Finding Daddy

“Jimmy!” I shouted, kicking his shin from under the table. He whined pathetically, nursing his leg and burying his face in Teri’s shoulder. Everyone else pretended nothing was even happening. I groaned in annoyance when I could feel the other leg beginning to rub between Felix and I’s knees again. So apparently when he says ‘let the games begin’ he just meant that he was going to annoy me until the party was over. Why? I had no clue. Does Jimmy really need reasoning?

I felt a soft squeeze on my thigh, causing me to look up. Felix was talking to Matt, who was stationed across from him, but the corner of his mouth was tilting up into a smile as he talked. I smiled softly as his thumb began to rub a small circle on the side of my knee. I relaxed a bit more, eating my food more easily. Jimmy ended up giving up on his antics, letting his foot fall back to the ground before turning to talk to Teri and Michelle. I let my eyes trail the table and smiled wider.

I was a fool for thinking I should be nervous for this party. Everyone I had already met were just their normal selves and Brian’s family was so welcoming. I had ended up talked to Brian (or Papa Gates as everyone told me to call him) and Suzy for a long time, Felix being kidnapped himself by Val and Michelle. They were some of the most genuine and sweetest people ever. I hadn’t fully spoken to McKenna quite yet, but I felt as soon as we were done eating, that would be done. Mostly because she had just caught my eye and grinned, playfully pointing her fingers at her eyes and then towards me.

At this moment was when Xavier began to cry from his car seat on the seat between Johnny and myself. Without really thinking, I instantly scooped him out and began to rock him, cooing little nothings to him. His face was still red and he just seemed generally unhappy. I frowned, standing to my feet as I headed towards the house, waving off Lacey when she tried to follow. Johnny sent me an appreciative smile before reassuring his wife that Xavier would be fine. I could tell they were both tired since it was doubt the little guy was giving them much rest. So with that in mind, I headed inside with his diaper bag in tow, determined to calm the tyke down.

“Oh, c’mon Avie,” I sighed fifteen minutes later as I placed him over my shoulder and patted his back. I had changed his diaper, gave him a pacifier (which he spit out), his favorite elephant, and gave him his formula. He had eaten the entire thing, burped twice, and then abruptly started bawling again. I plopped down in a chair in the kitchen, letting my head fall back to stare at the ceiling. Of all things to not work out, it would be my attempt to let Johnny and Lacey relax. Something just had to not work in my favor.

“Oh Danny!” A voice sang out. I quirked an eyebrow and waited patiently for the person to appear in the doorway. Not only did McKenna’s mess of pink hair stroll in, but Felix, Charlie, and Angely were also on her heels. The other three were carrying plates, utensils, and cups but McKenna made a beeline towards me. “Ooh, don’t be so meanie Avie.” She fished out the fuzzy blanket that Lacey had folded away into a side pocket, wrapping it around him tightly. After bouncing him gently for a few minutes, she placed the backup pacifier in his mouth where he began to happily suck. After a few more moments, she passed him back to my arms. “He’s a fussy relaxer. One of the few I’ve ever met like him.”

“Thank you,” I sighed. “So much for my midwife idea.”

“No, don’t say that,” McKenna scolded as she slid into the seat across from me at the table. “Like I said, Xavier is just a weird baby. He has a random kink. Just gives you another idea in case another baby gives you a rough time.”

“Yeah, true,” I agreed as Xavier began to let his eyes slip shut and his mouth slowed it’s work on the pacifier. I turned to see the other three having a routine created. Charlie washed the dishes, Felix dried, and Angely put them away. I didn’t fully understand it, seeing a dishwasher right in front of where Angely had to stand on her tippy toes to put the plates away, but decided not to say anything. I didn’t want to ruin their unity. Besides, they were too busy arguing on who was the best superhero so they didn’t really give two shits to my opinion on their work.

“So, Danny.” I turned my gaze back to the woman in front of me. She had to be about nineteen, but with her childlike face, you would never guess it. When she smiled there was a radiant glow and you couldn’t help but staring. “How do you like California? I know I’m probably late asking and you’ve been asked a million times, but I can’t help wondering.”

“It’s great. There aren’t many beaches out in Colorado.” At this McKenna chuckled with me. “I’ll admit I’m going to miss the cold winters though. I love an excuse to wear thick sweaters.”

“Hey, it does get pretty cold over here too. Maybe not as cold as Colorado or for as long, but it does get pretty bad,” McKenna explained. She leaned into her hand which was being propped up by her elbow. “What about your old school and whatnot? I know Brian mentioned something about a friend of yours. Audrey?”

