Chapter 21
“So, what do you say, little man, fancy sleeping in your room tonight?” Kean asks as I lay River down in the crib in his room.
After the family meeting, we took the babies into the playroom, Cass and Temp played with River and Connie, and Nora and the boys played with Lyric. They had fun with the building blocks. Building little walls and Lyric knocking them down, too much laughter.
After lunch, where we finally made Lyric sit in his highchair, we settled him down for an afternoon nap. We’re trying to get the boys into a routine, fingers crossed it works.
I'm sat in the playroom watching over the children, while researching on my tablet. I am trying to find out more about Kitsunes and Lyric’s ability to connect so well with River, but then I give up and shop online for baby bits.
We really need a baby bath, as we can’t keep washing River in the sink, and he is much too little to sit in the bath.
I find one and add it to the basket. I find some cute clothes for the boys that can be worn on Thursday, and anything else that catches my attention.
I complete that purchase and then buy Easter Eggs for the family.
Until Adhan brought Easter up earlier, I had forgotten it was so close.
I also find the perfect top for Kean, one where he can snuggle with either Lyric or River.
For the moment, the room is quiet, even Connie is asleep in her day crib.
Kean is in the kitchen washing bottles and sterilising them.
I look at our boys. This time last year, if anyone had told me this was going to be my life, I would have called them nuts.
Nothing like this was even on my radar. I thought I’d be alone forever, but here I am living my unexpected best life.
I smile when I see Cass walking in. “Hey, Cass.”
He glances at the babies and comes and sits by me.
“You okay?” I ask him. He’s not looking okay, but then he hasn’t for months. “Why didn’t you say something, Cass? I kept asking what was wrong. I knew something was troubling you.”
“You mean like the way you kept brushing Temp and me off when we were worried about you?” he points out.
I sigh and put my tablet down. “Yeah, okay, I accept that. It was just hard to talk about, I didn’t want to burden you two with my sadness.”
“We would have helped you through everything.”
“I know. Honestly, I just didn’t want any pitying looks,” I admit.
“It wouldn’t have been pity, more like anger on your behalf.”
I shoot him a smile. “That’s what Kean said. How come you didn’t tell Sion?”
Cassie lets out a massive sigh. “I think he’s more pissed with me than you and Temp combined.
Things with me and Sion are complicated.
I’m still annoyed he pushed me away when he was ill, but even when we try and start something, it feels weird, incomplete somehow.
I honestly can’t explain it. Plus, he’s been through so much.
When the messages started, I didn’t tell him because he was so ill; it was just easier to focus on him.
Then I got so used to not saying anything, it became a habit. ”
“What do you mean, things seem incomplete?”
Cassie sighs. “I don’t know, it feels like something is missing, which is weird because I love him and he says he loves me, but yeah, we’ll figure it out. You know, I saw Madam Cleo at Halloween?”
I nod.
“One of the things she told me was to wait for the missing piece, and all will become clear.”
“Do you think she was talking about you and Sion?”
Cassie shrugs a shoulder. “No idea, she looked shocked when she told me that, though.”
“Strange, but she’s never wrong. It’s just one of those wait-and-see things.” I pull him in a quick hug. “Everything will sort itself out in time.”
“Thanks, brother.”
Ben, Temp, Jude and Sal went shopping to buy everything needed to toddler proof the house.
I thought it would just be baby gates, but no, there are special plugs for sockets, things to go on the corners of furniture, magnetic locks for cupboards, and hooks to make sure furniture doesn’t get pulled over.
I’m sure a lot of this could have been done with magic, but there you go.
Once they get back, the four of them and Kean set about proofing the house. They also came back with new toys for Connie and our boys. Plus Temp had found the cutest little safety walking harness for Lyric. It was a blue butterfly which he will totally love.
I hear a noise from Lyric’s crib, but before I can move, Cassie is up and picking his nephew up. “Hey, little man, did you have good dreams?’
Lyric nods, rubbing his eyes and looking around. He sees me and smiles.
“I see, you just want your papa,” Cassie says, walking back to the sofa.
Lyric holds his arms out. “Tus.”
I take him and drop a kiss on the top of his head. “Hey, little man. Do you want a drink?”
“Duce,” Lyric says, then looks around. “Clean?”
“He’s Lyric proofing the house,” I say, smiling at him, tickling his tummy.
Lyric lets out a giggle.
“Let’s get you a drink and then go and find him, shall we? Uncle Cassie can come with us.”
Cassie grins. “I can do that,” he replies, bopping Lyric on the nose.
