Page 20 of Bear’s House

"I know, Daddy," Mikey said, with that good-boy smile of his. "Food first, then dessert."

"That's my boy," I said.

Sawyer headed toward the food counter. Mikey trotted after him immediately, still clutching his toy ladle in one hand, already animatedly telling Sawyer what he wanted.

JJ did not move.

"JJ," I said.

"I'm literally not hungry at all," he said, not looking up from the LEGO structure. He and Henry had apparently reached a ceasefire on the architecture dispute and were now building in focused silence, which lasted right up until the moment he sensed my attention on him and went very still.

"I didn't ask if you were hungry," I said. "I asked you to go with your brothers."

"But Daddy…"

"JJ."

"It's just that we're in the middle of something really important and if I leave now the whole structural integrity of the tower is going to…"

"James Joseph."

The LEGO brick he was holding went down very carefully onto the mat. Henry, with the self-preservation instincts of someone who had been around long enough to know what that tone meant, leaned slightly away and became very interested in a different section of the structure.

JJ looked up at me. He read my face. His mouth opened, then closed.

"Fine," he said, and stood up as if he was being asked to march to his own execution. He shuffled toward the food counter with his arms crossed and his bottom lip out, pausing once to look back at the LEGO tower with genuine grief.

"JJ," I said, without raising my voice. "You're going to go back to your LEGO tower right after you eat, sweetheart. But it's time to eat now. Non-negotiable."

"I said fine!"

"Watch your tone, brat, or I'll go over there and warm your behind."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," he said, realizing I was serious. Disrespect was not something I tolerated.

He turned back around and kept walking.

I could hear that Mikey was already happily telling Sawyer he wanted chicken nuggets and also could he please have the fruit cup and also was there chocolate milk because he thought he saw chocolate milk on the menu. Sawyer was nodding at each item with the patience of a much older brother. JJ arrived, still sulking, planted himself beside them, and crossed his arms.