"You're doing what?"
Eli had never seen Maddox look at him the way he was in that moment. It was almost like he felt betrayed.
"I'm moving in with Adam," Eli knew how crazy it sounded. "It makes a lot of sense in some ways. I have to sell the house, I want to get Clay settled somewhere permanent, and this way I can be there for Adam. This will be good."
"But what about Cole?" Maddox's eyes welled up just saying his name. He didn't start crying, but Eli had a feeling if he said the wrong thing that would be enough.
"You know Cole. It was his idea," Eli shrugged. "Of course, he seems to think that means he'll get to see me with Adam. He doesn't know we've agreed to stop messing around."
"You have?" Maddox looked like that only made things worse.
"Yes. We're waiting until we're both single."
"I mean, that's good. But living together is a huge step, Eli. Are you really going to go from being married to living with another guy?"
"I know, it's really a lot."
"Is it really good for Clay to get used to having Cole around?"
"That's the hardest part," Eli took a deep breath. "I've talked to his pediatrician and she referred me to a grief counselor for little kids. I can give you her number if you want."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Maddox started blinking faster but he managed to hold it together.
"I know it sounds crazy, I really do. Just remember this has been going on for years, a lot longer than you've known about it."
"Right, yeah. Well, I guess, let me know if you need help packing or whatever."
In the end, Eli had a much bigger struggle keeping Cole from hiring people to pack up Eli's house for him. And keeping Cole from going overboard in setting up Clay's new bedroom. And keeping Cole and Adam both from spoiling Clay relentlessly with new toys and clothes.
"Please, I know you want to give him presents, but it's better to keep as much of his old stuff as possible," Eli insisted. "He needs to see his old toys and furniture too."
"We're not returning the swingset," Cole insisted. "He needs a place to play to keep him away from the pool."
"That's fine," Eli agreed, though Adam had reassured him a thousand times that they had a second lock put on the pool gate with an alarm that would alert to all their apple watches in addition to the usual sound if the gate was opened without the passcode.
Moving day was easy. Eli took Clay to Adam and Cole's house to stay with Cole while Adam went with Eli to watch the movers. The realtor was putting a For Sale sign in the yard as the moving van drove away.
"I'm so excited to have you with me," Adam kissed the back of Eli's hand as they followed the moving van to Adam's house.
"I am too. Scared to death, but mostly excited," Eli smiled at him for a second before turning his eyes back to the road. "I can't believe this is really happening. I thought for a while that if Hunter and I did split up that was it for me, like that I would just be on my own. But here we are and I couldn't be more sure of our future together."
"Aw, Eli," Adam squeezed his hand.
"It's true," Eli glanced at him. "I almost don't want to say it but I never thought I would feel like this again."
"I know exactly what you mean. I didn't think I would either, but I do."
There wasn't very much to unpack once the boxes were all carried into the house. Eli was able to get rid of a lot of the furniture he and Hunter bought together. He kept his desk and all of Clay's stuff but Cole and Adam had much nicer furniture than Eli could have afforded so he sold or donated the rest.
Unpacking Clay's stuff took next to no time because Clay was eager to help take everything out of the boxes. With Adam and Cole helping, they had his room finished in just a couple of hours.
"Oops, there goes my hand again," Cole cringed when he tried to set down one of Clay's toys and his hand stayed in a fist. "Do you think they would surgically remove this from my hand? I don't really want to keep a plastic milk carton in my hand forever."
"Toy groceries are the best though," Adam had apparently never played with Clay's grocery set before. "Look, there's even a fake frozen pizza!"
"No is bad for you," Clay scolded and took the box from Adam. He put his stuffed broccoli in Adam's hand. "Here, has it."
"Oh, wow, it's like living with mini-Cole," Adam grinned.
"Good luck with that, by the way, Eli," Cole sighed. "I've been trying to clean up his diet since we got married but since he can't cook..."
"We're going to work on that," Eli shook his head.
"I learned the microwave, the toaster and the blender," Adam was still trying to dig through the food and Clay was having none of it.
"It's a good thing you're so cute," Cole shook his hand but the carton stayed in his fist. "I can't even hide this."
"Hide?" Clay's face lit up. "Papa, find me!"
"Okay, but you have to stay in this room," Eli was sick of Clay's new favorite game already. He backed up to the door so Clay couldn't escape. After a few particularly terrifying times Clay decide to hide without warning Eli first, Eli pretty much always watched when Clay was hiding.
The only good part of the game was that it wore Clay out for his nap. He still didn't want to take his nap that afternoon but when he did pass out, Eli knew he would be down for a while.
