Page 24 of Greater than the Heart
They’d suffered through doctors’ visits for immunizations and the crabby babies who were suffering because they were teething. They’d tried to mediate the biting years—Chloe was the biter, and poor Remy became her primary target. Cade, who didn’t have a disciplinarian bone in his body, had a few scars on his hands from the girl as well because baby teeth were like razor blades when they sunk into flesh.
As the years went by, each man assumed a role in the family which always had Sela and Carlotta laughing when the large group spent time together. Cade, the most sensitive of the three, became the nurturer. When anything bad happened, he held them and reminded them they were loved deeply. Katrina told him he spoiled them, but Cade said there was no such thing as spoiling children with love.
Ford became the researcher in the family. Anything that came up, be it a mosquito bite or an ear infection, he knew the best way to care for the affliction, and he became the one who communicated with the doctors, often giving the pediatrician unwanted advice. “Should we give her antibiotics? What aboutdrug resistance when she’s older? I read an article in the New England Journal of Medicine…”
The doctors were never rude. For the most part, they listened to Ford before they turned to Cade or Jax and stated the diagnosis and the necessary medical treatment.
Jax became the court jester in the family. His entire purpose in life seemed to be to make his children laugh and encourage them to be active. He hired a woman at the gym to provide “Mommy & Me” exercise classes, which he and Cade attended with the twins three times a week.
They added a babysitting service for the clients using the rehab facility and the members of the gym who had small children. Jax liked to take the babies with him to work, and when he had a client, he took them to Marla, the lady who ran the service.
She loved playing with them, and he was only away from them an hour or so at a time, choosing to keep them in the play yard he had in his office so he could interact with them throughout the day.
Ford and Cade were still running Fairytails,and Cleveland was the manager, handling all aspects of the bar except for the performers who were handled by Griff, and the books which were generally handled by Cade.
Most of the time Ford sat on his ass, wondering what to do with his time. Some days, he would take off for a few hours during the day to go to the Center to see the babies and Jax. He felt like a man without a country, and he was unsettled.
One day in late spring just before the twins’ third birthday, Ford called Cade. “Fairytails. Kincade Delacroix speaking.”
Ford smiled. “Hey, sweetheart. How’s everything?” He’d stayed home that day and was getting ready to go to the Wellness Center to talk to Jax about an idea.
“Griff and I were just discussing his idea regarding a fundraiser for ‘Malcolm’s Kitchen’. It’s the new place inBoystown. It’s a soup kitchen that’s opening at the old location where the shelter used to be. I think it’s worthwhile, what do you think?” Cade asked.
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Say, I wondered if you could get away from the club around lunchtime. I’d like us to have lunch together, the three of us,” Ford said.
“S-s-sure.” Cade stammered.
Ford laughed. “It’s nothing bad, okay? I want to bounce something off the two of you, and I wouldn’t mind seeing our son and daughter. I’ll bring lunch.”
Cade agreed, offering to alert Jax, and after Ford finished the call, he hurried downstairs to the kitchen. “Okay, Chef. Teach away. I want to take lunch to my family. Show me what you have,” Ford instructed Connor.
It was a secret he’d been keeping, just like his potential plans. He hoped his husbands would agree because he believed they needed to be more structured. He had a presentation at the ready. It was the most important presentation of his life.
After Cade hung up with Ford, he called Jax at the Center. He’d been worried about Ford of late. The handsome blond didn’t seem to want to do much at the club, having promoted Cleveland to manage it and having surrendered the books to Cade, telling him it was in his bailiwick. Cade had never heard the term before in his life, so he looked that one up.
“Chicago Area Wellness Center. This is Janelle,” Cade heard.Shewas the tart who had been after Jackson for years until she finally figured out the big man loved cock—twice over. After shefinally accepted she wasn’t going to be able to tempt him away from his two husbands, she was actually nice. It happened about the same time her sister became their Lamaze coach.
“Hello, Janelle. It’s Cade. Is Jax available?” He’d called Jax’s private line, and he was surprised she’d answered.
“He’s in the men’s locker room, and I’m looking after two of the cutest little kids I’ve ever wanted to kidnap.” Janelle’s voice had a teasing tone.
Cade laughed. “Okay. Well, wewillhunt you down to find our babies. Anyway, could you let Jax know Ford and I will be coming to the Center for lunch? Ford’s bringing the food. If it’s a problem, tell him to work it out. Ford wants to talk to us about something.”
“Sure. What time?”
Cade told her twelve thirty and then hung up, going back to his book work. Quarterly taxes were coming due, and he’d fired the accountant.
The man’s fees were exorbitant, and Cade could do the taxes himself. It was finally his turn to give something back to the two men he loved.
He felt very grown up, as a matter of fact. The fact he was about to look thirty in the face had a lot to do with it, and of course, his husbands had no sympathy. They were in their mid-thirties. Time marched on.
“Who needs to potty?” Jax took the twins into the private bathroom he had in his office.
There were his-and-her potty chairs inside, and the training had been going better with Chloe. She would tell him when she had to go, but Remy was stubborn as a mule.
He had flaming red hair, and nobody disputed the probability he was Jax’s son. That would explain the temperament as well.
“Me, Papa,” Chloe told him as she pulled off her “Dori” panties and sat on the little potty. He looked at Remy and smiled. “How about you, Champ?”
