Maddox let me into his wing. We had avoided Luca and Demitri on the way up, meaning I didn’t hear or see them, which I was thankful about. Since I really wasn’t sure if I could trust myself not to put my foot in my mouth and say something that was not acceptable.
The smell of food was amazing, but even more so, the sound of little feet running to the door. It wasn’t anything I ever thought I would hear around Maddox ever.
“Daddy!”
The toddler stopped at the start of the kitchen and danced excitedly, seeing Maddox. He was like a tiny Maddox through and through, the ringlets, his features, everything was Maddox.
He looked up at me with eyes almost the same as his father’s and, just like before, I ignored any of the words coming from Maddox’s mouth to look at the sweet little boy.
“Hi.” He said. His little smile was delightful. I smiled back.
“Hello.”
“Take your shoes off and come inside. Ares would probably love to show you all of his toys.” Maddox chuckled.
“Alright.”
Toeing off my shoes, I passed the end of the hall into the kitchen and Emerson turned around. Ares, now in there, yanking on his pant leg.
“Ares, go play with Daddy. I am in the kitchen and this is hot.”
The little boy stomped his foot in anger and yanked on his pant leg even more. Maddox came into the kitchen and snatched the boy. Removing him from the kitchen.
“Da said out of the kitchen, Ares. Why don’t you show Theo all your new toys from birthday?”
He looked at me from over Maddox’s shoulder and gave me a sad toddler face. But he nodded and Maddox set him down.
“Come see toys.” He said softly, Grabbing my pant leg now.
“Sure, I can’t wait to see all your toys.”
He pulled me by my pant leg right into the living room to a toy box and pointed at the box.
“Toys.”
“Why don’t you show them to me?” I asked, not really having much experience with small children.
He let go of my pant leg and went to the box and pulled out many toys. Carefully, I got down on the floor onto more of his level. He seemed instantly more thrilled to have me on his level. He grabbed a toy and sat down right in my lap.
“See.” He said, Showing me his dino toy.
“Wow, look at that. I used to have dinos like that when I was little too.”
Maddox popped out of the kitchen area and spoke.
“Ares, did you ask to make sure you were allowed to sit in Theo’s lap? Not everyone—--”
“Shh, it’s fine.” I said, waving him off with my hand.
Ares looked at me with his cute little round face and asked me a one word question.
“Sit?”
“Of course, I want to see all your dinos! Do you have more?”
“Lots!” He said excitedly and jumped out of my lap and ran back to his toy box, tossing out more toys and piling all his dinos in one place. Maddox came and sat on the couch, watching Ares and shaking his head.
“What a mess.” He said.
“Dinos.” Ares said, tossing more toys out of the box.
Emerson came from the kitchen and spotted the mess. Then the pile of dinos and snorted.
“Dinos?” He said.
“Dinos.” Maddox replied.
He sat beside Maddox on the couch and watched their son tossing out toys left, right and center around the room. When he was done tossing the toy box in the living-room, he disappeared into a side room and you could hear toys being thrown.
“He has a lot of dinos.” Emerson laughed.
“It would appear so.” I laughed.
“You can blame everyone. Andrei, Alexi, Creed, the list goes on. They bring him new dino toys all the time. They know he loves them.” Maddox said.
“I would have brought him one—--”
“No, That’s unnecessary Theo.”
“Hey. He looks like he’s missing quite a few of the other dinos, so. It is necessary.” I said.
“Different topic here, but I need to know. Did things go well with Marco?” Maddox asked.
The smile on my face dropped and Maddox looked like he might be regretting his choice of asking.
“He was alright. He gave me the dogs, my stuff, and he was polite for the most part. Aside from that, he asked me if things between Demitri and I were serious. Which I don’t know where he got that idea. He claimed he could see a protective look in Demitri’s eyes. I think it’s bullshit because he just knows that we slept—-”
“You slept with Dem?” Emerson said, interrupting me, before he quickly apologized.
“Yes, I did. Your ever so thoughtful husband brought him as a gift to my condo. Full well, knowing that man is my type.”
“I brought you protection and company. What you did with that company is your business.”
“You called him a gift!”
“I did, but to be fair—--”
Ares came back and dropped dinos at my feet.
“Dinos!” He screeched excitedly.
“Wow! Look at them all! What one is your favourite?” I asked him.
He took off again, back to his room, and I spoke.
