Page 34 of From Angel to Rogue (Four Foxes #6)

KATY

It’d officially been three weeks since Luka came to live with us. I could see some of the light returning to his precious brown eyes. He was happy with his school, his new friends, and didn’t have any trouble easing into being a member of our family.

And since things were going pretty smoothly, Lan and I decided it was time for us to announce to him that the house would soon get a bit more crowded.

We both have bonded with Luka instantly, but I knew it was still going to take time and patience for him to build that kind of trust you did with your parents. But we didn’t want to keep him in the dark any longer.

Somewhere in the past couple of days, my stomach popped like I had swallowed a watermelon. And I knew it would only grow to a size that Luka might start contemplating bizarre scenarios.

His mind was so active now; he was already fighting invisible monsters and playing pretend as a superpowered T-rex that breathed fire.

“Is your chocolate milkshake good, buddy?” Lan asked Luka, who was sitting opposite us on the couch.

Luka gave Lan a nod of acknowledgment but continued slurping up his drink.

It felt like a very serious family discussion, only with a six-year-old boy who had no idea what was going on and was happily drinking his shake.

I slid my nervous eyes toward Lan, but he offered a reassuring smile, squeezing my hand.

We both waited as slow minutes ticked by.

“Finshwed,” Luka announced proudly, licking the remnants of chocolate from his lips.

“Good boy,” Lan praised. “Now wipe your mouth like I taught you.”

Luka nodded with a determined frown. He carefully set the mug aside on the coffee table and grabbed a tissue that Lan had left for him earlier. In the most adorable possible way, he cleaned himself up. After Lan’s approval, he returned to his seat.

“Luka, buddy,” Lan started in a gentle tone. “We called you here to talk about something important, okay?”

“Are you going to send me back?” His eyes widened. “Pleaswe, let me stay here. I like staying with you and Katiew. You both are my beswt friends now.”

I rushed to him without even thinking. Just hearing the sad tone in his voice made me want to sob a mess.

“Of course not, Luka.” I wrapped my arm around him from the side. “You’re not going anywhere. You are stuck with us.”

Lan followed suit and crouched to meet his eyes. “We are not making you go back to St. Mary’s. Well, not unless you want to. Katy and I want you to stay with us till you grow up to be a big boy or even after that.”

“Promwise?”

“Promise,” we both said at the same time.

A faint smile curved Luka’s lips as he nodded.

“Okay, so the important thing we want to talk to you about is that our little family is going to grow a lot bigger soon,” Lan said.

“How?” He frowned.

Lan reached over and palmed my belly. “Katy is pregnant. She is soon going to be giving birth to two babies and you get to be their big brother. Is that a responsibility you can handle, buddy?”

Luka’s eyes widened, and he turned his attention to me. “How is there two babies inside you, Katy? Ms. Quill said she was having a baby once, and there was only one baby in her belly.”

“You can have more than one baby in your belly, Luka.” I lifted my arm for a fake bicep curl. “Girls are strong like that.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“So there’s…” He licked his lips, his small hands hovering over my stomach. “Babies inside there.”

“Yes.” I smiled. “Do you want to feel them?”

“Hmm.” He slid a hesitant glance toward Lan, who gave him an encouraging nod. “Okay,” he muttered.

Lan carefully took his hands and placed them over my stomach.

Luka blinked, and seconds later, he started to slowly move them up and down. “It’s so big,” he muttered.

I chuckled. “It needs to get big to house two babies.”

Luka’s lips formed an “O.”

The familiar feeling of butterflies erupted inside me and it was followed by the heavy rolling activity.

The sudden motion made Luka yelp back in a startle.

“Whoa there, buddy, you okay?” Lan asked, laughing as he caught him.

His rounded eyes almost bugged out of his head. “That was... that was.” Panic clouded his expression. “There’s something in your belly, Katiew.”

“It’s the babies,” I said softly, ushering him over. “Come on, you can feel it. They are just rolling around and having playtime.”

“Really?” he breathed.

“Yep.”

Lan scooted him forward and gently returned his hand to its previous position.

A whirlwind of emotions crossed his face, and excitement flashed in his eyes when they met mine. “They are really playing inside your belly, Katiew.”

“Yes, they are going to be your brothers or sisters…or both.” I cupped his face, sliding a thumb across his soft cheek. “Is that okay with you? Are you ready to be an older brother?”

“Can I play munsters and dynos with them?” he asked, biting his lips.

“Of course you can.” Lan poked his nose. “But get to also be the responsible one and take care of them and share your toys with them.”

“Okay,” Luka said with such resolve that it made us smile. “I’ll protect them from the munsters.”

A sting burned my eyes. “I love you.”

“I louv you too, Katiew.” He hugged me tight, pressing his cheek to my belly.

Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I hugged him back.

God, I loved my boy.

The shrill sound of the doorbell ringing made Lan, Luka and me pause from our Lego building project.

Luka and Lan were busy planning the important architecture while I was tasked with menial duties because I clearly sucked at this according to the both of them.

It did strike a nerve when they teased me like that.

With all the hormones that have been raging me insane, I would’ve definitely smacked Lan if it weren’t for Luka’s joyful giggles.

“You expecting anyone?” Lan frowned, already bouncing toward the door.

“Not really,” I muttered. Our friends knew the code. And we weren’t expecting any deliveries or visitors.

Luka and I peeked over our shoulders and watched as Lan opened the door, the confusion in his eyes dissipating to shock. “Mom, what are you doing here?”

“Landon Axel Greige, I raised you better than this.” Wiona’s familiar tone rang through the room. “I’m a grandmother and you don’t invite me over? And then you say Katy’s almost five months along. Why wasn’t I informed of this before?”

