Page 39 of Fractured Empire

Leon

If I don’t respond for a bit, it’s because the boys are about to eat breakfast.

“Daddy!” Leo yells, rushing into the room so fast that his little sneakers smack against the tile floor. My son stops dead in his tracks right in front of me and grins wide. “Look at my shirt!” He lifts the blue fabric up and away from his body to push it closer to me as if to display it more clearly. “Aunt Rain-uh buy for me.”

“I can see that,” I tell him with a chuckle. The little sky-blue T-shirt is covered in cartoon kittens, and Leo is absolutely thrilled with the design. He points at four or five different cats, naming them as their colors before Bastian and Rayna can even catch up with him.

“I see the shirt came in a pack of two,” I say, finding Bastian in a matching outfit. Jeans, socks, sneakers, and all. My boys may have different biological parents, and have different hair colors, but they look just like brothers, especially when they’re matching. “Do you like your shirt too, Bastian?”

“Yes,” he agrees with a yawn to follow. He’s clinging to Rayna’s side, holding her hand and letting his head lay on the side of her thigh. He’s always been such a sweet, tired boy in the mornings. He needs much more time to find his energy than Leo does. It makes the morning more balanced, at least.

“Cats are the best, aren’t they?” Rayna grins happily. She shoots me a wink and I glower, knowing what she’s doing. She wants me to get the boys a pet, as if I don’t have enough going on around here.

“I like puppies too,” Bastian answers softly.

“Yes,” Leo agrees with a nod. “Puppies and chickens and llamas, and dinos, and⁠—”

“Ooookayyy,” I interrupt so that he’ll breathe. He does just that, catching his breath as Rayna quietly giggles at his enthusiasm. “Who’s hungry?”

Of course, they both are.

Despite being sleepy, Bastian eats all of his food while Leo munches on more berries than anything else, ending up with blueberry-stained fingers. When they’re done, they both want to go with Rayna to put Vaughn down for his nap, and they promise to be extra quiet so that she’ll say yes.

Apollo shoves me out of my own kitchen, claiming it’s his day to clean up, even though every day since he’s arrived has been his day. But I can’t argue with my brother, not just because he’s older than me, and more stubborn, but because I have text messages to answer.

Katya

She’s very excited now, LOL.

Katya

Ummm, and yeah, I think everything with the contract is fine. Linus is talking to your father today, but I don’t think we have any changes.

Katya

Is there anything you’d want for the wedding?

Katya

Sorry for texting three times back to back. Well, four now. I do that sometimes, reply whenever you’re free though. I’m glad the boys get to spend breakfast time with you :)

My lips quirk and I chuckle to myself. I’ve met her in person, and have seen her personality firsthand. So why am I looking at her texts and thinking that she’s…cute? The smiley faces and the quick replies, probably. I wasn’t lying when I told her that she was attractive, of course. If I was going to pick a woman out of a crowd to call beautiful, she’s someone I would gravitate towards.

Her hair is bright blonde, but long and healthy and maybe even her natural color. Her smile is radiant with her soft pink lips and white teeth. And her eyes are little pools of the sky that pull you in. Her features are all nice to look at, and her skin looks soft to the touch. So yes, she’s lovely, but I didn’t pick her out because of her looks. And yet, while I text her my reply, all I can do is look at her blank photo and wish her face was in it.

Leon

Matteo texts the same way but a million times more chaotically. Trust me, you’re fine. I’m glad to hear the contract terms are acceptable. I don’t have any wants for the wedding other than Leo and Bastian being included if they want to be. They can be ring bearers or stand by me as my best men if they’re up for it.

Leon

There’s a possibility they’d rather be in the audience with my family though. Bastian is shy around new people, and even though Leo is outgoing, he likes to be with Bastian to make him feel more comfortable.

Katya must have her phone handy because it doesn’t take her long to reply, despite me taking almost a half hour to get back to her.

Katya

That’s great, I would love to have them be a part of the day in any way. I was thinking of keeping my family’s side small anyway, so hopefully there aren’t too many new people around to make little Bastian nervous. He’s so sweet and I’d like him to be as comfortable as possible.