Reina’s loud squealing interrupted their thoughts as they both turned to see her running up the ladder of the big play set, wearing Jack’s ball cap. Jack nearly caught up to her, and she screamed even louder as she made it onto the slide just in time.
“The way she riles that boy, I think she has a crush,” Abel’s mom said, walking up to them, holding their baby in her arms.
Abel turned to his mother with what he knew was more than a disgusted expression. It was exactly how he felt. “Who has a crush?”
Nellie laughed. “I think we both know who she’s talking about, and, I dunno . . . I’d have to say it’s classic behavior.”
“She’s in kindergarten,” he reminded these two crazy women.
He saw his mother and Nellie exchange glances. “I think it’s cute,” Nellie declared, taking a sip of her fancy coffee. “I had my first crush in kindergarten.”
“Is that right?” Abel asked in a demanding voice. Then it dawned on him how ridiculous it was to get wound up about that. This whole conversation was ridiculous.
“Uh oh,” Nellie said, and Abel annoyingly followed her gaze.
Little Abel was walking toward them, squeezing his crotch area shamelessly. Nellie looked up at Abel. “Do you wanna take him?”
Abel nodded, still feeling his feathers all ruffled, and held out his hand to his son. “Gotta go?” The question only made his son hold on to his crotch area tighter, but he nodded. “Let’s go then. Hurry.”
He needed to get away for a few minutes anyway. Reina was still squealing, and he had a feeling his mom and Nellie weren’t done with their crush talk. As if his baby girl even knew what that meant!
“Honey, can you please talk to him again about not waiting until the last second so he has to walk around doing that? It’s embarrassing.”
A few minutes later, Abel stood in the men’s room blow drying his kid’s pants because he didn’t quite make it to the urinal. As he did that, he tried explaining to his boy about not waiting until it was too late. The water in the sink had been running just behind Abel, but he hadn’t thought much of it until he turned around to see his son’s shirt half soaked from him trying to wash his hands. “Dude! I just dried these.” He held up the short little pants.
Nellie was going to flip if he saw him like this. “C’mere,” he said, kneeling down to help him get his pants on, then pulled off his shirt. “Don’t turn on the water.”
He tried to give him that raised brow warning look but had to laugh. This was what it’d come down to.
His life.
Drying wet kid clothes in the bathroom at the Disney Resort while his wife, kids, and the rest of his friends waited outside. They still had yet another day of dealing with squealing kids, crotch-grabbing little boys who barely made it to the urinals—every time—and lots of sticky faces and fingers to clean. Not to mention diapers to change, grumpy little guys who need a nap and a wife and mom who make up the most ridiculous things about his baby girl.
A few years ago he might’ve said no way was he ready for all this. Now all he could say was bring it.
They finished up and walked back out where Nellie was standing looking toward the restroom. When they got to her, she looked at them questionably. “You guys took long. Did something happen?”
Abel looked down at his son and patted his head. “Nope, some things you just can’t rush.”
Nellie gave him a knowing look and nodded. Abel winked at his son before the little guy took off running again.
Felix and Ella were already at the buffet table. “I see they finally made it,” Abel said, wrapping his arms around Nellie’s waist from behind.
“They’re acting weird,” Nellie said.
“How so?”
“I dunno. Like they have a secret.”
Abel could bet what their secret was—whatever they were doing all this time while the rest of them were down here running around after their kids. He watched as Felix and Ella walked back. They had that same look on their faces as Hector and Charlee, who were also just now getting back from the changing her shoes B.S.
“We’ll eat quickly then we’re out,” Ella said as they sat down. “The walk doesn’t start for another twenty minutes.”
“Take your time,” Nellie said. She glanced at Charlee and Hector, who walked over and picked up their now wide awake baby, then whispered to Abel. “Maybe I should go change my shoes too while Felix and Ella eat.”
Abel’s head jerked back to her, eyes wide open. He liked how she was thinking but said, “We don’t have enough time.”
She leaned into him. “Maybe we could find the ice vending room instead of going all the way up.”
The way she looked at him he knew she was only kidding, but that wasn’t helping the cause in his already twitching crotch. “Stop,” he whispered and she giggled.
Abel suddenly knew what his mission would be today. He’d be tiring these kids out until they were spent because when they got back to the room tonight it was on.
~*~
Felix
It didn’t matter.
Felix now understood completely. In the beginning he’d been leery about letting people know the whole truth. He figured it was no one’s business but theirs. As usual, in Ella fashion, she made Felix understand why she didn’t care if everyone knew the truth—because it didn’t matter. The bottom line was she and Felix would be giving life to these babies. They would be born from their love regardless of the technicalities. Truth was Ella was right—as usual. Neither one of them wanted to heighten the odds of having to be challenged so tragically again.