“Ma, calm down.” Lan smiled, hugging a seething Wiona. “We just found out too and we wanted Luka to settle in before he could meet you guys.”

“Not a valid excuse,” she muttered but was smiling widely as she hugged her son back.

She was so tiny, almost a foot shorter than him.

But she was a spitfire. A fierce, strong woman who had her shit in order. She was clad in her matching Chanel suit, holding a dark brown limited edition Birkin bag.

“Is Lawndon in trouble, Katiew?” Luka whispered in my ear. His tiny face appeared on my shoulder as he hugged me from behind.

Ever since we told him I was pregnant, Luka had stuck to my side like my little protective bubble. He still marveled over the fact that I carried two babies inside me. He even spoke to them in hushed tones, telling them stories and random things.

And the twins seemed to love hearing Luka and their daddy’s voice because they wreaked havoc in my tummy when they heard them speak.

“No baby.” I wove my hand around his and held him tight. He looked ready to defend his daddy from Wiona.

“That’s Landon’s mummy.” I kissed the little monkey’s button nose. “She loves him.”

“I’m mad too,” announced another voice from behind Wiona. My eyes widened when I met a pair of green eyes, the same shade that matched mine.

Immediate tears burned my eyes. “Mom,” I sobbed. And she was by my side in an instant, swooping both me and Luka in the biggest hug.

I clung to her and we both were openly crying like we hadn’t seen each other in years. The phantom smell of chocolate lingering on her invaded my senses, and it felt like I was a girl back in my childhood home again.

Only this time, I wasn’t as lost as I thought I was.

“I’m squawshed,” declared a tiny voice that made us separate. My mother was the exact carbon copy of me, only much older and wiser. Her blond waves came right under her shoulder, her luminous skin creased with smile lines, and her lips were painted in the deepest shade of red.

I started wearing red lipstick after seeing her. Somehow, it made me feel more human and close to her.

“Katiew, are you crying?” Luka questioned, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Are you sad? Did she make you sad?”

“Luka, I’m not sad, baby. These are happy tears from seeing my mom.”

“Oh my,” Mom said, her voice filled with awe. “Is this precious little Luka?”

His curious eyes met hers with a frown.

“Hi, Luka.” Mom held out her hand. “I’m Grammie Liana.”

His tentative eyes slid to mine, and I gave him an encouraging nod. “Go on, she makes the best chocolate cupcakes and chocolate milkshakes.”

“Hi,” he mumbled to her shyly. “Can you make me a chocolate milkshake?”

Mom’s eyes welled up as she held her hands to her chest. “Of course. I’m going to make you more than one.”

“It’s my turn,” Wiona’s loud voice thundered through the room. “I want to see him now.” She came to a standstill when her eyes met Luka. “Lan, I think I’m going to be taking this child home instead. I love him already.”

Lan gestured for Luka to come over and introduced him to his mother.

I smiled, watching Wiona fuss over Luka while Lan tried to calm her down. She was already planning on a helicopter ride around the city.

“I can’t believe my baby is having babies now.” Mom softly caressed my full belly. “Twins no less.”

“I’m not a baby anymore, Ma,” I mumbled, nestling to her side. “I’m a grown-ass woman.”

“You will always be my baby.” She patted my hand with a knowing smile. “Give it twenty more years and you’ll know how I feel.”

“What are you guys doing here? How did you even get here together?”

“Wiona called and demanded that I get on the next flight to New York because she couldn’t wait to see her grandson.” Mom shook her head, chuckling. “Honestly, I couldn’t wait either.”

“How’s Dad?”

“He’s good. He sent an ‘I miss you’ note to his daughter, promising he would visit soon.”

“I miss him too,” I mumbled sadly. It’d been almost eight months since I last saw Dad. I made a mental note to give him a call and invite him over soon. “Now that you’re here, can you please make your signature potpie? My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”

“You haven’t asked me to make that in years.” Her eyes roamed over my face. “Now that I think about it, you look different. Happy, glowing almost. Pregnancy suits you, Katy.” She smiled warmly. “You look beautiful.”

I smiled but didn’t say a thing. There was a lot more to that, Mom. At least I was showing signs of change.

“Gosh, we get to retire a little early tonight, huh?”

“Yep.” I yawned. “I think I’m going to sleep ten hours today.” Since the grandmas have taken over bedtime stories tonight, Lan and I were pushed to bed early.

Luka was having the time of his life with his grammies. It only took him one hour to announce that they were his best friends too. Matty and Sierra came over, and that made Luka run around in glee and a heavy sugar high.

“Tired?” Lan softly tugged the sheets over my weary body.

Ever since the other night, I had shifted all my things to Lan’s room and now it was our bedroom.

Lan and I were back together. It does feel weird saying it because I spent most of my adult life being his girlfriend. It never felt like we were apart, yet at the same time, it felt like we had just gotten together for the first time.

Given how dull and distant I had made our past years, this felt more softer, more passionate, and more understanding. Like I was right here in the present, living and breathing it and enjoying every moment of it.

“Yeah, this pregnancy is making me too tired, and I didn’t do a thing.

” I turned to my side to face him and he pulled me closer.

“I used to work 24x7 and somehow still had juice to run behind you guys. Now, all I do is eat, drink my shakes, and play with Luka, and I want to sleep for days. But it is the good kind of tired, though.”

“You’re carrying two babies.” His palms softly curved over my stomach, rubbing them softly. “You need all the strength to help them grow.”

“Yeah, it’s the weirdest feeling and the best feeling.”

He tugged me closer, and I yawned yet again as my heavy lashes touched my cheeks.

“Sleep now,” he said softly, pressing a kiss on my forehead.

I nodded, nuzzling on his chest.

There weren’t any walls between us, but it didn’t mean everything was magically fixed.

But we were getting there.