Page 54 of Bear Creek Father's Day
Zak agreed. The orphan homes were chronically underfunded, and it wouldn’t be fair for them to take advantage of the Cub House simply because Orrin worked there and lived next door.
“No problem. We can afford to take care of ourselves and reimburse the Cub House for anything we eat or use. Will… will Rayn and Kip be lonely over here with just us?”
Orrin shook his head.
“I don’t think so. There will always be a houseful of cubs to play with until they start Kindergarten, and then they’ll also have classmates and school friends. Plus, Zuzu, Griffin, Fort, Scout, and Birdy will still be around, and we can arrange playdates if they miss one another. This group as we know it may drift apart as they age, but that’s normal too, so I’m not expecting any issues. Having their own home and family is the new thing in their lives, and it should ground them. If they’re happy here with us, the rest will fall into place.”
Zak trusted Orrin’s judgement. After all, he had the training and experience to know what the kids needed and how to spotproblems before they got out of hand. A glance at his watch told Zak that naptime might be over soon, and he had more questions for Orrin.
“When I was working on the entertainment center earlier, I wondered if you liked movies or dancing. What do you think?”
Orrin gave Zak a happy growl or two and kissed his cheek.
“No one’s ever asked me that before. I watch stuff with the kids, but it would be great to see an adult film every once in a while. I don’t care for dark themes or action flicks, but I’d enjoy almost anything else. As for dancing… you already know that most shifters lack rhythm. Unless we’re at a human wedding or something, I wouldn’t risk embarrassing myself in public. But, if you want to cut the rug with me in our living room, I could be persuaded.”
A mischievous gleam appeared in Zak’s eyes as he stood up, holding Orrin tight. He skirted the sofa, put the man down, and brought up some slow dance music on his phone. Then came the instructions.
“Sway with me. Copy what I do if it helps, but all we’re really doing is moving with the music. Put your hands on my hips or shoulders, and off we’ll go.”
Orrin did as instructed, blushing like a bride. He stumbled a few times, but Zak just kept going without making him feel clumsy. After a minute or so, they were in sync, and Zak pulled his man closer, so their bodies were touching. Orrin shivered and purred as the extra contact made the movements more sensual, and both men got hard. Zak leaned in for a teasing kiss, and suddenly Orrin’s coordination fell apart. Zak held him close, lips locked, and swayed back and forth without moving his feet. Lost in oneanother, they didn’t notice that Kip and Rayn had gotten up to watch them.
“What do’in Papas?”
The pair stopped kissing and started laughing. This right here was a perfect example of parenthood, though being cockblocked by a couple of three-year-olds was rather sobering. Orrin answered Kip’s question.
“We were dancing. Maybe Papa Zak has a better song we can use to teach you.”
Stifling an evil chuckle, Zak linked his phone to the stereo and brought up ‘Splish Splash I was Taking a Bath.’ He grabbed one of Kip’s hands and started gyrating to the music. Orrin did the same with Rayn, and they bopped all over the living room, laughing hysterically until the song ended. Kip’s idea of dancing was jumping up and down, while Rayn thrust her arms in the air and swayed like a willow in the breeze. The kids were having fun, and as neither Zak nor Orrin had cut loose like that in ages—flying high on endorphins.
While Zak gave the children a lesson on the different styles of music (with examples), Orrin took the popcorn bowls to the kitchen for a quick wash. When that was done, he looked through the fridge and freezer to see what he could whip up for supper. He was saved from further consideration by a text message and looked at his phone. Tasha had sent a photo of a freshly delivered mountain of boxes on the front step, along with a brief message.
“They couldn’t find your door and left everything here. Do you want to come and get them?”
>Sure. Be right there.
Orrin hollered for the troops, and they made their way through the Cub House to the front door. Zak’s jaw dropped when he saw the ginormous pile.
“What is all of that?”
Orrin turned red as a fire hydrant.
“Just some books I ordered for the kids. I, uh, may have overdone it.”
Kip and Rayn were tasked with holding the connecting door open while their daddies trooped back and forth with heavy boxes. It took numerous trips to get everything moved, now piled up in the living room. During the process, Orrin had barely spoken, and Zak detected a sour note in his scent—probably angry with himself for going a bit overboard. The sweet man hadn’t done anything wrong, and Zak was not about the let this ruin their first day together. When the transfer of boxes was complete, he pulled Orrin into his arms and kissed him.
“I’m not upset, and you shouldn’t feel bad. My mom is a librarian, so I had tons of great books growing up, and now our kids will too. Just think of all the fun we’ll have reading to them. Besides, books are an investment in their future.”
Orrin looked hopeful.
“Exactly! The Cub House can’t afford to buy books, which is why we use the library so much. I was excited to get copies for our kids to use at home, and, well…thanks for understanding.”
Zak stole a few more kisses before Orrin asked him to help set up the waiting bookcases on either side of the gas log fireplace. He wanted to recreate the ambiance of story time that the children were used to next door, and while Zak wasn’t opposed to the idea, it was a big project to tackle so close to supper.
Kip and Rayn were excited to see many of their favorites, either singles or complete series, along with a lot of new titles. Orrin explained that he’d asked Jameson at the library for his recommendations before placing the order. Along with the novels and classics, he’d ordered a series of age-appropriate instructional books on every subject under the sun: science, history, outer space, weather, bugs, animals, farms, medicine, national parks, and famous people to name a few.
While Orrin did a preliminary shelving, Zak took the leftover cardboard outside which cleared the living room floor. By then, everyone was hungry and Orrin decided to make breakfast for supper. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, and fruit filled hungry bellies, and they enjoyed cookies from the Red Barn for dessert. Since the kids were used to an evening routine, they played a simple card game after supper and then went upstairs for bath time. Rayn requested bubbles, and while Kip wasn’t too keen on the idea, he would be allowed to choose tonight’s story book as compensation.
Cleaned, dried, and in their PJs, the little ones got to use their dinosaur toothbrushes before going back down to the living room. Kip selected a book they’d never heard before, primarily because it featured a bear on the cover. Zak was chosen to read, and they settled down on the floor in front of the fireplace to listen. It was a fun story, filled with things that real bears don’t do, which made everyone laugh. Kip put the book back on the shelf, and the children were carried upstairs and put to bed with kisses. Orrin and Zak sat with them until they fell asleep, which didn’t take long—even in a strange room.
