*Published* Accidental Babies (SAMPLE)

Chapter 12

Jason couldn't keep the smile off his face. All through his shower and getting dressed, the smile was ever present on his face. He didn't dare look in the mirror so as to not be confronted with the excessive happiness, and smugness. Even the way he walked was different. He felt that there was a bounce in his steps. This was getting too cheery for him. He needed to stop.

But he couldn't help it. Who knew acting drunk could get him the hottest kiss in his entire life? Admittedly, he had still been in the fog of sleep when he'd pulled April into his bed but he was wide awake and conscious when he'd decided to go in for the kill. Or kiss. And it was glorious. It felt like a part of him, that he didn't know had been missing, had just returned to him. The heat had instantly exploded and he was caught in the undercurrents of it. So much so that he didn't recognise his children's cries.

Now that send a shard of guilt through his heart. The first time he was into a woman and all thoughts of them flew out of his mind. He felt like such a failure of fatherhood, he didn't know how he could ever face them.

- ----@@@-------

Pressing a kiss on Tanner's and Daphne's forehead with a murmur of apology when he entered the dining alcove, he greeted Harry and settled down for breakfast. His eyes followed April. Her sweatshirt was now riddled with blotches of porridge and she was currently trying to wheedle another bite down Tanner, who preferred to play with his toy.

'What are you waiting for? Get Jason his breakfast,'Harry suddenly said coldly to April. April jumped slightly as she had been immersed with the twin. Or maybe she'd been studiously trying to ignore his cousin. She sent him an uncertain look but went to grab his daily dose of caffeine. Jason, on the other hand, was taken aback. He hadn't expected the barked order nor the coldness. Not wanting to create waves, because Harry will only be there for a few more hours, he let it slide but felt a the beginnings of rage in his chest.

'Is that all?'Harry barked when she timidly placed a cup of coffee before Jason. Her face was stricken and her eyes were filled with discomfort and a tinge of fear. It was that fear that made him forget about letting it slide. He would not have April fearing anything when with him. Especially not when he could help it.

'Stop it, Harry. Just because you're my cousin doesn't give you the right to order my employees around,'he growled, placing his hand over the one she had over the cup handle. Her eyes darted from his to Harry's. She looked like a prey trapped between two predators. She only relaxed slightly when he sent her a warm smile, going so much as to blush when the smile grew more heated. He hadn't known it was so fun to tease his lover. Or potential lover. He should do that more often. Letting her go, he turned back to Harry, his eyes growing decidedly colder.

Sensing that the argument was only going to become more involved, she decided to take the twins away. 'It's time for bath,'she said, her voice full of false cheer. They stopped what they were doing and squealed in excitement. Tanner absolutely loved bathtime. Daphne, on the other hand, was indifferent. She only squealed because Tanner was doing so. This time, the smile on her face was genuine and beautiful. So beautifully breathtaking that he almost forgot about Harry. So much so that he was unprepared when April dropped Tanner in his arms. 'Give your Daddy a kiss and off you go.'

She let the twins loose on the floor after they'd given him wet, sticky kisses. He almost asked her for a kiss but she left like a bat on fire. Once she managed to herd them to their bathroom, and her beautiful behind was out of sight, he turned back to his cousin, continuing their stare-off.

He didn't know what to take of his attitude that morning. He would like to blame it on the alcohol but that wouldn't explain his general coldness and gloomy air. As he'd noticed before, this was not the boy he grew up with. And he didn't know how to talk with the man before him.

'I didn't know you were becoming soft,'Harry said softly. Jason sent him a perplexed look. 'Defending your employee? Why, if your parents saw this, they'd have your hide. I'm surprised. I believed you were the consummate businessman. Clearly having children has changed things.'

'Well, considering my parents are not here AND that I have never cared about their twisted opinions, I can truly say I will sleep easy tonight. And every other night. What I can't understand is why you think defending my employee is making me soft. I hired April for a specific reason and what you saw just now was it. If I wanted a maid, I'd have gotten a maid. Her main focus is on my kids and only my kids. And my main focus right now is providing the best for my children. If that makes me soft, I'll welcome that. As long as my children are happy and safe and secure,'he finished savagely.

He couldn't help the anger that burst forth when his cousin, one of his closest friend, brought his parents into their conversation. Harry knew that their relationship was strained at best, tenuous at worse. Their values and principles, in both work and personal lives, greatly differed from his. Something he had to thank his aunt for. And, lately, his children and April.

'What happened to you, Harry? You've changed. Where's the guy who'd defend anyone from bullies? What happened to the guy who's quick to laugh but slow to anger? What happened to your morals?'he asked sadly. He remembered a snippet from last night and it worried him. 'Do you know why I left so early last night? I saw how you were acting, all bursting with your self - importance and power. And how the women were flocking you. How much cold enjoyment you derived from it. Then, I saw how you arrowed on to this one woman who was sitting alone. You invited her to dance and I knew she refused but you pulled her to the dance floor anyway. When she tried to leave, you forced her closer. I had to wonder if you'd have forced more of yourself on her if I hadn't decided to leave.'

