Page 25 of Greater than the Heart
“Nope,” the boy said defiantly.
“And why not?” Jax asked.
“No sit. Papa no sit.”
It had come back to bite him in the ass as Cade predicted, but Remy just wouldn’t sit to piss. They’d tried to figure out the best way to handle potty training, and Chloe took to it much better than Remy because Cade took her shopping for all types of character underwear and bathing suits, telling her, “You can’t wear them until you learn to use the potty because you can’t wear diapers in the pool.” It had worked like a charm. Remy didn’t seem to care.
“Well, no, I don’t, but I’m taller. You have to get taller, son,” Jax told him.
“When?” the boy asked with those startling green eyes. They were like looking into a mirror, and it made Jax’s heart skip a beat. He wasn’t partial to one or the other, but he wished his mother was still alive to see the twins. He was proud of them, and he made no distinction between them, but there was just something…
“Soon. Look, you can’t keep going in your pants. It makes a mess, and you know you can’t swim in the pool in a diaper. Daddy told you, right?” he said. Cade had tried the same trick with Remy, but it didn’t have the same effect as it had with Chloe.
As Jax watched him, he could already tell it was too late. “Stay right here,” he told him. He walked over to Chloe and smiled. “You finished, princess?” She nodded and he helped her get cleaned up before he sent her out of the room so he could change Remy.
He stripped the boy’s shorts, tossing the Spiderman underwear into the trash. He wasn’t cleaning that up.
“Look. I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll sit to potty until you’re taller if you’ll use the potty. I know you know when you need to go, so just tell us. You’re a big boy, Remy, and if you want to be able to swim this summer, well, you’re gonna have to learn to use the toilet. Are we clear?”
Jax finished stripping the boy and took him to the sink to clean him up. His gag reflex was much better when he was with Cade and Ford in a lovely sexual encounter. The smells that came from the boy nearly put him in front of the commode on his knees every time.
After the mission was accomplished, he dressed Remy in clean clothes and the two of them walked out of the bathroom to find Janelle with Chloe on her lap. They were playing a game on Jax’s phone, which was fine. Janelle had become a good friend to the family, and she was never shy about helping him with the twins.
“Thanks, Janelle. I hope she wasn’t any trouble.” He held Remy on his hip. The beautiful little boy had his arm around Jax’s neck, and his head rested on Jax’s shoulder. It was the best feeling in the world for Jax, holding his kids in his arms.
“Never. Your husband called. They’re coming for lunch. Apparently, the big blond has something on his mind.” Janelle moved out of the desk chair and put Chloe in it.
“Thanks,” he told her as he walked around the desk and picked up his daughter, placing her on his lap next to her brother. When the door closed, he hardly noticed.
“So, Daddy and Poppa are coming for lunch. What do you want to drink?” Jax asked. Looking at the amber eyes of Chloe and the light brown hair would lead one to believe she was Cade’s, but she had the same skin coloring as Ford, so he preferred to think they’d pulled off a medical miracle of some sort. The fact they even had children was really a miracle. One Jax thanked heaven for every day.
Ford packed the new picnic hamper he’d purchased, finding their old one too small for the larger family. “You sure it’s good? It doesn’t need more salt?”
Connor laughed at his badgering.
“It doesn’t need anything, Ford. Get out of here. I have a plane to catch, you know. Ash is supposed to pick me up at Logan,” the young chef said.
Cade didn’t like the fact his little brother and their chef had developed a relationship, but Ashton was attending MIT, and Connor had accepted a job at a four-star restaurant in Boston. Ford’s husbands didn’t know that either, but his news would put all that information to shame.
Ford hugged Connor. “Thank you for feeding us all these years. Please make sure Ash comes back to visit. Cade will be pissed about this, but let it remain between the brothers. We’re still family, Connor.”
He kissed Connor’s cheek before taking the hamper into his arms. He heard a sniff, but he didn’t look back. He wasn’t going to be a crybaby about another member of the family leaving. They always came back.
Forty minutes and a lot of traffic later, Ford finally arrived at the Center. He carried in the hamper, seeing the new receptionist, Pepper, at the desk. “Hi, Mr. Delacroix. You need any help?”
The woman was far too bubbly for Ford’s taste, but Jax liked her, and she seemed to be able to relate to the clientele, so Ford kept his mouth shut. “Hi, Pepper. Busy?” he asked as he stopped at the desk to be courteous.
“As always, Mr. D. They’re in the office already.” She turned to answer the phone. Apparently, everyone knew of his imminent arrival at the Center. He was a little embarrassed that so much was shared with the employees, but it was unusual the three Delacroix men had lunch together during work hours.
He opened the door and immediately felt his legs circled by two little cherubs. “Poppa!” That sound made his heart sing.
Ford handed off the hamper to Jax, after receiving a kiss on the cheek, and he knelt to pick up the twins. They were more than he ever thought he deserved. Cade walked over, tie loose around his neck, but he had that bright smile on his face that Ford remembered from the first time he’d seen the young brunet when he was moving into the apartment building where they all used to live.
They made a picnic in the floor, Jax bitching about it the whole time. Ford handed out the boxes to each member of this family with a smile.
For his husbands, Ford made salads and grilled vegetable sandwiches. For the twins, he’d made “smacaroni and cheese” as Chloe called it. There was ground broccoli and cauliflower in the cheese sauce because Connor had shown him how to hide vegetables in various dishes to ensure the twins were eating healthily.
“Ah! God bless Connor.” Jax picked up his large sandwich. Cade opened the container with salad, and he smiled. It was working out perfectly.
