Under My Protection

Chapter 14

For AnnMarieThrush

"Wake up Daddy!" Mitch quickly grabbed the covers when David tried to tug them off.

"Don't pull the sheets." Mitch's tone had a warning in it. "What are you doing up here? Cartoons are on."

"Oh no! I'm missing it. I'm coming spongebob!" David ran out of the room. Mitch laid back down, his arm wrapping around my neck. I kissed his forehead.

"Good morning, love."

"If I ask you to kiss me, will you do it?" He was staring up at me.

"No." He made a gasp and looked like he was hurt. But I know he was teasing me.

"Why?"

"Because I can't do anything if we want to continue." He bit his lip.

"David is watching cartoons." I chuckled. "Please Scott." I made a small moan when his hand went below my waistline.

"Be quiet."

"I have a kid....I know how to be quiet." I pulled him into a strong kiss. How was I going to tell him that I was falling for him? The feelings that I have for him....I've never felt them before. Not even when I was engaged.

"What do you want for breakfast?" I asked David when Mitch and I came downstairs.

"Can we go out for breakfast?" He ran to me and I lifted him into my arms.

"What were you thinking?"

"IHop!" I glanced at Mitch. He shrugged.

"Is there one arou-"

"Yep! It was on tv."

"Oh, so you've been plotting?" David wiggled out of my arms so he could run away from Mitch. Mitch caught the little boy and blew on his stomach.

"Your beard tickles Daddy!" Mitch scooped David into his arms.

"Ask Scott to drive us."

"Will you drive us Papa?" There was a long, heavy silence that followed that sentence. David didn't understand it. He was so innocent. Mitch on the other hand was trying not to overreact.

"Yeah. I'll drive." It was quiet in the car. At least between Mitch and I. David was in the back talking away to himself.

"We need to talk about it Mitch."

"Not right now." We went into the restaurant. David got a bunch of people to wave at him as we were going to our seat. He would wave to the people with a happy smile. They had no choice but to wave back. Because if they tried to ignore him, he would stop and wave until they did.

"I'm a big boy. You sit with Daddy." David pushed me into the same booth as Mitch.

"Okay. What do you want?" Mitch leaned over to look at the menu with David. "The smiley pancakes? David you don't like chocolate."

"I can take it off and give it to you. You like chocolate." Mitch smiled at his son. Then Mitch sat back in his seat. I put my hand on his thigh comfortingly. His hand went to rest on top of mine. I leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"I love you." He cracked a smile. I was expecting him to be surprised.

"You talk in your sleep." He gave me a short kiss. "And I love you too." My heart was beating so fast. I almost wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. He gave my hand a small squeeze. "It's not a dream."

"That's just what I dream would want me to think." He smiled. He said it so easily. How do I know if it's true?

"Hello. What can I get you?" David looked at Mitch.

"Go ahead."

"Can I have the....smiley pancakes with apple juice?"

"Yes you can." The waitress wrote down the order on her little booklet. Mitch and I order and she was gone. I was looking at David. He looked so happy with himself.

"I ordered for myself. Like a big boy!"

"Use your inside voice." Mitch said calmly. I was still amazed at how good Mitch was with David. David wasn't like most kids. He was smart. He listened to his dad. He was a good little boy.

"Here you go Daddy." David gave Mitch the chocolate chips from his pancakes. We ate breakfast. David spoke to the elderly couple that sat behind him until he became tired. He was rubbing his eyes. "I'm sleepy." I came to kneel next to his side of the booth. I wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Come on Buddy." His arms went around my shoulders. Mitch watched as I buckled David into his car seat. I couldn't get the one that went across his waist.

"Let me." Mitch easily buckled him in. I pulled Mitch into a hug. "Scott? What's wrong?"

"What am I going to do whenever you leave?" He sighed. I pulled away to look at him. "I'm not going to be able to see you guys when this is over. They aren't going to let me. After what David said this morning...." His caressed my cheek.

"He thinks of you as his dad. He looks up to you. It's going to be tough if you leave."

"I really care about you. I love you. And soon you're going to be gone. I won't be able to see you. So I have to make every moment last."

"Is that why you're talking to me in the parking lot of an IHop?" He laughed when I shoved him gently.

"I'm going to miss you."

"Let's not talk about it now." Mitch put David to bed when we got home. I came behind Mitch and hugged him.

"He looks like you. He's beautiful."

"You're a suck up." I pulled Mitch into the bedroom. He giggled when we fell back on the bed. I brought the covers over both of us when we had discarded our clothes. "Oh god Scott...." He was trying to keep his voice quiet. He let out a quiet laugh as I kissed his neck.

"Daddy?"

"Fuck! David!" Mitch pushed me off of him. The little boy had his head turned to the side and was looking at us. Wyatt was clutched in the little boy's hands. We were dressed now with David sitting at the kitchen table. "Do you know what you saw?"

"Papa was hugging and kissing you without clothes. And you were making funny noises." Mitch looked at me.

"They were pretty funny. Ow!" He punched me in the side.

"What Scott and I were doing was a completely natural thing." I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. So many people could argue that differently. "It happens when two people like each other a lot."

"When they love each other?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Are you guys getting married now?" Mitch and I exchanged worried looks.

"No, baby boy." David stuck out his bottom lip in a pout, hugging Wyatt close to his chest.

"But I want you to." I waited for Mitch's response. He came over to kiss David on the head.

"We'll see."