Lone Star Family Values

Chapter 22

Simply Perfect

            Noah paced his room, repeatedly passing his phone which was laid out on his bed. Every now and again he would stop, turn, and stare at the contact that was pulled up on the screen. Bailey's name looked back at him, and he took a deep breath.

"Just do it." He told himself picking up his phone and shaking out his other hand, his finger lingering over the call button. He nodded one final time before finally hitting call.

✵✵✵

"No, dad you can't just toss it at the canvas," Bailey laughed as TK tossed the paint filled balloon at the canvas they'd set up against the side of her art shed. Carlos took aim with his own balloon and threw it at the canvas, the blue paint splattering near the top left corner. Bailey laughed again. "See, papá's got it down."

"Yeah babe, papá's got it down." Carlos mocked.

TK pushed at his boyfriend.

"I was trying not to make a mess." TK laughed.

Bailey smiled.

"That's kinda the point of the tarps and smocks dad." She said.

TK grumbled but couldn't bury the laughter. They'd decided that since it was a cooler day it was time for a family painting lesson. Carlos and TK expected a lesson on painting something like a flower or a boat but Bailey had had something else in mind. So, there they were, throwing paint filled water balloons at a large canvas. When Bailey had first began filling the balloons Buttercup, who was staying with them for the weekend while Owen was away for a conference, had decided that he too wanted to help. Safe to say that he had been locked in the house after a near disastrous episode with a can of green paint. He was moping at the backdoor, his big St. Bernard head propped up on his paws and those brown eyes looking up at them, trying to guilt them into letting him come out again. Bailey couldn't help but laugh as TK threw another balloon at the canvas but instead of breaking on the piece, it bounced off and splattered onto the tarp they'd laid out on the grass.

"Okay, I swear the balloons have it out for me." He said, throwing his arms up.

Carlos chuckled and picked up another balloon.

"Here, I'll help you." He said, taking a step behind his boyfriend and together they threw the balloon, watching it break and splatter its contents on the painting.

Bailey didn't expect her phone to start ringing in her back pocket, as she was throwing a balloon and she nearly missed the canvas in favor of her fathers at the sudden interruption. TK and Carlos ducked away from the balloon, barely having missed being hit.

"Bails, we're not the canvas." Carlos laughed.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry." Bailey said, quickly peeling off some of her layers to get to her phone.

TK looked at her quizzically.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"My phone is ringing." Bailey said, finally pulling it free and seeing Noah's name on the screen.

"Okay. You take the call, we'll wait." Carlos said.

"No, you keep going, I'll be quick." Bailey said before walking up the patio to answer Noah's call. "Hi Noah."

"Hey Bailey, it's Noah," Noah was hasty to reply, but quickly realizing his mistake he began to back pedal. "But you already knew that...um."

Bailey laughed.