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The door opened a few moments after Theo had knocked on the old slab of wood that he used to walk past every day. He and Gale were here to pick up their children from a weekend at grandpa’s house.
Jim greeted the pair in a freshly stained apron. Based on his smile, said stains were almost certainly caused by his beloved grandchildren and not his own clumsiness. “Good, you two are just in time for breakfast.”
The older man received a “hey dad!” in unison as the pair walked through the door. Theo held back to tell his dad about the massive fish the two of them had caught over the weekend.
Gale shook his head fondly and walked into the living room. He caught a trace of something baking that he really hoped was almost done. “Smells wonderful!”
Lily turned briefly to shout a thanks from across the kitchen island. Gale heard a delighted shriek, followed by the sound of one of his children barreling into the living room. He knelt down when he saw his eldest round the corner of the kitchen and make a beeline for him.
“Daddy!”
Gale held his arms out and scooped up the smiling child as soon as she ran into his arms. “Melody! How is my favorite girl doing?”
She laughed as Gale hoisted her into the air, complete with dramatic sound effects. He brought her back in for a hug just as her other father walked into the room.
She held her arms out and squealed again when she saw the man behind Gale’s shoulder. “Papa!”
“Mels!” Theo grinned as Gale passed their daughter over to him. “Did you have fun with yéye and Aunt Lily?”
“Uh-huh! I caught a frog!”
“You did? That’s awesome!” Theo swung his head around dramatically. “Is it here?”
Melody giggled. “Maaaybe.”
The sharpness of the last head turn was a bit more serious as Theo shot a look over to his dad. He relaxed when Jim rolled his eyes and gave the slightest shake of his head. He turned his attention back to his daughter before she could notice the look and held her out in front of him. She shrieked with laughter as he turned her upside down.
“Hmm, I don’t see any frogs yet.” He gently moved her up and down to mimic shaking. “Babe, do you see any frogs?”
Gale stepped closer and stared intently at his laughing daughter, who was doing her best to wiggle out of Theo’s hold. “Nope, not yet. Maybe if I…?” He brought his hands up to Melody’s hair as Theo turned her right side up and started scratching through the messy strands. “Nope, no frogs in here.”
“It’s outside!” She managed between giggles. “I didn’t bring it in, promise!”
Theo raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”
Melody nodded and held out a tiny finger. “Pinky promise.”
He kissed his daughter on the cheek and set her down. “Next time we’re at the lake, you’ll have to show me where the frogs are!”
Melody grabbed his hand and bounced up and down. “Yes! Yéye said they like it when it’s raining. So do the mushrooms!”
“Well that settles it, we’ll have to go searching for frogs and mushrooms next time it rains!”
“Yes! You’ll go too daddy, right?”
Gale smiled and ruffled her hair. “Of course I will, darling.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Lily and her little shadow bringing breakfast to the table. The small boy set the dishes he had been carrying down, then turned toward the small crowd gathered in the living room.
“Breakfast is here!” Tyler announced. His smile widened as he saw his fathers. “Papa! Daddy!”
Gale knelt down again as his youngest ran over for a hug. “Excellent! Now my favorite boy is here too!”
Melody frowned. “I thought papa was your favorite boy.”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah, Aunt Lily says that’s what married means.”
Gale stood up and began to usher his children over to the table. “Papa is my favorite man. Tyler’s my favorite boy, and you are my favorite girl!”
Tyler frowned as he hoisted himself onto his chair, the last one to do so. “What about when I’m a man?”
Melody leaned forward. “Yeah, then you gotta pick!”
Gale laughed. “Well, then you’ll be my favorite young man, and papa will be my favorite old man.”
Tyler’s frown remained in place. “But papa’s already an old man!”
Several things happened at once.
Theo abruptly launched coffee out of his nose and over the table in a fine layer of mist.
Lily slapped her hand across her mouth so hard that she flinched.
Gale’s right side was now coated in a fine layer of coffee.
Both children gasped with delight.
Jim smiled.
After nearly coughing up a lung, Theo looked at his son with disbelief. “Excuse me??”
The only response was a flurry of giggles from the other side of the table.
“I am not old!”
“Are too!” Melody crowed.
Theo mostly failed at making his genuine gasp sound like mock outrage. “Am not!” He gestured to Jim. “Come on, papa isn’t that old. What about yéye?”
His mischievous daughter smiled. “No, no, yéye’s young like us! We go outside and play and look for bugs and mushrooms and frogs!”
Jim let out a burst of laughter that only spurred his grandchildren into doing the same. Such joyful sounds had only started returning to the old man now that he had grandchildren that brought him such joy. It wasn’t long before Gale and Lily joined them.
Theo shook his head. “Unbelievable.”
“Come on love, we just have to go on that frog and mushroom adventure, then you’ll be young like dad!”
Theo narrowed his eyes as he struggled to keep the smile off his face. “Whose side are you on?”
Two small voices answered for him. “Ours!”
Gale shrugged. “You heard the kids. That’s one vote for you, and two votes for them.”
“Un. Believable.”
Jim managed to restore a somber expression. “Theo, you’d better eat your breakfast. Everyone else is already halfway done.”
Theo raised an eyebrow. “Why the big rush?”
“Oh there’s no rush, you can take your time.” The tiniest smile returned. “I just thought you wouldn’t want to be late searching for bugs and frogs and mushrooms.”
Theo finally gave in to the laughter as his children started howling once more.