“Not really,” Alex said. “My insides feel funny—my emotional insides.”

  “The three of us don’t always have to do everything together,” I said. “We love each other and shouldn’t have a problem if two of us are alone while the third is occupied with something else. Let me be blunt a minute. While I’m with Chip and Leticia if you and Forrest want to go at it then by all means do so with my blessing. I love you both and the thought of you two together makes me happy… and a bit excited.”

  Forrest laughed, then got serious. “Remember you said that, Layton. Because Alex and I will start the day making love, then he’s going to take the blue cure.”

  “Say what?” I said.

  “There’s only one toilet like you said, so only one of us can take the cure at a time,” Forrest said. “Alex will have to be the level-headed one until you and I can take the cure, Layton. I won’t leave the room or Alex’s side until you return. And you’ll have your cell phone with you in case I need you.”

  “OK, that’s actually not a bad idea,” I said, then yawned. “Good night, guys. What time is Chip usually ready to go?”

  “Eight,” Forrest said.

  THE NEXT MORNING I woke up with my hard cock pressed up against Forrest’s ass. I must’ve been spooning against him the whole night—and damn, I had slept well. Quietly I got up from bed, used the toilet, and dressed in my plaid bathing trunks and a T-shirt. I put my cell phone, wallet, and room key in my pockets and turned to take another look at Forrest and Alex in bed. Alex’s head was nestled in the crook of Forrest’s arm and he looked so serene and at peace. Forrest opened his eyes and looked at me. I walked to him and kissed him on the lips.

  “Have fun,” Forrest said in a whisper. “I’ll take good care of Alex.”

  “I know you will,” I said. “I’ll take good care of Chip.”

  “I know,” Forrest said.

  We kissed again before I finally tore myself away, put on my flip-flops, and left the room.

  “Talk about perfect timing,” I said when I spotted Leticia and Chip in the downstairs walkway. Chip ran to me and I picked him up and gave him a hug.

  “Good morning,” Leticia said.

  She was casually dressed in knee-length tan shorts, a T-shirt, and white sandals. Chip was in a T-shirt, blue and green trunks, and canvas slip-on shoes.

  “We were on our way to breakfast,” Leticia said.

  “And I was on my way to take you to breakfast,” I said, “then I was planning to go swimming with Chip.”

  “Yippee!” Chip said, and squeezed my neck.

  I chuckled.

  “The inn’s snack café right around the corner has juice, croissants, bagels and even a waffle maker,” Leticia said. “It’s for guests who want a light and quick morning meal instead of the heavier breakfast in the main building.”

  “Waffles would really hit the spot,” I said, holding Chip in my left arm. “What do you say to waffles kiddo?”

  “Yummy!” Chip said.

  I kissed his cheek and walked forward. Leticia looked around, then spoke.

  “Is it just three for breakfast this morning?”

  “Chip’s other daddies decided to sleep in,” I said. “When they get up, Alex is going to partake of the blue cure.”

  “Forrest will be there with him, right?” Leticia said, as we followed a curve in the walkway then crossed the parking area on the left.

  “Yeah, he promised not to leave him,” I said. “Do I need to be there too?”

  “No,” Leticia said. “There’s not really much that can be done to help someone who’s taken the blue cure except maybe bring them some soda to settle their stomach. Luckily the cure only has to be taken once.”

  We got to a small building with a sign on the front that had Mt. Ore Café written on it and I opened the door with my free hand so Leticia could enter. Inside were a few scattered tables and chairs. The front walls were made up almost entirely of windows with views outside. Counters along the back walls held the aforementioned waffle maker, a large rack containing a variety of cereals, a clear covered container with three shelves holding breads and pastries, and a machine providing orange juice or apple juice. An attendant entered from a back door and wiped the counters down.

  “Good morning,” the attendant said.

  Leticia and I both said good morning as did Chip.

  “Good morning,” an older couple sitting at a center table said.

