Page 74 of Just A Little Magic

“Imma be the bestest helper, Papa,” Jakob said as he leaped to his feet and went to help Reed.

“Love, you absolutely are.” Reed leaned forward to kiss Jakob’s nose, which sent all the boys into fits of giggles. Even Owen giggled, and the tinkling sound of happiness made my heart swell. It felt too big for my chest.

I glanced down to find Owen’s eyes trained on me. I kissed his nose too. He returned the favor with a sweet kiss on my cheek. Relaxation and happiness radiated off Owen. There had never been a single moment in my life when I’d felt more content and happier than at that moment.

Reed handed Gabe and me bottles of a local craft brew. The Pacific Northwest might be known for our coffee obsession, but we were no slouch in the craft beer either. Orca Bay became my instant favorite when I figured out how to get my underage hands on some. There were benefits to your dad owning a hospitality company, and the ability to swipe some out of the tapped kegs was one of them.

We clinked our bottles and drank down the Baltic porter. The bigger boys were provided with cute sippy cups covered in dancing puppies. Jakob handed Rory his cup and then set his own next to the chair I presumed Reed would claim.

Jakob approached us with his hands behind his back. “Owen, I picked out your bottle, but I can get you a sippy cup if you don’t wanna use it.”

Jakob looked nervously at the bottle but held it out to Owen. Owen looked equally unsure before he reached out and grabbed it. Owen drew it to his mouth for a few suckles before he smiled around the silicone nipple and saidyummy.

Jakob beamed. “I knew you’d like it. Papa! I was right! Owen liked the super-duper special bottle I picked out for him!” Owen pulled his bottle out to look at it. “Look! It’s got black kitties on it for Elizabeth,” Jakob hollered.

“I knew I had a smart Cookie Monster!” That sent the boys into more giggles. “But none of you monsters get dessert until after dinner.”

“Papa! I need a cookie now!” Jakob demanded.

“You’re lucky you get any dessert after all that sugar you’ve been sneaking into the lab at lunch.” Reed gave Jakob a stern look, and he promptly zipped his lips and threw away the key.

Jakob climbed onto Reed’s lap, put the paci hanging from his onesie in his mouth, and snuggled in like the other boys. While the boys snuggled in our laps, Reed, Gabe, and I discussed how the Rainers hockey team was doing—not great—and whether they’d make it to the Cup—no chance in hell. We were so invested in the conversation that we didn’t hear Anders let himself into the house.

“Hello? Hello?” Anders called from the hallway.

“Anders! Anders! Anders!” Jakob and Rory jumped up and raced toward the front of the house. A few moments later, an exhausted Anders appeared in the doorway with a boy pulling on each hand. I only knew him because he’d been Rory’s best friend since the second grade, but those bags hadn’t been there the last time I’d seen him.

“Hey, Anders, good to see you.”

With Owen in my lap, I couldn’t do anything but wave.Gabe and Reed gave him bro hugs while the boys tag-team tackled him. Anders, who was only a few inches shorter than me, gave the boys a fierce hug in return and then sat on the far end of the couch I was on.

“Hi, Owen. I’m really glad to see you tonight.”

Owen didn’t speak but smiled around the bottle he was nursing and wiggled his fingers. I glanced over at Anders and said in a rueful tone, “I‘m pretty sure that’s Owen for hello.”

“Oh, I’m certain of it,” Anders answered with a fond smile. He laid his head back and groaned, “Christ, I’m tired. Boys, as much as I adore you, I can’t get down and play with you tonight because I might fall asleep and not be able to get up. Owen, can you and I hang out tonight?”

Owen blushed a little but nodded his head.

“Anders, you ’kay?” Rory asked with worry evident in his tone. He’d returned to his Daddy’s lap, who looked just as concerned.

“I’m fine, buddy. It was just a long day, and I was distracted because I knew I was coming over here for some of Reed’s cooking. What are we having anyway? It smells effing delicious.”

“Pork tenderloin with an apple cider glaze, pureed sweet potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts.”

“Papa, don’t forget the cookies. They ‘portant,” Jakob piped up.

“Oh, and some crème brûlée cookies we got from the bakery because that’s too much for me.”

“Crème brûlée is my favoritist,” Rory added.

“What? I thought spinach cookies were your favorite, Rory!” Anders teased.

Rory scrunched up his face before he added, “Ew, no. I don’t want salad in my cookies.”

“Silly, you don’t want salad anywhere.”

Once dinner was put away and the boys had all been cleaned up, we returned to the playroom. Rory and Jakob plopped on the floor to create some kind of craft project that they promised would not involve excessive glitter. Reed’s under-his-breath swears when he saw the overturned jar of glitter said that was a lie.

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