Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

and kicked out at Alex.
    Laughing quietly, Alex lifted him up and placed him back on the floor, making sure he was okay, before turning his attention back to the mess at hand.
    ****
    Staring at the stove, Alex tried to think of a suitable way to clean up the slime without actually having to touch it. Disgruntled, he picked up the sullied rag to get to work, when a disgustingly wet noise sounded behind him.
    His eyes widening, he turned back to face Jared. His mouth falling open as Jared continued to make pooping sounds, his own mouth agape in baby shock, before he started to cry loud, ear shattering shrieks.
    "Oh, this cannot be happening," Alex whispered as he moved to where Jared sat on the floor and lifted him back into his arms. Turning him in his arms, he cautiously lifted his pampered butt to his nose and took a small sniff before quickly flipping him back around and holding him out at arm's length.
    "You're shitting me!" The baby stopped crying and stared at him before reaching out his short arms towards Alex and crying alligator tears again.
    Huffing out his breath, Alex made his way to their bedroom, grumbling under his breath. "No, no you're not shitting me, you're shitting yourself. That's just great. I've never changed a diaper in my life and the first one I have to change is my twenty-six-year-old-boyfriend. Just freaking great."
    He deposited Jared on the bed before remembering he needed something to clean him with. Picking him back up, he walked into the bathroom and grabbed a handful of washcloths. Wetting two of them, he took his now sniffling bundle back to the bed and removed his diaper.
    "Where did that even come from?" he questioned, placing the diaper out of arm's reach as Jared made a grab for it.
    Putting one of the dry cloths beneath his tiny butt, he held his breath and wiped him down as quickly as he could, trying his absolute best not to look at what he was doing.
    "You are so going to pay for this, I swear," he mumbled.
    Rringggg. Rringggg. Rringggg.
    Slowly, Alex lifted his head and looked at the phone resting in the holder on the bedside table before looking back at what he was doing. Grabbing Jared by his legs, Alex turned him on the bed, positioning him closer to the bedside table. He walked around the corner of the bed and reached for the shrilling phone, glancing at the display screen: 555-2396.
    "Maybe I didn't wake up. Maybe I'm still dreaming." He couldn't help it, he started laughing hysterically. It was just too much.
    Jared looked at him, his head tilting as he made baby sounds.
    "It's your mother." At that, Jared's 'talking' grew louder and his hands flapped up and down urgently. He didn't have to speak baby talk to know what Jared wanted. It was obvious that he didn't want Alex to tell his mom what had happened. And with good reason, too.
    The last time Jared had screwed a spell this badly, his mother had bespelled a broom to spank him whenever he tried to use magick. It had been fun at first to watch his boyfriend running around the house, hollering while trying to avoid getting hit. It wasn't funny though, when he found himself trying to explain why a broom was following them around in public, or how it could move when neither of them was touching it.
    Eventually, Stella linked the broom to Jared's magick, and the broom would wait at home for them and deal with Jared then. It lasted a month before Alex finally convinced her to let up.
    Suffice it to say, that was the last time Jared gave his little brother a second head for stealing the last piece of Cinnamon Cream Pie at the dinner table. It was also the last time Stella made extra dessert when she invited them over for a meal.
    Calming himself, Alex clicked the talk button and brought it to his ear. "Hi, Stella."
    "Alex, sweetheart! How are you? I'm great, so are the littles. I need to talk to my baby. Is he there? I called the school but they said he took the week off. Whatever for? Anyway, that's not why I'm calling. His Uncle Garreld is coming in from Hawaii for a few weeks. Can he stay with you guys? I knew it wouldn't be a problem. I told Garreld that, but nooo, he insisted that I call first. Well, I'll tell him that you said it's absolutely fine and you would love to have him. Give Jared a kiss for me. What am I saying? Of course you'll give him a kiss, and it won't be for me. Hahaha. Anywhoo, I have to go. I'm cooking chicken soup. Sarah's sick! I'll see you tomorrow for dinner right? Don't forget, it's at six.