Chapter 6
Joran paced across his office, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He needed to get back to Tila and his sons! He needed to bring them here to the palace, where he could protect them. He’d had food delivered and arranged for a cleaning service to do a deep clean of her house, but that was nothing. It wasn’t enough. He needed to be there, helping her. Who was going to hold the babies while she ate? How was she going to get some proper sleep? With two babies on different schedules, Tila needed another set of hands. She needed to sleep more than an hour at a time. She needed a full night’s rest.
He couldn’t give her that from here! Damn those midnight raids to get information! He was done with them! He was a father now and his future wife needed him to help and protect her and their sons!
“What’s wrong?”
The deep voice of his younger brother startled him. Joran spun around, glaring as Raj walked into his office and flopped into one of the leather chairs, propping his feet up on the coffee table.
“What do you want?” Joran growled.
Raj’s eyebrows lifted at the harsh response. “I want to know what’s wrong with you. You’re acting like a caged animal.”
Joran knew that he needed to tell his brothers the truth. And yet, it felt a bit…wrong…to explain anything. Still, he had to warn his brothers. He just…wanted to be with his babies and Tila.
And yet, he needed to prepare his brothers for what was to come. “I have two sons.”
Raj’s feet dropped to the floor with a thud. A long, shocked silence followed.
Joran stared at his brother as Raj shook his head and pulled his phone from his pocket. A moment later, he said, “You need to come into Joran’s office. It’s an emergency.”
Then he ended the call.
Joran’s eyebrows shot up. “Who did you–”
“What’s wrong?” Khal, their oldest brother and ruler of Lativa, demanded as he burst into Joran’s office. His eyes moved from Raj to Joran, then back again. “Are you okay?”
“Tell him,” Raj ordered, leaning his elbows on his knees as he waited for Joran to say the words again.
Joran sighed, then turned to face his older brother. “I have two sons,” he told Khal.
His older brother had gotten married a few months ago to the lovely woman who had been his assistant. Tasha had tried to remain in that role after their marriage, but the requirements of being Khal’s wife were too demanding for her to fulfill both positions.
Tasha was an absolute delight. She had brought the brothers and their half-sister together into a family. Khal had been in love with Tasha for a while, his affection for her evident in every glance and gesture. Raj and Joran had grown to adore her just as deeply, not only for her infectious personality, but also for the joy and contentment she brought to Khal's life.
But Tasha's impact extended well beyond the realm of romance. It had been her unwavering support and compassion that had helped the brothers navigate the complexities of changing family dynamics. With her gentle guidance, they had welcomed Marianna, their younger half-sister, into their midst. Marianna had been adrift, teetering on the edge of a dangerous path following her mother's passing. Yet, under Tasha's influence, Marianna had blossomed into a beautiful, vibrant college student.
Now, Marianna was a force to be reckoned with—a fierce intellect and a fiery spirit wrapped up in a package of undeniable charm. She tormented her peers and her professors, fearlessly challenging the status quo and questioning everything she learned. And amidst the chaos of academia, Tasha remained a steadfast beacon of support, her nurturing presence continuing to guide the siblings through life's twists and turns.
But this…was a wrinkle in their family structure.
“Sons…as in plural ?” Khal demanded. He’d been a grouchy bastard for years until Tasha came into his life. She’d smoothed out his rough edges. With Joran taking over the military and defense issues and Raj the financial challenges involved in running a country, Khal’s burdens had been greatly eased.
But every once in a while, he reverted back to his grizzly bear attitude.
Like when one of his brothers announced something outrageous.
“Sons,” Joran confirmed. “Twin boys.” He couldn’t keep the pride out of his tone because…hell, because he was damn proud! He had sons! “And they are adorable.” He grinned, shaking his head as he thought of them.
“Where are they?”
Okay, this was where it got a bit tricky. Joran sighed and glanced at his brother. “In Uftar.”
Khal stared at Joran for a long moment, then shook his head, muttering curses under his breath. When he was finished, he met Joran’s eyes. “Is this some fling you had during your wild days?”
Joran didn’t like his past referred to in that way “I didn’t have wild days,” he argued. “I used to ease my intellectual boredom by challenging my mind and body using extreme activities.”
“Right,” Khal snapped. “So…were the twins created during that time?”
Joran clenched his jaw. “My sons,” he emphasized, “were created after I met the woman I’m going to marry.” He glared at Khal for a long, tense moment. “If I hadn’t been trying to help you and Tasha with that idiot senator and then fixing several serious issues within the military and our border security, then I would already have Tila here in the palace. I would have married her and my sons would already know their uncles and aunts.”
Raj grunted. “We should have Marianna and Tasha here for this conversation.” When Khal turned a long glare his direction, Raj glared right back. “You and I both know that Tasha and Marianna will be seriously angry if they find out we didn’t include them in this conversation. They will assume that we were keeping them out of the loop because we wanted to protect them because they are women.”
Khal sighed heavily. Slowly, he nodded in defeat. “They’d be correct.”
Raj grinned. “And that would put you in the dog house.”
Joran almost laughed out loud at his older brother’s pained expression. They all knew Raj was right. Tasha and Marianna didn’t like being left out of anything. And a family matter this important would really upset them.
“You’re right. We should hold off on this conversation until dinner when they can be part of it.”
Joran was already shaking his head before Khal finished his statement. “I won’t be here for dinner.”
Khal had just turned away from his brothers, but at Joran’s announcement, he turned back, scowling. “Why the hell not?”
Joran wasn’t intimidated. Not even a little. “Because I’m heading back to Uftar to collect my future wife and my sons.” The absolute conviction of his tone filled the room as he waited for his brothers to argue.
There was silence. A moment later, Khal nodded his approval, then turned and left Joran’s office.
Raj stood up, fisted his hands on his hips and asked, “What can I do to help?”