Bruce had spent the weekend with Paddy and the boys. They had gone to the London Zoo, enjoying the rare sunny day. Bruce was thankful that not many people recognized him. He didn't mind fans approaching him, but not when he was with his family. Griffin and Austin were still too young to understand who exactly their Dad was. To them, he was the goofy, funny guy that liked to make them laugh by making faces. He was also aware that since he had left Maiden, many fans weren't happy with him, he didn't want them to lash out on him while he was with his family.
They arrived home right before nightfall. Griffin and Austin had fallen asleep in the car, clearly knackered from their day out. Bruce laid them in bed and came out to the living room, sitting next to Paddy on the couch.
"This is great." he pulled her onto him, kissing her softly. "I can't remember the last time we've had a family day out like that. Watching the face of joy on Austin and Griffin when they were looking at the animals makes me leaving Maiden worth it."
Paddy smiled at him, "It was a great time. Thank you for putting time aside for us. I know you have interviews and lyrics to get to, but I really appreciate you taking a break from it all."
Bruce nodded, "I wasn't "putting time aside" for you guys. You are my family. I should be spending more time with you guys. I don't want to miss out on the boys life. I want to watch them grow up, I want to be there for them."
"I was thinking what you were saying the other day about not needing a nanny. You're right. I can care for the boys on my own when you're not home. Judith will still be a good friend and will still be welcome at our house, but I don't think we need her over all the time. We can come out to see you when you tour the UK. We'll make it work."
Bruce didn't know what to say, he hadn't realized how much Judith did for the family, and he really enjoyed having her at the house. She was a beautiful older lady, she was fun, and she was great with the boys.
"Well...I too was thinking about that. I wasn't around much before since I was always on the road, but now that I'm home, I see how much she does. How attentive she is with Griffin and Austin. How she keeps you company..." he smiled at Paddy, "..she's great. I think we should keep her around." Bruce could still remember the shot of lust that went through his body when he pictured Judith bathing him. He didn't want to admit to Paddy that there were other motives for him wanting her to stay. He enjoyed looking at her...enjoyed it very much.
Paddy looked over her shoulder at Bruce, giving him a confused look. "You thought raising 2 boys under the age of 4, maintaining the house, and trying to keep my sanity was an easy job?" she chuckled as she gave him a tender kiss. "I'm glad you're around now to see how thing really are around here."
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Judith was helping Paddy clean the house. The weather had been nice, which in itself was a rare thing. They had the windows open in the house and were cleaning up the spare bedrooms, getting rid of clothes they no longer needed.
Bruce was in the swimming pool with Austin and Griffin. He loved hanging out with them. Loved how inquisitive they were, how they viewed the world, and how they looked up at him as their hero. Griffin had just turned 1 in May and was a handful. He was always on the go, always getting into things, and was a hardheaded baby. He didn't like being told no and would throw a fit if he didn't get his way. Austin turned 3 in September. He was more laid back and was an easy baby. He could spend hours playing with his cars and not bother anyone. Griffin's attention span was much like Bruce's, he would be playing with a toy and bore of it quickly, moving onto the next thing.
Bruce was dunking the boys into the water, making them laugh as they were surprised by the sudden drop into the pool. He was about to dunk Austin in again when he heard him cry out for someone in the garden.
"Judy!" he called out to his nanny. "Judy! Come play with us!"
Bruce turned around and saw Judith approaching the pool. He looked up at her and smiled, "Are you ladies done?" they had been at it all morning, he assumed they were either done or were taking a break.
"Yes, we are. Pad went to take a shower. I came to see what you boys were up to. Looks like you're having fun."
Austin reached out to her, wanting her to hold him. She pulled him out of the water and wrapped a towel around him, wrapping her arms around him to keep him warm. She smiled down at the boy, brushing his hair away from his face. "Are you having fun with Daddy?"
Austin nodded, pulling the towel closer around him, "He's fun. I like having Daddy home."
Bruce felt a tug at his heartstring when he heard Austin say that. He thought since they were so young, they wouldn't really notice him not being home. He never thought what him being on the road for so long would do to the boys.
"Can you go in the pool with us?" Austin asked Judith. "We can play tag."
Judith gave the him a warm smile, "Sure. It's a good thing I decided to wear my bathing suit underneath my dress. I thought you'd ask me to join you."
She put the boy down and pulled the dress off of her, revealing a simple, black one piece bathing suit.
Bruce looked her up and down, and felt that same stir in his stomach and his crotch that he had felt the other day. He gulped as he saw her getting in the pool. This was the first time he saw her with minimum clothes on. He had never realized what a nice body she had. He was glad that he was in the water, where a certain predicament could go unnoticed.
"Daddy! You and Griffin are it!" he heard Austin yelling at him, laughing in Judith's arms as they tried to get away.
Bruce snapped back to his surroundings, he looked at Griffin and smiled, "Are you ready my boy? Are you ready to catch brother and Judy?"
Griffin gave out a squeal, laughing as his Dad yelled at the top of his lungs, "We're coming for you two!! You can't get away from us!"
