Page 25 of Night of the Living Manny
“Hey, pup. Come on in and say hi.” He held out one hand.
Nudging open the door, Moose licked his hand, then leaped up, paws on his shoulders.
“Hello, you big beast!” He rubbed along Moose’s ribs, dragging his fingers through the heavy fur.
Moose panted and gave him a huge doggie grin, drool falling from his lower jaw.
“Moose? Buddy?” Brenden poked his head in the door. “Oh, is he bothering you?”
“Nah, we’re having a snuggle. He is obviously terribly neglected.” He pushed Moose down to rub the soft ears.
“He is. He just got read to. He’s a ham.” Brenden leaned in his doorway. “I wanted to thank you.”
“For what?” Liam waved his hand at the comfy chair next to his desk.
“For making me feel so welcome tonight. That was the best meal.”
“My pleasure. Thanks for dealing with two and three while I was screaming at the oldest.”
“No problem. Work it out mostly?” Brenden’s smile was commiserating, and he hadn’t had that since Diana.
“Mostly. That little so-and-so Shelly is going to lead Susanna into real trouble one day.” Liam grimaced. “I hate to dislike the kid so, but she’s trouble.”
“Well, you know where to find her, at least. You said Shelly’s mom is understanding.”
“Yeah. I just don’t get it, man.”
“She’s a teenager. You’re not supposed to.” Brenden seemed to be the voice of long experience.
Moose hopped down and slipped out the door. Liam would bet he was going to scratch at Britt’s door. If she left the door open a crack, Brenden would probably let Moose sleep with her part of the night. It was adorable.
“Fair enough.” And Liam had two more to go.
“Yeah. Wow.” Brenden winked. “Well, I guess I ought to head to bed. I just wanted to say that I really felt like part of the family.”
“Oh, okay. Good night.” Liam thought he’d head to the kitchen and grab a beer.
“Are you—” Brenden ducked his head. “Are you thinking about staying up? I don’t want to bother you, but I could really use a beer.”
“I was just heading for the fridge. Let’s do it.” He was tickled shitless to have the company.
Brenden beamed at him, so damn pretty it hurt. He led the way out, and they went down the stairs single file to the kitchen.
Maybe, if he was lucky, the kids were in food comas and would stay asleep. Or they would just stay upstairs after having to spend the evening with Dad.
Just an hour to be a grown-up.
With Brenden.
He grinned a little, and Brenden handed him a beer.
“Everything okay?” Brenden asked.
“Yeah. Sometimes I just want to be a grown-up.”
“I bet.” Brenden led the way to the couch, and they settled like they did this every night. “That’s why a lot of people hire someone like me.”
He wasn’t sure how to interpret that, so he just nodded. That seemed safest.
