Chapter 10
Fran?ois
When Renee fainted, it scared the shit out of me. Jér?me whisked her away to get tests done. Christophe thinks that maybe she’s pregnant and all this stress has finally gotten to her. If she is pregnant, I hope she and the baby are okay. I can’t wait to see her pregnant.
We see Jér?me walking back towards us.
“Renee is fine. Come with me, she wants to talk to all of us.”
“Should we be worried?” Christophe frowns.
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t see me, she sent my head nurse, Terri to tell me to get you two and come to the room she’s in.” Jér?me sighs.
“You don’t think she’s leaving us…do you?” I say to them.
We all stop in front of her door and stare at it.
“You three are weird. Just go in you big babies.” Terri teases us as she walks over to us.
The three of us look at her and make faces at her. Then all of us take a deep breath and go into the room. Renee is laying on a bed and there’s a machine next to her that’s beeping.
“Are you okay?” Christophe asks her as he kisses her.
Jér?me and I each take a hand.
“I’m fine. I wanted to show you something.” She smiles at us.
We watch Terri wheel another machine into the room and I see Jér?me’s eyes go wide.
“Baby...” Jér?me whispers.
All of us watch Terri squirt some gel onto Renee’s belly. Then she moves the device in her hand around. All of a sudden, there’s a fast thumping noise. And it sounds like it’s overlapping itself.
“Is that what I think it is?” Christophe asks, looking at Terri, then Renee.
“That’s baby’s heartbeat.” Terri answers. “In fact, there’s not just one baby. There’s three. Congratulations you guys are having triplets.”
“You’re serious?” I say as I stare at the screen. Then I close my eyes and listen to the thumping noise.
“I’m sure those little sacs there have a baby in each one. And judging by their size? I’d say you’re about six weeks along.” Terri laughs. “I’ll give you all a minute together.”
Each of us takes turns kissing Renee and then her belly. Three babies. I couldn’t ask for better news today.
Renee
All three of them look really happy about our babies. Holy shit. We’re having triplets. Now papa Dorian needs to wake up so we can tell him the news. I watch each of my men rub and talk to my belly.
“We each need a name we’re going to be called. Cause if our babies just call all of us papa, how will we know who they want?” Christophe smiles.
“Well there’s papa, daddy and père.” Jér?me suggests.
“I’ll take papa.” Christophe says.
“I’ll take daddy.” Fran?ois smiles.
“I guess I’ll take père.” Jér?me laughs.
“And me? Is it mamma?” I ask.
“Mamma is Italian. That’s what we were raised to use. But it’s really up to you.” Fran?ois says.
“I like mamma. Holy crap. I’m going to be a mamma.”
Everyone laughs. This is my family. After my other family disowned me and then I lost Jonah, I thought that was it. But look at what I have now.
“Is there any update on papa and Tanya?” I ask Jér?me.
“They will page me when papa wakes up. And I told Tanya we would come and see her soon. But I don’t want to tell her about the babies. I want to tell papa first. If that’s okay.” Christophe asks us.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” I say as I kiss him.
“Thank you for giving this to us. Without you we wouldn’t be papas.”
“Do you think Giovanna will like me?”
I’m supposed to meet the Mancini family this week. It scares me to met Giovanna. She’s their baby sister and from what they’ve told me, she’s very protective of her brothers. My loves told me about how papa Dorian kidnapped Giovanna and her twin brother Lorenzo. He was supposed to kill them, but couldn’t do it. They were only two years old. So he and mamma Nadia raised them with my loves. A couple of years ago, they found all of this out. I didn’t go through all that with papa Dorian. So my memories that I’m creating with him are new and have nothing to with that time. So while I understand the anger that the Mancini family feels towards him, I don’t feel that.
Which is why I’m more worried about meeting them. And again especially Giovanna. I can’t imagine the trauma she’s gone through. I just hope she likes me.
“I think Giovanna will love you. Because we love you and that’s the main thing with Giovanna. Family. From the day we met you, we’ve been a part of our family. Don’t ever doubt that, Minou.” Christophe kisses me and takes my breath away.
“I love you.” I say to him. “I love all of you.”
“I love you.” Christophe smiles.
“We love you.” Fran?ois says as he kisses me.
My family.
Jér?me
My pager goes off telling me that our papa is awake.
“Papa is awake. Are you all ready to go and see him? They’re moving him to a room with Tanya right now.” I tell the others.
“Lets go! I can’t wait to tell him he’s going to be a grandpa.” Renee jumps off the bed.
I chuckle at her enthusiasm. We head to the private room that I arranged for papa and Tanya. I’m relieved to see a police officer sitting outside their door. We all introduce ourselves to him and then head inside.
“You gave us a fucking scare, papa. Don’t do that again.” Christophe teases him.
Papa smiles and chuckles softly.
“So Tanya told me we’re at Lucciola Memorial? I’m surprised they’re not transferring me now that I’m awake.”
“I talked to Enea, and let him know what happened. He sends his condolences and said to get well.”
“That’s something Enea Mancini’s always had. That graciousness towards everyone. Even when he’s been wronged. He takes the high road. I should take lessons from him.”
“Flowers were delivered earlier, the card says Enea Mancini. Is that the same man you’re talking about?” Tanya asks.
We nod.
“He’s the son of the founder of Lake Renegade.” Christophe explains to her.
“Wow. And he sent us flowers?”
Papa said he hasn’t told Tanya what he does yet. So I’m guessing she doesn’t know who Enea Mancini is either. But I get it, they haven’t been together that long. And what we do isn’t something that everyone needs to know right at the start.
I can see Renee is basically hopping around. She’s so excited to tell papa about the babies. My brothers and I are laughing now. We all nod at her to tell him.
“Is everything okay?” Papa asks.
“Everything is great.” Renee giggles. “We have some news for you and now that you’re going to be okay? Today has just gotten better.”
Papa looks at all of us, we try to keep our faces as neutral as possible.
“We’re pregnant!” Renee blurts out.
“Holy shit! Congratulations!” Papa smiles and holds his arms out to all of us. We carefully hug him.
“There’s more.” I laugh.
“How can there be more? Are you getting married?” Papa laughs.
“We’re having triplets.” Renee tells him.
“That’s even better news. Our family is growing and that makes me so damn happy. Thank you.”