“Me. Eat. Max. Me. Want. Max." Levi’s hands are raised up in front of his face as though he has claws, and his monster-esque voice sends Max into another round of ear-shattering screams. I can’t help the smile that overwhelms my face as I watch the two of them make laps around the house, Levi pretending that Max is too fast for him to catch. Reaching out, Levi snags Max around the waist, tossing him effortlessly over his shoulder as he pretends to bite at Max’s side.
Happiness. Contentment. That's what this is for me. Don't get me wrong, Max and I live a happy life. But there is a different level of joy that shines through his eyes when Levi is around. He just plays so differently with men than he does with me. I try to roughhouse with him and play ‘boy’ games and chase him around like a monster, but he doesn’t get into it the way he does with my dad or Levi. It must be a guy thing.
Sneaking up behind Max, I quickly throw the back of his shirt up around his neck and pretend to bite at his back while Levi continues at his front. “Max. Taste. Good,” I say in my best monster voice. “Me. Want. More." Max stiffens his back and legs, throwing his head in an attempt to escape our attack.
“Done. I’m...stop. Done," he says breathlessly while simultaneously thrashing his body from side to side. We consent to his surrender and Levi lowers Max to the ground. Keeping a hand on his shoulder, he allows Max a second to regain his footing.
Levi raises his hand in the air about two feet above Max’s head. “High-five, Maximus, my man!”
“My. Name. Is. Not. Maximus,” he replies, each word ringing out between jumps, finally landing with a loud slap of a high-five.
“Alright, bud. I have to get cookin’ before your mom here starves to death." Giving me a quick wink, Levi ruffles Max’s hair and walks over to the front door, retrieving the bag of food he must have dropped prior to his monster transformation, and heads toward the kitchen.
“Can I watch a movie?" Max begs, bringing his clasped hands under his chin. Max has large, chocolate-colored eyes outlined in thick, black lashes, and he uses those magnificent eyes to get his way.
“Sure, but only until dinner is ready. Deal?" I stick out my arm and Max slips his tiny hand in mine, giving me an exaggerated shake.
“Deal." Scurrying over to the TV stand, he begins rummaging through our collection and picks out his favorite movie, Cars.
There’s really no point in helping Max start the movie. I’m not sure where kids learn all this stuff, but I swear that Max can work any electronic device in this house better than I can on any given day.
My butt starts vibrating so I reach into my back pocket and pull out my phone. I swipe my thumb across the screen and a text from Quinn greets me.
Quinn: What's up sexy mama? You and Max doing anything cool?
Me: Hey sweet cheeks! Nope just chillin'. Max is watching a movie and I'mwatching Levi.
Quinn: You're watching his ass right? Please tell me you're watching his ass!
Me: Yup! I'm watching his sweet ass cook me dinner.
Quinn: What? WTF! I want to watch Levi cook!
Me: Get your booty over here. Pronto. Dinner in 30.
Quinn: Well I don’t want a pity invite.
Me: Shut the hell up and get over here!
Quinn: Be there in 5. I’ll bring the wine!
"Quinn's on her way." Walking to the stove, I hip-bump Levi and lift the lid to the saucepan. "This smells amazing! What is it?" He hands me a spoon and I stir the creamy white sauce.
"It's a provel mushroom cheese sauce, and it's to-die-for," he tells me. "That's good, don't stir it too much." Replacing the lid, I hop up on the counter next to the stove and grab the glass of wine next to Levi.
"It's okay, I didn't want that glass of wine anyway," he says with a smirk, not taking his eyes off of the vegetables he's chopping. A comfortable silence surrounds us and Levi loses himself in his cooking as I watch.
A loud growl echoes off the kitchen walls, and both Levi and I turn our heads simultaneously.
"No! You—" Quinn says firmly, pointing to Levi, "—turn back around. I wasn't done admiring your derrière." Levi smirks and turns back around before giving his butt a little shake.
"Max didn't let you in, did he? Because he knows better—" Quinn waves her hand, effectively cutting me
off.
"No. No. No. Don't get you're panties in a bunch, Mama Bear, I let myself in. I practically live here anyway."
Setting a bottle of wine down on the table, Quinn makes her way over to me and gives me a quick hug. Turning to the stove, she lifts the lid on the saucepan.