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.
Here I am, 10 years later, standing in front of the door, waiting for my grandson to open it.
I was nervous. I could see that my son and grandsons were too.
I didn’t know what to expect. I knew she wasn’t the sweet little six-year-old girl I remembered. What is she like? Will she be afraid of me?
When Liam told us about the abuse, I wanted to burn the world down. He hurt her. He hurt my little girl.
In that moment, I swore I would make him pay. I couldn’t give a shit about whether it was legal or not. I have money. I will pay whoever I need to cover it up.
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Dylan POV
My heart was pounding against my ribcage so hard that it hurt.
My baby was behind this door.
I never thought I would see her again. I never thought I would hug her again.
But would she let me? What if she is scared of me? What if the bastard hurt her so much that she would never trust me again?
It would kill me.
Ezra opened the door, and my heart raced even faster. He looked at each of us and chuckled.
“Breathe, guys.” he said, shaking his head and stepping away so we could come inside.
My legs felt like jelly. I walked in a daze. Maybe that’s what it feels like to sleepwalk?
We followed Ezra to the living room. Liam was sitting on the couch, and he looked up at us when we entered. My eyes immediately went to the small girl, standing between Theo and Noah, holding their hands in a tight grip.
My heart stopped. My breath got caught in my throat.
My baby.
My Lucy.
My little girl, who always came to me to help her blow her nose because the boogies were tickling her.
She is here.
I heard sobs and gasps all around me, but they felt distant, like I was submerged in water. The loudest sound was my heart beating in my chest.
I couldn’t move my eyes away from her.
“Oh, my little girl.” grandpa’s teary voice broke me out of my daze.
He wanted to reach out for her, we all did, but it was clear as day that she wasn’t comfortable. She was holding on to Theo and Noah, with no intention of letting them go and moving away from them.
Not being able to hug her after all this time is going to be torture.
Liam stood up and walked over to stand behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, bent over to her height, and whispered something in her ear. He straightened back up and smiled at us.
She was so small. She didn’t look 16. Why is that?
“This is our family, love.” he said. “This is your grandpa William.”
“Hi, sweetie.” grandpa said softly. “I missed you so much.”
She gave him a small smile and looked at my dad.
“That’s uncle Dan.” Liam continued. “Our dad’s younger brother.”
“Hi, Luce.” my dad said, using a nickname he always called her when she was a child. “I’m so happy you are back.”
“I’m happy to be back too.” she said, smiling.
Her voice sent shivers down my spine.
My dad and grandpa gave her a teary-eyed smile.
Liam pointed at me, and she moved her gaze from my dad to me.
“That’s your oldest cousin, Dylan.” Liam said. “On his left is Matthew and on his right is Carter.”
“Hello.” she said with a small smile.
“Hi, shortie.” Carter managed to say, his voice raspy. “I missed you.”
“I’m not short.” she shook her head. “You are all just too tall.”
We laughed. My laugh came out all weird, like I was holding my breath too long and finally managed to breathe out. Maybe I was? I was glad she couldn’t hear it over the laughter of my family.
“Sit down.” Ezra said, walking away toward the kitchen. “I’ll bring coffee.”
Theo and Noah pulled Lucy down to sit between them. They were glaring at us. It was a normal look on Theo, but a weird one to see on Noah.
My family sat down, but I couldn’t move.
I realized I didn’t say anything to her. I didn’t tell her how much I missed her or how much I loved her.
I forced my legs to move and walked over to where she was sitting with her brothers. I kneeled in front of her, making sure I didn’t touch her even though I wanted to.
She tensed up slightly, and Theo moved her closer to him. I ignored it. I have to make peace with the fact that she will need time to open up to us.
“Hi, Shortcake.” I said, using my nickname for her. “I missed you terribly. I love you so much, and seeing you back where you belong makes me the happiest man on Earth.”
She studied my face for a second before smiling at me.
“That nickname sounds familiar.” she said quietly, making my heart skip a beat.
“That’s not fair.” Carter whined, making Lucy chuckle.
I turned around and grinned at him. I could see that my grandpa, my dad, and my brothers were jealous. It made me happy. They should be jealous. My nickname was familiar to her, and theirs weren’t.
Oh, I will be her favorite, I’m sure of it.
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Just a little sidenote. 😁
The name 'Lucy' comes from the Latin word "lux" and it means "light". 😊