Jason sighed, leaning against the wall outside his room. He was still weak and listless but at least he had more energy than this morning. That was a plus. However, dealing with Janice had sapped away most of his recovered energy. He hadn't known his assistant was soo inflexible and incompetent with dealing with unexpected cock ups.
He knew he had never been ill before but he was still human. And sometimes, he could very well not come in if he didn't feel like it. Even though that had never happened before, she should have been able to adapt to changes and not trouble him with more problem. However, when he had taken the phone from April, she had inundated him with all the issues that had cropped up. To him, most of them were easily solved by turning to his vice-president but apparently, the man was missing. If that was how the higher ups in his company were behaving without him, he had to do some restructuring when he went back. He managed to resolve all the problems and left instructions that should cover the next day or two. However, it took him more than the ten minutes he promised April. Hopefully, she wasn't mad at him.
Walking into his room, he stopped short when he saw the sight that greeted him. April was lying on the bed with the twins on either side of her. Both of them were snuggled close to her side, eyes closed, and looked like they weren't willing to let go. April had her arms around them and her face was relaxed in repose.
He didn't know why but his chest felt lighter and a smile grew on his face. He wanted to join them, putting the twins in between him and April. Such a domesticated thought had never entered his mind before now. Before the twins, he hadn't thought much about children and what they entailed. Once he had the twins, his main focus was juggling their care with his work. Never had he thought to sleep with them. Now, with April, the thought was very appealing.
'Mr Halloway?'April said, her voice thick with sleep. She moved to stand but the twins cried out so she just laid down. 'Sorry for falling asleep. I didn't know I was soo tired.' A yawn engulfed the last few words. 'And sorry for taking your bed. The twins are not going to release me anytime soon.'
'It's alright,'he said, sitting beside Daphne and within sight of April. He ran his hand over Daphne's hair, finding the silkiness of her hair soothing. 'Thank you for taking care of Janice when I was out of it. She mentioned that you called the doctor. So what did he say?'
'You have an incurable disease that they are still working to identify. They'll be coming to bring you to quarantine soon. In fact, I have to keep the children away from you,'she said gravely, her face set in serious lines. He knew she was joking. Knowing he should feel offended, he arranged his face into a scowl.
'Are you sure? Because, in my opinion, exhaustion is not a new disease,'he said. It was comical watching her face change. She knew she was caught and sent him a shy smile, making it difficult for him to maintain his scowl.
'You heard what the doctor said?'she asked meekly, bringing Tanner to Daphne's side and laying on the side, making it easier for them to converse. Tanner only shifted once before falling back into a deep sleep. April shook her newly-freed arm with a slight grimace. 'Dang, my arm hurts. Didn't expect that. Wha- Mr Halloway, you need not do that.' Her arm was currently being massaged by him, over the twins' heads. He sent her a determined look when she tried to take it away. She rolled her eyes at him and left it in his care. He felt a warm satisfaction, knowing he could bring her some comfort.
'No. But I can guess. And, if you'd thought I was jeopardising the twins, you wouldn't have brought them anywhere near me.' Her face lit up at his comment but he was serious. He knew she took the twins' wellbeing seriously and he respected that. He couldn't ask for a better nanny.
'Well, then. I hope you'll take care of your health then. Unless you've updated your will in case you keel over and die. That way the twins will always be taken care off.' She made it sound like a joke but there was a bite to her words. He liked the way she took care of him so he relented.
'I'll rest as much as possible but I can only spare one more day before things go ape shit in the office.'
'Language!'she hissed, looking pointedly at the twins. He didn't know how to feel, being taken up to task, but he mouthed his apology. 'I guess that's the best you can give then. But, please, don't do this again: Work until you basically collapse. The twins were very clingy and fractious. They kept fussing over everything everything and nothing comforted them. They didn't want to go down for their nap. That is, until they saw you. They fell asleep soon after seeing you back on your feet.'
Looking down on the relaxed faces of his children, he felt warmth and guilt build up in him. 'I'm still adjusting to being a dad. My parents weren't good examples. They only focused on their work. I guess I followed in their footsteps until I was given these two brats. I floundered those first few nights. They kept crying and nothing but being in my arms helped. Luckily, I had my aunt to help. She is a fantastic person and the twins grew to love her but they wouldn't let me leave for extended periods of time. Some people recommended a nanny but clearly, you can see they didn't help.'
