BROCK’S PANCAKES were misshapen and odd, but he was inordinately proud of them. He and Josie had made them, under Eric’s seated supervision, and they had chocolate chips in them and they were actually edible. Josie was now a sticky mess, her face equal parts syrup, chocolate, and whipped cream.
They’d had a nice morning, though.
He hadn’t realized just how much having Tim McCarthy out there had been weighing on him. Eric looked more relaxed, too, and the paleness that had come with yesterday’s overdoing had given way to a healthier pink. Eric wouldn’t be running marathons soon, but he no longer looked like walking a few steps would send him back to the hospital. Hell, Eric’d even felt good enough to call Jack, talk about the christening for the new baby.
“What did you want to do today?” he asked Josie. The nanny wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.
“Want to swim-swim!”
Eric chuckled, grinned.
“You do?” He gave Eric a wink. “In the tub?”
She opened her mouth, stopped. “Daddy Bee? Where’s your backyard?”
What? “I don’t have a backyard, honey.”
“Why not? Where would you put a pool?”
“Oh, there’s a pool and a workout room up on the roof.”
“Show me!”
“Jo,” Eric interrupted. “You ask nicely.”
Brock laughed. He couldn’t help it.
Josie pouted. “I want the pool, please.”
“Sure. We can take the elevator so Daddy can come with us. They’ve got deck chairs and everything.”
“What? I don’t get to swim?” Eric asked.
“No.” He didn’t even hesitate.
“No?” Eric looked honestly surprised.
“I go get my suit.” Josie stood, chocolate and whipped cream going everywhere.
Brock winced. The cleaning lady wasn’t coming in until tomorrow. “Josie, wait, honey. You need to get hosed down first.” Or at least cleaned off with some paper towels.
Eric chuckled softly.
“Easy for you to laugh, you don’t have to clean the mess up.”
“You know I’ll help.”
“No, I don’t. What I know is that you’ll sit there and let me do it under threat of me cuffing you to the bed and calling the day nurse back in.” He gave Eric his best “I am deadly serious” look. “And I know you thought Mark was cute, but I’d rather not have to have him back.”
“He was cute, but he wasn’t you.” Eric’s eyes twinkled. “Or queer.”
“You asked?”
“Sure. Didn’t you?”
“No, I did not.” He’d only had eyes for Eric.
“Well, I wanted to know. I didn’t want a homophobe making money off you.”
“Awww. That’s sweet, baby.” He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on Eric’s cheek. “Just for that, I’ll grope you in the elevator.”
“Promises, promises.” Eric looked at him. “You were jealous.”
He shrugged. Maybe a little.
“Don’t be. I only want you.”
“That works for me.” He bent and kissed Eric, on the mouth this time.
Eric smiled for him, tongue sliding on his bottom lip. He hummed into the kiss; he wished sex wasn’t on the forbidden list, he really did. Still, as sore as Eric was, he could be patient. He could.
Damn it.
Besides, a pint-sized interruption was coming skipping out of her room, dressed in a little bikini, complete with pink bows.
“Ready!”
Eric grinned, shook his head. “You are. Did you get a towel?”
She waved it proudly at her daddy.
“Yep, it looks like she’s ready. Now you’re going to have to wait for me to get my bathing suit on.”
“Me, too?” Eric turned hopeful eyes on him.
“You can come up with us and sit in the lovely deck chairs. They’re very comfortable.” He was not letting Eric swim. No way.
Eric stuck his tongue out. He stuck his out, too.
“Bad daddies. Not nice.” The proclamation was as serious as it could be.
He had to bite his tongue hard to keep from laughing. He tousled her hair. “Sorry, honey. Let me go get changed and we can go find the pool.” He gave Eric a fond look, blew his lover a kiss.
“Daddy, can I have a juice?” He heard the idle chatter fading behind him.
It took him a few minutes to remember where his swimming trunks were, but he had them on soon enough. He pulled on a T-shirt as well and grabbed a couple of towels before heading back into the kitchen.
Josie was on the kitchen floor on her towel, on her belly, swimming. Eric was standing and laughing at her.
“Wow, look at your form!” Brock chuckled and moved in to support Eric if his lover needed it.
Eric leaned against him, panted, and laughed.
“Come on, you silly geese, let’s go swim.”
They headed outside for the first time without worrying, without stress. Not that they were going far, just to the elevator and up a floor. Still, it felt good to do.
He hit the call button for the elevator.
“Daddy Bee! I push the button!”
“Oops. Sorry, honey. Why don’t you press it again? I bet it’ll come quicker if you do.”
“Push the button!” She bounced, pushing the button again and again.
“Good save, Bee.”
“Thank you.”
The elevator doors opened and they went in. “You can push this button, too, honey. It’s the very top one.”
“The tippity-top one.” She pushed it and laughed, dancing in the elevator, watching herself in the mirrors.
“How’re you doing?” he asked Eric quietly as the elevator doors opened out onto the pool level.
