The Kids Grow Up by Trish Hanan (novel24 .TXT) 📖

she was going to get married and give her grandchildren like her brother.
“Mom, I’m never having children, I told you that a million times, I don’t like children,” she said firmly. Sissy was shocked.
“But, baby, everyone likes children,” she protested. Abby shook her head.
“Not everyone, Gloria isn’t having any more, Violet isn’t going to have any, Tammy doesn’t want any; just because we’re women doesn’t mean that we automatically want to have children. Now, quit asking me,” she said and Sissy nodded. She discussed the matter with Sarah and they wondered if perhaps Abby might be a lesbian.
Just in case Ryan showed up right on the clock like his brothers, Harry had the birthday party the day before on the twenty-sixth and everyone thought that was a good idea. Four cakes was fun and Jackson and Emma turned two and Adam and Cassie turned one. Pictures were taken and sent out via email and Gloria gushed over the cute shots of her adorable daughter in her pink dress. She didn’t like it when they showed her messy chocolate face after the cake was served and she had gotten it all over her mouth, hands and dress. She especially didn’t like the one showing Emma using the potty.
“How could they do that to that adorable child, showing her on the toilet, those horrible men,” she had to lie down with a headache. David giggled and thought the picture cute. They didn’t show anything important, no skin or anything and the little girl beamed with pride, she was adorable. He printed the picture and put it in his desk.
Harry’s water broke while he was serving breakfast and they all laughed at the perfect timing.
“Twenty-four weeks, right on schedule, babe,” Jake remarked as he rushed to the phone to make the calls. Harry finished serving breakfast and they left as soon as Abby and Billy and Bobby got there. Dr. George and Fiona met them at the hospital.
“I was already here, I knew today was the day,” the older man bragged. They all laughed.
“You can set a watch by you, Henry,” his mother Kate said when she walked into the delivery room. Harry grinned as he started to push. She frowned when she realized that she was late. She hurried into position and took his hand.
Ryan arrived like Jackson did and didn’t breathe until the umbilical cord was cut by Jake and then he took a deep breath and screamed loudly. Fiona took him and Dr. George took care of his dad. Kate smiled at her exhausted son.
“You don’t have to have all five you know, you can stop at three like the rest of us,” she told him gently. He smiled.
“I want five, Mom, we need a basketball team,” he teased and Jake laughed.
“Well, if you have all sons, God knows we could use the different DNA,” Kate stated and the men grinned. Then Fiona put little Ryan into Jake’s arms and he fell in love with his third son. Kate looked at him.
“He looks a little like Valerie Clark,” she commented. Harry looked at him.
“He does a little, around the ears,” he stated and closed his eyes for a minute. They took him in and put him into bed. Fiona brought a bottle for Ryan and Harry took pictures of Jake feeding him. Jake looked at him with a question in his eyes. Harry grinned.
“Corned beef with Swiss cheese and hot spicy mustard and a pickle,” he said and Fiona rubbed her belly.
“I love corned beef, Harry, good choice,” she said and they all laughed.
Jake put Ryan in the bassinet and kissed Harry.
“You did great, babe, I love you,” he whispered. Harry smiled and closed his eyes. When he opened them all the kids were there, plus Fran to help. He looked at Jake.
“What about Gertie and Bo?” he asked, worried that they had been left all alone. Jake smiled and kissed him.
“Don’t worry, Mike is spending the night and he’ll take care of them,” he assured him. Harry grinned and sat up, putting the bed up. Kids were deposited on his bed and he began to eat. Cartoons were turned on and they had a party.
The next morning the new baby arrived home and everyone got settled in, the children were sleepy and went down for naps. Then Harry giggled and gave Jake the look. Jake grinned and closed the bedroom door.
“I know what you want,” he teased him and began a strip tease. Harry sat on the bed and kicked off his shoes.
“Oh, yeah, Daddy, take off those pants and show me what I need,” he whispered and gave Jake that half-close slanty eyed look he loved so much. Jake felt his heart stop. He pulled down his pants and wiggled his ass and walked to the bed so Harry could cop a feel. Harry bent down and took a little bite. Jake laughed and he turned around so Harry could take a bite from that side. Harry slid to the floor and took the pants all the way down with him. Jake stepped out of them and leaned back and closed his eyes feeling that wonderful mouth going to work.
