Chapter 11 #2
I frowned when I realized Herman was leaving and Tamara was out in the field.
I knew our childcare center was stellar, but I didn’t think Tamara would like Herman to retrieve her at the expense of their daughter, Erin, and his other daughter Samantha or Sammy.
I knew Mr. Moore and Rachel had stepped up helping with their granddaughters and nieces—respectively—but I knew Tamara wouldn’t be happy to see him.
“Who has the girls?” I asked them.
Herman had reached us and looked both smug and bemused.
“Tamara will have my head, but they need a reader, and no one is as good as me,” he said it matter of factly without sounding like he was bragging.
And he wasn’t wrong. He then continued. “She’s already comfortable with Anna helping me with Erin.
Anna has Sammy right now and Rachel volunteered to retrieve Erin and Hailey from daycare when it’s time. ”
I could tell he was uncomfortable leaving his daughters, especially since Sammy was still so new.
No one could deny what a great dad he was.
He was also great with Hailey. After Anna’s bomb, I finally saw them interacting with each other.
It was evident that he treated Hailey as one of his own and I was happy for both of them.
“If they need any more hands I’ll help them,” I volunteered.
I had to admit I had a soft spot for both of Herman’s girls.
Witnessing their births had put a special place in my heart for them, especially Sammy.
I believed Dr. Wong would say I had bonded with her over the preconceived notion that we had both been abandoned by our biological mothers.
Yes, Miranda had wanted to keep me, but she hadn’t been able to so there was that.
“Thanks, Blake,” Herman smiled before turning to my guys. “Are we ready?”
“Not really,” Jace admitted before hugging me again.
“Be safe,” I frowned as Remy drew me into his arms.
“Always,” Remy rumbled.
I didn’t like it when my guys went on missions without me. I always worried something would happen to them. I felt the tears enter my eyes as I watched them walk away. I knew this time it wasn’t just my hormones making me feel so emotional.
η
“You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” Rachel said dryly as she handed Hailey and Harry plates of chocolate cake.
After dinner Lincoln, Troy, and Drake took Jacob to the war room to plan for future missions and show him a glimpse into our operations.
Needless to say, Jacob had been horrified by Horatio’s machinations.
He also understood why it wasn’t so easy to call the local authorities to help us.
From the sound of it he was contemplating taking a longer leave from work because he felt that strongly about our cause.
Noah, Jaxson, and I decided to help Rachel and Anna and invited them back to the apartment with the girls.
Herman and Anna were currently waiting for an apartment to open up since they both occupied single person dwellings.
Since Herman and Anna decided to take their relationship to the next level they decided to move in together and blend their families.
Micah, Shiloh, Patrick, Alex, and Ella wanted to spend time with us, so they decided to follow us back as well.
I knew they were just as worried about Kade, Vicky, and Ben and wanted us nearby.
They knew we would be the first people to hear how our family was doing, so it was obvious what the main motive for hanging around.
Shortly after that Miranda and Grandma Hazel had popped over with desserts from the bakery in town.
They knew Pops and Greg were still busy at work and wanted to show up for us in any way possible.
I knew everyone was just as worried as I was since Jace, Remy, Kade, and the others had gone radio silent.
I rocked Sammy in my arms, readjusting her bottle. “I can’t help it. No one can reach anyone from the teams and none of the guys are answering our mental communication link.”
Anna came out of the room where we set up a bassinet and playpen for the babies.
Erin had fallen asleep after a bath and a bottle.
I had to admit Anna was a great mother, but I never pegged her for the maternal type.
Yet, I was pleasantly surprised at the care she gave to Herman’s girls.
It was evident that she treated them as her own while respecting Tamara and Herman’s schedules and desires with raising them.
With Hailey she was more of a free spirit and less about schedules.
Hailey wasn’t neglected but for instance, if Hailey wasn’t ready for a nap at eleven, Anna would wait an hour or two to put Hailey down.
