Chapter 15
We’ve moved the furniture around in the downstairs lounge and turned it into a playroom.
River is lying on his baby play mat. Temp sat next to him, playing with him. Lyric is with Connie and Nora, playing with blocks.
There are three cribs for the children for when they get tired, courtesy of Temp, plus a changing table, stocked underneath with everything needed.
I magicked some of the boys’ toys in here and laughed when I saw Jude’s arms full of toys he brought into the room. He frowned at me and then laughed.
“We should get Nix to decorate the walls in here,” Cassie suggests, walking into the room with Sion.
“We can ask him over dinner tonight,” Jude replies.
“How can little beings have so much stuff?” Sion says, looking around.
“It helps them learn,” Nora says, as the doorbell rings.
“That should be the delivery driver,” I announce, standing up. I look at Lyric, who is lost in playing, so I let him be and go to open the door.
“Morning, Mr Compton, got your stuff,” the driver says.
“Thanks, we’ll help you unload,” I say, as Jude, Adhan, Cassie and Sion come outside.
Kean is up in his office letting his clients know what’s going on. Cam had an issue somewhere he had to go and sort out, and Ben had an emergency breakdown callout.
We’ve just started pulling items out of the back of the van when Ebby, Sly and the boys turn up.
“Good timing,” I say in greeting to Ebby and Sly and pass them suitcases.
“I knew we should have waited until this afternoon, but the boys wanted to see their new cousins,” Sly tells me, taking a case.
I know Ebby, Sly, Xander and Enoch are not related to us, but Alfred and Ernest claimed them as family, well, we all did really, so now they are our brothers.
“Xander, Enoch, the children are in the downstairs lounge if you want to join them.”
They grin and rush off. I then hear Lyric shout, “Nox”.
With so many of us, it doesn’t take long to get everything upstairs and into the two rooms. Kean and I will figure out placements later.
I’m just walking out of what will be River’s room, when I hear loud crying and Xander urgently calling up the stairs. “Titus, Kean.”
I run down the hall to the stairs. Kean reaches them first, and we thunder down the stairs and into the lounge.
Lyric is being held by Temp as he cries his eyes out.
Kean plucks him out of Temps' arm. “Hey, now what’s this?” he asks Lyric.
I look at the others.
“He couldn’t find either of you and got scared,” Temp tells us.
Lyric has a tight grip around Kean, and his face is buried in his neck.
I shake my head. “I didn’t think about that. I thought he’d be fine with all of you, sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, bro. But maybe for a while, one or the other of you should be where he can see you,” Temp suggested. “He must have got scared thinking you had both vanished like his birth parents.”
“That makes sense.” I touch Lyric’s back. “We’re both here, little man.”
Lyric lifts his head up and looks at me, his face red from crying, tears still running down his cheeks, and his nose snotty. “Tus,” he hiccups, holding his arms out.
I take him out of Kean’s arms and walk over to the sofa and sit down, Kean by my side.
Lyric wipes his face on my shirt and sniffs, before leaning back against me and holding his hand out to Kean.
Kean takes his little hand and kisses the back before holding it.
“We’ll not leave you, Lyric, I promise,” I tell him, rubbing his back.
“I as scar,” he says, still hiccupping.
“You were scared we’d left you?” Kean asks softly.
He nods and sniffs again.
A hand suddenly holds out a bunch of tissues. I look up and see Xander.
I smile at him and take them. “Thanks, Xander.”
“Just so you know, Enoch took River to Emily, in case Lyric’s crying scared him,” he tells us.
“Perfect, thanks, Xander,” Kean says.
Xander nods and goes and joins Nora and Connie, playing with bricks.
I wipe Lyric’s face and then hold the tissue by his nose. “Big blow.”
He does, and sighs.
“Sorry, little man. We knew you were safe here and having fun playing. We’ll make sure one or both of us are where you can see us in future,” Kean tells him.
Temp comes over, carrying a plastic bowl with chopped strawberries in it. He kneels down next to us. “Hey, little man. Do you want some strawberries?”
Lyric nods and takes a piece, eating it.
“Was that nice?” Temp asks him.
Lyric nods, picks a piece up and squashes it while handing it to Temp. “Unk Emp,”
I snort out a laugh at the look of disgust on Temp’s face.
“Unk Emp,” Lyric says again.
“Only because it’s you,” Temp says, plucking it out of Lyric’s hand and eating it. “I can’t wait to see you do that to Uncle Ernest.”
Kean and I laugh at that.
“I am so videoing it when that happens,” Kean says.
Adhan walks into the room and looks around, smiling until he sees Lyric. He comes over and drops to his knees beside us. “What happened?”
“He got scared when he couldn’t find either Kean or me,” I tell him.
“We’ll not make that mistake again,” Kean adds.
Adhan touches Lyric’s head. “You okay now, little man?”
Lyric nods and holds out another piece of squashed strawberry.
Adhan takes it and eats it. “Yummy. Make sure you have some,” he looks at us. “The van and driver have left, and Sly and Ebby have unpacked the suitcases and are putting the boys' clothes away.”
“We’ll thank them when we see them,” Kean says.
“Also, River is fast asleep with Mum watching over him. I’m off to the bookshop, do you three want to come?”
I look at Lyric. “What do you say, little man, shall we go on an adventure to see Uncle Ernest and your cousin Alfred?”
“Oou come?” Lyric asks, looking at Kean and me.
“Yep, we’re both coming. You stay here with Titus, and I’ll go and get your bag and shoes, okay?” Kean tells him.
Lyric nods, and Kean drops a kiss on his head and stands up. “Back in a bit.”
Adhan stands and sits next to us, and Lyric moves to sit on his lap. “You can only sit here if you promise no stinky.”
Lyric, Temp and I all laugh at that.
“Saying that, I should probably change him before we go out. I also need to clean his sticky hands. Come on, little man, let’s get you sorted.”
Lyric moves back. “No, Unk Addy.”
I laugh. “Looks like you're up, Unk Addy.”
“The things I do for this family. I thought my nappy changing days were over once Alfred was potty trained,” he gripes, standing up with Lyric and walking over to the changing table.
Kean walks back in with Jude at his side, who has Connie’s bits.
“Connie and I are coming too,” Jude says, picking her up. “Once the changing table is free, I’ll change her nappy and we’ll be ready.”
Kean laughs as he sees his brother changing Lyric’s nappy. “Felled by a toddler.”
“At least it wasn’t a stinky one. I draw the line at that,” Adhan says, pulling Lyric’s trousers up and cleaning up the used bits and putting them into the bin.
He picks Lyric up. “All yours, brother.”
Jude carries Connie over and sets about changing hers.
“Can I come?” Nora asks.
“Yep. Go and tell everyone we’re off to the bookshop, and all those who want to come to be at the front door in five minutes,” Adhan replies.
“Xander, you do upstairs and I’ll do down,” Nora says, jumping up.
The two of them run out of the room.
Temp laughs. “Pretty sure this will be a big family trip.”
Temp was right. I think the only person not joining us is Emily, who opted to stay behind with River.