'I'm sorry you think soo low of me,'Harry said stiffly. Jason saw that his words had hurt him but his cousin was too proud to explain himself. 'I think I should leave. I know not to stay where I'm not wanted.'

'What are you talking about? I want you here. I just want to know what made you change,'he returned but it was unheeded. Harry left without another word, breakfast forgotten. And Jason wondered if he would ever see his light - hearted cousin ever again.

- -------@@@@@----------

April sat back and watched as her charges played around her room. Her heart was still beating fast from her nervousness. She'd not been in that situation in a long time. Not since her mother and her left her dad. Hopefully, Mr Halloway was alright.

The twins had learnt to use anything and everything around them to help them stand. It was cute but she'd learned to keep away any fragile and expensive items off those furnitures after the first few breakages. Luckily, Mr Halloway was understanding and didn't deduct those items from her paycheck. Or she'd have to work for free for many, many months. Years even. When she'd found out how much one of it cost, her heart had literally stopped.

On this day, it seemed like Tanner was becoming stronger and more stable. He tried to stand on his own and succeeded for a few seconds before gravity and his legs worked against him. Even so, it was a huge accomplishment for him. Taking him into her arms, she peppered his face with kisses and he shrieked with laughter even as he tried to escape. Not wanting to be outdone, Daphne demanded to be cuddled and kissed.

It became a game after that. The twins would crawl around, trying to escape her, while she was on the prowl for cheeks to kiss. Once they were caught, she swing them around the room and kissed their entire face before letting them go again. They loved the game, scrambling away whenever they saw her, giggling when she looked visibly disappointed.

Focused on catching them, she was horribly surprised when male arms suddenly wrapped around the body, pulling her back to a hard body. Catching the scent of the cologne, she relaxed into Mr Halloway's chest. The twins were still crawling around, keeping an eye on her.

'How did it go?'she asked, not even trying to get out of his hold. She felt that he needed it.

'Bad,'he replied as he rested his chin on her shoulder. 'He's changed so much. The person I grew up with wouldn't say anything good about my parents. He hated them as much as I hated his.' April's curiosity peeked it's head up. This was the first time she'd heard anything about his parents. She knew from some of what Mrs Salvador said that Jason was not close with his parents. Even so, she knew it was not the time. 'He used to be so fun and fair. He's the one who preached equality, when I started to become too high on the instep, and respect, when Cameron became too promiscuous and callous with women. Now, it's the other way around. And I don't like it.'

'Did you talk with him about it?'she asked as she kept the twins within sight. They'd lost interest in the game and returned to exploring her room. 'Surely if he explained-'

'He left without another word. Admittedly, I may have been a bit too harsh-'

'A bit?'she teased. She felt, more than heard, his laugh.

'Yes, a bit, you minx. Now stop interrupting me,'he scolded, his fingers dancing along her ribcage. Being the extremely ticklish person that she was, she jumped and yelped, almost banging her head on his nose. Luckily, he jumped back with a laugh. After he'd quietened and she deigned to be back in his arms, he continued. 'Now, as I was saying, I was a bit harsh but I felt that it needed to be said. I thought we could talk it out but he just left soon after.'

'I'm sure you'll have other opportunities to clear the air. You should take this time to reconcile yourself with your cousin's new personality. Find a way to be comfortable with him again,'she suggested softly. Looking to him, her eyes were caught in his soft verdant eyes. Unable to look away, she didn't move away when he moved closer and even closed her eyes when his lips met hers. This kiss was softer, more for comfort and support. Unfortunately, before the kiss could become deeper and heated, his phone rang. With a harsh sigh, he pulled away and picked it up.

Using the distraction, she turned to the twins and immediately tried to push Jason out of her room, her face turning bright red. Busy, he moved a few steps before stopping, realising what she was doing. Looking puzzled, his eyes questioned her but she refused to answer him. She didn't stop trying to push him out but seeing as he worked out and she didn't, it was an epic failure. With eyes filled with mischief once he found out the reason, he started to tease her but the warning in her eyes made him reconsider. Finished with his call, he bade the twins a goodbye, kissing their cheeks, giving her lips a peck, said, 'I like the red one' and left before she could retort.

Cheeks burning, lips tingling, she turned to the twins and sighed exasperatedly, even as amusement bloomed. Why did she just have to put her undergarments in the second last drawer?

AN: hi guys. How are you? Hope you like this chapter. I hope you guys don't hate Harry too much. I'll try and delve more into his background but not any time soon. Exams and all that. My creative juices are really dried up.

So, please note that I won't be updating anymore until 3rd June. Maybe even later. But definitely in June. So don't forget about me :D

Please VOTE & COMMENT if you like this chapter. Thanks :)