  “Good morning,” I said. “It’s a beautiful day out.”

  “Yes, it is,” The man said.

  “Come to get a hearty breakfast before starting on your adventures, huh,” the woman said to Chip.

  “We’re going swimming after we eat,” Chip said.

  “You enjoy yourselves in the pool,” the woman said.

  “We will, thank you,” I said. “You have a good day too.”

  “I know I will,” the woman said. “I’m going shopping.”

  “That’s always fun,” Leticia said.

  “For some,” the man said, then smiled. “It makes me happy to see my wife enjoy herself. We’d better head out and get ready for our day.”

  They picked up their napkins, plates, and utensils and deposited them in a nearby trash can.

  While Leticia toasted a croissant for herself, Chip watched in fascination as I fixed him a waffle. As the waffle cooked, I got Chip settled at a table for three with Leticia.

  “Apple juice or orange?” I said to Chip.

  “Apple,” Chip said. “What about your waffle, Daddy?”

  I stood still for a moment and let that word “Daddy” sink in fully. I didn’t need to wait nine months to be a dad, I was a dad now. “I’m going to get your apple juice OK, son.”

  “OK,” Chip said. “Can you please get me some syrup too?”

  “I sure can,” I said. Forrest had done a good job with Chip, he had great manners.

  Before seeing to Chip’s waffle, I brought him a full cup of juice. That was a mistake on my part. When I returned to the table with his waffle and syrup, Chip had most of the juice on the front of his shirt and Leticia was leaning over trying to wipe it with her napkin.

  “I’m sorry, Daddy,” Chip said and looked up at me sadly. “The cup was too heavy and slippery for me to hold.

  His look almost broke my heart, and I put my hand on his little shoulder and hunched down in front of him. “It’s OK, buddy,” I said. “It’s my fault for filling the cup too much and not getting you a lid and a straw.”

  “Brrr, it’s cold and sticky,” Chip said.

  “I got a solution for that,” I said, then stood and pulled Chip’s T-shirt off him. I used the dry side of it to clean him up, then went to get him another juice—along with a lid and straw this time.

  “I’ll look after your waffle, Layton,” Leticia said. “Your son will probably need your help cutting his waffle and pouring the syrup.”

  “Thank you,” I said. Leticia winked at me and I smiled. “You’re not too cold, are you, Chip?”

  “No, Sir,” Chip said.

  He laughed watching me struggle to open the syrup and I couldn’t help but chuckle myself. Finally I had the syrup nicely poured over Chip’s waffle and was cutting it into bite-sized pieces when Leticia walked over with mine and another container of syrup.

  “What would you like to drink, Layton?” Leticia said.

  “Orange juice, please,” I said.

  Chip was eating his waffle and I’d started on mine when Leticia returned with an orange juice for me and a coffee for herself. She sat down, looked at Chip and smiled.

  “Chip said he had fun looking at the icons with Norris and Rocky yesterday,” Leticia said.

  “I did,” Chip said, then continued eating.

  “I thought the icons opened some sort of gateway,” I said. “But, biblically any believer can call on the help of angels.”

  “That’s true,” Leticia said. “What the icons did was open our eyes to another dimension so we could actually see the angels. It’s all rather fascinating, but not at all my field of expertise. Children, because of their innocence, are able to use the icons to open that dimension for all of us.”

  “So does that mean Heaven is in another dimension,” I said.

  “I’m not sure,” Leticia said.

  “It’s not,” Chip said. “Norris told me that angels and stuff are around us all the time, but mostly we can’t see them. He knows how to use those icon things to help us see the angels.”

  “Hmm,” I said, promptly dropping a piece of waffle on my shirt that got syrup all over it. Chip pointed my way and laughed.

  “Now you have to take off your shirt, Daddy,” Chip said.

  “Sure does look that way,” I said. “Lucky for us we’re the only ones in here.”

  “I just can’t take you two anywhere,” Leticia said, and smiled.

