Chapter 23

Erbao

Clutching the binoculars in his small hands, Erbao stared out the window toward the lake’s bank as his brothers and sister bumped him in the shoulders.

“What’s happening?”

“I want to see.”

“Mommy is saving daddy,” Erbao reported, cutting off the whines of his siblings. However, his eyes then grew wide as he watched what happened next.

Daddy woke up, his lips pressed into mommy’s as she didn’t stop him, and then daddy pulled her onto his lap.

“They’re kissing!” He announced, a thrill shooting through his bones.

“Gimme!” Lottie demanded, eager to see her parents reunite. She then snatched the binoculars from her brother, pointing them out the window so she could get a look. Within seconds, a gasp flew from her lips.

“They are kissing!” She confirmed.

“I saw everything!” Erbao declared. “I think daddy pretended to be sleeping so mommy would kiss him awake.”

“Daddy is so smart!” Milo replied.

All at once, the babies began to bounce on their feet, overcome with excitement over this new victory.

“They’re still kissing,” Lottie said, finally lowering the binoculars as she blinked over at her brothers. “Do you think this means mommy doesn’t hate daddy as much as she pretends she does?”

“I don’t know,” Ezra replied. “She still wouldn’t let him see us.”

“But maybe now she will,” Silas commented. “We could show her the lab results!”

The babies had just received the news a few hours ago. Through the fake email account Erbao had made, they’d been sent a notice from the lab with the official results of the DNA they’d requested. Their little eyes had shined as they’d read the words.

Kadeem was their father.

They’d jumped in circles over that news too, grabbing each other’s hands as they’d swung around. However, their celebration had come to an end when they’d heard their mommy coming down the hall.

“She already knew he was our daddy,” Erbao said then. “But she didn’t tell us - she told us he was dead. I don’t think kissing will change that.”

It was a step in the right direction, but the quintuplets knew how stubborn their mother could be. Plus, she may even be more angry if they showed her the proof they’d discovered. She was never happy when they snuck around behind her back.

“I bet she’s just playing a game,” Lottie insisted then. “She probably just wants daddy to chase her and win her over. We have to help him!”

“Yeah,” Milo agreed, but then his features fell in wonder. “But how?”

“We have to keep getting close to him,” Erbao reasoned, starting to pace as he considered his own idea. However, he soon stopped, his eyes widening.

“Wait! We need to check the email!” he stated, running out of the room - his siblings hot on his heels.

“Why do we need to check it? Is daddy going to send us a letter?” Milo asked as they successfully snuck into the study.

“No,” Erbao answered as he sat down at the computer. “But daddy’s agency is supposed to let us know today if we got the job.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Lottie said, bouncing up behind her brother. “They said sometime after lunch.”

It was well past lunch then. Erbao only hoped that their daddy’s agency knew how to keep a promise so they wouldn’t be left anxiously waiting. Then again, there was also a chance they wouldn’t get the job, but he found that hard to believe. They’d easily wooed everyone in the room during their audition.

Clicking and tapping away, Erbao finally logged onto the email account, his heart pounding as he saw a new message from the agency sitting at the top. Swiftly, he clicked it.

“We got it!” Erbao said with a small gasp. “They cast us in the ad!”

“What!?” the others called as they pressed around him to get a better look.

“We did it!” Silas cheered.

“Now we can spend lots of time with daddy!” Milo said next.

“This has been such an exciting day,” Lottie said as she clapped. “

“It says that we start tomorrow morning,” Erbao read, looking up to Ezra. “We’ll have to get out of school. At least the three of us.”

Ezra nodded. “We’ll figure out a way. We could tell them you’re sick and then you’ll sneak away.”

Simple enough. Erbao figured it would work as long as they were fast enough.

“Do you think we should just show daddy what we found?” Lottie asked, referring to the results. “Then he’ll know the truth.”

“We can’t just show him,” Erbao replied. “Not until we know mommy doesn’t really hate daddy. If she’s still angry with him then she might take us away again.”

“That’s why we have to help him win her heart,” Ezra stated matter of factly.

“You’re right,” Lottie said with a small frown. It was clear she wasn’t happy that they’d have to wait, but it was for the best. At least they would still be close to their daddy every day.

Ezra wrapped his arm around his sister, giving her a gentle hug as she nodded. Only, all the babies stiffened, their eyes growing wide as they suddenly heard the front door open.

“Quick! Close the email!” Milo rushed out in a whisper, causing them all the scramble. Swiftly, they hid their evidence before they all dashed out of the room, finding their mother as she finished firmly locking the door.

“Hi, mommy,” Lottie called, maybe a little too spritely. Erbao placed his hand on her arm to remind her to stay calm.

Turning from the door, their mommy brushed out a quick sigh before she seemed to gather herself.

“Hello, my loves,” she said with a smile. “Sorry. Mommy just had to step out for a moment.”

“Why are you all wet?” Silas asked, playing dumb as they all blinked innocent eyes at her. Erbao watched as his mother gave an awkward laugh, running her fingers through the soaked ends of her hair.

“Oh, I just decided to take a little swim - that’s all,” she replied, waving her hand in the air. “Sometimes mommies want to have some fun too.”

“Can we come with you next time!?” Lottie asked, jumping from one foot to the other. Even if they were still trying to seem coy, her question seemed genuine.

And it worked - causing their mother to laugh before her lips fell into a loving smile.

“Sure,” their mommy replied. “Once the weather is warmer - we’ll make a day of it.”

The rest of the babies joined in on the fun, happily nodding and even running to their mother to give her a hug.

“What were you up to while I was out?” their mommy asked as she hugged them back, her hand brushing through Erbao’s hair. “I saw you coming out of the study.”

“Oh…” Milo started. “We, um, well…we-“

“We wanted to play a game on the computer,” Erbao interrupted, saving them. “Sorry, mommy.”

“That’s okay,” she said, smoothing more hair away from his forehead. Only, she then paused as she stared down at his eyes, her throat bobbing as if seeing something within the color. Erbao blinked back, never breaking his stare away.

Finally, his mommy gave a sigh.

“I’ll buy some computer games for you to play,” she said with a nod. “But for now, I need to change and you all need to get in the bath.”

All at once, the babies began to fuss, but their mommy quickly shushed them.

“Oh, enough,” she teased, beginning to lead them toward the bathroom. “Don’t you want to look good for your day of school tomorrow?”

That stopped their whines, especially as Erbao gave his siblings a quick side-eye and nod.

They’d need to look fresh, clean, and perfect for tomorrow - but not for the sake of school. For the sake of the commercial.

“You’re right, mommy,” Erbao replied, sharing secret smiles with the others.

“A bath sounds perfect.”