Beckham POV
"Ma? What are you doing here?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion, as I entered my penthouse to find my mom in the kitchen serving Brandt and Jayce dinner.
"Lennoxita está enferma." She informed as she began to also scoop up some paella on to a dish to serve me as well. "She asked me to pick up mi nieta and I decided to stay and cook."
"So where's Knox?" I glanced around the room, seeing that his swing was empty.
"With Lennox." Brandt informed as if that sentence made any sense at all, earning him a slap on the back of the head.
"Hey!" Our mom gave me a stern look, pointing the serving spoon at me menacingly. "Hands to yourself."
"My bad, my bad." I surrendered. Mostly for Ma's sake.
Only Brandt's dumbass would think it's a good idea to leave our son with Lennox while she's sick. She could potentially get the baby sick as well. Since Knox was in the NICU for so long, he is more susceptible to things like illness.
"I'm gonna go check on Len, thanks for cooking Ma. Be good Bug." I smiled softly, ruffling Jayce's curls before heading back to my bedroom where Lennox and Knox are.
Knox was in his Doc-A-Tot, per usual busying himself with one of his toys. And Lennox... Lennox seemed a little bit out of it. The TV was on, not that she was watching it. She seemed to only be half awake.
"Hey Princess... How are you feeling?" I took a seat next to her on the bed gently stroking her head, shit she's burning up. I think she has a fever.
She simply rolled her eyes rolling over in the bed. So sick, cool. Noted.
"You want me to take the baby?"
"He won't leave." She mumbled so softly, I was barely even able to hear it. "He screams. His pediatrician said it's normal in babies his age, he wants to make sure I'm okay."
I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as I glanced over at our babbling baby boy. He is definitely his mother's child. Entirely incapable of ensuring that everyone and everything is okay, and yet insistent upon doing so. Those are Lennox's genes at work, that tracks for me.
"Fair enough, I'll just stay in here with you both then."
"You could get sick." Len sniffled, finally rolling over to look me in the eye.
"Doubtful. I'm more concerned about him." I tilted my head in Knox's direction. I'll let him stay in here while he's awake so he doesn't make a fuss, but come nightfall I'm taking him to his nursery. He doesn't need to sleep in here and breath in germs for eight hours.
"I don't wanna get him sick either, but he's in such a colicky mood." She pouted sticking out her bottom lip.
"I know baby, it's okay. We're gonna hope for the best. In the meantime you need to eat and this little guy needs a diaper change." I placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, before picking up Knox. Who immediately started to cry, until he realized we were only walking across the room to where his collapsible changing table is set up.
He settled down, sucking on his thumb to self-soothe and stared up at me with those big blue eyes as if he was trying to apologize. "See, no reason to cry bud. Mom's right over there." I quickly changed his diaper and switched him into a fresh onesie.
I picked our son back up, holding him in one arm as I pulled my phone out of my pocket with the other. I already know that Lennox hasn't had anything to eat. She hates eating when she's stressed out or doesn't feel well. So I'm gonna order her some pho and tea, and have that delivered. I was also sure to place an order for some gyoza, so I could use them to incentivize her to eat her soup.
"Uhhbubbub!" Knox babbled animatedly, drawing my attention back to him.
"What do you need Stink? Are you hungry too?" I questioned gently bouncing him in my arms. He probably is, I don't know when he last ate. Len may have been too tired to keep up his normal feeding schedule. "I'm gonna warm up one of his bottles."
"And then you're coming back?" Lennox questioned groggily.
I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Yes love, I'll come back." Its ironic how she becomes more affectionate and clingy when she's not feeling her best. When she's feeling normal she hardly cares if I'm around. Lennox is emotionally deficit, that's not a secret. Just how she is.
Just as I exited the room Jayce came running up to me. Gesturing for me to pick her up as well. She's so lucky she's cute. I obliged her request, bending down to scoop her up into my free arm.
"Is MiMi okay?" Jayce-Lynn questioned, laying her head on my shoulder.
"Ahhh!" Knox began kicking his little feet excitedly, he loves Jayce. She loves him as well but only when she's in the mood for him. Today she seems to not be in the mood as she opted to simply wave at the infant.
"She's fine, Bug. She's feeling a little sick but she'll be better soon."
"Mmkay.." The five year old hummed softly as I balanced both her and Knox in my arms, carrying them down the long hallway to the kitchen.
It wasn't the easiest task trying to carry a baby and a toddler at the same time, but I made it work. Neither one of them weigh a lot. The problem is they both posses the full mobility of their limbs. Well Knox not so much, but he's still such a little busy body.
"Look at you." Brandt remarked as I walked back into the kitchen. Of course, his fat ass is still in here. Ma wasn't, so I figure she must have gone back home. Brandt needs to start buying groceries if he's gonna continue to eat up all my damn food. "You're like a regular Mr. Mom."
He's lucky I can't cuss with the kids around. "Do you plan on doing anything productive or are you gonna continue shoving your face?"
"I'm good where I'm at." The death hare I gave my younger brother seemed to have him rethink his stance, "Come on Bug. We can go down to the pool real quick before it's time for your bath."
Which did not create any less work for me, since I'm going to have to be the one to give Jayce-Lynn a bath when she gets back. She's very particular about who's allowed to bathe her, but that's not a bad trait to have in a child her age.
Jay kissed my cheek before wringing out of my arms and making her way over to Brandt. "Bye Becky! Hope MiMi feels better." The adorable little girl called over her shoulder.
"Bye sweetheart, have fun." I smile softly waving good-bye to her.
