***
“Shane?” Chris called out when he entered Shane’s foyer the following day at noon. He started unbuttoning his shirt as he climbed the stairs. “Shane?” He called again.
Chris heard the door to Shane’s bedroom open and looked up just in time to see a shaken Shane come out of the room. Something was wrong, Chris thought as he finished the rest of the stairs in a run.
“Hey, what is it?” Chris asked as he cupped his palms around Shane’s cheeks and looked into eyes that looked upset. What scared Chris was the way Shane trembled. “Adele?”
“Sh…she’s f…fine.” Shane stuttered.
“Shane…” Chris stopped talking and simply hugged Shane fiercely. Something had obviously shaken the man but Chris wanted to calm him down first. When he felt Shane’s arms wrap around his waist, Chris hugged him even tighter. “Everything’s going to be okay.” He promised without even knowing what the problem was. Chris heard Shane breathe shakily and leaned back to look at him. “Want to tell me what happened?”
Shane unwrapped his arms from Chris’ waist and showed Chris the broken CD in his hand. “You’re not going to believe what almost happened.” He said gruffly.
“What?”
“I was in the study, working.” Shane began softly. “Adele was sleeping. I think she decided to come and look for me in here when she woke up.” Shane pointed a thumb at his door. “Of course I wasn’t there so she decided to make herself comfortable in the bed. But not before slotting in this CD…which was the only CD outside the case…”
Chris grabbed Shane’s wrist and took a closer look at the broken CD. “Don’t tell me…” He growled. “Oh fuck.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Shit, tell me she didn’t…”
“She didn’t.” Shane sighed. “I got here just in time. I came up to check up on her. Went to her room but she wasn’t there but saw my door open so… Fuck!” Shane swore. “I almost had a heart attack when I got to the door just in time to hear her squeal, Daddy excitedly. I followed her gaze and froze when I saw myself talking to Mr. Coillet on phone in the study.”
“Oh my God.” Chris breathed.
“Then I saw you enter the study and just like that, I sprang into action. The terror that gripped me at that instant unfroze me. God, that was close.” Shane moaned, burying his face against Chris’ neck. “I broke the CD into two immediately I took it out.”
“What’s she doing now?” Chris asked, rubbing Shane on the back.
“Watching cartoons.”
“And that’s what she should be watching.” Chris chuckled. “Hell, I’ll take a leaked sex tape over what almost happed, any day. At least by the time she would be old enough to see it, she would be too old to be traumatized.” Chris drawled.
“Dude, even if she’s eighty years old she’ll still be traumatized if she has to watch her Uncle Chris fuck the living daylights out of her dad. All that kinky shit you did…” Shane shuddered as he remembered. He stepped away from Chris with a groan, feeling horny all of a sudden despite his worry over the incident.
“The kinky shit I did? Wait, was I on that tape?” Chris blinked in mock innocence.
Shane gave a slight frown. “Oh right. It must have been Jim and I. My bad.” Shane made to turn away but found himself instantly pushed against the door.
“Who the fuck is Jim?” Chris growled. He knew Shane was merely joking but he still couldn’t suppress the panic.
Shane’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw the genuine fear on Chris’ face. “Hey, calm down,” Shane murmured and took Chris’ mouth in a kiss meant to do exactly that…calm him.
“Fuck.” Chris breathed when they came up for air. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
“You’re an idiot,” Shane murmured.
“I know.” Chris chuckled as he reached behind Shane to open the bedroom door. “Did you remember to book an appointment with Dr. Murray?”
“Yep. I’m to see him next week Tuesday.” Shane responded as he followed Chris into the room.
“Good,” Chris said as he pulled off his shirt, leaving his undershirt. He grinned when Adele turned to look in his direction upon hearing his voice.
“Uncle Chris.” Adele screeched and jumped out of the bed to throw herself into Chris’ outstretched arms. “You didn’t come last night.”
“I’m so sorry sweetheart,” Chris said, sitting on the bed with Adele. “It was too late to come over when I finished for the day. See I’m here early today?”
“Will you be going back to that place?” She asked, obviously referring to Chris’ office.
“Not now.” Chris bent to unzip his classy designer shoes. “I’ll leave in the evening.”
“Oh no, please don’t leave.” Adele pleaded as Shane sat at the foot of the bed and took over the task of removing Chris’ shoes and socks.
“But I have to Ade…”
“We can eat ice cream and watch movies and…and swim and tell stories…and…” The little girl trailed off, her lips trembling slightly as she tried to stop herself from bursting into tears.
“Hey, hey don’t cry Adele,” Chris said, pulling her into his arms. “I’ll stay.”
“You will?” She asked with wide eyes.
“You really thought I’d let you eat all that ice cream all by yourself?” Chris wiggled his eyebrows devilishly, making Adele laugh and roll to the other side of the abnormally big bed. Chris rolled after her, making the little girl scream with delight. They didn’t even notice when a laughing Shane left the room. And they still didn’t notice or even hear Shane come back in amidst the screams and laughter. “Gotcha.” Chris finally hugged the wriggling girl to his chest and rolled them till they hit the headboard.
It was only after they sat up against the headboard, panting harshly that they both noticed a laughing Lizzie standing beside Shane in the room. “Mummy.” Adele squealed and jumped out of the bed into her mother’s arms.
“Oh baby, I’ve missed you so much.” Lizzie laughed.
“I’ve missed you too. Have you finished your test?” Adele asked.
“No, darling. I just finished today’s. The last one is on Thursday.”
“Then my party will be on Friday.” The little girl squealed, making the three grownups laugh.
By the time Shane and Adele got back to the room after seeing Lizzie off, Chris was fast asleep. Shane quietly turned off the TV and went to the living room with Adele to continue watching her cartoons.