[SEQUEL TO THE BOY ON THE SECOND FLOOR]
Benjamin never thought he'd get away from Taylor alive. He never thought he'd become a father, either.
Now, with the help of Samuel, he has to face not only his new life as a single father, but also the people...
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xvi. Coming Home
It was a few days after Paisley had been born, and all I could say was that Benjamin had been having his parenting panic non stop. She hadn't gotten to come home yet, but Benjamin spent most of his time either inwardly freaking out or making sure the apartment was "baby proof" as he put it.
I understood his worries and let him do his thing, helping him whenever he needed my assistance. I actually found it quite endearing. It was now more obvious than ever that Benjamin really did care about Paisley. I guessed he felt more confident with showing his love for her now that she was born and he knew that she wouldn't be taken from him, and because though Paisley was born from Taylor, that woman had no rights over her.
At the moment, Benjamin was using my car to get Paisley home while I was stood in our living room next to Pete who had helped me hang up a banner that read "Welcome home Paisley".
Pete looked proud of himself and I couldn't help but smile at the crappy bold handwriting on the banner. Pete had helped me make the banner as well, and neither of us were exactly known for good handwriting. It would be good enough, though. We'd also gotten some cupcakes, which were obviously for us adults since Paisley couldn't eat yet, as well as a couple cute little plushies which were for her.
My phone buzzed and I opened the message I had gotten from Benjamin. He told me he was on his way home now, and I told Pete to try to keep his sex jokes to a minimum for today. Pete frowned but promised to try to do so.
Pete and I sat on the couch and waited for Benjamin's return. Looking over at Pete, I noticed a lock of curly hair that had gotten loose from his bun, and now that I'd noticed it, it bothered me.
"Hey Pete, come a bit closer?" I asked, scooting up a bit so I could sit with my back straight. Pete furrowed his eyebrows but still slid a bit closer to me.
I leaned a bit closer to him and gently took hold of the curly lock of hair that had strayed from the bun, tucking it back into its place. "What are you doing?" Pete asked.
I pulled away from him and shrugged. "You had a piece of your hair that was sticking up weirdly. Thought I'd fix it," I explained, making the shorter man nod in understanding before he leaned back against the couch.
"So how are you feeling about the whole baby thing? Ready to be an uncle?" Pete asked with a small smile on his lips, fingers pulling on the golden ring on his earlobe.
"Of course. I care about Paisley and if Ben wants me to be her uncle, I'll be the best goddamn uncle there is," I said. I was determined to help Benjamin as much as I could. It wasn't easy to be a single parent, and I wanted to make things just a little bit easier for him by being there.
"I already know you'll be a pretty decent uncle and you haven't even started in that position yet," Pete said before covering his mouth with his hand and snickering to himself. I knew from his facial expression that he'd found something sexual in his own words, and as much as he seemed to be enjoying that, I wasn't impressed. I just rolled my eyes and leaned back, expecting the conversation to be over.
