Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Is he walking and talking yet?”
I pulled on my dress shirt and began to button it up as I said, “He babbles. He’s a big fan of the ‘B’ sound. And he hasn’t taken his first steps yet, but that’s going to happen any day now. He can walk if he’s holding on to a person or the furniture, though.” After a pause, I admitted, “I’m sad I missed his first ten months, because his mother didn’t actually tell me he existed. But getting to be with him for this milestone really means a lot to me.” Lucky looked sympathetic.
When we went back downstairs, we found Owen scooting around in the little red car. Skye was watching him, and he smiled at my companion and said, “Hey, Lucky, good to see you.” Then he turned to me and said, “I assume that belongs to the baby. Hal put him down because he wanted to crawl around, and he made a bee-line for it.”
“Yeah, Lucky brought him the car for his birthday. He made it himself,” I said proudly.
Since Skye was a metal sculptor, I knew he’d be impressed. He exclaimed, “Dude, awesome job! I wish I’d thought of a cool gift like that.”
Lucky crouched down in the middle of the foyer, and Owen paused and smiled at him before doing another lap. There was wonder in his eyes when he looked up at me and said, “He’s beautiful. He seems happy, too.”
“Yeah, he really is.”
Lucky straightened up and touched my cheek as he told me, “He has your eyes.” I nodded, and he asked, “Is his mother blonde?”
“No, but I was at his age.”
He smiled at that. “He’s a little mini Logan.” Then he met my gaze and said, “Wow, you’re actually a dad. Not that I thought you were making it up, obviously. But until I saw the baby for myself, I guess it was sort of an abstract concept.”
“I know what you mean.”
Since Owen wasn’t going to leave that car any time soon and couldn’t really drive it on the area rug in the living room, Lucky and I took a seat on the bench in the foyer while Skye returned to the party. A minute later, Hal came over to say hello.
After I introduced them, Lucky turned to watch the baby as he scooted down the hall, and my best friend let his mouth fall open in a look of exaggerated surprise. Then he mouthed the words, “Fucking hot,” before smiling pleasantly at Lucky when he turned back to us.
“The baby’s escaping,” Lucky said, as he got up. “I’ll go keep an eye on him.”
Hal sat down beside me, and we both leaned forward to watch Lucky jog down the hall. Then Hal whispered, “Sweet baby Jesus, that man’s gorgeous. I knew he was hot from when we used to spy on him at the diner, but damn. He’s tall, too! What is he, six-two, six-three?”
“Something like that.”
“Look how cute he is with the baby.”
Lucky had picked up the car and turned it around when it reached the kitchen, and now he was following behind it with a look of concern as Owen scooted back in our direction. “This toy is going to exhaust you,” Lucky told me when they reached us. “You’ll be chasing after him all the time.”
“I already do. He crawls faster than that.”
The baby did a wide arc in the foyer and began rolling down the hall again. “On our next date, I’m giving you a massage and then tucking you in for a nap,” Lucky said, as he passed us again. “You must be so tired.”
Once he was out of earshot, Hal whispered, “Okay, that man’s adorable.”
I grinned and nodded. “He really is.”
The party was a whirlwind. Owen was lit up with excitement and barely stopped moving. I managed to corral him long enough for everyone to gather and sing “Happy Birthday.” Then he smeared a slice of vanilla cake all over the high chair tray before I quickly cleaned him up and set him free again.
After that, it was present time. The baby didn’t get the concept of unwrapping, but he thought it was hilarious when his Uncle Lark made a big show of tearing the colored paper off each gift and tossing it in the air. He got all kinds of cool toys, games, and puzzles, then started playing with two gift box lids, which he banged together like they were cymbals.
Our guests went home in the early afternoon, and Hal and Lucky joined my housemates and me in the living room. I sat down on the floor in front of the screened off fireplace, and Lucky sat down beside me and said, “I noticed you barely ate anything at the party, so I made you a plate and stuck it in the fridge.”