I squeeze out from between them, scoot down the bed, and sit on the edge. “Alright, boys. I promised I’d get the pair of youse to bed and you have school tomorrow. So please help me out with your ma, yeah? I want her to see that I can do a grand job with you, and then maybe she’ll let me do it again.”
“Can you tuck us in tomorrow?” Levi asks through a yawn as he crawls under the covers and snuggles up to Micah.
“I wish, lad.” I pat Levi’s leg as he blinks slowly, eyelids drooping.
Micah stares at me, examining my face as I pull the covers up around them. “Do you like our mom?”
“Aye, I do,” I say with no hesitation.
“Do you want to kiss her?” Micah asks.
I think about what to tell him, unsure how to answer his question honestly so it won’t open the door for further questions.
“Can you do a blessing about farts?” Levi asks, interrupting the moment, and I mentally thank him for saving me.
Micah laughs. “Yeah, do a fart blessing!”
“Hmm, let me think.” I tap my chin as I wrack my brain for the right wording. “May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may your underpants stay clean as the air comes out of your crack.”
A chorus of laughter erupts from them. “Do another one!” Levi demands.
“Greedy wee man,” I mutter, grinning. “Alright. Alright. May the luck of the Irish be always at hand, and good friends always near you. May your farts always be silent, even when you’ve got to go poo.”
“Another!” Levi shouts.
“I think two is plenty, lad.” I ruffle his hair as I stand from the bed.
“Poo is number two,” Levi says, and we all laugh.
It hits me, sudden and sharp, why my parents wanted this so badly. I spent most of my twenties looking for the perfect girl to start a family with so I could give my Ma and Da the big noisy clan they always dreamed of, the legacy they craved. By the time I hit my thirties, I was wrecked, tired of searching forthe one, so I threw myself into a career and friendships instead.
For the first time I realize, I don’t want a life dreamed up for me by my parents for their sake—I want it for myself. I want bedtime chaos and fart blessings and sleepy cuddles… feckin’ all of it. And I want it with Lucy, with her two brilliant wee lads, and every tomorrow they’ll let me have with them.
——————
Lucy’s voice startles me an hour later. I shut off the TV, standing to greet her.
“Thank you for helping with the boys. I’m sorry I bailed tonight. I’m not sure what’s come over me lately, I’m normally more on top of things. But we can reschedule. I won’t count this as one of your four dates.”
“Nonsense, it counts. And I was happy to help. We had a good time. Might be the best date I’ve ever had, actually.”
She crosses her arms over her perfect tits and smirks. “Oh my God, you’re actually serious, aren’t you? I pity the women you’ve dated that two kids were more entertaining than them.”
“Well, I’ve never had a fart contest on a date before. Not sure any woman will ever live up to that.”
She laughs, and I relish the sound. “They did not.”
“Aye, they did.”
Her responding smile warms my heart. “They really are good kids.”
“They are. I even recited two Irish blessings about farts. Not sure how you’re going to top that one, Lucky.”
The light in her eyes dims briefly, like she’s pulling away right in front of me, and I reach out for her arm, desperate to keep the connection. Before I can make contact, she takes a step back. “I should go check on them, make sure they’re really asleep. Levi’s known to pretend and then sneak out.”
I let out a deep exhale and shove my hands in my pockets. “Yeah.”
“Friday,” she says as she backs away.
