Page 169 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

Tina snorted a laugh. “Might be easier in the kitchen.”

“She’s got a point,” Ben said. “I’ll get dressed, let you get some food going.”

Ben fully clothed wasn’t what Gavin had been looking forward to, but he’d be more productive without Ben wandering around in nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms. “If you’re lucky, I’ll make you some bacon.”

“I won’t hold my breath,” Ben teased as he disappeared farther down the hall, into their bedroom.

Tina smiled at him, and Gavin reached for the baby. “Lemme,” he said as he took James and cuddled him close. “Ben hogs him.”

“He says the same thing about you,” she said as she grabbed a diaper and the wipes. “According to you two, I never get him.”

“Better to have us fighting over him than never wanting him, right?”

She yawned, stretching one arm over her head as she walked in front of Gavin, but she nodded too. Tina paused in the living room to pull the curtains open. Then she stooped to grab a stray onesie that had been there for who knew how long.

By the time they made it to the kitchen, James had started to fuss, his fists balled up against Gavin’s chest, as if he were angry with the world. “I don’t think you’re gonna get a chance to pump yet,” he said as Tina sat down at the table.

“Figures.” She reached for the baby, but the look on her face was pure exhaustion. “Too bad you can’t lactate.”

“Yeah, I’m real busted up about that.”

Tina laughed but didn’t say anything else as she fed the baby.

Gavin glanced at the clock and got to work on breakfast. Nora had to leave for the airport in an hour, and he wanted to send her off with some good food first.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ben

There was a strange car parked in front of the house when Ben pulled up and took off his helmet. The rain in the forecast hadn’t shown up yet, but the clouds over his head were thick, heavy, waiting to dump their autumn offering. He was almost afraid to think about it, but things had been going well lately. Baby James was only up a couple of times a night, could hold his head up and look around, reach for things. Tina had made more friends and had settled in. She was earning her own money through tutoring and babysitting and had been looking at college courses. He and Gavin had even set a wedding date for June, one week before Gavin’s birthday, one week before their anniversary. Gavin would start his new culinary program in less than a year.

Yeah, things were going okay.

Gavin pulled up next to Ben. “Who’s here?” he asked as he got out of his car.

Ben got off his bike and went around to help unload the groceries from the trunk. “No clue. Maybe Tina has a job interview?” It wouldn’t be the first time. The families she worked for would often come to her rather than make her go to them, at least for the initial interview. She always told them upfront that she had a baby and that he would be coming along with her, if they hired her.

“Maybe they’re visiting the neighbors.” Gavin shrugged and passed Ben the heavier bags. “Beef stew for dinner sound okay?”

“Whatever I don’t have to cook sounds okay for dinner.”

“You say that, but then you thumb your nose at whatever I put in front of you.”

Ben laughed. “One time. It’s not my fault you made tofurkey. No normal human would eat that.”

“Lots of people eat that,” Gavin said as he got to the front door. He added over his shoulder, “And since when are you normal?”

Ben wanted to argue, but he couldn’t. They laughed on their way inside, Ben pausing to close the door behind them. He turned and barreled into Gavin, who had stopped dead in his tracks.

Sitting on their sofa was an older man and woman Ben didn’t recognize. The woman held Baby James on her lap. Tina sat across from them, looking unbelievably uncomfortable, something close to shame written all over her features.

Ben didn’t know who those people were, but he wanted to throw them out into the gutter, wanted to shake them both, make them wish they’d never darkened his front steps.

And then it dawned on him.

“Ben, this is our mom and dad,” Tina said as she hopped up from the chair. “Patricia and Carter Van Loen.”

He didn’t need to be told. The instant sense of repulsion had given him enough warning. He glanced at Gavin, trying to decide what to do. Everything in him told him to toss them out on their asses, snatch the baby back from them and lock the doors. But Gavin only stared at them, his face frozen in shock.

---