“Hey, babe.” Del leaned in to give Justin the usual kiss but caught his cheek for some reason.
Justin looked a bit shell shocked and glanced around nervously. “Hi.” His gaze was jumping from one thing to another and when he noticed the kids peacefully setting the table, he didn’t relax like he normally would.
Del grabbed Justin’s arm and dragged him around the corner to the living room. “Hey, Justin, look at me.” He held on to Justin’s forearms and tilted his head until he did as told. “She’s in the bathroom and she’s going to love you. She already loves the kids and they love her, okay? There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
Justin gave him a shaky little smile. “It’s…it’s not that, I’m…” He sighed and looked down, then back at Del again. Something in his expression had changed in those few seconds, but Del couldn’t put his hand on what it was exactly. “You know what, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Once we have dinner though, I’m taking the kids to the old house, just so you two have the weekend for the work stuff.”
“No, Justin, you don’t have to—”
“I have tomorrow off, so I can be with them the whole day. You haven’t seen Abigail for ages. I’ll bring them back on Monday morning, all right?” Justin’s tone was somehow off. Almost too light.
“But—”
“Hey, let me handle them for the weekend. They’re my siblings and you’ve done a lot.” Justin leaned up to kiss him gently. “You need to have your brain on work mode and spend time with Abigail.”
“Yeah, Uncle Del, spend time with meeeee…” Abigail whined as she stepped into the living room, grinning from ear to ear. “Hi, it’s so awesome to meet you.” She gave Justin a silly little wave, then stuck her hands to the back pockets of her jeans, and rocked on her heels. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Uh, you have?” Justin wrapped his arm around Del’s waist and smiled at her cautiously.
“Oh yeah. He can’t stop talking about you. Or the kids. Who, by the way, are awesome. You must be such a great big brother!”
Justin tensed, clearly not sure how to take her words.
“He is. He’s doing the best he can in a non-ideal situation,” Del said quickly, just to let Justin make sure she meant the words sincerely. “I’m so proud of him.”
When Justin looked at him, Del leaned in for a kiss.
“Okay, well, I’m gonna go oversee the table setting.” Abigail gestured toward the kitchen and awkwardly slunk away.
Del smiled into the kiss and gathered Justin closer, then deepened the kiss on purpose, until he heard that now-familiar little sound Justin always made when he truly sank into a kiss.
When Del pulled away, Justin looked all dreamy for a moment, but then the expression vanished, and he rolled his eyes.
“Nice try. We’re still going.”
Del grinned. “Well, I had to try.”
“What’s for dinner?” Justin asked loud enough so the kids and Abigail could hear.
“The Stew for adults and mac and cheese for us!” Harper called back.
“Come eat!” Abigail added.
Justin pecked Del’s lips once more, something complicated in his eyes, and then tugged him into the kitchen.
* * * *
Leaving after dinner went as well as Del had thought it would. The kids were cranky and didn’t want to go, and Del couldn’t blame them.
“I hate you!” Harper screamed at Justin as he closed the door behind them as they left Del’s house.
Justin was making them walk because Harper had thrown such a tantrum even before the last comment.
“Holy shit,” Abigail breathed, looking a bit shocked.
“That’s parenting for you.” Del shrugged, even though he didn’t like the situation any more than Harper did.
“So, wanna make a baked Alaska and watch a horror movie?” Abigail looked at him hopefully
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
They had fun that night, and when Justin didn’t message him after bedtime, Del thought the kids were just harder to put down at their old house and thought nothing of it.
* * * *
Del let Abigail sleep in a bit and made them breakfast. He almost automatically went to make enough for the kids, when he remembered they wouldn’t be coming around that day.
“Morning,” Abigail grunted as she walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, looking at Del blearily.
“Morning.” When she raised a brow at him, he sighed. “I just remembered I won’t have my buddies here to cook for this morning.”
“Hey, what am I, asparagus?” Abigail mock frowned at him. She hated asparagus more than chopped liver.