“He’s so cute. Makes me sad Marco and I didn’t decide on having a child. We had definitely talked about it and got sperm ready for it, but when it came down to applying for the right surrogate, I was the only one who was ready. Then it was just forgotten.”
“You don’t need Marco to have a child, Theo.” Maddox said, his husband agreeing with him.
“I’m far too busy for a child now.”
“That might change one day.” Emerson said, looking at the pile of forgotten dinos on the floor.
Maddox stood up and walked around the toys.
“He’s been too quiet now, for too long. He’s a Vincent. He’s getting into things.” He said, heading into the bedroom.
“We are in the stage that nothing can be left down or Ares is hands deep into it. Maddox is forever putting things up so he can’t paint the house with them.”
“I see.”
Maddox came out a minute later, and the toddler was covered head to toe in white.
“Ares is very moisturized now. He won’t need any lotion before bed for like weeks. But we need new baby cream.” He sighed, heading to another place with him.
“Are you going to b.a.t.h.e him?” Emerson asked.
“If I must.” Maddox said, almost sighing, disappearing into the bathroom.
Emerson started to chuckle and looked at me before patting the couch.
“Enjoy the next ten to twenty seconds of silence. Once that mini Maddox realizes his dad is going to baptize him in soapy water, it will sound like Maddox is murdering his shadow.”
“Ahh. Pleasant.”
“Method to my madness. I birthed his shadow. Now he gets to bathe his shadow.”
“Fair enough. It’s crazy how much he looks like Maddox.”
“From day one. Spitting image of Maddox. I’m not sure where I even contributed to that little boy.”
Getting off the floor, I sat on the couch beside him and he pulled out his phone, and started showing me photos of Ares as a baby and Maddox holding him.
“I never thought Maddox would ever be a dad or a husband.”
“Neither did he, but he tells me all the time how happy he is that I gave him all this. But really, he saved my life and gave me all this.” Emerson said, smiling softly.
“It’s nice to see him like this. He never would have let me into his inner circle like this before.” I said.
Ares started screaming, and Emerson chuckled.
“Don’t let this put you off of children. If you want one or more, trust me. Don’t hesitate.” He laughed.
We talked more until the screaming stopped and Maddox opened the bathroom door and a very upset duck stomped out of the bathroom. He stopped and looked at Emerson before he spoke.
“Fuck this.”
He said it very clearly, and Emerson started to cackle. But Maddox, on the other hand, sighed.
“Ares. No. What did Da and I tell you about that word? It’s bad.”
Maddox followed the angry towel duck toddler into his bedroom and Emerson spoke.
“He heard me say it one and from there, anytime Ares is dissatisfied or upset, we get ‘Fuck this.’ and god every time I can’t help myself, I roll with laughter.”
“I’m shocked he didn’t learn it from Maddox.”
“Maddox accidentally taught him ‘bullshit.’ so neither of us is winning at this point.”
While Emerson went to check on dinner, the angry duck and Maddox returned. He was in a footed onesie now and had a blanket with him.
“Get up on the couch and sit down and I’ll put on tv.”
“Tv.” He said.
“Yes.” Maddox said.
He got up on the couch beside me, and his little curls were so much curler now. It reminded me of my hair. That was a Vincent trait. Maddox joined Emerson in the kitchen and the toddler was glued to me. He stretched out against me and looked up at me, his thumb in his mouth. There was no way I could refuse this kid. He was adorable. I understood how the rest of them were suckered into buying him dinos.
Maddox flicked on the tv, and spoke.
“Dinner will be a few more minutes. I’m just going to help Emerson finish up. Ares should be pretty wrapped up in his tv show.”
“Alright,”
I watched the Tv with Ares, and I watched him slowly pass out in my lap. I used his forgotten blanket to cover him up. When the show ended, Maddox came out before he could speak. I hushed him.
“He’s sleeping.”
Maddox crept closer and looked over the couch arm.
“Sorry Theo, I’ll move him.”
“It’s alright, he’s not bothering me.”
“You don’t need to speak so softly. That kid will sleep through anything.”
“Alright.”
“Emerson will come grab him probably when he’s done, so he can make sure he eats. But also so you can get dinner too.”
“Sounds good.”
Maddox walked back to the kitchen and I could hear them talking, but couldn’t make out the words. I watched the cartoon on the tv, checking on Ares every few minutes to make sure he was still ok and sleeping soundly.
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