“Well okay, then.I love you too.”Crazy girl that she was, how could he not?
She squealed, throwing her feet in the air.“My DAD loves ME and my brudder, PETEY!”
“Of course I do.”He reached over and tickled her toes.
“Tickles!”She curled up into a ball, rolling on the sofa.
Peter stared at them, shaking his head.
He laughed and then made grabby hands in Peter’s direction.“You have toesies too.”
“Unca Mike will tect my toesies.”
He pouted.“Not Dad?”
“Dad, you tickle toesies!”Petey started giggling.
He tilted his head.“Okay, you have a point.But I can take Uncle Mike, so I think your toes are still in jeopardy.”
Mike chuckled and hugged Peter close.“I’ll protect your tiny toes, little boy.”
He leaned forward, wiggling his fingers more, pretending he was going to get up and come over to Petey.
“Unca Mike!Save me!”
“Silly Petey!It’s so much fun to play.”Tori looked unimpressed with her brother.
Ian came back, sitting on the sofa on his far side.“Are you two being goofballs?I ordered pizza.”
“Of course they’re being goofballs – that’s how they roll.”JP relaxed back against the couch again, smiling at Ian.“Meat-lovers?”
“One meat-lovers, one cheese, one pepperoni — yay.”
“Sounds good, Chou.Thank you.”He touched Ian’s hand.
“Are you going to kiss my daddy?”Tori asked.“You’re making kissy eyes.”
Kissy eyes.Good grief.She wasn’t wrong, though.
“Not right now,” JP told her.But he already had and he was going to again.Just when there wasn’t an audience.
“Ew.Kissing.”Mike teased, and Petey giggled.
“Ew.Kissing.Girls like kissing.Not boys.”
JP chuckled.“I don’t know about that, Pete.I think even Uncle Mike likes kissing.”
“Maybe.One day.If I’m lucky, but not right now, huh?”
“So you too, eh Pete?When you’re older?”
“Maybe… when I’mreallyold like you and Daddy.”
“Oh.Really old like us, huh?”Ian’s eyes were dancing.
“Yes, ancient.”Mike was barely holding his laughter back.
JP knew he was supposed to just play along, but it was the first time he’d been called really old, and it did make him want to pout a little.Instead he simply nodded.“Yeah, that old.”
