Ichabod clenched his hands into fists. “No, I want to talk to him this time, too. You set up a meet, and I will kick his ever-loving ass.”
That had Ellis grinning because Ichabod was fierce and he loved that. “I adore it when you get all het up, baby. You’re just so…”
Ichabod gave him a ghost of a smile. “Don’t you dare call me cute.”
“Nope, not gonna call you cute. I would never do that. You’re fierce. I was just thinking that. How studly you were.”
“That’s right. Studly. Me. I’ll smother him with clay or something.” Then Ichabod sighed and chuckled. “I’m so damn mad. Not at you. You didn’t do anything.”
“I know that, baby. I do. I can’t even imagine what he was thinking.” It made his heart hurt, in fact, because Rick was supposed to be family.
“Me either. I mean, what? He thought he was going to get custody of the kids? He’s not a relative. You’re as much a relative as he is. If anybody, like if I lost custody of the children, they would go to my folks.” Ichabod rolled his eyes. “Which,you know, my parents would adore, because they are happily child-free at this point.”
“I think he’s just trying to cause trouble.” Damn Rick and his bullshit.
“I think I’m fixing to cause trouble. In fact, there’s a very good chance that I call my sister, and my sister and I cause trouble together.” Ichabod’s eyes snapped. “Vic loved these kids. He would be rolling over in his grave right now if he wasn’t cremated and sprinkled all over Aspen.”
“Well, you let me deal with Rick. You handle CPS.” He was going to kick Rick’s butt up between his shoulder blades. And God help the man if he had to call in his dad, who he would so invoke.
“I can do that. I’ll be damned if they derail Zane now that he’s going so well.”
“No, that would be a crappy deal.” That was another reason he was going to kick Rick’s ass. That poor kid had been through the ringer, and he was starting to claw his way out of it, so it was time to take matters into his own hands and take the bull by the horns. This was his family now, damn it, or at least he felt like it was, and he was going to help take care of them.
“All right. I’m going to get cleaned up as soon as she’s down for her nap. I’ll make us both coffee and a snack after, fair?”
“Sounds like a plan, baby. Then we can sit down and have a policy meeting. We can decide what you want me to let Rick know for you.” They needed to be together on this. So he got Chrissy ready to go down for her nap, giving her kisses and a song.
She was out in seconds, and Ichabod went to shower, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Poor guy was furious, and Ellis got it. He absolutely did,and they weren’t his kids biologically. He wanted to kill Rick with his bare hands.
In fact, he was seriously pondering popping the bastard right in the nose.
Which was less likely to land him in jail than a murder, so there was that. But he’d have to be careful where he left bruises so no one got another call at CPS.
“Hey, there. Let me make you coffee. You want savory or sweet?”
“Uh… In coffee or snack?” He wasn’t sure what the question was, and his lover was all kinds of mostly naked.
“Coffee. We can either have pastry or chips or whatever.”
“Oh, we should do pastry. Since it’s just you and me and we can be decadent.” He reeled Ichabod in, needing to touch, to remind his lover that they were a them.
“Right.” Ichabod stared into him, eyes shimmering. “That was awful.”
“It was, baby. And we won’t be worried about it anymore, because it’s not happening anymore.”
“God, I hope not. I’m…these are amazing kids and I love them.”
“You’re a great dad. And I want to help with anything I can. I adore them.” Hell, he was in love with Ichabod. The thought hit him like an anvil.
“Thank you. I…I count on you.” Ichabod rested against him, letting him hold his weight.
“I love you, baby. I want to be here for you and the kids.” Maybe folks wouldn’t see them as having a great passion, but love didn’t have to be loud to be intense or real.
“You are.” Ichabod met Ellis’s eyes, the blue like a winter sky. “Move your things in? Throw in with me?”
“Shit, yes. I ain’t too proud to say no to that.” In fact, he was all-in with everything he had.
