Fire And Ice

18

It was ten o'clock the next morning when Parker was awakened, not by Logan, but by the sound of someone knocking on the front door echoing through the silent house. He muttered curse words under his breath as he covered his head with the blanket and sighed as he breathed in Layla's scent beside him. He was almost asleep again when Layla shook his arm and mumbled that there was somebody at the door.

"I know baby just go back to sleep. They'll go away." Parker whispered as he cuddled her closer to him. "Logan isn't even awake yet."

Five minutes later, the persistent knocking hadn't stopped, and an ill Parker muttered under his breath as he picked up his boxers and his joggers.

"Who do you think it is?" Layla asked as she watched him, still half asleep.

"Whoever it is I'ma cuss them out." Parker stated plainly as he walked out of the bedroom.

Layla sighed as she sat up in the bed. She thought for a minute before she proceeded to put on a pair of pants along with Parker's tee shirt she had on. She proceeded into the bathroom to brush her teeth before she would go downstairs.

Meanwhile downstairs, Parker had opened the door with a scowl on his face to reveal his parents and Payson. Instead of cussing like he wanted to, he only sighed and scratched his head before turning around and walking towards the kitchen, door wide open for them to walk in.

"What's wrong with you man? We thought you'd be up by now." Payson said as he followed his brother. "Who peed in your cereal this morning? Didn't get none last night again?"

Parker smirked as he started filling up the coffee pot with water. "On the contrary, bro, I finally did."

"Really?" Payson chuckled as he sat down at the bar. "She took you back?"

"Yep." Parker smirked as he put coffee in the machine before turning it on. "We didn't get to sleep until the sun was up."

"Damn." Payson chuckled as he drew out the word. "Get it!"

Parker chuckled as he high fived his brother.

"You boys act like you're fifteen." Nancy stated as she walked in the kitchen after she had set the presents in the living room. "You have a child with her for goodness sake, you act like it's the first time it's happened."

"If you only knew the hell I went through to get that last night." Parker chuckled slightly as he leaned against the counter. "But you should be happy, she loves me again."

"Okay I'm here quit talking about me." Layla announced as she walked down the stairs.

"I was just telling them the good news, love." Parker smirked at her.

"And what would that be?" Layla glared at him, thinking he had told everybody that she was pregnant.

"That we made up, babe." Parker said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her head

"Oh yeah." Layla grinned.

"You should've told me, man, I would've held them off so you could get it again this morning." Payson said.

Payson laughed as Nancy slapped his arm.

"What?! They're married! We're all adults!" Payson laughed.

"I'm sure he'll be getting it tonight anyway." Layla smirked.

"I need some consistent sex like that." Payson commented.

"It's not sex, Pays, it's making love." Parker chuckled.

"Oh yeah I'm sure after a month of not doing it, you went real easy on—" Payson started sarcastically.

"Okay, kids, that's enough." Roger said. "Where's Logan?"

Parker and Payson mouthed a few comments back and forth to each other as Layla explained that he was still upstairs in bed asleep if anybody wanted to go get him. Layla slapped Parker's shoulder telling him to hush as Nancy started to walk up the stairs to go get Logan.

An hour later, everyone was in the living room sitting in various places near the tree with gift wrap discarded everywhere. Logan was the one still opening presents with help from his mom and dad. He had gotten a lot of clothes along with two new pairs of shoes, but those things didn't enthuse him like his new toys did. He had gotten a work bench set with play tools, toys he could ride on, block sets to build with, and books that would talk and sing to him. Those mentioned were just a few, and he still had about ten more to open.

While Layla was helping Logan open the last of his presents, smiling and clapping along with his excited self, Parker and Payson sat on the couch a few feet behind them, checking out their own gifts while they absently talked, but Parker's eyes were on Layla most of the time, thinking about how great of a mom and wife she is.

"You know, Parker," Payson began. "Seeing you and Layla and Logan...it just makes me feel like I'm missing out on something with never getting married. I mean the way you look at them, it's just—" he sighed.

"You are missing out, Pays. You'd never understand the love I have for them. Yeah, it was fun being a bachelor for a while. But there's nothing like having a loving wife and kids. I could never get tired of them. Every day it's something new, and it's great." Parker explained.

Layla looked over at Parker and smiled as Logan banged on the box of a panning kit he and Parker would later play with. Parker winked at her before she gave Logan his last present to open.

"You'll find the right one, Payson. Believe me, you won't be able to leave her alone, you'll know." Parker said.

"Maybe by next year I'll be found her, huh?"

"Here's hoping." Parker said as he raised his mug of coffee for Payson to cheers with him.

"Go show Gramma and Grandpa." Layla smiled as she watched Logan take one of his toys over to the loveseat where Roger and Nancy had been sitting.

Layla sighed as she stood up and stretched before walking over to Parker on the couch. He pulled her into his lap as she told him that she's glad Logan will be able to open the presents better by himself next year.

"He loves it though, look at him." Parker smiled as he watched his mom press a button on a toy to make it sing, which made Logan grin, giggle, and bounce around.

Layla chuckled as she watched him also. "Yeah, it's worth all this mess I'll have to clean up."

"Don't worry about it right now, baby." Parker said as he laid his head on her.

"You guys ever think about having another one?" Payson smirked as he saw Logan throw the toy down to pick up another one.

Layla and Parker looked at each other and smiled. Parker turned his head to Payson and said lowly, "They'll be another one next year."

Payson raised his eyebrows and grinned as Layla giggled and made a shushing noise.