Mannies Incorporated by Michael, Sean (phonics books .TXT) 📗

smiled again, and Christ, Drake would do almost anything for that man. "Thank you."

"Come on, baby. Let's go up to bed." He suddenly had a powerful need.

"You don't want coffee?"

"Why would I want coffee when I can have you?"

"That's an amazing answer." Slayde looked at him like he was magical.

He laughed, but he was pleased and he stood, wrapping his hand with Slayde's. "Thanks, baby."

"Come on, let's go fuck like bunnies." Slayde looked pleased as punch. "You realize we're going to bed at seven-forty-five on a Monday night, right?"

"As long as there's fucking, I don't care what time it is." He gave Slayde a look. "And by fucking I mean fucking with you."

"That's mutual."

He beamed. Fuck, he cared for this man. A surprisingly enormous amount. Like maybe an in love amount.

Slayde went to lock up, and he heard Maggie's little feet heading down the stairs, pat, pat, pat.

He bit back his groan. "Hey, Mags, why aren't you asleep?"

"I tired. Tried. I want you." She held her arms up to him.

He picked her up and headed back upstairs with her. "You need another bed story?"

"Uh-huh." Her arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing tight. "I go to school tomorrow?"

"No, baby, not for another year." He went into the girl's room and put her back down into her bed.

"But I go too!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you have to be five before there's kindergarten."

Her bottom lip pooched out, began to tremble.

Oh God. Panic filled him and he threw Slayde under the bus. "Maybe Uncle Slayde can make lessons for you to do."

"Like Christian? I write, too?"

"Sure honey, you can learn to write, and to say your alphabet and count…" At least he hoped she could. Slayde was going to kill him, but at least he'd headed off the weeping.

"One, three, four, five." She settled into his lap, fingers twisted in his shirt.

"One, two, three, four, five," he corrected, beginning to rock her.

"One, two, three, four, five." So smart, this sweet girl. So fucking smart.

"Good girl. After that comes six, seven, eight, nine, and ten."

"Seven, seven, eight, mine, ten."

"That was close. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten."

"Six, seven, eight, mine, ten." Her eyelids were getting heavy.

"Good job, baby girl." He kissed the top of her head and kept rocking her.

"I not a baby. I'm big like Christian. I'm big, too."

"You are, Mags. You are." He kissed her forehead and laid her down on the mattress, pulled the covers over her.

"Sleep in my bed with me?"

"No, sweetie, you need to sleep on your own. You're a big girl, remember? Besides, you've got Jenny right over there in the crib."

"You sleep in Unca Slayde's bed."

His cheeks heated, but he nodded. "I do."

"When I grow up, I sleep in Mommy's bed?"

How was he supposed to answer that? "You don't like your own bed?"

She shook her head, then nodded, so confused and tired she couldn't think straight.

"Okay, sweetie. Why don't you go to sleep? We can talk more in the morning." He kissed her forehead again.

She grabbed his hand, held on tight. He held it until she fell asleep and her hand slowly went lax. Letting go, he dropped another kiss on her forehead, checked on Jenny, and quietly crept out of the room.

Slayde was in the shower, humming softly, the sound barely audible over the water.

Drake went into the bathroom. "It's only me."

"Hey. She conk out?"

"Yeah. You almost done or you want company?"

"If she's sleeping, come on in."

"She's sleeping. Finally." He stripped off and joined Slayde in the shower, reaching for all that wet skin.

Slayde moved into his arms, brought their lips together in a quick kiss. "I'm going to make her worksheets, am I?"

He tried to look contrite. "She was going to cry -- I panicked."

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger."

"Probably." He knew he'd had to try harder with her than the other two and that made her acceptance of him seem more special.

"Definitely." Slayde was laughing at him. "You're going to miss them, almost as much as I am."

"Well, we'll just have to convince Mindy she wants to settle in California so we can visit a lot." He figured it was the best place to be out. Besides, he knew the weather and it rocked.

"Oh, I like that idea. You think Mindy will go for it?"

"She loved it the times she visited." He would bet she'd be happy to come back, especially if there was built in babysitting fairly nearby. "We'll convince her." He'd do anything to make Slayde happy.

"How do you think she'd feel about going in on a start-up business? It couldn't hurt to have a medical professional on board and being a medic in the army counts."

"That's not a bad idea. I bet she'd have a few ideas to put on the table, too. From the parent point of view, you know?"

"I do." Slayde took his fingers, squeezed. "I'm starting to have hope, man."

"You'd better. I'm not going to let anyone leave you hanging, baby." He had Slayde's back. And lucky for him, he had the man's front, too.

"Promise? Because I'm yours."

Those words made him warmer than anything ever had, made him feel good all the way from his toes to the top of his head. "I promise, and I'm holding you to those words."

"It's a deal." Slayde pushed up, took another kiss.

He opened the man's mouth, tongue delving deep. Fuck, he hoped kissing Slayde never lost this drugging, magical quality. If he was really lucky, he'd be able to see if it was still this good in fifty years.

Chapter Fourteen

He waved Drake and Christian off for school and he logged on to Skype from the kitchen where he was feeding the girls, the actions now routine after a month. "Hey, Momma. He's off. No tears today." Hell, there hadn't been tears for weeks, but he still liked to let her know things were going well.

She grinned, nodded. "Excellent. I got my papers, Slayde. Thirty days. I'll be home by Halloween."

"Oh, honey. How great for you." And, for the first