“Autumn,” I amended, frowning a little. “Yeah, I miss her. Her and her boyfriend were about the only friends I really had back in Colorado. Can’t say I miss the school much, though.”

“No extracurricular activities you miss?”

“Nah. Well, maybe my Forensics class, if that counts. It was cool stuff to learn about. But besides that, no. I’m not really a fan of the educational system. I like learning, but half the teachers I had just tossed packets at us and called it a day,” I huffed. McKenna nodded in sympathy.

“Not gonna lie, a lot of teachers like that work at Huntington. But if you’re lucky, you’ll get some of the good ones. Did you go sign up yet?”

“Nah. Dad and I have to go do this this week before they make everyone’s schedules and what not.”

“Oh yeah. I always forget it’s so close,” McKenna murmured. “I am so glad that college starts a little after you guys. Besides, I can show up in pajamas without being scolded. Just letting you know, college is so much better.”

“I get that general idea from people. It’s just the essays I don’t particularly care for.”

McKenna made a sour look, causing me to laugh quietly, trying to make sure I didn’t wake Xavier who had successfully fallen asleep in my arms. “So, how’d you meet Felix?”

I blushed as she whispered this, my eyes trailing over to him. He was currently laughing at something Angely had said, leaning in front of her to place Brian’s favorite glass on the utmost top shelf since she couldn’t reach it. His shirt had rode up a little, showing off the base of his back. It was tight with muscles, making it hard to tear away from. I finally did to see McKenna smirking at me. I blushed even deeper and turned my attention to Xavier instead. His pacifier was hanging halfway out of his open mouth, so I decided to take it out and place in on the table, choosing to clean it once he was put back in his car seat.

“I had went on a walk to the park and he was there. We talked and he helped me out with some things. Then we just kind of stumbled into each other a few more times there,” I said with a slight shrug at the end.

“So when did you decide you wanted to fuck him?”

“What?!” I exclaimed, quite too loud. The three at the sink turned slightly and Xavier began to whine in my arms. I kept my head turned down, my face much too hot than considered normal, and worked at putting Xavier back at ease. By the time I finally looked up, the three were back to their nearly completed work and McKenna had the proudest grin I had ever seen plastered on her face.

“But so seriously, was it the first time? Or maybe the second?”

“Kenna, shut up,” I grumbled, giving a pitiful glare. She chuckled, leaning back in her seat.

“It’s a very natural thing, Danny. No reason to be all freaked out by it. I mean, c’mon, you’re a good looking girl. You’ve had to of at least fooled around.” The blank stare I gave her made her eyes grow wide. She was suddenly leaning forward and resembling a fish out of water. “Nothing?! How is that even possible?”

“Never had a boyfriend,” I muttered.

“So? I didn’t have a boyfriend either when I started fooling around,” McKenna argued. She paused for a moment, thoughtful, before telling me, “Don’t let Brian, Papa, or Suzy know any of this. In fact, don’t let anyone know anything, unless you absolutely need to, then you can tell Jimmy or Teri. They’ve been keeping all of our secrets for years, man.”

“I kind of get that vibe from them,” I admitted. It seemed likely that if Jimmy or Teri ever decided to say ‘fuck it’ and go rogue, they would have dirt on each member of the Avenged Sevenfold family That was a kind of power not many people could handle but I knew those two definitely could. “But, like I said, the only friends I ever had were Autumn and her boyfriend. So there was absolutely no one to ‘mess around’ with since none of them would even speak to me. There was this one guy who taught me how to kiss, but he never wanted anything else and moved away.”

“Girl, we have to fix that and soon. It’s awesome, to be honest. People know what they’re talking about when they say its absolutely amazing.”

“What’s so absolutely amazing?” Charlie questioned as he slipped into the chair next to McKenna. Angely plopped herself down into the one at the end of the table between McKenna and I with a huff.

“Nothing I can talk about in front of you, Charlie. And both of Angie’s parents might kill me for it,” McKenna replied with a shrug.

“Where’d Felix go?” Only a moment later, he walked into the room with Xavier’s car seat in the crook of his elbow. He smiled, placing it on the table in front of me. I smiled my thanks before carefully slipping the baby into it. He then picked the seat back up before leaving the room again. I could only assume he put Xavier in the living room since he came back without the seat and no door had opened.

“Gena said to just make sure we keep this on us and give it to them when we go back out,” Felix explained, waving a small baby monitor in his hand as he slid into the seat next to me and across from Charlie. He placed it on the table before slipping his left hand into my right, lacing our fingers together and giving my hand a small squeeze. I couldn’t help smiling, my face feeling a lot cooler.

