chastely. “For the record—and I know all parents say this—but our ankle biters are perfect. They make just enough fuss that you don’t gotta worry you’re raising infiltrating aliens, but not so much you wanna bash your head through a wall.”