"This is weird, but carrying this around with me all day has made me really want a glass of milk," Cole announced when Eli got downstairs. "Anyone else?"
"Water, please," Adam was in the family room.
"I'm good," Eli shook his head. "Do you have dinner plans? I was thinking-"
"We're taking you out to celebrate," Cole interrupted.
"Oh, I was thinking I would treat you to dinner," Eli smiled. "It's the least I can do."
"You can get it next time," Cole opened the refrigerator door and the plastic milk carton fell out of his hand. "Aha! Look at that!"
"What just happened?" Eli frowned. Cole was wiggling his fingers like nothing was wrong.
"I have no idea. I guess because I grabbed something with my other hand it released the stuck one?"
"So strange," Eli went to sit in the family room with Adam.
"Have you seen this movie? We were going to watch it, but you can pick something else," Adam offered.
"No, I haven't seen a grown up movie since Clay was born," Eli admitted.
That was just one way that living with Adam was nice. It was also a big help having other adults around to help him take care of Clay. Cole also did a lot of cooking.
The morning after the move, Eli brought Clay downstairs to discover that Cole and Adam were already awake. They were both dressed in workout clothes and were drinking smoothies and coffee at the kitchen table.
"We were going to hit the gym after our run this morning, but I thought we should wait and see if you wanted to go," Adam said. "We can wait while Clay eats."
"I don't have a gym membership," Eli shook his head. "I've been working out with Dax so long I never needed one. Plus it was always gonna be such a pain to put it on hold while I was away."
"Well, we have all kinds of equipment here," Cole gestured to the basement door. "Help yourself."
"Thanks," Eli went to get food out for Clay and saw a full blender bottle in the fridge. "Is this for me?"
"Oh, yeah," Adam blushed. "I made you that but I couldn't remember if you drank smoothies or not. It's just whey, almond milk, spinach and bananas."
"I'll try it," Eli took a sip and was amazed that it actually tasted really good. "Thank you."
"Sure," Adam nodded. "It's just kind of our routine now, I didn't think to ask what you normally have for breakfast."
"This is perfect," Eli hadn't thought of it before but it would be way easier to drink a smoothie while he was keeping an eye on Clay with his breakfast than to try and eat cereal.
As Eli soon discovered, however, Adam and Cole were up every morning to go running. They didn't work out every day, but almost. Eli did his best to stick to his normal workouts but he felt like even those were nothing compared to everything Adam and Cole did.
He tried to remind himself that Adam and Cole got paid for their looks so he couldn't compare himself, but there was a little voice in the back of his head that kept pointing out that Adam was used to being with guys like Cole and Brent. So what would he think when he was stuck with Eli? He was going to have to do something, but Eli wasn't sure what.
Eli came downstairs after putting Clay down for his nap one afternoon and found Adam and Cole huddled around Adam's iPad. They were having what sounded like a serious conversation.
"Come see this," Cole motioned to Eli. "Tell me what you think."
"Um, okay," Eli went to stand behind them. They were looking at what must have been Adam's latest photo shoot. Fortunately, he had all his clothes on and looked...a little ridiculous. "Your hair looks like you stuck your finger in an electric socket."
"Yes!" Cole laughed. "That's priceless."
"I spent forever having my hair blowdried to look like that," Adam huffed. "So you both hate them?"
"I didn't say that," Eli watched as Adam swiped to the next page. The second page was full of pictures of Adam without a shirt on. "Ugh, eat a hamburger or something."
"Speak for yourself, toothpick," Adam gasped while Cole cracked up. "It's not my fault that stress makes me lose weight."
"Same."
"Okay, let me just disappear for a few hours," Cole got up. "I'll let you two fight this out."
"We're not fighting. I'm just accepting that I'll never be model," Adam made a face. "It's a good thing I can write songs or I'd be trying to figure out how to get a job when Complexx ends."
"Complexx isn't ending, are you serious?" Eli tried to think back to the last numbers he'd seen. They were still making a lot of money, at least as far as Eli knew.
"Everything comes to an end," Adam glanced behind him as if checking to see where Cole went. He put his iPad down and leaned over to kiss Eli. "Do you really think I'm too skinny?"
"No, and I think you could model if you wanted," Eli walked around the couch to sit down with Adam. "If we got in the same bed do you think there's any chance we could just sleep?"
"I was literally just thinking about how I cannot wait to see you naked."
"Okay, so the family room is good," Eli decided. He could feel his phone ringing and groaned. "I'm too tired to deal with whatever this is."
