Somehow he had gotten himself folded into this family and they were all treating him like one of them. Ellis sure hoped it stayed this way because he thought it might break his heart if he lost this. And that was something he would have to look at deep inside later on when he was alone. Now he had a couple of miniature card sharks to deal with.
Chapter Sixteen
Ichabod wondered if his parents were actually going to make it to Thanksgiving dinner. They were supposed to come on Tuesday, and it was now Wednesday afternoon. He was mixing up vegetables he’d cooked in butter with cubes of stuffing mix and cornbread, and then covering it with a layer of chicken stock because his mom wasn’t there to do it. He was a little worried about them—had they hit weather someplace along the way?
Not only was he worried about them, he was worried about disappointing the kids who were looking forward to introducing their grandparents to Ellis. They were excited to have news that he had a boyfriend.
“Hey, babe.” Ellis came back in from checking on a couple of heifers that had started dragging, warning him they were failing with the cold weather, even with the supplemental feed. “What can I do?” He washed up at the sink and then stood there like a soldier waiting for Ichabod’s command.
He held his gooey hands out in front of him, not wanting to touch anything, but at the same time needing Ellis to comeover and give him a kiss. “Come over here and show me that everything is going to be okay,” he asked.
Ellis came right to him, giving him a long, deep kiss that made his ears ring. “You know everything is going to be okay,” he said. “You told me your folks are a little bit flighty, and they’ve been answering their texts.”
“I know, I do, and it’s just—” Ichabod rolled his eyes. “I know that compared to you, I’m a little flighty and odd, but really I’m the normal one.”
“Seriously?” Ellis poked him in the belly, making his muscles tighten. “You’re normal? Are you sure?”
“Shut up.” He chuckled and went to wash off his hands. “I grew up withartists. No bedtimes, no real rules, go to school if you wanted to. My sister and I are both artists by trade, but I kind of didn’t want to raise my kids like that.”
Ichabod wanted them to know somebody cared enough to pay attention and make sure they were well taken care of, he guessed. He wanted consistency and stability.
He wanted to be a good parent, and while his parents loved him dearly, sometimes they weren’t very satisfying.
“Hey, you got this.” Ellis swayed with him almost as if they were dancing. “Your kids love you, and I know teenagers are hard, but you’re raising solid citizens of the world. Good kids. And I got your back.”
Zane walked in, heading right for the fridge, where he grabbed a bottle of orange juice. “Ew. Old dudes, stop snuggling. Nasty.”
Damn. Challenge accepted. Ichabod leaned into Ellis so dramatically. “Oh, smoochy poo. I wuv voo.”
“Dad! Seriously, you’re gonna make me barf!”
Ellis’s eyes lit up, and he smacked his lips with all the drama he possessed. “Oh, honey bear.”
“Honey bear?” Zane rolled his eyes. “Yo, be nice! I’m gonna tell on you!”
Ichabod remembered those same words coming so often. God, it was cute. He’d missed this easiness with Zane, and he sent a thank you to Vic, wherever he was, for giving even a little of it back.
“Shaking in my boots, kiddo,” Ellis drawled, batting his eyelashes, but he was grinning hugely.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Zane was smiling, though, and it suited Ichabod to the bone.
“Daddy! Granny and Pop-Pop are here! I see them!” Allie bounced, heading for the door.
“Hold up, baby girl. It’s cold and you’re not wearing shoes. Go get your muck boots on so you can run out and say hi.”
“Okay!” She ran to get her boots and her little knitted poncho, then charged back to the door. Mavis barked, nails clicking on the floor, always moving to protect.
Chrissy toddled to Ellis and held her arms up, obviously worried.
He scooped her up and held her close. “It’s all right, little bit,” he said. “It’s your granny. It’s this exciting.”
She didn’t look convinced.
“You like them, sweetie. You’ll remember.” Ichabod hoped. Who knew with a three-year-old? “Michael! They’re here.”
“Coming! Zane, they’re here. Let’s go!” Michael threw open the door, waving wildly. “Granny! Pop-Pop! Happy Thanksgiving Eve!”
“Hello, my angels!” His mom bent to hug Michael as she swept in the door, then grabbed Zane to give him a squeeze. Allie was last, getting a swing around. She stopped short when she saw Chrissy with Ellis.