We got Lyric a drink and gave him a snack, then looked for Kean. We played, gave him dinner, bathed him and washed River, but now it’s bedtime.
I lay River in his crib.
“Night Ver,” Lyric says, looking at his sleeping brother.
“So how about it, little man?” Kean says as we leave River’s room and walk into Lyric’s. “Fancy sleeping in here tonight?”
Lyric looks at his crib and then at us, looking unsure.
“I can say a spell that will let us hear you, so if you get scared or your brother needs us, you can just call out for us,” I tell him.
Lyric snuggles closer to Kean and sighs before nodding.
“How about we sit in that lovely-looking snuggle chair first and read a couple of stories?” Kean asks.
Lyric nods, and I go to the bookcase and pull out two books as Kean and Lyric sit down.
I join them on the chair and make Lyric laugh as I grab his little legs and lay them on mine. Then I read a story about a witch having no room on a broom, and then a book about a Gruffalo.
“Ready for bed now, little man?” Kean asks him.
Lyric looks first at Kean and then at me. “Mama, dada no.”
I take his little hand. “No Lyric, that’s why you have Kean and me. We both love you and your brother, and we always will,” I say gently.
Lyric gives a deep sigh. “Tus, Clean no go?”
“No, Lyric, we’re not going anywhere,” I promise.
Kean kisses the top of his head. “You’re stuck with Tus and me, little man.”
Lyric sniffs and moves over to sit on me, snuggling in.
I wrap my arms around him and hold him close. Kean wraps both of us up in his arms, and we sit like that until Lyric falls asleep.
We move and stand up. Kean and I kiss Lyric’s head, and I lay him in his cot. Kean puts his teddy next to him and pulls a little blanket up.
I mutter a listening spell as Kean switches on the night light and the main lights off.
We walk out of his room, pulling the door nearly closed and shutting the newly installed baby gate.
Kean takes my hand and leads me downstairs, closing the top stairgate behind us.
“I found something online the other day. I dismissed it because I didn’t think we’d ever need it.
But you can have teddies made out of clothing.
They are called memorial bears. I thought we could see if Monica could give us some of Doris and Reggie’s clothes, and we could have bears made for the boys. ”
“I like the sound of that. I’m sure the boys will as well,” I say softly. “I’ll message Monica later asking for some clothes.”
“I’ll dig out the details tomorrow,” he promises, opening the bottom gate so we can walk through.
I grin at Kean. “Just think, you can’t mad dash up the stairs now.”
Kean rudely snorts. “I’ll just jump the gates.”
I shake my head at him. “I was reading up on sixteen-month-olds’ development, and Lyric says way more proper words than he should at this age,” I say.
Kean grins. “That’s because our son is a genius.”
“Or it could be a shifter thing,” I point out.
“Genius, I tell you.”
I laugh as we walk into the kitchen, and everyone is already sat and eating. “Sorry, we’re late,” Kean says.
“You’re not. Is Lyric asleep in his own room?” Emily asks.
“He is,” I reply as we sit down. “Hopefully, he’ll make it through the night. Plus, the gates are all closed.”
Everyone hands us dishes, and we fill our plates.
“Lyric is starting to realise his parents aren’t coming back. He needed reassurance that Titus and I wouldn’t leave him,” Kean says, putting some carrots on his plate and passing the bowl to me.
“That’s understandable,” Emily says, cutting into a roast potato. “How much paternity leave do you both have?”
“Three months, but as we both work from home, we can be near the boys during the day as well,” Kean replied.
“What happens when you’re needed in the office?” Ben asks me before taking a bite of lamb.
I look at Kean. “We could all go and stay in the flat while I’m at the office, or I can be up and back in a day. We’ll have to play it by ear. But I plan on getting as many meetings online as I can.”
Ernest grins and picks up his drink. “Pretty sure the other ministers will prefer that, to face-to-face meetings.”
I laugh. “True.”
“Hopefully Lyric will be more settled by then as well,” Kean adds.
Just then, two phone pings are heard. I pull my phone out and look, just as Cass does the same.
I click on the unknown message.
There is another picture, this time of a bloody saw, with writing underneath.
Did you think I would forget about what you both did to me?
I show Kean, who swears and I shoot back a response.
Cassie did nothing to you; your fight is with me.
I hit send to all, and Kean growls.
Cassie’s phone pings and he reads my reply. “What the hell, Tie, you’re not fighting him alone.”
“We fight him as brothers,” Temp says, pointing his fork at me. “Don’t even think about leaving me out of this.”