Chapter 13

Kadeem

Kadeem still threatened to smile as two of the babies sat in front of him as they snacked on the popsicles they’d been rewarded while waiting for the third to return from the bathroom. He watched them warmly, noticing how his staff also couldn’t stop fawning over them.

Finally, a small voice could be heard as the third baby returned, accompanied by a member of the team. Kadeem glanced up to greet the boy, but his voice suddenly lodged in his throat as he blinked at the child’s face.

It was the boy from the airport - the one who had stopped Kadeem right in his tracks. And just like that day, he couldn’t get over how similar they looked.

It caused Kadeem to look back at the other children, noting the dark hair again - ravenous black like his own. And their eyes…all similar shades of green, yet only the boy’s exactly matched his.

“Where are your parents?” Kadeem was compelled to ask, wanting to see what their mother and father looked like.

“Mommy is working,” the baby with glasses answered. “And we don’t know where daddy is.”

“What?” Kadeem eased out then, looking toward his staff. “They came alone?”

In turn, the team became a little sheepish as they nodded. However, the babies quickly fought to regain Kadeem’s attention.

“It’s just ‘cause daddy is working hard!” the little girl claimed. “But we can take care of ourselves!”

“Yeah,” the boy in glasses confirmed.

Kadeem hummed in reply, amused by how mature they tried to seem despite their age.

“I bet you can,” he said fondly. “But your daddy is still irresponsible for leaving you.”

“Daddy has his reasons,” the boy who looked most like him answered, pulling Kadeem’s gaze to him. Seconds passed as they held one another’s eyes, the little boy not fearful under the Alpha’s stare.

Around him, Kadeem could notice his staff becoming a little distressed as they began to fidget. Even he couldn’t deny that his own heart constricted as he noticed the slight sadness on the other babies’ faces. Their cuteness was almost mind blowing - especially since they behaved beyond their age.

“Can I have a hug?” the little boy asked then, and Kadeem was sure the question wasn’t meant for him. Only, when he blinked, Kadeem discovered the expectant look the child wore.

Amused again and maybe even touched, Kadeem gave a hint of a smile. Obviously these children were missing their father and wanted some attention, so he nodded.

“Sure,” he said, waving the boy over.

Beyond excited, the boy ran out of his chair and immediately threw himself to Kadeem. His little arms wrapped around the Alpha’s neck, hugging him surprisingly tight.

“What’s your mommy’s name?” Kadeem asked curiously as the boy pulled back. However, he was only meant with blinks from the child before he eventually shrugged.

He didn’t know?

“Alright,” Kadeem breathed. “Well, then I guess I’ll take you all home since she’s not here.”

That caused the babies to grow ecstatic, all of them bouncing in their chairs as they quickly accepted. Kadeem couldn’t help but chuckle before asking them their address.

“Oh, it’s 6285 Huckleberry -'' the girl started before the other - Kadeem’s practical twin - cut her off.

“No,” he stated firmly. “That’s our old address. We live on Hampton now.”

Kadeem watched as the babies stared at their brother, quizzical looks smoothing onto their faces. But Kadeem still nodded.

“Okay then,” the Alpha stated. “Let’s get going.”

Once in the car, Kadeem watched as the triplets wiggled and chatted happily from the backseat. His Beta, Sam, also insisted on riding with him, taking the front seat after making sure the kids were strapped in.

“Why do you have leather seats?” one baby asked as they began to drive.

“Because they look nice,” Kadeem offered.

“They’re not very comfy,” the girl called out then.

“Well, I wasn’t going for comfort,” Kadeem teased back. “Nicer cars usually have leather seats.”

“So does that mean you're rich?” Kadeem’s small twin asked.

“That’s not a very polite question to ask an adult,” Kadeem replied.

“Why?” The boy asked next. “Isn’t money a good thing?”

“Yeah, that means you can buy lots of toys!” the boy in glasses called out. “Or a spaceship!”

“A spaceship, huh?” Kadeem asked with fondness.

“Yeah, and then I’d go find aliens!” The boy declared.

The comment made a smile fall on Kadeem’s lips, nearly pulling a chuckle from his throat. Beside him, he could sense Sam staring at him in shock - likely surprised to find his serious Alpha in such good humor.

However, Kadeem couldn’t help but be affected by the babies’ charming nature. It made him look forward to his own child soon to be born.

~

Erbao

“I like daddy!” Lottie declared as they walked into the house, her little feet dancing. “I can’t believe he drove us home!”

“Lottie, keep your voice down,” Erbao insisted, nodding toward the back room where Hannah was off studying. She had no idea that they’d snuck out as Ezra had told her Erbao, Silas, and Lottie had been napping instead.

Quietly, the three babies tiptoed back to their room, sliding inside where they found Ezra and Milo waiting for them.

“What happened?” Ezra asked as he approached.

“We met daddy!” Lottie said happily. “He drove us home.”

Ezra blinked at his sister before turning to Erbao to confirm.

“Did you get it?” Ezra asked then.

To that, Erbao nodded. “I hugged daddy and managed to get some of his hair,” the boy stated, pulling out the plastic bag with the strand inside. “We can send it in and have it tested.”

“Then we’ll be able to tell if he’s really our daddy!” Silas declared.

“Good job,” Ezra said. “I think we should celebrate!”

“Yeah! Let’s go steal some soda from the kitchen!” Milo said.

In agreement, the babies filed back out of the room, all going to the kitchen together. There, they remained spritely as Erbao began to pour out the soda in five different cups.

“Erbao,” Lottie said then. “Why did you give daddy a fake address?”

“Because,” he said. “Mommy told us not to tell anyone where we live.”

She’d been very serious about the matter, stating that it was the best way to keep them safe. Mommy may have lied about their father, but Erbao still knew that she was right and honest about most things.

“I still can’t believe our plan worked!” Silas said. “It’s a good thing daddy had those auditions for kids!”

They all nodded, even Erbao as he tried to fill the last cup. However, as the liquid continued to pour out, he could feel his hands begin to wobble. It had been a busy and exciting day, which had taken more out of him than he’d realized.

Only, his small wave of dizziness wasn’t a major concern as he was able to quickly wave it away. But that didn’t stop the bottle from suddenly slipping out of his hands.

And making the soda spill all over the floor.

“Quick!” Silas shouted, bumping his brothers and sisters as he stared at the soda. “We have to clean up the mess before mommy gets back. She’ll be angry.”

Coming together as a team once more, the babies wiped up their mess, all of them relieved when they finished just as the woman came through the door.