"J unior, get that out of your mouth ."
Jay rolled his eyes, grabbing the t-shirt his two-year-old daughter was chewing on. "Why don't you go see Grandpa?" he told her when she started to cry. Scooping her up in his arms, he bounced her on his hip as he headed for the back deck .
The breeze off the lake felt amazing on his overheated skin. They'd finished construction on his state of the art studio less than a month ago, and he was still trying to get everything organized the way he wanted it .
"Dada."
Biting his lip, Jay hid his laugh in her wispy hair. "Dada is concentrating, baby ."
Luke was sitting at their tiny game table, glaring at his cards as if he could change his hand with enough concentration. After Junior had gummed her way through their last pack of cards, she was banished from the game table .
Robert, watching them with a book open on his lap, snorted when Harry flipped his cards over with a grin. "I told you, Luke. Your father cheats ."
"Only at love, darling," Harry said, batting his lashes. The plain gold wedding rings that glinted from their hands were still new enough to be shiny, and Jay wasn't expecting the honeymoon period to wear off anytime soon .
"Can you watch her while I fold the rest of the laundry?" Jay asked, setting his daughter down on Robert's lap. "She's discovered a love of poly-blend ."
"Miss Sarah Jacqueline," Robert cooed, bouncing the baby on his knee until she giggled. "Why do you have to wound your grandpa's soul like that ?"
"Because it would be so much better if she drooled her way through Jay's cashmere sweaters," Luke said, throwing down his cards in disgust. "You realize that you're the only one who doesn't call her Junior, right, Uncle Robert ?"
"It's not my fault that you gave her a name bigger than she is. She'll be in college before she learns to say it all." He stuck his tongue out at Luke. "Call me Papa, and I'll consider it ."
Rolling his eyes, Luke got to his feet and headed over to steal a kiss. Jay went up on his toes and gave it .
"She'll grow into it," he said, smoothing a hand over her hair. He knew it was a bit much, Sarah Jacqueline Roberta Collins-Carter, but there had been a lot of people he wanted to honor .
"Or she'll be sensible and drop half of it," Harry muttered. "I thought I'd handle dinner tonight. Fire up the grill, make some steaks. Luke, you always used to love it when I made grilled potatoes ."
"It was grilled turnips, Dad," Luke said, and Jay was proud that there was only a little bit of tension in his voice. He gave his husband another kiss for his efforts .
There were still times that Luke and his father got into shouting matches. Times that Robert showed up on their doorstep to get drunk. Times that Jay got off the phone with his mother and wanted to throw things. It was getting better, though, and they were all trying, for Junior's sake and their own .
And maybe the announcement that he made later would add another reason to keep trying. Smiling to himself, he leaned back in Luke's arms. "Laundry can wait," he announced. "This is a vacation. Who's up for some laying around doing nothing ?"
Junior burbled cheerfully, and they all laughed .
Maybe it hadn't turned out how he expected. Maybe, just maybe, it had turned out better .