"Well, would you like to take a shower with your brothers?" Erica asked.
Shaking his head, Boswell answered, "No. How about my own bathroom? Please?"
"Okay. Ask the nanny to fill the tub for you. I'll be along after I'm done with your brothers!" She had so many sons and they had to take turns bathing.
"Okay!"
With the nanny's help, Erica finally finished bathing each of her sons.
Erica was in the master bedroom. She stared at the man exiting the bathroom, not saying a word.
Matthew put on his pajamas and glanced at her. "You should probably grab a shower," he said.
"Okay." She nodded and walked into the bathroom, burying the questions she wanted to ask him deep inside her.
At night, Erica was lying on the bed playing a mobile game, and Matthew was viewing the news on his iPad.
Someone pushed the door of the master bedroom open. Eventually, a boy's head could be seen in the widening gap. He gently called, "Dad, Mom."
It was Damian, their youngest son.
Erica sat up from the bed and looked at her son, confused. "What's wrong? Why are you up again, Damian?"
Standing at the door, an Ultraman toy in hand, he stared at them and said, "I can't sleep. Can I sleep with you guys?"
Matthew put down his iPad, got out of bed and walked towards him. Half squatting in front of the boy, he looked at him and asked, "Why?"
"Well, I've never done it before, and I feel safe with you," the little boy answered bluntly.
With a faint smile, Matthew closed the door and carried him to the bed.
As soon as Damian climbed into the bed, someone opened the door once more. This time, it was Colman. He screamed and ran to their bed. "Oh, yeah! We can sleep with Dad and Mom now!"
Under the couple's stunned gazes, he quickly crawled into the bed and huddled under the blanket with Damian.
The two brothers couldn't help but giggle. Erica was speechless. What a clever little guy!
Matthew was nobody's fool, and caught on immediately. "You didn't really want to sleep with us, did you, Damian? Colman put you up to it, huh?" he asked in a condescending tone.
"Yes, Dad. I was scared Mom would spank me if I asked," Colman answered and stuck out his tongue.
Matthew patted him on the leg gently and said, "Mom won't spank you just for that. Just ask, that's all. But she might spank you for getting your brother to trick us." Colman was so young, and he already got the hang of using others to get what he wanted.
Colman hid under the quilt and pleaded, "Dad, Mom, I'm still a kid. Don't hit me, please?"
Erica grabbed Matthew's hand and said, "Hit my kid and I'm kicking you out of bed. You can find your own bed after that."
Matthew couldn't believe his ears. He just wanted to tuck the two kids in. He didn't explain, but ordered his two naughty sons, "Close your eyes! Now!"
"Okay, thanks, Dad!" Damian said politely.
But as soon as Colman and Damian closed their eyes, Boswell also found his way in.
Blinking his innocent eyes, Boswell said, "Dad, can I sleep with you too? I'll do whatever you want tomorrow." Matthew knew there was a limit to whatever he'd ask.
Matthew wanted to laugh, but he managed to remain serious. He rested his hands on his hips and asked, "But isn't that how it works anyway? I ask you to do something, and you do it."
Boswell sounded like he was doing him a favor by promising to obey Matthew. How else was he supposed to react?
Shaking his head, Boswell disagreed, "Not really. And not now. But in the morning, I'll be really happy. And do whatever you want me to—I won't complain."
"I don't care whether you want to or not. I'm your dad, and I get to tell you what to do. How do you think this works?" Matthew patiently reasoned with him.
At the same time, he noticed Colman reached out his hand from underneath the quilt and secretly waved at Boswell.
Glancing at his brother and then at Matthew, Boswell wondered why his dad was so hard-headed. He then looked at Erica for help. "Mom..."
Before he could say anything more, Erica patted the bed and said, "Your dad was just kidding. Come on in!"
Upon hearing her words, Boswell ran to the bed and snuggled up under the covers with his two younger brothers.
Looking at the three little boys in the bed, Matthew shook his head helplessly.
Erica looked at the man standing by the bed and said, "Go ahead!"
"What?" Matthew was confused.
"Bring Adkins here too. He's gonna be mad if he doesn't get in on this!" she ordered.
Matthew sighed inwardly. He turned around and walked out of the bedroom to bring his eldest son there.
Adkins was still thinking about the last thing he'd read on the story book. Hearing the knock on the door, he peered at it in the dim light and said, "Dad!"
Matthew walked over and sat down by his bed. "Let's go."
Adkins sat up and looked into his eyes. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"Your younger brothers are in our room now. You can sleep with us tonight too!"
Adkins thought for a while and shook his head. "No. Don't want to."
"Why?" Matthew asked in confusion.
"Sleep with Mom. Not with my brothers. And not with you."
Matthew was shocked upon hearing that. "Why? Don't you love me?" Adkins was only three. What if this got worse as he got older? What did he do that made Adkins feel this way? What if Matthew were dying? Would Adkins ask the doctor to unplug him and get his mom to marry someone else? Would the boy really let him die?
"Yes, I do," Adkins answered.
"So why don't you come with me?" Matthew pulled him up, put him under his armpit and walked out of the bedroom, ignoring his cries.
Now that the four boys were all here, the problem was logistics. If the six of them slept in the same bed with their heads on the same side, the bed would be not wide enough.
The only option was for them to sleep with their heads on either side of the bed. Matthew and Erica had to separate and take care of two children each.
Putting his arms around Matthew, Colman blurted out, "I sleep with Dad tonight. I get Mom tomorrow!"
Without even taking a look at Matthew, Adkins and Boswell climbed over to Erica's side without saying a word.
Damian looked at his three brothers. He seemed to have no choice. Eyes wide open, he looked at Matthew and said, "Dad, let's lie down."
Finally, they could drift off to sleep.
The family of six huddled in the same bed, and the four children fell asleep first.
Matthew held Colman in his left arm, while Damian held his other arm and slept soundly.
In the dark of night, the smile in the man's eyes deepened.
The next day, Adkins woke up first. He sat up from the bed and looked at the scene on the bed with his sleepy eyes. Suddenly, he was a little confused.
He remembered that he and Boswell had gone to sleep with his mom last night. When he woke up, he was with his three younger brothers, but his parents were snoozing on the other side of the bed.
Colman slept horizontally, with his legs on Matthew's, and his head on Erica's legs.
Before he could figure out why his brothers were there, Adkins pulled his brother away from Erica.
Matthew suddenly woke up.