Eziah’s hands start slapping my legs, and he blows spit bubbles excitedly, and I smile at him. Jonah leans over Marabella making funny faces at her, making her giggle, and Marge hands me some tissues to wipe off Eziah’s drool-covered chin. I clean his face just as Andrei walks back in. He says nothing, and I can tell something upsets him.
“I want his background checked first, email everything over to me,” he says before hanging up. Derrick leans on the counter, his eyes on Jonah, and I know I won’t like whatever it is. We sit in intense silence, and Andrei’s eyes are stuck on the wall behind Derrick, he won’t look at me even when I reach over and squeeze his hand.
Hearing the roller shutters start opening, we hear footsteps on the stairs. We wait, and the kids play with Jonah munching on the sandwich Marge made him. After about twenty minutes, Kat walks in fully dressed and stops in the doorway. Andrei laughs at her blushing cheeks, and I can tell she will pretend like nothing has happened.
“There’s the little fornicator,” Andrei blurts, and Derrick throws a tea towel at him, hitting him in the face. Mateo walks in, not a care in the world, flicking the kettle on. Ezra, too, doesn’t seem to care, more focused on following Kat everywhere she moves, his hand or body touching her somehow.
Eziah cackles loudly, and I look over at Marabella, who has fallen asleep. Marge also notices, walks over, scoops her up before wrapping an arm around Eziah’s waist.
“Did you want to help put them to bed?” Marge asks Kat, she looks at her kids in Marge’s arms before smiling sadly and shaking her head.
“You can do it if you want,” Kat says, and I can see her eyes train on them, worry etched into her face. Marge nods. Jonah jumps up and rushes off after her and stops next to Marge. “You can help if you want,” Marge tells him, and he follows after her. The silence becomes awkward, and Andrei, I can feel, is egging to taunt his sister, feeling it bubbling in him to poke fun at her.
“What a day,” Andrei sighs heavily. Ezra smirks at him, and Derrick groans, running his fingers through his hair and glaring at Andrei in warning.
“Yep, so Kat.”
“Andrei!” Kat grits out through clenched teeth glaring at him. “Zip it, we don’t need to mention it!” She snaps at him. Derrick rubs his temples, and I see his cheeks puff out.
“What! No need to be ashamed, everyone does it”, Andrei taunts.
“Geez, they bicker like teenagers,” Derrick mutters.
“Never knew you were into public displays, never took you for the type,” Andrei chuckles, and Kat glares at him, as her face slowly starts to resemble a tomato.
“Yep, and I am out,” Derrick says, stalking off, and Andrei laughs.
“Andrei! Dad was right there, why would you say that?” She snaps at him.
“Ha, exactly, how did you explain the kids to him, immaculate conception?” Andrei chuckles, and her face turns even more red.
“Leave her alone,” I tell him, slapping his arm, and he chuckles.
“I don’t get it, it’s fine to talk about your non-existent sex life, but when it is about me, you make it out to be wrong,” Kat spits at him.
“That’s because no father wants to hear about the pounding his daughter just took.”
“Right, that’s it, you’re disgusting,” Kat shrieks, shoving past Ezra. Andrei takes off as Kat chases after him, and I hear their laughter as she tries to get a hold of him.
“Oi, no running in the halls… Andrei put her down, she isn’t a teabag,” Derrick scolds. I chuckle, listening to Kat screech at her brother before he grunts.
“Low blow Kat!” Andrei croaks.
“Serve you right, you could have dropped her on her head!”
I hear a soft thud. “That hurt you bastard,” Kat groans. Mateo and Ezra chuckle, also finding their sibling spat entertaining.
“I will get the spatula, neither of you is too big for me to spank,” Derrick warns, and I laugh.
“Whatever, old man,” Andrei taunts before Kat walks in, rubbing her arm.
“Where the heck were you? Shouldn’t you be defending my honor?” She spits at Ezra and Mateo.
“He gave me a dead arm,” she whines before she glares at her mates.
Andrei comes back in, smirking and leaning on the doorframe when Jonah bursts in the door. “Look what Marge gave me,” he says, rushing in with a paper pirate hat on his head.
Andrei’s eyes flicker as he looks down at Jonah, his face hardens, and he swallows, sadness creeps into him and me through the bond. Kat also notices the change in him.
“Everything ok?” She asks him. Andrei clears his throat.
“Yep, but we should get going. Dad, are you coming back with us or staying at Kat’s?” Andrei calls out. We all stare shocked, Kat stunned, and I don’t think Andrei has realized what he said. None of us says anything, but I see Kat’s lips tug up at Andrei, calling him dad.
“Dad?” Jonah says, confused, looking up at him. Andrei looks down at him, realizing what he called out, his brows furrow, but he doesn’t seem bothered.
“Derrick is my dad,” he tells Jonah.
“Then why do you call him Derrick?” Jonah asks just as Derrick walks in, scooping up Jonah.
“Because he has two dads, it’s easier to tell us apart,” Derrick tells him. Andrei nods at the acknowledgment but adds nothing else.
“Come on, you can sit in my car, we can get milkshakes on the way home,” Derricks tells him.
“Give you two a chance to talk,” Derrick says, nodding to me. Andrei nods, and we all say our goodbyes. Andrei’s mood plummets further as we get in the car.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him after silence for twenty minutes of our drive.
“They found a relative who wants to take Jonah in,” he says, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.
“Who?” I ask, looking away from him, unable to watch the hurt I see on his face.
“An uncle, his name is Clive,” Andrei sighs before brushing his fingers through his hair.
“When?” I ask, looking out the window. My chest constricts like I am being suffocated. I don’t want him to leave, I want him with us, where we know he will be safe. I wish he was ours. Ours to keep, and the very thought of Jonah leaving us crushes me.
“Clive wants to pick him up tomorrow,” Andrei says. I nod, not knowing what else to say.