Crimson Heart

42| Four Sons

"Mmm I missed you so much, but I'm so proud of you," Alexei tells him before he finally lets go, to the relief of the triplets who were all begging for Cy's attention, calling out his name like baby ducks in a row. 

My little brother scoops all three of my sons into his strong arms and spins them in circles to their perfect tinkling of childish delight. A tiny cry from my back tells me a certain little girl is missing out on the fun. Cyprus stops and puts the dizzy babies down before kissing sweet Noah.

"I didn't forget about you baby girl," He coos and her cries turn to small giggles almost instantly. 

"Alrighty guys, let's move this party to the park," Alexei suggests and Cyprus agrees with a smile while the boys instantly go into in-depth conversation about how much they missed Cy pushing them on the swing.

 They compared my mate and me for our pushing skills, saying I was okay at it and Alexei just sucked. I chuckled at Alexei's glare when he heard this and Cyprus reminded them that everyone is different and it's okay to only be good at somethings, like how Alexei is better at cooking than he is and I'm better at taking care of them. 

Reaching the park, the three of us laid out the picnic blanket and I sat down with Noah in my arms instead of my back as I pulled out the boys' sandwiches.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a few minutes," Alexei asks Cyprus and he nods, immediately putting down his food to go for a walk with my sweetheart. I keep the babies busy while watching them from afar as they walk around the small pond together, coming across the bridge when Alexei hands him the adoption paperwork. 

"Mommy, can I have more peaches?" Micah asks and I pull out the small bag of slices, giving him a few more while watching Cyprus pause as he reads the scroll.

"Thank you, Mommy," He's so polite as he takes it and I ruffle his thick blonde hair. 

Cyprus suddenly hugs Alexei who meets his loving embrace because today Alexei has become his father and I am now his permanent guardian. 

Our parents tried, they really did. Once they bounced back after the loss of both their mates, they were able to regain their children back. But Cyprus was constantly running away and we often found him on our front doorstep, alerted by the guard on the watch that night. We eventually just gave him a key to come in and every time he went back, we would find him in his bed the following morning. 

He's not a bad kid, but mom and dad had given up on him. Getting to a point where it had been so long since they had last seen him, that they didn't even know who he was. Achievements went unnoticed, his brain unchallenged, and conversations were never the deep kind he needs to thrive. My brother fell into a depression each time he went back, but it was when he told me he often thought of hurting himself for some kind of positive attention that Alexei and I decided this has to stop. 

But the fact my mother and father let him go willingly hurt. I know it was for the best since Cyprus wants nothing to do with them, claiming they refused to save his father Remy. But I know if any of my children ever challenged me or hated me I would do anything in my power to fix myself for them. 

I guess after the loss of two mates, they just don't have the energy to put the time in to be there for Cyprus since he remembers it all while Clementine, Beau, and Willow remember next to nothing. 

Prince Cyprus James of Crimson-Kailea came back with Alexei, collapsing onto the blanket and hugging me fully, burying his head into my shoulder as I held him in my open arm. He says nothing but he doesn't have to because I know he appreciates everything we do for him. But he's our eldest son so it's my obligation to make sure he has the best life possible.