This Is Us - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

(THOMAS POV)
"We're home!"
I call out as Matty an I enter our dark home from the garage, surprised to find all the lights off and the house seemingly void of any signs of life.
"Where are they?" Matty asked as he tossed his bag down in the clean kitchen. The smell of popcorn permeated the air and I knew they couldn't be far. I went into the fridge to get a drink, my eyes glazing over the stick figure family portrait proudly displayed with Jayde's favorite magnets.
"Maybe Luca took her to his house," I shrugged, Matty turned on the kettle and reached into the cabinet to grab a mug and a few tea bags.
"Why did he change his name to Luca?" Matty asked as I stood behind him, wrapping my arms around his hard stomach, where a hard curve made me wonder how I didn't notice before.
"He was very vague about it. I'm assuming the government named him Wesley and his real birth name is Luca. I think he had a breakthrough in therapy which is why he's been so open lately," I filled him in and he nodded, his hands covering mine as he waited for the water to boil.
"Do you think Wesley was a different person? Like a split personality kind of thing where he became Wesley when he was working for the government to protect himself, to protect the real Luca hiding underneath?" Matty questions aloud and I bury my head in his shoulder.
"I think so," I agree and our fingers intertwined.
"You see the only problem I have is I fell in love with Wesley...so who the fuck is Luca," Matty sighed and I gave his hands a gentle squeeze.
"Don't think about it like that Matty. I think if you really tried to get to know Luca, you would still fall in love with him. It's very hard not to," I explained, nuzzling my head in the warm crook of his neck which smelled like coconut body wash from the shower we took at the studio before coming home.
"Do you want some?" Matty offered when the kettle switched off meaning the water had boiled and he started pouring it into a mug and adding honey.
"I'm all set baby," I declined as I pulled away from him. Turning to the stairs when I heard a familiar giggle coming from the second floor.
"Hmm, maybe they're home after all," Matty mumbles, stirring his tea and walking up the stairs. I turn off the light behind us to conserve energy, following him down the single upstairs hallway which was open to the rest of the house.
Four of the seven bedrooms in our house were in this hallway were on one side was a wall of four matching sliding brown farmhouse doors. On the other side was a wire railway where you could look over and see the open living room, kitchen, and entryway.
"We have to set up a Christmas tree huh?" Matty mentions as we walk to the last room at the very end of the hallway where our daughter slept.
"We have Friday off and since Jayde is suspended we can make a day of it," I suggest and Matty smiles.
"You know, I should be pissed but I'm so proud of her. That's our baby girl Thomas, that's how I know she wasn't switched at the hospital with another baby," He laughed and I rolled my eyes.
"Jaydean was the only redheaded baby in that nursery, you couldn't misplace her if you tried," I added and he took a sip of his tea.
"Sometimes I wonder how I gave birth to such a beautiful little bean," He says, getting sentimental as we reached her bedroom door.
"She won't be the last," Is all I say as he placed his hand on the doorknob, a shy smile spreading across his lips as he slid the door open and we were both surprised to find our entrance had been blocked.
Numerous pillows, sheets, blankets, and Christmas lights filled Jaydean's room and our blue-eyed little girl stuck her head out of a sheet which acted as a curtain.
"Mommy! Daddy! You're home! Come see what Papa and I made!" Jayde called out before disappearing again causing Matty and I to both look at each other with the same questioning look on our face. But the smell of popcorn made my mouth water and I got down to my knees, popping open the curtain to discover their set up.
The pillow fort was the definition of cozy, with a mattress and comforters lining the floor and Jayde's TV brought down to eye level with the floor. Houston perked his head up from the corner when I entered but once he realized it was me, he calmed back down and went back to sitting in a very overly protective manner.
On the other side of fort sat Luca with his legs crisscrossed and his shoulders covered in a gray fuzzy blanket with a bowl of popcorn on his lap. He was wearing his thick black plastic glasses instead of his contacts and his hair was sticking up from all the static. But there was never a time where Luca had been more adorable than right now.
I took a mental snapshot of this moment and he patted the blanket beside him.
"Come and join us. The movie's about to start," Luca announced and Matty follows behind me.
"This is cute," Matty says and we were close and cozy but there was still space to breathe. I leaned back, sitting up with the multitudes of pillows behind me, recognizing some from our bedroom and guessing that we were probably sleeping here tonight. Not like I mind.
"Thanks, it took a few hours but I think it turned out a lot better than we expected, right Jayde?" Luca turned to our daughter who stared at us while pondering her seat. I sat in the middle with Luca to my left, curled up with the popcorn and Matty at my right with his head on my shoulder.
"Yes Papa, I love it!" She squealed and of course, out of all the spots she could have chosen to snuggle up into, she wanted to lay down on all three of us. Her little feet stretched over her Papa's legs, her body laid flat over my thighs, and her head rested in her mother's lap.
Matty took out Jayde's braids while I reached over and stole a few pieces of popcorn.
"How was practice?" Luca asked out of curiosity and Matty groaned.
"It was awful as always but we have a month left to prep and I'm feeling pretty confident," He adds, drinking more of his tea as he filled Luca in on the day's events, leaving out our emotional session as he did so.
"Look! It's Mommy!" Jaydean squealed and we all looked up just in time to catch Matty posing for the New Years Eve performance ad.
"Mommy, why are you there on TV again?" Jayde asked as Matty ran his fingers through her scalp in search of bobby pins.
"Because mommy is a famous singer and people love him a lot. That's why people follow us sometimes," Matty explains and I feel Luca's head on my other shoulder.
"Do they love you more than me?" Jayde gasped and Matty quickly laughed the thought away.
"No baby, no one could love me more than you," He reassured her and I took him by his shoulders, pulling him closer.
Midway through the Spiderman movie, I look over to see everyone was now fast asleep and I had Matty in arm with Luca's head against my other shoulder.
I was uncomfortable but couldn't care less when I held my family close.
The family I created for myself.
I watched everyone snooze as my own eyelids started to get heavier and heavier.
To have them all in one place was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time because everything I loved was in one single space all at once.
I wanted to spend the rest of my life in this single moment of peace. Without the judgment, the hysteria, and the stigma the media often labeled us with when we went out together.
How could three men raise a little girl when their so busy having threesomes all the time? Is what the headlines all said and gossipers all assumed.
I looked down and watched the lil nugget take in subtle sleepy breaths as she snuggled across our laps, tugging at her princess throw blanket to cover her little bare toes as I did so.
There wasn't a single day in Jaydean's life where she could question whether or not she was loved.
That's how the three of us are raising our delicate dainty little girl gifted to us from the higher powers above to be a strong, independent, kick-ass woman.
With love.