  After I pulled my T-shirt off I tossed it next to Chip’s shirt that I’d put beside me on the window sill.

  When we were done and ready to leave, Leticia pointed downward to Chip’s bare feet.

  “I think someone had shoes on when we got here,” Leticia said.

  “I hate shoes,” Chip said.

  “He is definitely your son, Layton,” Leticia said.

  “Just hold your shoes in your hands while we walk to the pool,” I said to Chip.

  We were outside again and I held Chip’s hand as we walked across the street. Once we were on the other side and on the walkway I let Chip go ahead of us after making him promise to stay close and not stray.

  “He’s a sweet little boy,” Leticia said. “And he already does think of you and Alex as his daddies.”

  “Isn’t that something?” I said.

  “He told me he saw you and Alex in his dreams and knew you were coming,” Leticia said. “Children often have various types of psychic giftings for lack of a better word.”

  “Is it anything to be concerned about?” I said.

  “No, not unless Chip becomes upset by it at some point. He seems perfectly fine to me. By the way, Chef Brogna is back home, as is Lacey.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” I said. “Initially I wasn’t too sure about Lacey’s babysitting skills, but she proved herself. Hell—she took a bullet trying to help Brandon.”

  “What do you think of Callum and Ronnie, Layton?”

  “They both have skills and are good at what they do,” I said. “And they know how to keep their cool in a crisis. Why—you thinking of recruiting them?”

  Before she could answer, my attention turned elsewhere. Chip was by the entrance to the pool area.

  “Wait right there for us, kiddo,” I said. Chip stood at attention and I chuckled. “That’s a future Marine right there.”

  “I can see that,” Leticia said. “And yes I might be interesting in recruiting Callum and Ronnie. The organization is going to need men like them in the very near future.”

  “You really do feel something is coming… and soon.”

  “I do and I only hope we’re prepared for it,” Leticia said. “Something else has happened, Layton, and I think it’s the prelude to a disaster of cataclysmic proportions.”

  Chapter 35

  Details, Please

  I WENT OVER TO Chip, held his hand, and walked with him into the pool area.

  “We need to wait a few minutes before getting in the pool since we just ate,” I said.

  “Howdy, stranger,” Callum said, from where he stood next to the pool with Brandon.

  I walked up to Callum, shook his hand, and introduced the others to him. “This is Leticia Carter, I do freelance work for her. And this young man is my new son Chip.

  “Very nice to meet you formally, Mrs. Carter,” Callum said and shook her hand. “I remember seeing you at Natasha’s house last night. And it’s sure great to meet you, Chip.”

  “If you’ll give me a couple minutes,” I said. “I’ve got something in my truck that belongs to Brandon. I think I’ll check on Alex real quick first.”

  After asking Leticia and Callum to keep an eye on Chip for me, I quickly walked back to my truck, retrieved Brandon’s remote control vehicle and headed back to my room. When I entered the room, the bathroom door was open and I could hear the sound of Alex throwing up. Alex was sitting on the toilet while throwing up into a bucket Forrest held in front of him.

  “Oh, babe,” I said.

  “It’s just like when I had food poisoning a few years ago, and things were going out both ends, ” Alex said, then vomited again.

  “I went to get Brandon’s truck to give back to him,” I said. “Leticia and Callum are watching Chip. Do either of you need anything?”

  “No,” Alex said with considerable strain.

  “I’ve got things under control here,” Forrest said. “No need to rush back.”

  “OK,” I said. “Love you both.”

  Mere minutes later, I was back downstairs with Brandon’s truck in hand.

  “That’s the truck you gave me for my birthday, Daddy!” Brandon said to Callum and smiled. “Chip, you wanna see me drive it using my remote control?”

  “Yeah!” Chip said, then looked my way for approval.

  “That’s fine,” I said.

  “You boys don’t get too close to the pool with that toy,” Callum said. “We’re gonna have some adult talk while you two play. And Brandon, be sure and let Chip have a turn at driving the truck.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Brandon said.