“Oh, babe, that feels so good,” he murmured and his fingers came up to caress Harry’s hair. When Jake was as hard as he could be Harry stood up and wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him nice and hard, tongues playing. Jake began to rip the clothes off of his love and soon he had him on his back on the bed and he was all lubed up and ready. Harry put his ankles on Jake’s strong shoulder and Jake bent over him, his strong legs straining. Harry leaned forward and bit Jake’s nipples nice and hard causing him to groan and enter him forcibly, the way Harry liked it. They moved with the rhythm of people who knew what the other liked; Harry scratched the inside of Jake’s thighs gently and drove him insane. When they found release they both gave a loud yell and laughed as Jake fell to the bed beside him and curled up together to kiss and cuddle.


Five babies two and under was as much fun as four and with three people and one who could ‘lift’ things out of little one’s way it wasn’t difficult at all, just everything they did took a while to do. And with Harry being so organized it made it easier to do everything. Little mittens, hats and scarves were always kept with the coats so they were always handy when they wanted to go outside. Boots were always kept by the door so they were always handy to locate. Tub toys were kept in a big plastic bin by the tub and put back after the bath. Laundry was done every day and put away right after so it didn’t pile up.
Everyone shared all the toys in the dining room so no one fought over anything. Harry had a plastic bin for coloring books and crayons and one for paints and one for everything and when they were finished playing with it, it all went into the proper bin so they knew where to find it for next time. Jake and Fran had no trouble at all following his simple organizational guidelines, in fact, they made their lives easier.
Ryan was a different baby from the other four, he was quieter. Sometimes Harry would go into the nursery to check in on him when he felt he had slept too much for his nap time and find him wide awake and playing with his crib toys.
“Why didn’t you cry, darling, and let me know you were awake?” Harry said and picked him up. Ryan just cooed and made a little noise. Harry sighed and changed his wet diaper and gave him his bottle. After that, he made sure he checked on him when the time was up and sure enough, every time Ryan would be awake and playing quietly.
“He’s so quiet, not noisy like Jackson or Adam were,” he complained to Jake who laughed.
“Not all babies are the same, babe, some are noisy and some are quiet, he’s just the quiet, shy type,” he told him. Harry grinned and jumped on top of him. Jake was lying on the couch and had been trying to watch a movie. The kids were all playing on the floor. They looked up and giggled at their fathers wrestling. Jake grinned.
“I was watching the movie,” he teased. Harry reached for the remote and paused it.
“Now, you can pay attention to me,” he declared and Jake grinned and pinched his nipples through his shirt. Harry gasped.
“How about that?” Jake teased. Harry grinned.
“Oh, you’re going to die for that,” he said and bending over he kissed him. Jackson came over and wanted a kiss. Harry picked him up and put him on Jake’s chest. Jake grunted.
“I’m running out of air, he’s two tons,” he protested. Harry laughed. Jackson giggled and bent down for a kiss. When he got one, Harry lifted him off. Then he bent down and kissed Jake again, this time, long and passionately. Jake moaned.
“Oh, man, not fair, in the middle of the day, in front of the kids, you’re nothing but a tease,” he declared and Harry jumped off and turned the movie back on. Then he sat on the floor and picked up a doll and rattled it for Adam who picked it up.
“That’s just something to hold you until later,” he informed him. Jake laughed and adjusted himself. Then he reached down and picked up Emma and put her on his chest.
“Come and watch the movie with Daddy, darling,” he said and she bent down and gave him a kiss. Harry smiled as Jackson raced a car up his leg and made zoom noises. Then it was time to start dinner and he went to the kitchen. Bo and Gertie, ever hopeful on the snacks followed him in.
“You two beggars are not getting anything, or alright maybe just a little something,” he said.
“Sucker,” Jake called from the other room. Harry giggled.
“Like you’re not?” he called back. Martha came in and he decided to feed the cats too and opened a can of food he had made for them. George smelled the tuna and came running. So he fed the dogs too and everyone was happy. For dinner he made meatloaf which Jake loved, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas and carrots and rolls. For dessert he made a junpar pie and fresh whipped cream and he made it from white cream so he didn’t have to listen to Jake whine. He giggled as he whipped it.
In January they all went to Hawaii as usual and had a ball with the kids in the water, all the kids loved the lake by the waterfall and no one wanted to risk swimming in the lagoon where a shark might get in. And the surf on the beach side was much too hard for the little ones. But they did have fun making sand castles and playing in the sand. The friends still got together at night to drink beer and wine and