Same with bedtime. Tamara on the other hand was already attempting to “sleep train” Erin, so she wanted Erin to have a morning and afternoon nap as well as a strict bedtime.
Anna might not agree with that style of raising Hailey but respected Tamara in that regard.
There were other instances that it was clear they were night and day concerning raising children, but this was the one that stuck out to me most.
Anna softly closed the door behind her. “We shouldn’t worry yet,” she gave me a sympathetic smile. “I know it’s easier said than done but my instincts are telling me that they’re okay.”
My first reaction was to snap. Her lackadaisical attitude was rubbing me the wrong way.
Then I realized it was mainly my hormones and worry in the driver’s seat.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm down slightly.
Admittedly, a small part of me felt like I should feel if they were in distress—at least my guys specifically—but I wasn’t experiencing any emotions of discomfort outside of myself.
“Honey, you need to sit, relax, and eat your cake,” Jaxson insisted before gently removing Sammy from my arms.
I frowned at him, preparing to protest, but was transfixed at how comfortable Jaxson looked holding the tiny infant in his arms. Admittedly he had been noticeably stiff the first time he held her, but it was evident that he had gotten comfortable rather quickly.
The gentle yet confident way he held Sammy was both sexy and sweet.
He had already confessed that he never held a child and wanted to be comfortable holding ours.
After Anna had given him permission to hold her, he was like a duck to water.
I knew Jaxson being Jaxson had another motive.
It wasn’t just his uncertainty that spurred him forward but his natural competitive drive.
Lincoln and Noah were the only ones comfortable around newborns, so he was quite pleased with himself to have an “advantage” against the others.
“Would you like some milk with your chocolate cake?” Miranda asked standing up from the table.
The older teens were playing video games while Alex, Ella, Noah, Grandma Hazel, and Miranda were playing Skip-bo.
It was the only game Alex and Ella couldn’t use their gifts and cheat.
It was getting harder and harder finding games they couldn’t cheat at.
They didn’t always exhibit this unfavorable trait, but every now and then they gave into the temptation in the name of winning.
“Yes, please,” I moved toward the kitchen table and gladly sunk into Noah’s embrace.
Noah distractedly kissed the top of my head, dealing out more cards for their game.
Miranda placed a cup of milk in front of me, and I thanked her.
I had been striving to engage with her more often.
Alex and Ella were fond of her and Kade was friendly toward her.
Dr. Wong—with Micah’s permission—had informed us that despite Micah’s verbal and outward cues, inwardly he craved a relationship with his birth mother.
Since I had been so indifferent toward her it was hurting him because his loyalty toward me made him actively avoid her at all costs.
Ultimately, I had to admit she wasn’t the same woman who abandoned us, and I had to show her some grace for the sake of the children.
I didn’t have to forget what she had done to us but for Micah’s sake and my own I could forgive her.
“If we know where they’re at, I can grab Sierra and we can jump to grab them,” Micah said coming over to the table.
I looked up at him and slid my arm around his waist, leaning into him.
Honestly, he looked exhausted. He still had dark bags under his eyes and a pallor to his face that wasn’t natural.
I didn’t doubt his ability to jump but I didn’t think he should.
He had pushed past his limits last night and it had taken a toll on him.
If it was a matter of life and death I would entertain the idea, but we didn’t know if it was so I believed he shouldn’t.
He leaned over and took a bite of my cake, and I saw Noah begin to protest, but I silently reached out to him. “It’s fine. I’m not that hungry. Plus, there’s more if I want it.”
Micah had changed since our look into the future.
He became more affectionate and comfortable around us.
If it was Ella or Alex stealing food off my plate, I would admonish them and tell them to get something else if they were still hungry.
Since it was Micah, I was giving him leniency.
The fact that he was comfortable enough to abscond with my food was a testament to how far he had come with feeling safe in my company.
I fondly patted his hand. “We don’t know where their at exactly and I really don’t think you should jump for at least a day or two.”
He took another bite of my cake before frowning deeply. “I feel useless.”