“I’m sore today. Glad to be alive.”
“That makes two of us.” He kissed Eric and then led them off the elevator into the pool area.
Josie squealed, heading straight for the water.
“Jo!”
“Josie!”
They spoke together, and then Eric squeezed his hand. “You can lay down the law. I’ll go watch.”
He swept Josie up. “There’s some rules here, honey. And these are important rules. If you don’t follow them, we leave. Okay?”
Her eyes were wide, and she nodded.
“No going in the water without Daddy or me being in the water. I know you want to play, but no playing in the water if you don’t have a daddy in there with you.”
“Okay, Daddy Bee. I promise.”
“And you never come up here alone. Not ever.”
“No. No, Josie doesn’t go outside by herself.”
“Good girl.”
He went over to the edge of the pool and toed off his sandals. “You wanna go in?”
“You first.”
“That’s right. Although I have a better idea. How about we go in together?” He stepped right to the edge.
“No. No, you first. I scared.”
Oh. So much for jumping in with her. She was probably used to one of those tiny kiddie pools, not a full-sized adult one. “Okay, honey.” He set her down and jumped in, biting back a shout—it was cold.
He held his arms out to her and she breathed deep, twice, then jumped.
He caught her before her face could go in, laughing. “Way to go!”
“Cold!” She laughed and squealed, climbing up his chest while Eric snorted.
“A little bit. We’ll get used to it quickly, though.” He started to bounce, bringing her in and out of the water.
She splashed with him, laughing happily, hands banging at the water.
“You wanna try swimming, honey? Face in the water?”
“You hold me, Daddy Bee?”
“Of course I will. One hand on your stomach, the other ready to swoop in and catch you.”
She grabbed on to his arm and held her nose. “Like this?”
“That’s a start.” He moved in big circles, dragging her around in the water. “Kick your legs!”
She squeezed her eyes closed tight, lips puckered as she flailed. God, she was cute. He glanced over at Eric, smiling. Eric was watching, eyes warm. Eric looked good. Brock kept “swimming” with Josie for a while, and then righted her again. “Good job, honey.”
“I swimmed, Daddy!”
“I saw you, Jo! You’re a natural.”
“You want another go or do you want to play with your toys on the deck?” Brock asked.
“Want more, Daddy Bee!” She was getting tired; he could see it in her eyes.
“Just a little bit, honey. And then we’ll get out and keep Daddy company.”
She nodded, kicking and splashing. Soon, though, her sounds were frustrated, tired.
“Okay, let’s go keep Daddy company. He looks lonely there by himself.”
The pout was stopped by his words, and she went, bare feet slapping as she barreled toward Eric.
“Careful, honey. Remember his stomach is sore.” He hauled himself out of the water.
She looked at him, frowned thunderously. “Not your daddy. My daddy.”
“I know, honey, but he still isn’t feeling very well and you need to be a little bit careful of him.”
Josie pouted, then suddenly burst into tears. “No! No careful! No bad boys! No! No no no!”
“Whoa! Honey!” He grabbed her up and held her close, patting her little back. “It’s okay, honey. It’s okay. The bad boys are gone.”
He met Eric’s eyes over her shoulder. Eric nodded to him, sighed softly. He carried her over to where Eric was sitting and sat down next to him, still holding her tight. “It’s all right, honey.”
“No. No. No bad boys. No hurting. No more, Daddy Bee. P’ease.”
“I know, honey. No more. I promise. The bad boys are gone. Daddy just has to get better now, okay?”
She bobbed her head, leaning into him and crying hard. He looked at Eric, who nodded and mouthed, “She’s got to let it out, Brock.”
Right. Brock nodded back. He held her and let her cry, rocking with her and gently patting her back. Eventually she just eased off, falling asleep against his chest.
“God. She breaks my heart, baby.”
“She’s got to work through it, I guess.” Eric sighed. “I’m glad she trusts you.”
“Do you think something happened to her while they had her? Do you think she needs to see someone?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, no one found anything. Do you think my mother instigated all of this?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it’s kind of looking that way, isn’t it? I mean, she had the connection to the day care. Tim said she’s the one who told them you were hurting Josie. Why would she do that if she didn’t want something like this to happen? Hell, Josie said she was supposed to come get her.”
“Why? Why does she hate me so much?”
“I don’t know, baby. I don’t understand it. Parents are supposed to love their kids.”
“I don’t, either.” Eric’s eyes were on him. “You’re her parent, you know? Through and through.”
“Well, I love her. And I can’t imagine my life without her, and you, in it.” Unbelievable as it might seem, that was the truth.
“I bet your business wishes we’d go away.”
Brock laughed, surprised by the comment. “Maybe. Too bad.”
“I love you.” Eric reached out, stroked his cheek.
He nuzzled into the touch, nodded. “Me too.”
“Come on. Let’s take her home. We’ll slip a Pull-Up on her and let her nap.”
“Okay.” He got up, still holding her in one arm, and held his other hand out to Eric. To take his family home.