Dayton

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Arriving home, I carry a sleeping Darien inside the house after Ajax unlocks the front door, and I quietly tell him that I am gonna lay D down on his bed. Returning several minutes later, I find Jax pulling a bottle of red wine from the door of the fridge, and he already has two wine glasses in his left hand, and a grin on his lips toward me.

"Lets relax for a little while, shall we?" he asks, holding the bottle up slightly as he shuts the fridge door with his right elbow.

"That sounds perfect to me, but I cannot promise I won't fall asleep soon," I grin with a tiny yawn into my left elbow.

"That is fine, baby," he assures, encouraging me to head toward the couch where we sit with me sitting sideways on his lap after Ajax pours us each a half a glass of wine.

Leaning into his chest after placing my glass on the coffee table, he holds me gently around the waist with his free hand. Placing my head on his shoulder, I give the warm skin of his neck a peck before my eyes flutter shut in exhaustion.

"I love you, Jax, very much," I mumble against his skin, tucking my hands between us with a soft sigh of contentment as I drift off to sleep.

I do not even stir when Ajax lifted me off him to settle me on the couch with a pillow under my head, and covered me with a blanket when Darien woke from his nap at some point. I do not wake until sometime later when I hear Ajax and D softly laughing while Jax reads a story to the toddler.

Popping my eyes open, I silently watch them interact as they sit in the recliner at the end of the couch by my feet. Ajax is using different voices for the characters in the story, and I smile at them while I continue to silently watch them from my spot because I do not want to disrupt this perfect moment they are sharing. Ajax must have felt my gaze because his eyes snap to mine, making me twitch in surprise. He grins at me, continuing to read the story that I know he has memorized by heart before whispering something into Darien's ear opposite of me, so I cannot hear what he has said.

Darien looks at me with a wide smile as he scrambles off his papa's lap to run over to me as I sit up to catch our boy in my arms as he throws himself at me. Darien loudly giggles at me as I kiss all over his face while I softly laugh at myself.

"Dada nap?" he asks, sitting on my lap sideways with his head tilted to the side with wide eyes.

"Yes bub, dada took a nap, too," I answer with a smile. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Yesh! Sweepy dada!" he giggles loudly, lightly patting my face with his left hand before pointing toward Ajax. "Pa!"

"Did papa read you a book?" I grin, tickling his sides softly, and he confirms that did happen with a nod.

"Are my boys hungry for a light dinner?" Ajax asks when there is a knock on the front door with a grin as he stands to answer the door.

Raising my left eyebrow at his retreating back, I stand with Darien in my hold for us to follow behind Ajax because I am curious what is going on. When I a few feet from him, I see him grabbing a Thai food delivery order.

When he turns around to face us, he broadly grins at me, stating; "I might have ordered us dinner while you were napping."

"You are too good to us," I coo at him with what I am sure are heart eyes. "Thank you for doing this."

"I will always try to give you and Darien everything you deserve, plus so much more," he murmurs, pecking my lips softly before placing the food on the counter.

"Alright D, lets get you in your chair, so you can have some dinner," I say with a grin before slipping him into the chair.

"Yesh, eat!" he hollers, slapping his palms onto the tray in excitement.

"Papa was amazing for ordering us dinner, huh?" I coo at D, and he agrees with me in an instant as Ajax places his pate and sippy cup in front of Darien with a fond smile.

"You are welcome, bub," Jax tells Darien, kissing the toddler on the top of the head.

Before I can turn toward the counter to grab myself some food and a drink, Ajax is already handing me a filled plate and cup of apple juice with a grin.

"Thanks," I grin as I take both from him, he turns to grab his, and we sit at the table with Darien.

Ajax hums in acknowledgement with a wink. We spent the entire dinner chatting, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. Jax insists on cleaning the kitchen and table from dinner while I play with Darien in the living room for a while before it is Darien's bedtime. After he has finished cleaning, he joins us on the carpet while he plays soft Classical music off his phone, and the music is being blue-toothed to the speakers that Ajax wired throughout the house. About an hour later, Darien is rubbing his eyes with his fists as he lets out a tiny yawn while he climbs onto my lap.

"Time for bed, my sweet boy," I murmur as I settle him against my chest before standing off the floor with Darien in my hold, and Ajax stands up, too. "Will you tell papa night-night?"

"Nigh' pa! Luve you!" he tiredly says, leaning toward Ajax to be held by the man.

Ajax takes him from me to give our son a snuggle and a soft kiss on the top of his head; "Night, my sweet boy. Sweet dreams and I love you, too."

He hands me Darien back, so I can take him to his bedroom to get him ready for bed, and read him a story if he is still awake by that time. When I have him settled into a pair of Dino footed jammies, and tucked under the covers of his bed, he is sound asleep. I take my time by picking up his dirty clothes, tossing these into his clothes hamper, turning on his night light, and the baby monitor, I know he is not waking for a story.

Leaving his room, I leave the door open with only a crack, and head back to the living room to rejoin Ajax, and prepare to pick up the toys and books that were used. When I step into the room, all of Darien's toys and books are placed away.

Halting in my steps, I gawk at Ajax who is lounging on the couch with a grin on his lips as I say; "Thank you for doing that, even though you did not have, too."

"Anything to help you out, my love," he murmurs as I settle on his thighs, facing him.