  I followed Callum and Leticia to a nearby table and sat in a chair where I could watch the boys.

  “Mrs. Carter was telling me about her organization while you were gone,” Callum said.

  “I can tell you they do a good job,” I said. “The work is kind of crazy, though. I’m not sure how much Leticia has told you.”

  “You can speak freely,” Leticia said. “Callum’s seen things firsthand, remember.”

  “God knows I’ll never forget seeing those angels,” Callum said. “And hell, everyone in this area heard about those zombies you and your boys took out, Layton. Shit I had my guns ready in case some of them made it our way.”

  We all laughed.

  “I’ve got a kid on the way thanks to that mission,” I said. “Some of that supernatural stuff got a hold of me and I ended up with a woman for the first time ever—in the biblical sense.”

  “I’m sure it wasn’t all bad,” Callum said. “And that’s the luck—first time you do the deed with a woman and you’ve got a kid coming from it.”

  “The mother to be is a good sort,” I said. “It was a tough situation, though, bro. That damn energy force had such a strong hold on me I couldn’t fight it… and we soldiers are supposed to protect and do no harm to innocents.”

  “Had Layton not given in, he might’ve torn the young lady apart,” Leticia said. “She said he saved her life by giving in and doing what she told him needed to be done.”

  “So those stories I heard about people being supernaturally moved to screw each other were true, huh,” Callum said. “Pardon my language, Mrs. Carter.”

  “That’s essentially what happened,” Leticia said. “My organization is always dealing with things of a supernatural nature, unfortunately situations occur that we can’t fully control.”

  “Well, it’s like I was saying while Layton was away,” Callum said. “If you need help in this town or areas close by, feel free to call me. But at this moment I need to make my family and this inn my priority. In the future I’m sure I’ll be more available. I don’t want you to think I’m closing the door on anything, since I do admire what your organization is doing.”

  “I completely understand your situation, Callum,” Leticia said. “We’re always recruiting, so I’ll definitely keep in touch.”

  “You do that,” Callum said. “Can I ask you a question, Ma’am?”

  “Please go right ahead,” Leticia said.

  “I’ve always heard a lot about supernatural going-ons around here. Is it because of that new age town of Aurora? I always figured that maybe those people there open doorways into the supernatural realm somehow.”

  “Aurora definitely attracts the supernatural, and that does affect this entire area,” Leticia said.

  “That’s sort of what I thought,” Callum said. “I mean, we’ve seen our share of some strange things here in Mt. Ore. I even helped a man track down one of them chupacabra things a while back. It was an ugly bastard too.”

  “If I’m in need of a brother’s help, can I call you?” I said.

  “Hell, yeah,” Callum said. “I expect to see you around here visiting, too.”

  “Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that we have an extra person in our room,” I said, “if we need to pay more to cover him I’d be happy to do that.”

  “Don’t go insulting me now,” Callum said. “Your cop’s a good guy. And I was about to tell you that anytime you want to stay over whether it’s for a night or a month, just call. There will always be a room available for you and your party—free of charge.”

  I opened my mouth to speak but Callum looked at me, pointed my way, and spoke. “Look, I didn’t argue over the price you were paid for this case, so you’re not gonna argue with me over a free room, for you and your family.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  ‘Oops, I almost forgot something,” Callum said. “The wife says to invite all of you to dinner tomorrow night at seven in the room we usually use for breakfast in the main building.”

  “Sounds good,” I said.

  “You’re invited too, Mrs. Carter,” Callum said.

  “Thank you, I look forward to it,” Leticia said.

  “I’d better go help the kids with that remote control,” Callum said, then stood up and walked toward the corner of the area where the kids were playing.

  “Details, please,” I said, leaning in close to Leticia. “I want details about the other thing that’s happened you started to mention earlier?”

  “I received a coded message from Noelle this morning.”

  “And,” I said.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27