"Maybe it's good news," Adam rubbed his back.
"It's the realtor," Eli actually felt a little better when he saw the number. He didn't bother getting up before he answered.
"Eli, it's Susie. We've got two offers on the house."
"Good offers?" Eli reached for Adam's hand.
"Yes, both are over your asking price. Do you want to take the higher one or see if you can push for more?"
"I'll take the higher one," Eli didn't even care how much the buyer was offering. The sooner he could be rid of the house he owned with Hunter, the better.
The realtor explained everything that would happen next and that she would call him back when it was time for the next steps. Eli had to text Hunter to let him know about the offer and fortunately Hunter agreed with Eli so he knew the rest of the sale would work out.
"We should do something to celebrate," Adam suggested, kissing the back of Eli's hand.
"We can celebrate when the house is officially sold."
"You really hate fun."
"No, I just don't want to get my hopes up."
"Well can I at least kiss you?" Adam gave Eli the cutest look.
"Yes, please," Eli smiled.
Eli was still adjusting to life at Cole and Adam's house when Adam had to get ready to finish his tour. The band just had a few weeks left in what Adam was sure was their last tour ever. Adam was at rehearsal one day when Eli got the call from his lawyer.
"Good news and bad news," his lawyer said.
"Oh, damn. What is it?" Eli was very relieved that Clay was busy trying to pile up his cheerios on his spoon right that second.
"The judge reviewed your case today, which is good news," his lawyer explained. "The bad news is that she always assigns a 6 month waiting period before she'll pass a judgement. No matter the circumstances. So you're looking at about a year before the divorce is finalized."
"What? No," Eli's heart dropped. "I thought it was 6 months."
"6 months is the legal minimum. A year isn't awesome, but we can make it work. I'll move forward with your custody filing and we'll just see what happens."
"That's all we can do? There's no way to appeal?"
"No, that's not how it works," his lawyer sighed. "I'm sorry, Eli, I know you wanted it done faster."
"Yeah," Eli could feel Cole's eyes on him but he didn't dare make eye contact. "Well, thank you. Let me know how the custody part goes, I guess."
"That should be simple. Hunter's paperwork is all complete. It's just a matter of having the judge sign off. I'll give you a call."
"Thanks," Eli hung up and looked at Clay. He put his spoonful of cheerios in his yogurt and giggled, completely unaware that Eli was watching and about to have a breakdown.
"Come here," Cole pulled Eli into a hug before Eli could even register what was happening. "It'll be okay."
"The judge said 6 months They won't even look at it for 6 months, Cole, I thought," Eli had to stop before he started crying.
"It's just paperwork," Cole rubbed his back. "Adam won't care. You won't care by then either."
"I just want him gone," Eli admitted. "I'm so done."
"Shh, listen," Cole whispered. Eli waited, listening for whatever it was that Cole wanted him to hear. Clay was still giggling. "That's what matters, right?"
"What?" Eli tried to pull free but Cole wouldn't let go.
"He's so happy, Eli. He's safe and loved," Cole took a deep breath. "So are you. I've never had a chance to tell you what it means to me having you here, but I want you to know it's everything."
"Don't cry," Eli could hear the way Cole's voice shook. "If you cry, I'm going to cry. We're not doing that."
"Fuck no," Cole cleared his throat. He loosened his grip on Eli and looked him in the eyes. "I love you, Eli. Thank you for being here."
"You're welcome, I guess," Eli was tempted to pull back but Cole ran his fingers over Eli's face.
"You're like, really pretty," Cole shook his head. "You and Adam make a disgustingly beautiful couple. Better than Braddox."
"Um, thanks?"
"Especially when you blush. Damn," Cole broke into a grin that made Eli feel a little dirty. "Come here."
"No, I'm good now," Eli put his hands up to keep Cole from hugging him again but Cole reached behind Eli and grabbed his ass.
"Noooo! I was so hoping my hand would freeze there," Cole groaned. Eli rolled his eyes and elbowed Cole in the chest.
"Clay, are you done eating?" Eli changed the subject, ready to put the phone call behind him.
"No, I hung-ee, Papa."
"Okay," Eli couldn't figure out if Clay actually knew what that word meant but at least he knew enough to associate it with food.
As he sat down to watch Clay finish eating, Cole brought his own breakfast over to eat. It still felt strange sometimes when Eli reminded himself he was living with THE Cole Stryder. It was nothing like Eli ever would have guessed, mostly because he'd always imagined a line outside the bedroom door with a "Take a Number" machine somewhere down the hall.