'I believe they have a definite idea of who they like. Look at me, for example. They immediately latched on to me when we first met but when I tried to pass them off to someone else, they wouldn't let me go,'April related with a laugh. Jason smiled, feeling his guilt lightening.
'Being a dad is much harder than being a CEO. Sometimes, I look at them and wonder whether I'm doing the right thing.'
'I don't think you'll ever be sure. People are ever changing so when you think you've got it down to pat, they'll show another side and you'll have to readjust. I think that you're doing a fine job as it is. From the way they behave, it's like you've known each other since they were born. Admittedly, they were quite clingy and dependent on normal days but I'm sure they'll grow out of it the longer they are in a secure, loving environment. I don't even want to think about how their mother must have treated them. From what I've been reading, they must not have received the loving attention they needed.'
'From the way they initially acted, I wouldn't be surprised. I hope we can help them replace all those bad memories,'he said before realising his slip. He knew she caught it. Her eyes had grown almost double their size. 'Um, you know. We as in-um- anyone who is involved in their upbringing.'
'Oh. That makes more sense than what I was thinking,'she murmured, pulling her arm from his hand and moving her hair to cover part of her face. His hand moved to move it back but he made himself stop.
The tension and awkward air grew in intensity. He didn't know what to say to break it but nothing came to mind. He hadn't had practice with being in this situation. Suddenly, his stomach let out a loud, rather obnoxious grumble. His face went red with embarrassment while April tried to hide her smile.
'There's a pot of chicken soup for you in the kitchen,'she said, her hidden smile evident in her voice. He sent her a mock glare.
'I see that my job here is to provide you entertainment. Please excuse me while I fuel up for future acts,'he joked haughtily. A giggle escaped her. He felt something inside him soften. As always, he was experiencing new things around her but this scared him. He didn't know why but instinctively, he shied away from it. Not knowing what else to do, he immediately left the room.
These feelings had to stop.
- ---@@@---
The twins had been acting weird the entire morning. They kept going to Jason's room and continually asked for him. April told them he'd gone to work but they seemed to be unsatisfied with the answer. They kept crawling around the house, shouting, 'Da Da', every now and then.
She tried calling Jason on his personal phone but he didn't pick up. She was starting to become worried. They eventually settled down for their naps but it was a fitful rest. Seeing that, she decided another outing was called for.
- --@@---
The twins looked happy to be out. The Chicago weather was cooperating with them and clear skies could be seen all around. Women, and some men, cooed to the twins when they stopped at a traffic light and they were absorbing all of the attention.
Finally, Jason's building came into view. The twins became even more excited. The words 'Da Da' and 'wek' kept spilling out of their lips. She laughed at their antics and they showed her their 3-teeth smile.
Their entry into the office area was unhindered this time. The receptionist and guards let them in instantly. However, the only issue was when Daphne threw her toy to the guard near the elevator. She wouldn't stop frowning up at him. April tried to explain that he wasn't the guard from before but she was resolute. Laughing softly at her stubbornness, she sent a look of apology to him. He just shook his head and sent her a charming smile. Realising how attractive he was, her cheeks reddened and she looked down. Attractive men and her just didn't mix.
The office was as bustling as ever and April felt a pang that she couldn't work the same scope as them. She really wanted to put her education to good use. In her opinion, why go through 4 years of college and not use the piece of paper? It's practically wasteful.
Comforting herself with the twins, she continued to the CEO's office. Janice let them through with a nod and April sent her a thankful smile. Not wanting to unknowingly disrupt a meeting, because that's the only reason she could think of for him to not pick up her calls, she parked the twins beside the door and entered.
And immediately came back out.
AN: Hi guys. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I admit that this is not the best chapter but I promise you guys will like the next chapter. This is pretty much a filler chapter.
I still need a name for the housekeeper and cousin. Thanks to @reader4lif for the suggestion. But if you guys want to suggest other names, feel free to do so. The characters will not be introduced for another 3 chapters or so. This is a good time for you to get involved in the story as well. I think. ;)
Please VOTE & COMMENT if you like this or have any other suggestions. If not, ENJOY!
Edit AN: I've corrected the Sharon mistake. Sorry it took so long