“Okay, sweet pea. Let’s make some cookies. If anybody else wants to help, they’re welcome. Otherwise, I suggest moving out to the couch in the front room. It’s gonna get slimy in here.”
Chrissy giggled softly. “Love cookies.”
Michael shook his head. “I’m in. You know I love frosting.”
“Now, I’ve never let anything slimy keep me from participating.” Joe said, “I’m here. You just show me what to do.”
“Let’s start that cookie-making machine,” Ellis said, and Ichabod felt like even Zane was ready to help. He loved it; his family felt whole again, and that was worth all the trouble they’d had.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“This is a great place you got here, son.”
It had been a whirlwind of a day, with cookie-making, hot chocolate, getting stuff ready for Santa, and then showing his dad around the ranch while they did the feeding in the evening.
Ichabod had told him to have a beer with his dad while he got the little kids ready to go to bed. Michael was already in his room playing video games or reading. Zane was out for a while.
So he and his dad sat in the front room, feet up, with some kind of sports thing on TV, and both of them holding a bottle of beer.
“It is. Thanks. I’m damn happy to throw my lot in with Ichabod and try to make a going thing of this place.” Ellis sipped his beer to keep from babbling because his dad was clearly working himself up to something. Ellis knew that look. Serious and steady, not mean or anything, ready to talk.
“Good. That’s good. I gotta ask though.”
He picked up the label on his beer with his thumb, trying not to fidget any more thanthat. “Uh-huh?”
“I was damn surprised when Ichabod told me his husband had only been gone for right around four years.” His dad raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure he’s ready to move on?”
“I reckon if he wasn’t, he’d tell me,” Ellis said, trying not to get his back up. Being defensive with his dad never worked.
“Have y’all talked about it?”
Now it was his turn to arch an eyebrow. “Dad, I love you dearly, but don’t meddle.”
“I’m not meddling, son. I’m just asking some questions. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Dad took a drink of his beer, his throat working as he swallowed it down.
“If I do, I do. But we have talked about how we feel about each other, and Ichabod says he loves me, and I love him, and that’s that.”
His dad sighed. “Is it? There are kids involved here, son. And they’ve been through a lot. I’d hate for them to get to thinking of you as their dad and then have you disappear on them.”
“Dad! Like I would ever!” He wanted to adopt these girls, and Michael too if the kid would let him. There was no way he would ever desert these babies. “These guys are my family. I’m their Bell.”
“I don’t think you’re bad. I don’t think you would desert them. I’m just worried. Four years seems like a super short amount of time.”
“I think he was on his own for four years, dealing with kids, dealing with life, and he would tell you it was a long time. It took us a while to connect. And I did connect.” In fact, he and Ichabod had clicked together like nothing going.
His dad nodded. “I reckon he would, as far as that’s concerned. I don’t want you to be the easy option, son.”
“Ichabod isn’t shallow like that, Dad. He’s the one who told me we needed to pump the brakes and not talk about getting married yet. He wanted us to get to know each other inevery way, and for the kids have a say in stuff. I would marry him tomorrow if I could.” Ellis shook his head. “But I don’t think he’s waiting because he doesn’t think we’re that into each other. He’s cautious.” Everybody seemed to be questioning things. Maybe he wasn’t reading the room like he was supposed to be.
“Because he’s a good dad.” Joe smiled at him, “I’m not shocked. I mean, that’s a good dad, and I can tell you that he’s probably better than I ever was when it came to getting married to a woman. I told myself I was thinking about my kids, but I was thinking with my dick.”
“Oh, Dad. Dude. Gross.” He sounded like Zane.
“Well, it’s the truth, son. But you know I love you, and I never wanted anything to hurt you.”
“I know that, old man. Worst thing you ever did was hook me up with Rick as a brother. He’s a fucker.” Ellis winked, showing he was ready to let the conversation go too.
“Yeah…I’m not one hundred percent sure his momma wasn’t stepping out on me, to be honest.” Dad winked at him, teasing hard. “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, son. You know that. I want to…I want you to be safe, I guess. I don’t want you hurt.”