In truth, Cole seemed much more interested in playing with Clay than he did having sex. As far as Eli could tell, he was all talk. But maybe Cole and Adam were just being careful since Clay was in the house. He'd worried about having awkward moments where he'd have to turn up the TV or put on headphones, but so far it hadn't happened. Maybe all the rumors about Cole were just that. Rumors.
"How many guys have you slept with?" Eli hadn't planned to ask the question out loud. Cole grinned.
"74," he announced. "Wanna be 75?"
"No, I," Eli cringed. "Really? That's a lot of people."
"More than most, less than some. You could be part of the legacy, Eli. Act now."
"That's not..." Eli paused before he could say gross. "I've been with 4."
"I was saving number 75 for you know who, but I'd be happy to let you take that slot. Very happy."
"Has Adam been with...74?"
"That," Cole laughed. "Is for Adam to decide to tell you. But no, his number is one or two less than that."
"I hope, I mean, maybe I wouldn't care, but I think," Eli felt his face getting warm.
"You would so care. It's okay to be jealous, you like him," Cole shrugged. "I get jealous as fuck when I see how happy you make him, but-"
"Um, Cole, um," Clay interrupted. "I can has dat?"
"You want some protein shake? Have a sip," Cole laughed and held the straw for Clay. He took a big sip.
"Mmm, so good," Clay nodded. "Can has it?"
"Clay, that's Cole's breakfast. Why don't you finish your yogurt?" Eli pointed to his tray. Clay whined but scooped the rest of his yogurt into his mouth and finished by trying to lick the bowl.
"Now has it?"
"Papa will make you one," Eli had a feeling Clay was more interested in copying what he saw Cole do than in actually drinking a protein shake so he made Clay a little smoothie with the fruit he hadn't finished from his breakfast.
"Anyway, what were we talking about?" Cole looked confused.
"How you were about to hit 75," Eli watched Cole's reaction, trying to decide if he was just distracted or if he'd actually completely forgotten their conversation just 5 seconds later.
"Yes, mm," Cole grinned. He was just distracted. "I don't even care that his girlfriend has to come too. It's gonna be so good."
"So, you haven't done it yet?"
"No, scheduling is a bitch."
"Bitch," Clay repeated. Cole's eyes widened and he looked at Eli with the most guilty look Eli had ever seen.
"Clay, here's your shake," Eli prayed the distraction would work and, thankfully, it did. Clay seemed to forget all about the new word he'd learned in his excitement about his drink.
"Look! Has it!" Clay turned to show Cole.
"Yeah, just like Adam and Papa," Cole grinned.
"Like Cole," Clay insisted.
"Oh, no no, you don't want to be like Cole," Cole sighed. "Trust me, big guy."
"Mmm," Clay took a big gulp of his smoothie. "So good."
Eli brushed the hair away from Clay's face and tried to ignore the feeling in his stomach. He'd forgotten that Adam and Cole still had one last...whatever planned. Adam promised he would sit out, but Eli hated that thought too. It made him wonder if Adam could really give up the freedom to go hook up with other guys that he had with Cole.
---------------------------------------
Adam woke up, not sure what had roused him from sleep. The hotel room was quiet, just a hint of sunshine peeking around the blackout shade. The clock said it was 11am in Japan but his body was still on L.A. time so it felt more like he'd just woken up from a nap than from a full night's sleep.
"Shh, don't get up yet," Cole whispered, pulling Adam in closer.
"Wasn't gonna," Adam snuggled up to him. He didn't feel like going back to sleep but it felt nice to be lazy and stay in bed. "I wish we could do more of this."
"I know. I could stay like this forever."
It was the band's day off but that didn't mean Adam could actually stay in bed all day. He and Cole went out for lunch and then Cole wanted to go shopping. Adam lost interest after the first few stores and found himself sitting on a bench outside the dressing room while Cole tried on clothes.
While he waited, Adam decided to text Eli and see what he was doing. Eli texted back that he'd just gotten out of the shower and Adam sighed. Maybe Eli didn't know how much he was torturing Adam with comments like that.
The harder Eli tried to keep up the boundaries between them, the more Adam wanted him. It didn't help that living in the same house meant seeing Eli shirtless, in pajama pants, usually with bedhead most mornings. He'd started fantasizing about what it would be like to wake up in bed with Eli.
Eli asked what Adam was up to and Adam realized he'd never replied to Eli's first text. He decided to tell the truth.
Adam: imagining having you in bed
The chat bubble appeared and disappeared several times before Eli wrote back. Adam tried not to stare at his phone the whole time but once he'd started thinking about Eli in bed he couldn't stop.
