Chapter 9 #2
Loud babbling floats up to us from the stroller as rattles and slams of drawers sound behind me, the kind where babies are talking their own special language that isn’t quite intelligible yet.
I crouch down, eyeing up my chubby-faced identical twin nephews.
Dark hair and icy blue eyes, just like everyone in my family who’s still breathing, except me.
No, my eyes are my father’s. Hopefully that’s all I inherited from him.
“What’s up, my dudes?” One starts to cry in response, and the other one decides it won’t be left out, thank you very much. Mia’s shoulders sag and it’s only then I realize she looks bone tired. “Hey, I got it, you go help Macey. There’s another candy bar in there for you too, somewhere.”
I shoot her a wink, to which she gives me a worn smile, and then I unclip each of the boys and scoop them up, one in each arm, facing outward—like two chunky, loaded guns, but instead of bullet spray it’s just plain old screaming.
I stalk over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and let them look out at the thousands of glittering glass panes in the surrounding buildings, which shuts them up almost immediately.
“How are you always so good with kids?” Mia scoffs, plonking herself into a chair on the other side of my desk as Macey races up to her with her bounty.
“Easy when you are just a big one yourself.”
She snorts, but a smile tugs up at her lips for the first time since she walked in. This is the role I play: easygoing, cheesy Chase. At your service to lighten the mood and make you laugh, at me or with me.
“That’s true—oh, Maddox!” Mia claps a hand to her head as she looks at us. “He just spit up all over your sleeve.”
Great.
“Don’t worry about it. How do you even tell them apart?” I peer down, trying to pick out any minute differences in what little I can see of their faces.
When I look back up, Mia is nibbling at her lip, looking sheepish while she unwraps the chocolate for Macey. “Honest answer?”
“Always,” I reply instantly as she hands off the candy, a smile starting to grow on my face.
Her cheeks flush pink, she sighs, and then slides her hands over Macey’s ears. “I don’t have a fucking clue, I just guess and hope for the best.”
I tip my head back and laugh, which sets the toddlers off grumbling again. Mia slaps her hand over her mouth as her shoulders shake, laughter spilling through her fingers.
“Tessa!” I holler, still half laughing and fully expecting to get my head bitten off for summoning her this way.
Sure enough, when the door opens, she looks stern.
I hitch up my shoulders to show her the little hellions occupying my hands and she softens.
“Can you ask someone to run down to the crèche and grab some toys please?”
“Oh no, Chase. It’s okay, we shouldn’t take up too much of your day. I’m sure you’re busy.” Mia rushes, starting to stand.
I give her my stern glare, the one I save for the employees that don’t listen. She blinks, looking surprised, and sits back down.
“I’ll get someone to bring them right away.” Tessa nods, shuffling away.
Ten minutes later, the boys are on the plush beige carpet, occupied with colorful keyboards that scream out anything from numbers to farmyard noises when pressed.
Macey is sitting in my lap, satisfied to scribble all over a report on my desk with felt-tip pens.
She has plain paper, but apparently this wasn’t satisfactory.
My suit jacket has been whisked away to the dry cleaners and Mia has her feet propped up on another chair with a steaming mug of coffee in her hand.
“What’s going on, Walker?” I ask, sliding my silver laptop out of the way when a blue felt-tip comes precariously close.
“Oh nothing, it’s just a lot sometimes, yanno?” She yawns, resting a hand over her mouth.
“Well, I mean, I don’t have kids, but—”
“That you know of.” She smirks, taking a sip of her coffee.
Yikes. Now there’s a terrifying thought. But, unless condoms suddenly became ineffective overnight and no one told me, I think I’m good.
“But,” I carry on, ignoring her comment. “You’re trying to do a lot yourself. Run a company, bring up three kids. Four, if you include Mason.” I grin, which causes her to roll her eyes.
My brother Mason is one of the most successful men in this city.
Strike that, on the continent. CEO of one of the world’s largest banks and a titan in the real estate industry and god knows what else on the side.
I mean seriously, talk about overachiever.
But in my opinion, he’s a tight-ass. The only softness in him is for his wife and kids, so you can imagine how he was before he met her.
Think my work persona, but times a thousand—all the time.
I set aside the tug of something unpleasant that always surfaces when Mason crosses my mind.
Tight-ass git he might be, but he’s still my brother and the rift between us has always bothered me.
I can’t read him. Ever. I don’t understand why he’s always given me the cold shoulder, but I’ve accepted it over the years.
I’ve leaned into it, even. The only reaction I can get from him is to piss him off and that’s better than cool indifference, somehow.
“Yeah, and he’s trying to put another baby in me already.” She scoffs, laughing.
I snort out a laugh, pressing my forefinger and thumb into my eyes. “Well, if you don’t want that then close your legs, woman!”
“I know,” she whines, dropping her feet from the chair. “But it’s just so hot when he’s all, ‘I want to give you my baby juice.’”
Good god, I hope she’s paraphrasing. Even so, that is still way too much information.
“This is starting to feel like more of a Chloe or Teddy conversation.” I groan, which makes her giggle.
“Teddy maybe, but Chloe and Zeke are already trying for another, so she would probably just cheer me on.”
It seems like every one of my friends is really doing their bit to overpopulate earth. “God, I can’t keep up with you lot. Have you ever heard of contraception, or pulling out?”
“What is pulling out?”
Mia and I both freeze, because Macey has chosen the exact wrong moment to start paying attention.
Innocent, sky-blue eyes blink up at me expectantly.
I glance Mia’s way for support, but she’s suddenly engrossed in her coffee, eyes wide and shoulders shaking with restrained laughter.
The message is clear: “You’re on your own, buddy. ”
“It’s like when someone is about to shoot you with a water pistol, but they aim it away at the last minute so you don’t get wet.”
Small brows almost touch as she chews her bottom lip. “But that’s not fun,” she finally replies.
“You’re telling me, kid.”
Mia loses her battle and hoots, the sound bouncing around the walls. I smile at the light that reappears in her eyes. Macey joins in too, even though she doesn’t understand why we find that so funny.
“When did this happen?” I point at her missing tooth and small fingers leap up to touch the gap as if she forgot. “Did the dentist take it?” I make a big show of acting scandalized, which makes her giggle.
“No, silly. The toof fairy took it.”
“Hmm, the tooth fairy gave her a hundred-dollar bill,” Mia adds, shaking her head.
“I beg your finest pardon?” I blink at her, brows shooting heavenward.
“He said he didn’t have any change.” She rolls her eyes, her lips tipping up.
Mia grew up in a normal family, so she struggles sometimes to get her head around the financial extravagance that comes with being one of us now. I might not know what a loaf of bread costs, but even I think this is ridiculous.
“I’m in the wrong business.” I flick Macey’s nose softly and she beams.
“Mr. Walker, Miss Quinn is here. Shall I send her in?” Tessa’s voice crackles and dips a little, because she never keeps her finger fully on the button on her side, even though I’ve explained it to her a thousand times.
Reaching over, I press my button down twice, which she knows means yes. Anticipation licks at my senses for some reason I can’t quite fathom.
“We’ll get out of your way.” Mia leaps into action, leaving her mug on my desk as she heads for the two terrors babbling away on the floor.
“Time’s up, kid,” I say to Macey, who squirms around to face me as the sound of the door being opened reaches me.