Page 7 of Daddy Detectives: Episode 2
I’m trying to eat quickly because I figure they’re going to wake up hungry any second, and I still need to get their bottles ready.
I watch Jason as he quietly programs my sister’s insulin pump to administer the correct dosage for this meal. Jason is more than just her boyfriend. He started out as her personal bodyguard, chosen specifically because of his medical background. He’s a former paramedic. After my sister was abducted by her former asshole-of-a-bodyguard, Sean, my parents contacted McIntyre Security Inc. to hire a new bodyguard, one well-versed in medical care.
In addition to being a type I diabetic, my sister also has schizophrenia—auditory hallucinations, to be exact. She often hearsmean girlsberating her, cutting her down, whittling away at her self-esteem.
Layla fell in love with her new bodyguard, and fortunately, he returned her feelings. She’s never been happier. She now lives with him in his apartment in The Gold Coast.
After I finish my dinner, I excuse myself from the table and run to the kitchen to prepare two bottles of formula. When the bottles are ready, I return to the dining room. Layla steals one of them from me and proceeds to feed Will. I pick up a squirming Lizzie and feed her.
The rest of the family sits around the dining room table, chatting, sharing a bottle of red wine, while my sister and I feed the twins. I notice the sweet smile on Layla’s face as she stares down at Will. I notice Jason noticingher. It makes me imagine them getting married one day—I have no doubt that will happen because they’re crazy about each other. I wonder if they’ll want to have kids. It’s obvious Layla enjoys being around the babies.
When dinner is over, and after my parents have shared every scrap of information they remember about my birth mother, Tyler and I pack up the babies and head home.
We change them, dress them in their sleepers, and tuck them into their beds for the night. Once they’re asleep, we change into comfy clothes and head downstairs to the living room to relax.
We end up on the sofa watchingHeartstopperon Netflix—an amazing series about British teenage boys falling in love. The show is based on a series of graphic novels.
“Haven’t you already seen this?” Tyler asks as he props his stocking feet on the coffee table.
I prop my feet up, too. “Yes, but I want us to watch ittogether.”
“But they’re just kids—they’re in high school.”
“You need to see this, Tyler,” I say as I rest my head on his shoulder. “You missed out on teen crushes. You missed out on the pain and agony of navigating adolescence as a gay kid. You missed out on getting teased, being bullied, and having your heart broken because the quarterback of the football team didn’t return your love.”
Tyler tilts his head toward mine. “You were in love with the quarterback? Seriously? That’s so cliché.”
“I know, but he was so dreamy. I suffered through my entire senior year of high school hoping he’d notice me.”
“And did he?”
“Of course not. He was as straight as a flagpole, didn’t know I was alive, and when he knocked up the head cheerleader, I was devastated.” I glance up at Tyler. “What about you?”
“Did I knock up the head cheerleader in high school? No.”
I smack his thigh. “No! I mean, did you ever have a crush on a boy when you were in school? Even just a tiny one? I’ll bet you had a crush on the quarterback.”
“Ian, Iwasthe quarterback.” Then his smile falls. “I never noticed guys when I was in high school. It never even occurred to me.”
“That’s just sad. I bet you were a hot, broody teenager.”
“Broody, yes, but I doubt I was hot.” Tyler lays his hand on mine, which is resting on his thigh, and links our fingers. “I tried dating girls a few times, but it never went well, so eventually I stopped trying.” He kisses the side of my head. “Turns out it was all for the best. I just needed to be patient and wait for you.”
“Aww.”
When Charlie and Nick share their first kiss on-screen, I elbow Tyler. “See what you were missing out on?”
Tyler pulls me onto his lap so that I’m straddling his hips, facing him. He reaches up beneath my T-shirt and thumbs my nipples, sending delicious tingles down my spine. His heated gaze is locked on me, and the TV show gets forgotten. “When I was a senior in high school, you were hardly more than a baby, Ian.”
“Well, when you put it like that.” I cup his handsome face and lean in to kiss him. “It’s a good thing you waited for me.”
Chapter 3 – Tyler
The next morning, while we’re sitting at the kitchen table drinking our coffee and feeding two sleepy babies breakfast, I ask Ian, “Will you be okay if I go out for a while?”
Ian glances across the table at me. “You’re going to look for her, aren’t you?”
I nod. “I’m going to ask Jerry to keep an eye on things here at the house while I’m gone, just as a precaution. Until I have a better idea of what’s going on, I don’t want to leave you and the kids alone.”
