“I can attest to the hot and sweaty,” Gabe whispers in my ear. It sends a shiver down my spine. I open my eyes and tilt my head to look at his face. His hair is up in its usual bun, and I can see the tendrils of sweat at his temples too.
“This is the yucky kind of hot and sweaty.” I add a pout to the words and Gabe chuckles. Before Gabe can say anything, the doorbell rings.
“I guess the guest of honor has finally arrived,” Gabe says half sarcastically as he stands to go to the door, but a blur rushes past him before he makes it halfway.
I don’t even know how Owen heard the doorbell from the backyard with everyone out there. Owen opens the door to a less-than-happy Marshall. It’s only a second, a flash, before there’s a smile on his face and he’s holding his hand out for a low five. Owen smacks his hand in Marshall’s and giggles.
“We’re all playing outside! Want to join?”
I love that Owen is back to his silly, wonderful self. Since the court case, it’s been radio silence from Karen and Harold, and Owen hasn’t asked about them in two weeks.
However, because he’s just turned six, he doesn’t catch the switch in Marshall’s express like Gabe and I do. I look at Gabe who nods in understanding. “Do you want to see my new toys? Daddy and Daddy Gabe got me a whole bunch of them for my birthday!”
“Of course! I want to see everything.” Marshall grins, but his gaze slides up to us. It’s a little pensive. “Can I talk to your daddies real quick?”
“Okay! Coach Mason and Izzy are playing firefighters!” Owen answers with a smile and runs back to the sliding door. He pushes his hair back from his face before sliding the door open just enough to squeeze himself through. I follow behind him with a sigh and close the door behind him. We’re working on remembering that the hot air needs to stay outside.
“What’s up?” Gabe asks. “You’re not exactly screaming party mode.”
“Not really,” Marshall’s reply has me feeling instantly concerned. He looks between me and Gabe. “How did you two know you liked each other? Or, y’know, guys in general?”
“That’s a loaded question,” Gabe tells him. I step outside to give them privacy. I know Marshall seems comfortable asking to talk to us both, but Daddy has known him for years, and, really, he’s probably better at answering questions like that anyway.Especiallyif they might relate to another member of their friendship group, like I suspect they do.
The backyard isn’t that big to begin with and it feels even smaller with the seven people standing around. Mason and Owen have Izzy cornered with water toys, Zach and Vincent are laughing while standing clear of any spray zones. Noah is sitting in the shade, at the little table Gabe bought when he moved in. I make the smart choice and sit next to him.
“Izzy is going to soak them,” he says when I join him on the other side of the table. “I hope you’re okay with that.”
“He’ll end up in the tub tonight anyway,” I say with a shrug. “Mason, on the other hand, I have no idea if he has extra clothes but I’m sure I can loan him something.”
Just as I say it, the water hose is aimed at Mason and soaks the whole front of his shirt. Owen’s shrill squeal is music to my ears as I watch him run away from Izzy.
“Izzy the Grizzly!” Owen shouts, using the moniker he gave him last month. Despite Izzy being adamant that he isn’t a kids kind of person, the moment Owen asks to play or starts asking a million questions, his patience is unlimited.
Living up to his nickname, Izzy lets out a roar, playing the grizzly bear, before dropping the hose and chasing after both Mason and Owen. It’s all laughs and giggles from the two as they run around.
The playing is momentarily halted when Gabe and Marshall make an appearance. I turn to look at them, smiling at Gabe. He nods, letting me know everything is okay. I’m sure, if it’s not too personal, Gabe will tell me later. Right now, we have a lot to celebrate.
“If it isn’t the man of the hour…thirty minutes late!” Izzy says with a huge smile.
“I was at lunch with my family,” Marshall shoots back, playful and definitely not faking the happiness now. Gabe motions for me to stand up so he can sit down. He pulls me back onto his lap and I snuggle close to his chest. To anyone else, it’s just a bit of PDA, but I know that this is my Daddy holding me. I love having that little bit for ourselves. We haven’t been to the club in a while, not with our schedules the way they are, but I do like having my Little time in private.
“Well, we have burgers, dogs, and be–”
“We’re eatingdogs?” Owen shouts incredulously, interrupting the whole moment. We all laugh at his worried expression.
“Hot dogs,” Mason corrects. “Not actual dogs.”
“Oh.” Owen turns to look at me and Gabe with a wide smile. “Daddy, can we get a dog?”
“How did you get from hot dogs to an actual dog so fast?” I ask. I look at Gabe and he shakes his head quickly
“No. You two are not ganging up on me with this. We are not home enough to have a dog right now.”
“That’s okay, Owen.” Mason is sitting next to Owen on the grass. “You can come hang out with my dog, Bakery.”
I hear Marshall laugh the loudest. “You have a dog named Bakery?”
“I found him in the alley behind my favorite bakery with my favorite pastries.” Mason explains it with a shrug like it makes total sense. “He’s a little older now, because we found him when I was only fifteen, but I thought the name was perfect.”