Eli: i really wish you were here
It wasn't exactly the most encouraging response but Eli hadn't shut him down either.
Adam: same
Adam: are you still in a towel?
Adam looked for the bodyguards who'd been assigned to watch him and Cole that day. They were still standing by the entrance to the dressing room, completely ignoring him.
Eli: no i'm in bed with shorts on
Adam: take them off
"What do you think? Is this exactly the same as the other one I have?" Cole opened the door.
"Yes," Adam didn't bother looking up.
"Tell Eli I said hi."
"Okay."
Eli: why?
Adam: because i'm horny and i want to play with you
"What did he say?"
"What?" Adam looked up. Cole was leaning against the door, arms crossed. "You don't have that shirt."
"I know. What did Eli say?"
"I didn't tell him, it's not a good time," Adam glanced at his phone. No typing bubble.
"Sexting before marriage is still a sin, Pastor Ben said so," Cole teased.
"I was there, and I don't think he's into it anyway," Adam admitted. "Or maybe Clay woke up, I don't know."
"Boo," Cole made a face and went back into the room.
Adam checked his phone again but Eli hadn't replied. He sighed. Maybe he needed to apologize for making a stupid assumption? Just as Adam was trying to decide how to word it, he saw a text come through.
Eli: with me?
Adam: yeah if you're okay with it
Eli: so much more than okay
The next thing that came through was a picture of Eli's lap under the sheet. Adam cursed himself for buying such dark sheets because he couldn't see through them. All he could see was a tell-tale bulge.
It felt like all the blood in Adam's body rushed to his lap. Even his legs felt like they were quivering. He made himself close the picture and text Eli back. After that it seemed like Cole didn't spend long enough trying on clothes and Adam wondered how much trouble he could get in for having sex in a Japanese dressing room.
"Oh no, don't bring me the boner you got from your boyfriend," Cole shook his head. "It's your own damn fault he's not here to help you with it."
"If he were here, we wouldn't have had this conversation," Adam groaned.
"I'll buy you a sock," Cole shrugged.
Adam got himself under control so they could finish shopping. Eli only sent one more picture and it showed him licking his fingers. There was something dripping down one and Adam sighed. He liked thinking they'd taken a big step but it just made him sad about how much longer they would have to wait until they could take things any further.
The tour ended a few weeks later and Adam had never been so happy to get home in his life. He was shocked when Clay came running at full speed to greet them when they got home. Apparently Clay had been busy during the month they were away.
"Adam, I missed you so much!" Clay announced.
"I missed you too," Adam picked him up and spun him around.
"Guess what? I went pee-pee in the potty."
"Did you really?" Adam looked over at Eli, who had just walked into the foyer looking obscenely gorgeous.
"He did," Eli nodded. "We're working on it, aren't we, Clay?"
"I show you," Clay patted Adam's shoulder. "Let's go play. I got new shapes."
Adam was still trying to adjust to hearing Clay speak in sentences a few days later. He'd always heard that children grew up fast but it was crazy seeing it happen in real life. Eli was reading to Clay and Adam was standing outside the door, listening to the story. Cole seemed to know half the books Eli read to Clay from his own childhood but Adam had never heard any of the stories before.
"Adam!" Cole shouted. "We have to go! Quick!"
"Oh god," Adam ran down the stairs. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I got a text from Dax. He said to meet them at the hospital and don't tell Eli," Cole looked terrified. "That has to be bad, right?"
"That sounds really bad," Adam couldn't imagine why Dax wouldn't want Eli to know they were going to the hospital unless he was trying to protect him. "Do you think it's Dax's mom?"
"Maybe. Or Brent?"
"Oh my god," Adam followed Brent to the car.
There had never been so much traffic between their house and the hospital before. Adam wanted to hold his breath the whole way. Instead he found himself praying and picking at the hem of his shirt.
Maddox texted Cole with a room number and they didn't even bother with the elevator. Adam and Cole sprinted up the stairs to the third floor, bursting into the hospital room without even pausing to find out if they were allowed in. Dax and Brent were sitting on the bed.
"We got here as fast as we could, what's wrong?" Adam rushed to hug Brent.
"Nothing, we're fine," Brent smiled. "We have something we'd like to do with you."
"And before you say it, yes, this is partly because you're sick but that doesn't mean you can say no," Maddox insisted, turning to Cole. "We also want you here because we love you."
