Lost in Shadows, Found in Family (A Mafia Reunion Story)

The Call & Finding Out

Francesco's POV

My sons and I were at the dinner table. Kyler was asking Ezekiel and Everett about school. Apparently, Ezeiel finally joined a club, and I was glad he seemed to be getting better. Everett's voice was the loudest as always, and I smiled at him, silently thanking him for unknowingly keeping this household together. Sebastian was poking at his food and I saw Theodore give him a stern glance from the corner of my eyes. Sometimes, he acted more like a father than me. As I was about to say something, my phone suddenly started ringing. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me since they knew better than to be making any noise when I'm on a phone call. But I was a bit annoyed that they called in the middle of one of the only family times we get.

"Hello?" I said, uninterested.

"Hi! I'm Maya McMiller, a social worker, and I'm calling you regarding your children." the voice said as I scrunched up my eyebrows and looked at all my sons again. Theodore raised his eyebrow, wondering what this call was about.

"And why would that be? Considering I'm currently with all my children right now?" I said, my voice getting a bit deeper since the topic was now on my kids. That sentence definitely piqued some interest as Sebastian and Ezekiel lifted their heads from their phones to look at me weirdly. The rest of the conversation went by like a blur. The next thing I knew, I got up from my chair, and my hand went through my hair as I dealt with the conflicting emotions inside of me. When I got up, so did all of my sons. Theodore and Kyler looked especially concerned, and the look on their faces made it seem like they were ready to kill anyone or obey any command right now. I inwardly chuckled; this is what growing up in the mafia does to you. Before I could say anything, my youngest son spoke up.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Everett asked as he looked at his brothers, confused. I took a deep breath before deciding to tell them elsewhere, where the maids wouldn't be able to overhear.

"In my office. All of you, now," I commanded as I started walking towards the stairs, still processing all of the information. I couldn't help but smile. Tamsyn was coming home. But...how could she...how could Arella do this to me? Not letting me even know that I had two other children. Two. Whole. Children. With each thought, more anger boiled up inside of me. I sat at my desk and beckoned for my children to come in. Since Sebastian was the last, he closed the door behind him.

"We found her," I said, gazing at the confused faces forming in front of me.

"Uh...found who?" Everett asked. Before I could answer him, Theodore opened his mouth.

"Dad...her? As in..."

"T-tamsyn?" Kyler interjected hesitantly. I nodded. Kyler and Everett looked at each other and immediately had tears in their eyes and big smiles. Theodore looked away, and I knew he felt emotional but just didn't want to show it. Sebastian was the first to say anything.

"Well, where is she? Where has she been all these years? How is she?"

"Does it even matter?! She's been gone for thirteen years. Why does she just have to appear out of nowhere now?!" Ezekiel stated harshly, earning a dark glare from all his brothers except Sebastian. He didn't really care. I knew from the start that Ezekiel wasn't going to take the information lightly, but I also knew he was going to have to work on his attitude.

"Dad, can you tell us what's going on?" Theodore asked. I slumped back onto my chair, figuring out how to word it.

"Boys, there's something else. She - Arella-" at the mention of her name, all the boys stiffened, and Ezekiel's hands started to shake, "-Arella was pregnant when she took Tamsyn," I finally said as I looked straight ahead still trying to wrap my head around it myself.

"You're joking, right?" I heard Kyler ask. I shook my head no, and I guess my solemn face confirmed it because he leaned against the wall and ran his hand through his hair with an unreadable expression. The other boys were still silent, probably fighting their own demons at the moment. Everyone loved and missed Tamsyn. She was the light of our lives. Her happy laughter and bubbly demeanor easily swayed everyone. Even if we had her only for three years, her absence struck like an earthquake. Nothing was the same ever again. Finally, I decided I needed to tell them the other part of the news.

"They're twins," I said with a firm tone. Now, all of their heads snapped up, and their mouths were gaping open. Ezekiel and Everett subconsciously looked at each other, and Everett flashed his brother a quick smile as if to reassure him. Sebastian was mumbling to himself, and Theodore looked like he wanted to kill someone.

"How dare she just hide them and never tell us?!" Theodore said, raising his voice. "It's one thing to kidnap our only little sister, but to hide frikkin twins from us?! That's another level of crazy," He finished.

"I couldn't agree more, Theo, and there isn't much time to dwell on it because Arella died, and now these kids are coming into my custody," I said. Ezekiel widened his eyes and looked like he was debating whether to say something or not. Theodore and Kyler had pained expressions on their faces that disappeared the moment they saw me glance at them. Theodore and Kyler were the only ones who really remembered their mother. It must've been hard to hear she was dead, even though they hated her after that day. "Theodore, you're coming with me, Kyler - make sure the jet is ready. Everett - get their rooms ready. Sebastian and Ezekiel....be home when we get back," I commanded them as I stood up. 

Thank you guys so much for reading!! Please comment below if you liked it :)

Love,

Day Lilac ♡