“Where’s daddy?”
“Oh he took the trips and Cody out for their Saturday morning drive, they should be back soon.”
Does that mean that he saw me sitting on his couch with his daughter in my lap? “Coffee or tea Todd?”
“I’ll have coffee please Mrs. Mancini, I can get it myself thanks.” Yeah since you look like you’re about to pop.
“Nonsense. How do you take it? And the name is Cierra by the way.” She got up from her seat where she was buttering toast and went to the carafe.
“Black one sugar thanks.” I walked into the room as Caitlin ran back upstairs to round up her siblings.
My hand didn’t touch the cup before another was there to take it. “Thanks love.” Mancini bent over to kiss his wife before glaring back at me. “She’s Mrs. Mancini to you kid.”
“Hank!” She swatted him out of the way and went to get another cup.
“He’s a grown man, he can get his own damn coffee.” Nice to see he has a human side even though his pique of jealousy was aimed at me.
“You guys are back already? How were the babies did they cry?” Mrs. Lyon plated another batch of pancakes and stuck them under the warmer to make more.
“Nope, little man told them stories while we drove.”
Just then Mr. Lyon came in with kids strapped to his body. It’s not that I’ve never seen him with his kids before but it was a sight to behold, this big bad tattooed biker with three kids latched onto him and another holding his hand.
“Mama.” Cody ran to his mother who even though she was busy stopped what she was doing to lean over for a kiss. I stood out of the way with my coffee in hand as the noise level rose.
“Sleep good kid?” Oh shit!
“Uh, yes sir, sorry about that sir.” It looks like he’d forgotten our little bonding session of the night before from the look he gave me. There was a whole lotta mean in that look. “Sorry about what? You do something to my couch?”
“Colt, go set up the trips in their highchair breakfast is almost ready.” Just then the little one from the night before, Cady I think her name is, caught sight of me and reached her hands out for me to take her. I didn’t move one step in the direction of her father and she started up a screech that was loud enough to shake the walls.
Mr. Lyon raised his brow and I got moving. He unstrapped her from his chest and passed her off to me. “She needs changing, ask Caitlin where everything is.” And that was it, that’s all he said to me. It was tantamount to an acceptance wasn’t it?
At least the rest of the room seemed to think so if the way my future mother in law beamed at me as she walked over to kiss her husband was any indication. What just happened? Wait, did he say she needs changing?
I didn’t stick around to question, just went in search of Caitlin who was on her way back from getting her siblings. “Your dad said she may need changing.” She reached out to take the baby, but I held her out of the way. “He wants me to do it.”
From the way her eyes widened I’m guessing that’s going against the grain for him which only made me feel ten feet tall and I made up my mind that I was going to change my first diaper like an expert.
I had another one of those moments as we stood at the changing table with the baby and she showed me what to do. I was hardly paying attention since my mind had wandered into dangerous territory. The thought that this will one day be us held me in its grip and I had to shake my head twice to clear it. Baby steps Todd, baby steps.
“Wow, you’re really good at this.”
“I am?”
“Yeah, have you done this before?”
“Nope, first time. I did see Jace and Sian changing their twins a time or two.”
“You know Jace and Sian?” Oh shit, slip up number one.
“Oh, yeah, they go to Wharton, we kinda ran into each other there.” I lifted the baby onto my shoulder and started to turn away.
“What a coincidence, I met them in Georgia last summer, they’re cool.”
She had a look on her face like that was too much of a coincidence but didn’t pursue it any further as we turned and left the room. Downstairs was bedlam. There must’ve been twenty people in the house around the dining room table. Not quite but close.
I was once again placed next to Caitlin after Cady was seated in her highchair by her dad, Mrs. Lyon’s doing no doubt and this time I didn’t feel as out of place as I did the night before. The conversation was all about the boys’ football game and who was going to win the season, something I’m very well versed in.