"Oh my god," Adam gasped. Maddox and Brent were way too calm and happy for anything to be wrong and they both had on hospital bracelets. Then Adam saw the plastic hospital bassinet in the corner. That could only mean...tears welled up in his eyes, more from relief than the unexpected surprise. "Oh my god, this is amazing," he hugged Brent again.
"Love you," Brent whispered.
"Colin?" Cole asked Maddox.
"Right next door," Maddox nodded. "We wait here and as soon as he's born the nurse will open the door so we can hear him cry and watch while they check him out. Then they'll bring him right to us."
"Maddox," Cole's eyes were wet too. "Are you sure? This is such a big moment for you two."
"It's not any less important or special because we're sharing it with you," Brent put his arm around Maddox. "Maddox and I will have plenty of time alone with Colin to bond and get to know him later. We wanted you to be with us when we first meet him."
"Thank you," Cole nodded and turned to hug Adam.
It took them all a few minutes to get their emotions under control but by the time the nurse came in to report that everything was going well, they were all laughing and talking. Adam kept looking at the door, waiting for someone to come in with an update. He couldn't remember ever being in the hospital and expecting good news. It felt completely different than the times he'd been there with Cole.
Watching Brent and Dax made the experience more exciting. They almost never sat as close to each other as they were right then, exchanging sweet little smiles and anxious looks. It got Adam thinking about Eli and Clay. Was this what it was like when Clay was born? Would they do the same thing if they adopted another child?
When the nurse came back almost two hours later they all jumped up to hear what she would say.
"She's starting to push," the nurse smiled. "Next time I come in here, I'll have Colin with me."
"This is it," Maddox took a deep breath. Brent was already squeezing his hand. "This is the longest part of the whole thing."
They didn't really talk much after that but seemed to settle into their own thoughts. It was strange how waiting felt different in one way but still so much the same. Adam didn't know much about childbirth but after Chloe, he knew there could be complications. He tried not to watch the clock when he realized he had no idea how long it could even take.
When the door between the rooms opened, Maddox looked at Brent and smiled before they stood up. Colin started crying just a second later and Adam watched Brent and Dax move to the door. Maddox turned back and reached for Cole, pulling him and Adam toward the door so they could watch too.
"So much hair," Cole whispered just as Adam caught a glimpse of the fussy baby. They were cleaning him up but he still looked red and wrinkled when the nurse put him in a blanket.
"Here he is," the nurse brought Colin over and put him right in Brent's arms. Colin was still crying but Brent held him tight and started trying to soothe him.
"Hi little man," Maddox whispered, running his finger over Colin's soft cheek. "You do have a ton of hair," he agreed as the nurse slid a little blue hat on him, covering his jet black hair.
"How much does he weigh?" Brent was so calm that Adam had to remind himself it wasn't their first baby.
"8 pounds exactly," the nurse said. "And he's 20.4 inches long."
"Are you hungry?" Maddox reached for the bottle another nurse had brought in. He handed it to Brent and watched Colin's face when Brent popped the bottle in his mouth. "Yeah, that's good stuff, isn't it?"
"He looks so small," Cole sat down on the bed right next to Brent. "I remember Chloe was tiny but I guess you just forget."
"Every time," Maddox sat next to Cole, leaving space for Adam on Brent's other side. They only had a few minutes to watch Colin eating before Dax and Brent's mothers arrived.
"Oh, look at him," Clara and Cindy were holding hands and crying when they came through the door. "Look at that sweet little boy."
"Is he Chinese?" Cindy asked, looking closer. Adam bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Why she'd picked Chinese over any other race he'd never know.
"Mom," Brent sighed. "Does it matter?"
"No, I just wasn't expecting that," Cindy said. "Oh, Brenny," she put her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. "Where's my camera?"
The moms stayed until almost 5 that morning, taking pictures and holding Colin. Adam kept thinking about Eli and what it would be like if they were having a baby. It would take an army to keep Monroe away from the hospital, that was for sure. But Jeff and Monroe hadn't raised kids so...well, at least Eli had already had one baby.
Adam and Cole left right after Dax and Brent's mothers. Cole looked like he wanted to sit there holding Colin for the rest of his life. Adam hated to make him leave but they were all struggling to stay awake.
"Thank you," Cole whispered when he hugged Maddox goodbye. "This was incredible. The best gift you've ever given me."
"You're welcome," Maddox squeezed him extra tight before he let go. "I'm so glad you were here with us."
"Me too," Adam hugged him. "Seriously, I can't tell you how much this means. To me or to him. I'll get this one day but I know he won't and we'll never have it together so-" Adam wiped his face on Maddox's shoulder. "Thank you."