“So Felix, I know you’ve probably been asked a million times when I wasn’t nearby, but do you go to school?” McKenna asked.

“I do,” Felix admitted. “I graduated from Huntington High last year and I’m about to start my basics at Golden West.”

“Whatcya wanna major in?” Angely asked, her mouth full of grapes. I cocked an eyebrow, unsure of when she produced the small bowl of fruit. I shrug my shoulders ever so slightly before grabbing a few and popping one into my mouth.

“Anthropology.”

“Which kind?” Charlie asked.

“There are different kinds?” Angely asked, looking back and forth between Charlie and Felix. When they both nodded, she frowned. “I thought what Bones did was just normal anthropology.”

“Nah, she does forensic anthropology. I was more interested in linguistics.” When he got blank stares from Angely and Charlie, he clarified, “The study of communication over time.”

“Oooh,” they drawled together.

“So you’re a language kind of man, huh?” McKenna questioned.

“I would say so. My grandfather taught me Italian and I picked up on German and French in high school,” Felix said with a small shrug. I was starting to get the idea that he was much higher on the intelligence scale than I had already placed him.That, my friend, was extremely attractive.

“Can you really speak Italian or are you just yanking our chains?” I teased.

“Dubiti di me, la mia bellezza dagli occhi nocciola?” Felix replied easily, rolling his big eyes over to me. I blushed, my insides doing flip flops. I didn’t even know what he had said and it was sexy as hell. Yes, I was willing to jump to sexy after that. I crossed my legs at my knees and gave a weak smile.

“Heeey, pretty good,” Charlie said in awe.

“What did you say?” McKenna asked curiously.

“I said ‘you doubt me, my hazel eyed beauty’,” Felix answered as if it didn’t bother him in the slightest to throw such wooing things around. My face turned brightly and I looked down at my lap. Felix gave my hand another squeeze and began tracing small circles with his thumb. I was beginning to notice that was his common idea to calm before down and I was also noticing it was beginning to work wonders on me.

“Does it ever make it weird to talk different languages with a lip stud?” Angely asked.

“Not really. Sometimes I click it on my teeth on accident, but that’s it,” Felix replied with a shrug. I smiled softly, remembering the weird but amazing feeling of that stud in the middle of a kiss.

“So what about your parents?” I wanted to scold McKenna but Felix was already talking.

“They passed away when I was four. My mother was an art teacher and my father was a paralegal.”

“Sorry,” all three people spoke. Felix waved them off.

“It’s fine. I’ve come to terms with it and it’s not like you guys would have any idea.” Just for extra measure, I decided to give his hand a squeeze anyway. He smiled and kissed my temple, causing McKenna and Angely to coo.

“Oh, shut it,” I grumbled, throwing my last grape at McKenna.

“Don’t you wish it was that easy to make us stop?” McKenna mocked. Charlie let out a groan, pushing his chair back from the table.

“Okay, well, while you two,” he spoke, pointing at McKenna and Angely, “make googly eyes at those two as they try to tell you to fuck off, I’m going to enjoy the bounce house with Melody because she’s more fun.”

With that he walked out of the kitchen, the sound of the back door opening and closing. Angely ran out after him with a whine of ‘I’m coming too!’. McKenna stood from her own chair with a smirk on her face. As she pushed in her chair she said, “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.”

With that, she grabbed the baby monitor before also leaving the room. Once the door shut and the house was enveloped in silence, I let out a small breath. “I’m so sorry about them. They’re just...”

“Family,” Felix finished with a soft smile. He gave me a short peck and licked his lips thoughtfully. “Grape is a good taste on you.”

“Thank you..?” I spoke slowly, blushing deeper than I have yet today. My stomach was doing weird twists again and I crossed my legs tighter as I shifted in my seat a little. He chuckled at my clear embarrassment and kissed my temple again.

“C’mon, let’s go get in that bounce house. It sounds like fun.”I agreed, both of us standing to our feet. As we walked to the back door, hand in hand, Felix bit his bottom lip in indecision. As we stepped outside, I noticed Dad looking sourly at us but Val grinning widely. Suddenly he asked, “Do you think they like me?”

At that moment was when Johnny and Zack ran up to us, Johnny slapping a hand on Felix’s shoulder. With a serious face he said, “I’m going to rob a liquor store and Zack’s going to be our getaway car.” He then point at Felix with his left index finger, the rest of the fingers struggling to keep a hold on his beer bottle. “You, my friend, are going to distract the owner, got it?”

Without Felix able to answer him, the two ran off away, obviously very tipsy with their significant others yelling for them to ‘stop scaring the children’. I chuckled, kissing his cheek. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they like you.”