Rochdale | LGBTQ+

.Six.

"Where's Greg?" I asked, stepping into the warmth of the kitchen. Penny must've paid the heating bill. Wynnie and Libby were out in the living room watching cartoons. Maddie and I walked into the kitchen, shutting the door behind us. 

Penny poked her head out of the staircase. "Hey Cor- oh, hey... Maddie, right?" Penny questioned.

Maddie nodded shyly. "Y-Yeah. Penny?"

My older sister nodded. "Yep."

Maddie rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry if I'm intruding, I just need to spend the night away from my brother."

Penny snorted. "I would, too, if Lucas Sampson was one of my siblings."

Maddie nodded, a sad smile on her face. "Haha... yeah."

"Corwee?" Wynnie waddled into the kitchen. She perked up immediately. "Corwee!" 

Maddie's eyes lit up. "Oh! Look at how adorable she is!" She knelt down, holding out her hands. Wynnie paused for a second, staring at the strange new girl suspiciously. She walked carefully up to me, hugging my leg with her chubby arms and staring at Maddie around it. Maddie pulled back her arms, but stayed on Wynnie's level.

"Aren't you just the cutest little thing in the whole world and ohmigosh there's another one?!" she shrieked at the sight of Libby.

Libby had wandered into the kitchen in search of a snack, which I knew because she was sucking on her thumb like she hadn't eaten in days. Libby was much less nervous around new people, and walked straight up to Maddie. She was tentative when she held out her hand, like she'd seen me and Penny do when she came with us out in public, but she relaxed when Maddie shook it gently.

"What's your name?" Maddie cooed.

"Libby," Libby said shyly, swaying from side to side. "I'm six."

Maddie pretended to be shocked. "Noo. You can't be six, you're way too big!" she said, gasping.

Libby giggled. "I am!"

Maddie shook her head, as if she just couldn't believe it. "There's just no way you are only six years old. Only six years? Are you sure?" She tickled Libby's belly. Libby shrieked with laughter and nodded. "Positive? 100 hundred percent?"

Libby grinned at her. "Yes! Yes! I'm six years old!"

Maddie smiled. She held out her hands and Libby obliged, letting the girl scoop her up. Maddie shook her head. "Nope. Way too big to be six years old."

Libby laughed aloud. "Noo! I mean it, I pinky promise!" she said, holding up her smallest finger. Maddie arched her brow at me triumphantly with an "aha!" look on her face, like she'd just pieced together some important puzzle. I rolled my eyes. 

Wynnie tugged on my sweatpants. "Corwee? Am I big wike Wibby?" she asked, her brown eyes wide and concerned.

I lifted her up, tousling her hair. "You don't gotta worry about that Wynnie. Before long, you'll be as big as me. You're a strong girl. You gotta act like it Wyn. Show Maddie your muscles."

Wynnie flexed her chubby arms like I'd taught her, too, and Maddie gasped. "Woah! I think they might be bigger than mine!" She held up her own skinnier arm and flexed with much less pressure so that it barely popped. Wynnie beamed. 

"Did you see? Did you see Corwee? I have big muscles like you!"

I smiled and gave her a squeeze. "Of course you do. You're a Barker for fuck's sake."

"Cory!" Penny butted in.

I covered my hand with my mouth, grinning sheepishly. "Oops. My bad."

Wynnie and Libby pretended to zip their lips, like they always did when they heard me say a bad word. I told them that should never swear until I told them they could. I said once they turned a certain age, I'll let them start cussing. But if they swear before that, I told them I wouldn't pick them up after work or school anymore. That definitely stuck with them, and they kept their mouths clean as soap. 

Penny smiled and slid a sleepy-looking Libby out of Maddie's arms. I had gone back to work after dealing with Lucas, and Maddie had stayed behind the counter and flipped through VOGUE magazines while we waited for my shift to end, so now it was nearly nine o'clock, and definitely time for the littles to head to bed.

I shifted Wynnie to one arm and followed Penny up the stairs. I looked over my shoulder at Maddie and gestured to the living room. "You can go find a chair to sit in, I just gotta help put the littles to bed and then I'll be back down, okay?"

She gave me a mock salute which earned a sleepy giggle from Wyn. I carried her up the staircase after Libby and Penny, following my older sister into their bedroom. Two large cribs were set up on opposite sides of the room. The cribs we'd picked up at a garage sale, but soon we'd have to get Libby a real bed- money was just a little tight right now, so we were planning on simply picking up an old mattress and cleaning it best we could. Wynnie loved her crib, and since she was a little small, she still fit in it at four years old perfectly fine. So we decided to keep her in it for a bit longer.

I placed Wynnie in her crib. She went limp almost instantly, curling up before I'd even covered her with her favorite purple blanket.

I glanced over at Penny and Libby, who had also tucked in. Libby closed her eyes and let out a sigh of contentment as Penny patted her through the blue blanket she had wrapped around her like a cocoon. 

Not for the first time, I began to wonder if I'd ever have kids of my own. Little girls or boys to call me Dad and to look out for... but with who? So few gay guys around here after all. Maybe I needed to go to college after all- maybe I needed a new environment to find the love of my life. 

I turned and followed Penny out of their bedroom and back downstairs. I could hear snoring coming from the living room, but saw Maddie awake and looking really awkward in the armchair. Which meant...

Sure enough, Greg was passed out on the couch. Again. 

I apologized to Maddie and asked if she wanted to come up to mine, but she said it was fine. Penny stayed awake for a little while, but soon went up to bed, leaving me and Maddie down in the living room. We talked for a bit, until the doorbell rang. I got up to get it, expecting someone from the bar dropping off Greg's wallet or keys or something, but instead Lucas stood on my front porch.

"Jesus Lucas," I said, my breath foggy in the cold air. 

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry."

"Its like midnight Sampson this couldn't wait?"

Lucas glared at me. "No. I'm sorry for that crowbar Barker. And.. Could you tell Maddie I'm sorry for what I said?" 

I leaned against the doorframe. "So you finally grew a conscience?" I teased.

Lucas sighed. "I don't need her home tonight, I just needed her to know that I didn't mean it. That's all." He held up his hands. "Walking away now."

I grabbed his arm before he fully turned. "You might've apologized to Maddie, but how're you gonna make it up to me?"

Lucas scoffed. "The fuck do you want?"

I puckered my lips. "A little kiss?"

Lucas wrinkled his nose. "Over my dead body." 

I grinned. "I'll remember that Sampson. Sweet dreams!" 

"'Night. Ya fuckin' dork."