Six Years Later A Westin and Prince Jin Short Story #2
“All right, give me the tiny princess,” the emperor demanded, already reaching for the baby.
West scoffed and backpedaled. “Nope. I just got her. You need to wait your turn.”
“It’s always my turn. Emperor’s prerogative.”
West barked out a laugh and pointed at the door the emperor had just walked through. “I believe you’re only Yeye now.”
That little beauty of an idea had been his amazing husband’s.
He’d come up with it when their surrogate had presented them with the first ultrasound of Ming Xia.
The moment the emperor stepped into their apartment, he agreed to give up all his emperor’s prerogative and royal decrees. He was simply Grandfather.
In the end, it gave all of them some breathing room. The emperor could be Yeye to his grandchildren and Baba to his son and son-in-law without all the worries of protocol.
“How about we swap?” The emperor reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pink sneaker. The very sneaker West had been searching for.
West closed his eyes and sighed. “Where?”
“Potted plant down the hall.”
He knew better than to ask how his daughter’s shoe had ended up in the planter.
There was no point in asking. He just accepted the item and shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans before he handed over his daughter to his grinning father-in-law.
After taking a second to get the blanket draped over the older man’s shoulder, West watched the regal emperor coo at his youngest grandchild and get comfortable in the chair.
“Are you ready?” West inquired, knowing he didn’t need to elaborate. The moment he handed over that shoe, those other two little beasts would be set free and come racing toward their beloved Yeye for hugs and kisses.
The emperor tipped his head up and smirked. “I’ve been ready for this since you and Xiao Wei made your bows to the ancestors.”
With a chuckle, West strolled to the children’s bedroom.
There wasn’t a day that went by that he wasn’t grateful that the emperor had gotten his new heart.
The recovery had been slow, but the man had fought for the right to see his grandchildren grow up.
He’d not been worried so much about Gaoxing.
The kingdom had always been in safe hands with Jin Long Wei.
But the joy that spread across his face when he was with XiaXia, Qiao-er, and now tiny Meimei was something forever branded on West’s heart.
Not to mention, the man was an endless fountain of good advice for raising children. He’d not expected the emperor to be so hands on when he had an entire country to run, but somehow he managed it.
Standing in the open doorway, West grinned at the sight of his husband searching the bedroom filled with toys for a single lost shoe. It seemed as if the two kids were making more of a mess than searching.
He grabbed the shoe from his pocket and held it aloft on one finger. “Guess what Yeye found?” XiaXia shouted and jumped for the shoe while Qiao squeezed through the doorway to run to his grandfather.
“Where?” Jin asked from his spot on the floor in the middle of the room.
“Potted plant down the hall,” he replied flatly.
Jin threw his hands up in the air and wordlessly shook his head while their daughter shoved her foot into her shoe. She took off after her brother to find their grandfather.
If he’d learned anything since the birth of their children, it was to take advantage of any moment alone they could steal. And to put freaking locks on the bedroom doors.
West crossed the room and took Jin’s hand, helping him to his feet. Smiling to himself, he swept his husband’s hair from his shoulders, smoothing it down his back and away from his face. Jin tipped his head up. The look in his eyes was of such profound love that it took West’s breath away.
“How is it you continue to grow even more beautiful with each passing day?” West murmured, as he cupped Jin’s smooth cheek.
“Because I have a husband who still loves me despite being surrounded by insanity and destruction at all times.”
West pressed a kiss to the center of Jin’s forehead and another to the tip of his nose. “You’ve met my friends. I thrive in insanity and destruction. Plus, we have those four whole hours a day where the little terrors are asleep and adorable.”
Jin huffed a laugh as West leaned down and stole a slow, tender kiss that wrapped Jin in all the love that filled his heart.
“Mmmm…what was that for?” Jin purred, leaning into his embrace.
“To say thank you for giving me the life I didn’t know I was craving. For loving a man who didn’t think he deserved love.”
Jin’s expression softened as he reached up and threaded his fingers through West’s hair. “My Westin. My love. My burning phoenix reborn. You are my heart and soul. I’ve never known a man more deserving of love and happiness. I’m so lucky that I could share mine with you.”
West moved to kiss those perfect lips again, but they both froze at the shout from the living room, followed by the start of tears. Yep, their stolen minute was up.
Lifting one finger, Jin pressed it to West’s lips. “Hold on to that for me. I plan to claim it tonight.” That smile turned wicked before he pulled away. “Better yet, make it dirty. I’m looking forward to some very dirty kisses when we’re finally alone.”
Jin slipped out of his arms and disappeared down the hall, his long hair swaying behind him with each sassy step. It wasn’t just his kids who kept him on his toes. His husband was more than enough of a handful, and West loved every second of his very unusual life.
1 Baba – (Mandarin) father, dad, daddy
2 Yeye – (Mandarin) grandfather, grandpa
3 -er – (Mandarin) adding -er to the end of a name is a way of making it into a nickname. Sort of like changing Elizabeth into Lizzy.
4 Shushu – (Mandarin) uncle
5 Jiejie – (Mandarin) older sister
6 Die – (Mandarin) another term for father, dad, daddy, like baba. Ah- added to the front softens the word
7 Meimei – (Mandarin) is a nickname, but it also means younger sister
8 Xiaoguan – (Mandarin) headwear worn around the topknot, typically held in place with a hairpin to help stabilize the topknot