Page 33 of Baby Boy

“I finished!” Avery practically shouted. He jumped out of his seat and bounced on his toes. “I finished my first picture, Daddy.”

Jace grinned. He made sure the stove was off before wiping his hands on the towel. Strolling over, his heart ached with the pleasure radiating off his boy. “Can I see?”

“Yes!” Avery grabbed the book from the table and shoved it at him.

Laughing, Jace took it before he flipped to the only page done. “This is good!” he praised.

“Yeah?” Avery asked shyly.

“Fridge-worthy,” Jace announced.

“Huh?”

Hadn’t Avery had any of his pictures put up on a fridge, growing up? “Here, watch,” he said. Jace set the book on the table before he started to remove the picture.

“No!” Avery slapped his hands down. Tears filled his eyes.

“Baby—”

“Don’t tear it, Daddy,” Avery pleaded. “I know I colored outside the lines but I tried. The crayons are fatter than my pencils.”

One tear dropped down his cheek.Fuck.Jace’s heart was breaking. “Come here, baby boy.” Jace say and pulled Avery into his lap. “I’m not tearing it,” he told him. “Look, see these lines?” he asked.

Avery leaned forward then nodded.

“That’s so I can remove the page from the book and hang it on the fridge.”

“Oh.” Avery looked to the fridge then back to the book. “Why?”

“So, every time I come into the kitchen, I can see the picture my boy made for me.”

Avery blushed. “Sorry I’m so stupid.” He looked down and pulled at his fingers.

“No,” Jace barked.

Avery jumped.

“You are not stupid,” he said firmly. Jace grasped Avery’s chin and raised his head. “If you don’t know something, it makes you smart to ask questions.”

“I should have known that,” Avery said quietly. “I was just so proud that I did it and I thought you didn’t like it.”

“I love it,” he assured his boy. “That why I wanted to put it on the fridge. Here, you can help me.”

“Okay.”

Jace kept Avery tucked against him as he bent over the table and finished removing the picture. Then he patted his boy’s hip and Avery scooted off his lap. He took Avery’s hand and led him to the fridge.

“Which magnet should we use?” Jace questioned.

Avery sucked on his bottom lip as he decided. Jace didn’t rush him. He was learning that Avery put a lot of thought into everything he did. Avery reached out and pointed at the magnet with a dog from the local pet shelter. Jace had gotten it when he’d made a donation to the shelter.

“Good choice,” Jace said. He hung up the picture. “Now clean up the crayons so we can eat, please.”

Avery nodded.

Jace returned to plating the food as Avery spent a few moments staring at the picture before going to the table. He cleaned up and was ready by the time Jace set the kid divided plate in front of Avery.

Avery’s eyes were wide. Jace had cut up the pancakes into bite size then added syrup in one of the compartments for dipping. He’d also made bacon.

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