Never let her go

Chapter 36

William POV

I’ve always wanted a daughter.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore my sons.

But I’ve always wanted a daughter.

When my wife gave me my two sons, I was over the moon.

When my sons got married and decided to have kids, I was hopeful I would be getting a granddaughter.

When Daniel’s ex-wife, Julie, found out she was pregnant with Matthew, I lost all hope I would be getting a granddaughter. Alexander and Alana didn’t want to have any more kids after Ezra. Julie and Daniel’s marriage was over even before Matthew was born, and there weren’t any chances of them having any more kids. Even Matthew wasn’t planned. They got divorced when Matt was two years old, and Julie left. She never told us where she went. She left the kids with Daniel and cut off all contact with us. Five years ago, she sent a letter to the boys, asking them for forgiveness and wanting to see them. They never responded to the letter.

But then, six years after Matthew was born, a miracle happened.

Alana was pregnant with triplets, two boys and a girl.

A girl!

Alex decided to name her Lucy because she was the light of our lives. She was our little miracle.

I was drunk on happiness. My boys were excited. We couldn’t wait for her to be born. We knew she would be the most loved child on this planet. Hell, most loved one in this universe.

And she was.

For six years, she was the most adored and the most protected child in the whole world.

Daniel and his boys moved into a house next door to be closer to them. I moved into the neighborhood as well. Considering that Alana was never interested in her children, I wanted to be closer to Alex and help him with the triplets.

Lucy had five overprotective older brothers and cousins doting on her day and night. She had two fathers and a grandfather who would do anything for her. As soon as Theo and Noah could walk, they followed her everywhere.

She was loved, and she loved us back equally.

She had a special connection with all of us. If she was sick, she went to Ezra or Dylan. If she was sad, she went to her dad. If she fell and hurt herself, she came to Liam or me. If she wanted someone to read her a story, she went to Carter or her uncle Dan. If she wanted to do something mischievous, she went to Matthew.

All of that changed the night Alana took her away.

Our hearts were ripped open.

I didn’t know how Theo and Noah would go on without her. They were empty shells of themselves. We all were.

Alex stopped sleeping and eating. He stopped taking care of himself. He started smoking. He often had a glass of some kind of liquor in his hand.  I tried to help him. He was my child. But the loss of his, slowly killed him. His health deteriorated, which led to a heart attack two years ago.

Liam threw himself into school and business. He became cold and ruthless to all except his family. Ezra was running around, trying to fix everyone and everything. He threw himself into raising Theo and Noah.

Dan and the boys moved away a few months later. It was hard for them. Dylan didn’t leave his room for a month. Carter was out partying all the time. Matt lost his smile.

I moved away about a year later. I couldn’t cope with the pain. Each time I drove past their house, I felt like a knife was being plunged into my chest.