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Why had I decided this was a good idea?
Austin’s insanity was clearly contagious.
“Would you like to color with us?” Jarrett’s deep, even voice made the question sound so reasonable, I found myself nodding.
“Yes. That sounds like fun.” At the very least, it sounded like something I couldn’t easily fuck up and it would keep me from hovering awkwardly. “Should I come sit down?”
Stupid question.
Very stupid question.
In my defense, the whole situation was new, so I was going to cut myself some slack and admit to being a very confused Dom. But nothing in his expression said he thought it was stupid. In fact, he nodded and took it very seriously. “Yes, why don’t you sit between Charlie and Dessie. They’re having trouble playing nicely.”
That seemed too obvious to comment on, so I just nodded as I moved deeper into the toy-filled space and sat down between the two wide-eyed boys he’d gestured toward. “What are we coloring?”
“Animals and trains.” Jarrett held up two papers and offered them to me. “Which would you like?”
Every eye was still on me, so I took the zoo animal page. “It seems fitting.”
That had something flashing in his eyes that said he’d gotten the humor but he was taking everything very seriously still. “Good choice.”
Barely pausing, he looked at the cutie on my right. “Charlie has animals too.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a hint or just a way to include the littles in the conversation but I followed his cue and glanced over at the little who looked like he was one deep breath away from bolting. “I like your elephant.”
Silence stretched out before he slowly held out the brownish-orange crayon that he’d been planning on throwing at the little on the other side of me. I wasn’t sure what to say as I took it, so I kept it simple. “Thank you.”
Since that seemed to mean the lions on my page should be orange, I turned my focus back to them and started coloring. My nonchalant attitude seemed to have the desired consequence, and after a moment, they all let out a breath and it was like reality snapped back into place.
Coloring resumed and Gideon, who I thought had been trying to decide if he was going to climb behind his Daddy, inched closer to the table. Jarrett patted his back and kissed his head. “I need a new picture for the fridge. What are you going to make me?”
Glad that seemed to mean Gideon wasn’t worried any longer, I focused on the other little beside me. “I like your train. Purple is very pretty.”
Dessie didn’t look nearly as nervous as some of the others and shoved his paper over toward me as he grinned. “Fast.”
“They look very fast.” Pointing at one of the other trains, I cocked my head. “What color is that one going to be?”
He gave me a very serious thinking face and then frowned at the table as he started sorting through the thousand options that were stretched out between the cuties.
But the decision seemed to require a lot of concentration, so I turned back to my other charge and looked at his page. “Is that a baby elephant?”
Charlie slowly nodded, still watching me like I was going to jump out and go boo at any moment. The binkie in his mouth stayed firmly in place but he pointed to the baby. “I bet that’s a very smart baby. Elephants are very smart.”
My conversational skills were severely lacking but no one seemed to mind how I was awkwardly repeating myself.
“Birds are smart too.” Yep, I was a genius. “I have a friend with a parrot that talks.”
And every eye in the room was back on me again.
“I can’t tell you what he says, though, because he’s naughty.” I glanced over at Jarrett, who was trying not to smile. “Your friend here wouldn’t be happy with me.”
Dessie giggled as he colored his train with enthusiasm. “Uncle Jarrett.”
Got it.
Leaning closer to the chattier little, I gave a low stage whisper. “Uncle Jarrett wouldn’t want me to tell you the birdie has a potty mouth.”
Snickers and giggles swept through the room, and right on cue, Uncle Jarrett rolled his eyes. “You’d better not tell them what that bird says.”
