Chapter 8

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For cloudy-graceffa

"You have to be quiet." There was batter all over the kitchen. David had decided to wake me up so we could make Mitch a surprise breakfast. But we both forgot to take in the fact David is a three year old and I don't know how to cook. I could cook macaroni. In fact any pasta. David said Mitch's favorite breakfast was strawberry crepes though. So we were trying to make crepes. "Ow! Sh-" I stopped mid sentence and looked at the three year old on the counter that was looking at me with wide eyes.

"Uh-oh." David pointed behind me where Mitch was standing with one hand on his hip. He looked mad. Then he smiled at us.

"You having fun?" He got a damp wash cloth to wipe away the batter from David's face. "What were you two doing?"

"Making you breakfast!" The boy giggled when his dad sent him on the ground.

"Well, thank you. But I think I'll take over now." Mitch gave me the wash cloth to wipe my face while he cleaned up the mess.

"I don't know how to cook." He caressed my cheek.

"It was a very sweet gesture Scott." I leaned forward to connect our lips in a soft kiss. I felt him smile. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course."

"Can you take over David's reading lessons while I fix this?" I looked at the little boy that had made a game with his own fingers.

"Yeah." I took David into the living room where his books were. "Can I ask you about your game?" He held his hands up to my face.

"My fingers are the power rangers and....and my thumbs are the bad guys. Because they're bigger." I laughed at that. He was incredibly adorable.

"I think we have a power rangers book." He ran over to grab it and I sat down on the floor with the couch as my back rest. He made himself comfortable on my lap.

"Daddy reads sentence then I read."

"Okay." I started reading and it was amazing how smart he was. He had a little trouble but otherwise it continued without an error. I brush his hair back from his forehead as he read, placing a kiss on the top of his head.

"David, come eat." Mitch was standing in front of us.

"Scotty and I are almost done. The power rangers might lose daddy!"

"Finish your breakfast." David dropped the book and ran into the kitchen. "Eat slowly!"

"How do you keep up with him?" Mitch smiled down at me.

"You're doing fine." He helped me up from the spot on the ground which was kind of awkward considering the height difference. "Go eat."

"Come eat with us." Three months and not once has Mitch sat down at the table to eat. He nodded. And we sat down together. For the first time since we started living together and it was wonderful. We were laughing at David's innocent mind and I actually felt like part of a family. I forgot about our worries. That Chris was missing and a killer was on the loose. "Do you want me to help with dishes?"

"You should go finish that book? He'll scream until you do." He gave me a kiss on the cheek and I still touched the area even though I've kissed his lips before. It was something about the tender affection that kissing someone's cheek gives. It's different.

I thought about it the whole time David was reading. Mitch had come into the room towards the end and sat on the couch to listen. My eyes were drawn to how his legs were folded neatly underneath him with his shoulders brought back and his chin raised. Even just sitting down Mitch had a presence that filled the whole room. Elegant yet firm.

"Daddy! They won!" David curled in his dad's lap and proceeded to explain what he had just read out. I came to sit next to them on the couch. "And then the bad guy exploded and the power rangers won!"

"Really? That's sounds exciting." I saw the way Mitch looked down at his son. He was so proud and he treasured David. I don't think I've ever seen a parent look at a child that way. Not even my own parents. There was no doubt in my mind that if David's life was threatened, Mitch would do anything to keep him safe. Life or death.

"I can believe he's out." David had passed out in Mitch's arms twenty minutes after we finished the book.

"He talks too much. Makes him tired." Mitch brushed the fringe of David's hair away from his tiny face.

"How did he get into reading?"

"He saw me reading and wanted to try." Mitch shrugged gently.

"Let me guess?" He turned to look at me for my answer. "Steamy romance novel." He cracked a smile.

"Yep. All alone while my husband is away for months on end. I need some excitement." I swallowed at what image came with those words.

"Favorite parts?"

"Shower scenes." We laughed quietly together.

"Why?"

"Because you alway imagine that it's going to be passionate and hot but sometimes a guy just needs to wash his hair. I mean seriously. And I don't want to fall like in those life alert commercials." I put my hand over my mouth so I didn't laugh that hard. I think the funny part was he was completely seriously. I could imagine Chris trying to come onto to him in the shower then Mitch shoving him away because he hadn't finished washing his hair. That almost made me curl over and laugh. "I think I'll stick to reading about it."

"Maybe you haven't found a strong enough guy." I said it with an accidental seductive tone. Mitch raised one of his eyebrows. "I didn't mean it that way." He looked down at David's tiny hand in his.

"Pity." I was staring at him for a couple seconds. Was that an attempt at flirting? He didn't seem to feel sorry for it in any way. He leaned over to kiss David's cheek. "Come on baby. Let's get you to your bed." David wrapped his arms and legs around Mitch in an attempt to cling tightly as they walked up the stairs.

I wouldn't mind flirting with Mitch. That's all that needs to happen though.

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