Cheer Up, Daddy!

Call Me Maybe?

-Chapter Ten-

(Call Me Maybe?)

Jackson was drained.

Most of the days he tried to pull off having superman strength by holding the twins in his arms for almost hours but obviously his mind was playing tricks with him. Jackson, his arms already a little numb, drew James in close to give him a light hug and kiss his temple. James rumbled in delight, tiny arms wrapping around Jackson's neck. It'd been twenty minutes when Ryan told him he just went out to have a quick piss, now the thin walls couldn't hide his belly laughter from the other room. Jackson rolled his eyes and reached out for Jeremy's waist, groaning as he picked him up with the other arm.

"I need to stop feeding you guys from now on," Jackson complained, he couldn't help but grin when Jeremy giggled and bumped their foreheads together gently.

"You do that you'll end up killing them," a stranger walked in and closed the door behind him, shutting out the noise. Jackson turned around and looked up, gaze intense and assessing. Patrica ambled past Jackson, tugging along her cousin to meet the man in the middle. The girls received a forehead kiss each and continued their way out of the room, Jackson's gaze never left the man in front of him still he felt his stomach hurled at the ugly tattoo on his exposed arm. It looked like a giant serpent head swallowing its tail and Jackson did not appreciate the man for flaunting it in public as if it was appropriate for the people to think it was cool and decide to have one, especially the children in the center. There was a nagging reminder that Jackson once went to a tattoo parlor and nearly get one himself, thankfully he did not because he might lose his modeling job over it.

"Your body is a canvas," Katherina reiterated, "no artist likes a painted canvas."

The man rolled down his uniform sleeve to cover up the ink, sensing the judgmental gaze shooting at his way. Tina huffed and marched toward the door without a second glance at both of the adults, already complaining at her father for abandoning her. Danny tugged on the skeleton chain near the belt hoop of the man's skinny jeans with Leo lingering close, the man did not hesitant as he scooped the boys into his arms, rubbing his stubble cheeks against theirs. By the time Jackson managed to snap out of his thought, Alex had followed the boys out of the playroom and into the waiting area.

This couldn't get weird; Jackson was not going to handle it if things got too weird. The man arched a brow and the amused smirk he sent over to Jackson's direction indicate a lot of meaning which instead of falling into the trap, Jackson shrugged off the weird rubbing thing and decided to follow the kids' footsteps to get the hell out of here. The man's black wraparounds were starting to bug Jackson, it was ridiculous how many black clothing this man could own, saved from the green stripes around the sleeves.

"Ryan wanted me to tell you that the class is about to start and you should probably bring the twins over before Andrea acting like a bitch again." The man drawled, cocking his head as Jackson stooped to place the boys back into his sore arms. Jackson felt the man's eyes on his back and straightened up, holding his hands together to keep his strength and glaring at the man.

"Just because we are both men doesn't mean I enjoy calling women names, the only reason your nose isn't broken right now not because I don't hit scumbag in front of children, it's because they are in my way." Jackson mocked, whirling with his back to him as he advanced to the door.

"Maybe I should hit you since I don't have any children in my way," the man retorted and his laugh sent chills up his spine. Jackson stayed silent, teeth grinding as the man strutted past him, slamming the door at Jackson's face. The bang startled the twins but thankfully they were too happy to be close to Jackson again to care what had happened.