Mommy's little Business-Man

45: Baby Battles and Back to work

A/N: Back to the regularly scheduled drama, folks! Happy holidays!

Also, I did some thinking and Lydia being 23 is ridiculous. She is now 26, which is still ridiculous, but less. I'm gonna get around to changing it in the previous chapters! I've also finally settled Colton's height at 6'2" and I'm cursing my teenage self for being so inconsistent.

Colton's POV

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with Ruby while the grown-ups chatted at the picnic table. They were sitting close to each other, smiling at each other like saps and exchanging quick kisses when they thought Ruby and I weren't looking.

Gross.

I quit my impossibly fun game of running around the swing set and trying to push the swing on every side (I had to be super fast to do that) to plop down next to Ruby in the sandbox.

"Hiya! What'cha building?" I asked, and she looked up from her very obvious sandcastle with a cocked brow.

"A pony, duh," she quipped, and I stuck out my tongue.

"Be like that. Also, should we have given our okay? Those two are stickier than we were yesterday," I said, gesturing at Mommy and Jack with a little smile.

Ruby just grinned. "And they say we get clingy. Grown-ups are hypocrites," she said, staying silent a moment after as she seemed to ponder something with a light furrow in her brow.

"Earth to Ruby. What's up?" I therefore asked, and she lightly sighed.

"Do you ever feel sad that you're not able to give Lydia everything she needs in a relationship?" She asked, and I thought about that for a second.

I'd never really given much thought about not being able to satisfy Mommy in every way. I had been platonically involved with her right from the start, and it hadn't been long before I told her I was asexual. I'd never really considered her hoping I wasn't, because that type of attraction just didn't come to mind for me, not often anyway. The idea of Mommy feeling those things for me honestly felt kind of yucky.

However, while I had gotten everything I needed that way, she really hadn't. That became all too clear now. Ever since she'd been with Jack, she'd been more stable and relaxed. I realized then that, had I been born just a little different, I could have been everything Mommy needed too.

"I.. I hadn't really thought about it much before this. But yeah, I'd love to be able to give her everything she needs. I also wish I still had the strength I used to sometimes. Rarely. It's just, y'know, both of those things are never going to happen. I love the way we are now, and I'm glad she has your daddy. And I'm glad I have you- I don't think I would've liked third-wheeling. This feels more fair. Plus, I can't imagine what it would be like to have Mommy look at me like... That. Feels very, very wrong," I finally replied, shuddering at the thought, and she pondered that for a second.

"I'm gonna admit that yeah, I would definitely feel creeped out if Daddy wanted to sleep with me. I just wish that I was different sometimes, I guess. But I like having you around too," she said, winking my way at the end. I smiled at her. I really had gotten lucky, getting her as a fellow little.

I think I'd gotten pretty lucky in general. I really didn't mind Mommy getting with Jack. He was a really kind, smart dude who clearly was over the moon for Mommy. I was honestly surprised myself at how much I liked it. It felt like our little family might be growing, and that made me feel even safer in its foundation.

Mommy was still my Mommy first, though. They better not get any ideas.

"I like all of us together. I think we're gonna be happy," I grinned at Ruby, and she surprised me with a hug.