Double Trouble (Sequel to Baby of the Band)

Five

Early the next Morn, Rikki was up far earlier than was his norm, whether he was on the road or supposed to be going into the studio. After putting all three toddlersta bed in Rob's room, he'd let Mishy sleep in the master suite with him, rather than relegating her to one of the guest rooms. Given that they'd a few romps while the bassist was physically a toddler the Summer previous, he hadn't been surprised that she'd kept him up half the Night. She'd no doubt been pretty needy after realizing that her marriage wasn't gonna work out, especially if she hadn't dove back into the dating pool just yet.

        Therefore, he was already up when someone knocked on the door, which was a good thing, whether it was Bret or someone else. As it turned out when he opened said door, it was Richie's parents waiting on the other side, so they definitely wouldn't have had a key to let themselves in. He supposed that the shorter blonde'd given them his address when he'd talked to them as he waved them in, then covered his mouth as he yawned.

        "Rikki, right?" the man asked as he closed the door behind them.

        "Pretty sure that even though we share the same given name, it's your son that goes by Richie," he chuckled sleepily as he nodded.

        "Rich, Sr." He held out his hand for him to shake. "This is my wife, Georgine."

        "Pleasure to meetcha," Rikki told him, accepting both their handshakes, starting with the older man's.

        "Is Richie still asleep or something?" Georgine asked, sounding worried.

        "Prolly, given that I haven't heard anyone else stirring," the drummer answered.

        "I thought our son was the only one here with ya," Rich, Sr. said, looking confused.

        "Oh, no–our bassist, Bobby, moved in with me after his divorce a few months ago," he laughed, leading them to the kitchen. "He figured it was easier to just sell his home in Florida after he and his ex-wife both were forced to move out here again for a few months, then the divorce on top of it."

        "And if he's still getting back on his feet, he's put finding another place of his own lower on his priority list," the older woman said, nodding her Understanding.

        "Pretty much, but neither of us mind," Rikki told them. "Sure, we've spent a lotta Time on tour buses together, so we need our Space, but the house's big enough to manage that."

        Before either of the older couple could say anything, they were interrupted by a sleepy noise from the top of the stairs. Unsure of which toddler it was, he held up a finger and told them to hang tight while he went to see which toddler was awake. He didn't want any of them falling down the stairs, especially since they were curved and led to a Marble floor at the bottom.

        The drummer wasn't surprised to see the toddler he was hoping to see as he got to the top of the stairs, who'd apparently heard voices from upstairs. Richie'd plunked himself down at the top, looking like he was about to start scooting down them, if nobody'd responded to his lil noise. Instead of giving him the chanceta go sliding, he picked him up and snuggled him against his chest, gently rubbing his bare back as he headed back to Rob's room. He figured he'd need a fresh Pull-Up, not to mention wouldn't wanna face his parents mostly nude, considering he was still a grown man up top.

        The pint-sized guitarist kept quiet as he let him change his Pull-Up, then help him get dressed, seeing as his rhythmic counterpart and Zak were still asleep. Both were snuggled up in the toddler bed that Bret'd surprised him with the afternoon previous when he'd shown up with the items on his list. He'd remembered what an Independent brat their bassist'd been last Summer, and he'd figured that a toddler bed would work out better than a crib.