Three Means Coffee

112

Błażej experienced another crisis when they were about to cross the threshold of Makary's parents' house. The hazel-eyed man squeezed his hand as a sign of reassurance, but in the end, it didn't calm him down. His other hand tightened nervously on the gift, he worked on the elephants for a long time and was quite proud of them. In addition, he bought good wine according to Makary's instructions and a bouquet of flowers for his mother. He prepared himself, but he didn't feel like it helped him much.

"I saw through the window that you were already leaving, why are you still standing in front of the door?" Jola opened them abruptly and immediately hugged them both. Błażej had nothing against openness, but he didn't expect it to be this much. Especially since Makary tended to be subdued when surrounded by people. "Nice to finally meet you, Błażej."

He heard this phrase several times that day, and each time it seemed equally sincere. He smiled and tried to remember the names of the kids who were watching him curiously. The twins were curious how much of a role they played in the appearance of their new uncle, wanting to take as much credit as possible.

Makary's mother was delighted with the gift and immediately showed off the new addition to the collection to her friends. Her husband, as their youngest son had predicted, did indeed seem unapproachable. He entered observation mode and waited to make the final verdict, even though he knew that it would not concern Makary much.

He immediately noticed one thing: his youngest son radiated happiness. Not that they hadn't seen it with his previous partners, but there was something special about it. As if this feeling seemed inexhaustible this time. This was already a good sign for the senior of the family.

He liked that Błażej was honest and well-mannered. He got along with the rest of the family and didn't seem to be pretending to be anyone. He was aware that Makary was already used to the kids keeping him busy at every family celebration, and he was glad that his partner didn't mind the attention of his grandchildren. He didn't notice any dissatisfaction with the time spent with the children on Błażej's face, even for a second.

He finally decided that he was a good boy, especially when he saw great gratitude in his eyes when Kornelia asked if he wanted to hold Ala, who was only a few months old. Błażej, of course, agreed, thanking her inwardly for the trust she had placed in him and wanting to entrust her treasure to him for a moment.

"I've already forgotten what it's like," Błażej laughed. "Tymek is already grown."

"Even with your own children, you have to learn it anew every time," replied Kornelia, falling into the chair next to her. "She's exceptionally calm with you, I hope it's not just today because we'll be able to drop her off often."

"Of course, we will never refuse," Makary interjected. "I won't say anything about me being a free babysitter."

"You love it." Mirek patted him on the back. "Now you're just acting in front of your boyfriend."

"Not at all," muttered the offended hazel-eyed man, blushing even more when he noticed that Błażej was looking at him with a twinkle in his eye.

Someone suggested showing Błażej photos of Makary from his youth. The hazel-eyed tried to protest but was outvoted. His father smiled to himself and watched everyone leaning over the photo albums and the memories they brought back. He was grateful that he had his beloved wife with him, with whom he hoped to spend many more years together. She had three healthy, wonderful sons. Each of them was fulfilled professionally and started their own family, thanks to which they could now spoil a group of grandchildren. He couldn't ask for anything more than for days like this, when all his loved ones were with him, to happen as often as possible.