"I know," Maddox rubbed his back. "You're so welcome, Adam."
"Call if you need anything," Cole said as he and Adam left the room.
They didn't talk on the drive home. Cole hold Adam's hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb, while he drove. Adam wanted to ask what Cole was thinking but he couldn't keep his own thoughts straight. In all of the hospital trips he'd made with Cole, Adam had forgotten that sometimes hospitals could be anything other than sad.
It was already 6:30 by the time they got home. Eli was getting a cup of coffee and Adam was surprised when he turned and smiled at them. In their panic to get out of the house the night before, Adam hadn't even told Eli they were leaving.
"America's most perfect family is a little more perfect now, right?" Eli looked happy.
"You know?" Adam relaxed when Eli nodded.
"Dax texted me as you two were running out of the house to explain what they were doing."
"Oh good," Adam smiled as Cole kissed his cheek.
"I'm going to bed," Cole told him.
"I'll be right up," Adam promised. He had to show Eli the pictures, though Dax had probably already texted him a million. "It was amazing, I had no idea."
"Aw look at you with that little guy," Eli took Adam's phone. "You look so happy."
"It was really nice to see something good happen in the hospital."
"I bet," Eli pulled out his phone. "I think that's the same room where I met Clay."
"I wondered about that, if it was the same way when he was born," Adam admitted. "And if it would be like this when we have a baby."
"I um," Eli took a deep breath and Adam realized what he'd said.
"Sorry, uh. I mean, um, yeah," Adam shrugged. "I did think about it though. Us in the future. Maybe we won't-"
"Shh, yes," Eli was getting red. "I was um, thinking about that too. Us having a future. I want that. And I don't know about another baby yet but I always thought of having more than one so, um, I guess I'm just saying I'm glad you want that too. A future."
"Of course I do," Adam caught himself wanting to say more. The look on Eli's face told him he'd said enough. Eli leaned forward to kiss him.
The words were right there in the back of Adam's mind. I love you. He didn't dare stop kissing Eli for fear that they would come out of his mouth too.
It was nowhere near as terrifying as when he'd realized he was in love with Cole. Loving Eli was risky too though. He'd been hurt and there was no telling how long it might take to prove he could trust Adam. But Adam kept seeing little glimpses of how good they could be and that kept him going.
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Eli was so busy keeping Clay quiet in church that he missed most of what Pastor Ben said during Colin's baby blessing. He'd planned to drop Clay in the childcare room but Cole pointed out that Hannah and Chloe were sitting in the service and Eli couldn't pass up the challenge. After all, Clay was way better behaved than Chloe.
He'd forgotten that Dax's younger brother and sister were there to keep Chloe entertained. She didn't sit still, not even close, but he hadn't heard a peep from her. Clay seemed to think if the whole family was there that meant he should be as loud as he could be, which actually made a lot of sense - except that they were in church.
Thankfully, whatever Pastor Ben had to say was over quickly and Eli was the first one out the door. Clay was too shocked by the sudden grab to scream until they were all the way through the church lobby and outdoors.
"Papa let me go! You the worst!" Clay kicked his feet - which was fortunately so predictable that Eli moved before he got hit.
"I'm not so bad, promise," Eli laughed. He had no idea when Clay had learned the word 'worst' but he had a feeling he knew who he'd heard it from.
"Adam save me! Take me back!" Clay shrieked, contorting his body in the most ridiculous way.
"Everyone is coming outside now, you don't wanna go in there," Adam told him. "See?"
"Put me down!"
Eli didn't want to give in but Clay was losing his mind. He switched his grip and got Clay to the point where he couldn't keep twisting and flailing.
"What do you say, Clay?" Eli reminded him.
"P-p-p-please put me do-own, Papa," Clay started sobbing, as if the act of saying please was painful in some way.
"Okay, you can get down," Eli lowered Clay to stand on his feet. Clay kept crying and when Cole caught up, he held his arms up to him.
"Oh my goodness, what's the matter?" Clay scooped him up.
"Papa said please," Clay wailed.
"Ugh, manners are the worst!" Cole rubbed his back. Eli's guess about who had taught Clay that word was right.
"Hannah!" Clay gasped, reaching over Cole's shoulder. "Put me down."
"Okay then," Cole set Clay down just as Hannah came rushing over.
"What's wrong?" Hannah gave Clay a big hug. "Do you need a snack? Uncle Eli, may Clay have a snack?"
"Um, okay," Eli realized Hannah was probably right. He dug out a granola bar and sure enough, that took care of the problem in no time.