I got Knox's bottle warmed up, and also grabbed a bottle of Gatorade for Len. She needs to hydrate. Then made my way back to our bedroom. Lennox was snacking on a bag of Hot Cheetos, since she hoards snacks in her nightstand causing me to frown at her. She knows damn well this is not what she should be eating while sick.
"I thought you said you weren't hungry?" I cocked up one of my eyebrows, staring at her quizzically.
"Yeah... But then I thought a snack couldn't hurt.." She coughed at the end of the sentence causing my frown to deepen. This is exactly why she shouldn't be eating Hot Cheetos.
I sighed softly setting her bottle of Gatorade on the nightstand, along with Knox's bottle freeing up my hand to snatch the bag of chips from her. "Your pho will be here soon. You can eat that."
I sat down next to her on the bed, repositioning Knox in my arms so that I could feee him. I'm kind of looking forward to when he's strong enough to hold his own bottle. He's tried before but he ends positioning it wrong and choking, or just sucking up air.
"If you give me back the chips I promiseeeee, I'll eat all of my pho." Lennox attempted to negotiate staring up at me with her big brown doe eyes. Her and Jayce with those puppy eyes.
"Cute, but no."
"Bubs pleaseeee." She whined laying her head in my lap. "Don't you want me to be happy?"
She cannot be serious. "The Hot Cheetos are going to make you happy?" She nodded her head in confirmation. That makes absolutely zero sense, but I'm willing to go with it. I don't want to argue with her when she's not feeling well. "Whatever Lennox, fine."
I handed her the bag of chips, glancing up at the television as I fed Knox his bottle. Of course, she's watching 90 Day Fiancé. She is so obsessed with those reality tv dating shows, I don't know why. The current season of the Bachelorette has ended so now she's watching this, while she "waits for Love Island to come back". I personally don't understand the appeal, but will occasionally indulge her and watch these terrible TV shows with her because I love her. I would much rather be watching Criminal Minds, but this is what suits her.
Lennox's head remained in my lap as she snacked on the chips, staring up at the TV screen intently. "Thank you Bubs." She voiced after a few moments of silence. "... For taking care of me."
"Of course Princess." I smiled softly, pecking her forehead.
"Len?" I glanced around the dimly lit room trying to locate her. It's now about 2 or 3 AM and Lennox is not in bed, I panicked for a brief second before realizing the dim light was coming from the bathroom door. Oh shit, she's probably sick.
Knox was soundly sleep in his crib, according to video monitor at our bedside. So naturally I got up to go check on her and make sure that she's okay.
"Princess are you okay?" I cracked the bathroom door to find her hunched over the toilet, quite literally crying and throwing up. I rushed over to her side. "What's going on? Are you pregnant again?" I whispered softly as I grabbed her hair gently moving it back out of her face.
She coughed a few times before gathering herself enough to answer me. "No Beckham, I'm not pregnant. I'm just... Upset."
Something has upset her enough to have her crying and vomiting in the middle of the night? Granted, she was already sick. But still, that sounds a bit in tense.
"What's going baby?"
"I-I was contacted by my brother."
"Love your parents are—" I stopped talking as the realization dawned upon me. Whoever she's talking about must be her biological father's son. That's... Fuck, that's a lot. "Your Dad's kid?"
She turned to face me, giving me the dirtiest look. "I don't have a "Dad" okay? The only person who even came close was Eli and he's dead. So there's no one." I nodded my head as this is clearly a sensitive subject for her. "My sperm donor, had another child when I was six and now that child has contacted me."
"Umm..." Damn, I'm barely even half awake and she's going through an entire crisis right now. "How do you know he's your brother?"
"Umm, there's photo he sent of my sperm donor holding me at the hospital. I don't even know his name but my Mom had an identical one. And his name, his fucking name." She shook her head letting out a bitter chuckle. "I was named after Lennox Lewis the boxer, my brother is named fucking Evander. Like after the boxer Evander Holyfield."
Yeah that is one hell of coincidence can't even lie. Whoever this man is he's obviously a very big fan of boxing.
"So why is Evander contacting you?"
"He recently found out about me, and he's at Gonzaga on a basketball scholarship. So he wants to meet. He's from Miami, like what are the chances he ends up at a school in Washington?"
"Are you gonna meet him?"
"I don't know Beckham! I'm trying to process and shit. And rationalize the fact that the same man who abandoned me raised him for his entire fucking life. So there's that."
Oh fuck she started crying again. "Come here love." I wrapped my arms around her tightly, gently rocking us back and forth.
"This is kinda sick." She sniffled softly. "Like what the fuck?"
"Hey... It's okay, it's gonna be okay. You don't have to figure this out tonight."
I know I'm sure as hell gonna have Niall's contacts look into these people. Because estranged family members randomly popping up out the woodwork, after news breaks that Lennox is engaged to a billionaire? That's suspicious as hell. I need to make sure that their motives and intentions are pure. She's hurt enough already, I'm not gonna let anyone take advantage of her.
Okay sorry guys. This one took a little bit longer for me to get out. But hopefully I made up for it with that little twist at the end. Evander is indeed going to be a reoccurring character.
Additionally goddessvirgo won the raffle from those who subscribed to my cousin's YouTube channel. Your character will also be Evander's girlfriend. DM to work out details like name, face claim, etc.
Okay that's all I have! And yes things will be messyyyyy just maybe not in the way some of y'all think. (Yes, Lennox will be going to therapy. Even she knows this shit has gotten out of hand lol)
~Lee