They spent the rest of the day at Dax and Brent's house. It was a regular Bieber family party with all of Brent's extended family as well. Most of them had no clue about Cole's condition or Eli's relationship with Adam so they had to pretend the entire time. The bad news was they'd all heard about Eli's divorce and wanted to give him advice.
"You should start dating again," one of Brent's aunts suggested. "Meet a nice boy before Clay gets too old. It's so hard when they're older."
"Don't listen to her," Brent's grandmother shook her head. "You just focus on Clay. When he's 18 you can start dating again."
"Fuck that," Kylie snorted but she'd managed to keep her voice low enough that only Eli could hear.
Eli only stayed through family time because the longer he stayed, the more worn out Clay would be at the end of the day. It was a relief when the family all left and the only people left, aside from Dax and Brent and their kids, were Eli, Clay, Cole, Adam and Kylie.
Kylie did photography for a living so she stayed to take some professional pictures of Colin but it didn't take much before Colin was completely over being posed and the rest of his day in general. At first he cried like he always did when he was tired but before long he was wailing and nothing anyone tried seemed to get him to calm down.
"He's so done," Kylie shook her head as Colin's screams got louder. "Poor guy."
"Baby hurt?" Chloe asked. Hannah already had her noise-canceling headphones on to block out the sound. Clay was staring at baby Colin, his eyes so wide that Eli almost wanted to laugh. He clearly had no idea what to think of Colin and up until he started crying, hadn't seemed to even notice him.
"Chloe, it's okay, he's just tired," Maddox explained.
"Okay, okay," Brent shook his head and started unbuttoning his shirt. "Come here, Colin," he took Colin from Kylie and stripped him down to his diaper before he held him right against his bare chest. He leaned back against the counter, his abs flexing as he did.
"Wow," Eli had read about skin to skin contact being something that soothed little babies but he'd never stopped to imagine what it would look like in real life. Then again, he would have happily stripped down and curled up to Brent's perfectly chiseled body anytime he was invited.
Fortunately by the time Eli realized he was staring, he noticed everyone else seemed equally amazed at the sight of Brent standing there with his shirt open.
"What?" Brent obviously didn't realize why everyone was staring at him. Colin was already quieter.
"Picture," Kylie turned to grab her camera.
"Send us all copies of that one," Cole nodded, his eyes still glued to Brent's abs.
"I'm just trying to comfort my son," Brent insisted.
"Sure, and it's comforting the rest of us too," Cole grinned.
"Okay," Maddox seemed to wake up from his trance. "Maybe you all should go."
Eli knew everyone was joking and talking but he kept watching Brent and Colin. As soon as Kylie had the camera on him, Brent flexed harder and moved Colin, fully aware of how he needed to pose to look his best in the pictures.
For the first time since he was a teenager, Eli realized exactly how sloppy and pathetic he must look around so many guys who got paid to be perfect. He'd been thinking that he needed to do something but seeing Brent gave him an idea.
"You coming, Eli?"
"Hm?" Eli was still thinking about his plan when Adam asked the question.
"Whatever, do whatever you want," Adam sounded mad. "We're leaving."
"Wait, no," Eli snapped out of it immediately. "I'm coming with you. Bye, Dax. Come on Clay."
"Bye," Maddox gave Eli an "I saw that" look as Eli turned to take Clay's hand and lead him out of the house.
"Oh, don't let me rush you," Adam huffed when he saw Eli following him out of the house. "Please, keep staring at Saint Brent as long as you like."
"Pipe down, sweet boy," Cole laughed. "Dax would never let Brent off his leash long enough for Eli to get near him."
"He wouldn't have to. That's what threesomes are for."
"Babe, this isn't us we're talking about."
"Um, we did have a threesome though," Eli cleared his throat. "It was before any of us were married, like practically ancient history."
"See?" Adam glared at Cole.
"I never would have guessed," Cole looked impressed. "So why won't you have one with us? Do I smell bad?"
"Shut up, Cole," Adam got in the car.
"Papa, I gotta go potty," Clay tugged on his hand.
"Of course you do," Eli sighed. He had to take Clay back inside but he hoped Adam wasn't too upset.
"You're so cute when you're jealous," Cole was saying as Eli walked away.
Whatever Adam said in response caused Cole to laugh hysterically. Eli smiled because Cole was right. Adam was awfully cute being jealous and maybe it was wrong but it felt pretty damn good to have someone care enough about him to get jealous of other guys.
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A/N: Sorry, y'all, I got behind this week. Next chapter will be up on Monday :)