TWO

"Hello, Mum," my son's laughs filled the house as if he brought warmth here.

At first, he was shy and quiet with his relatives, but now he is open and gets along with everyone in the household.

"Ace, please don't drop your nephew," Athena scolded her brother.

"Leo and I are just having fun, right buddy." He rubs his knuckle on Leo's head, composing him to laugh more

"Oh, Mum, Tito Aces is taking me to Disneyland this weekend. Can we go?" my son asks and sits next to Effie. Ares made himself at the table, already loading his plate with food.

"Disneyland? With what money?" I sense a hostile situation from Athena toward her brother. After spending time with the girls last weekend, Effie told me about Ares' Friday night activities and how Athena turned into a she-hulk learning about it. I can't hold back a smile.

"Hey, Grandpa made me the next successor to his company once he is ready to retire," Ares explains with his mouth full of food. "He wanted you to take over because you are the eldest. But you didn't want to take the position, so I volunteered. I had to quit my job to start shadowing Grandpa at the company later. Plus, I do have money."

I shake my head.

Athena scoffs. "I didn't accept the offer because I don't plan on running a large company, especially with Grandpa's background as Lord of the Underworld. I don't want me and my son to be the target. I rather play it safe."

"Thea, you know Grandpa is not in that business anymore. Well, he still has connections and people covering his back," Effie adds. "He thinks your capable of being a CEO."

"I have my plans," Athena takes a bite of the toasted bread.

"And which is?"

"I want to run a daycare center." She announces and gulps her coffee in one motion. "Ever since Jacob and Ramsey were born, a daycare came into mind."

"You do love children," I say, then cover my mouth with the cup. "Although, as a kid, you were a troublesome child."

Ares spit pieces of his food and cracks up, holding his stomach. Rex and Logan covered their laughter. Effie lightly hit Logan in the abdomen.

"That is so true." Ares bluntly said and drank water.

Athena snarls at her brother and bends the fork in her hand. She jerks her head back at me. "C.J., you were supposed to be backing me up. What gives?"

I also crack up a giggle. It's been a while since she called me that. She only emits my nickname when she is in a desperate situation, like what is going on now. "I'm sorry, but it is true."

"I've changed."

"That is some bull-" Ares glanced at Leo, watching cartoons as he ate on Effie's phone. He is living the American life already. "That is B.S. When I do something wrong, you beat me up."

"Tita Thea, you hit Tito Aces? Mum said it is not nice to hit people." Leo looks up from the small screen and turns to his aunt.

"See," Ares embraces Leo and pouts his lips. "Leo, your aunt is a scary person."

"Scarier than monsters?"

"Not only scarier than monsters because she is one."

"Ares," Athena grinds her teeth and says her brother's name. "I'm going to kill you!"

Ares left the table quickly, and at the same time, Athena went to chase him around the house, screaming at the top of her lungs. Leo starts to crack up, watching his overgrown relatives playing chase.

"Rex, you better get your fiance before she buries him next to our pet in the backyard," Effie sighed.

"You had a pet buried in the backyard?" Logan asks curiously.

"Not a pet; he's more like a companion when I feel down. I rescued an injured squirrel, and we became close before a cat killed him." Effie leaned back after finishing her meal. "I was ten. I cried to Athena to help me bury him in the backyard next to the tree."

"What did you name him?" I asked and sat next to Leo.

"Alvin Simon Theodore Reid."

I stared at her blankly, and Logan was the person to crack up.

"Effie, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are chipmunks, not squirrels," I say, trying hard not to laugh.

"I know that. I was ten." She protests an argument. "I couldn't think of a name and thought of those."

"That is a long-ass name, baby girl."

"You're just making fun of me." Effie blows her cheeks and pouts at Logan. He draws Effie in his arms and plants kisses all over her face—Effie squeals and attempts to pull away as it turns adorable between them.

Leo sees that his aunt is in danger and tries to remove them apart, only to be caught in the middle of Logan and Effie's kisses. Leo giggles and screams for help from me.

I only chuckle, looking at them.

While they were having deep conversations, I was shocked to hear Effie was pregnant. The day Leo and I arrived, not just Athena had a baby, but Effie would soon be a mother. Though, she had Zara, Logan, and Effie's adopted daughter. It was quite a surprise for them to raise a child independently, and now she is pregnant with their first real child.

Learning about her pregnancy, I was concerned. Because she is a first-time mother with an adopted child that is not hers, I'm worried she won't manage it. She has the career she had been waiting for, to be in a musical. I talked with her about being a mother and working a job can be exhausting. I know because I used to work while pregnant with Leo, but I had to quit when I moved in with Eddie. He insisted that I be a stay-at-home mom and raise our son.

The other brother, Liam, the twin brother of Logan and the supposed baby brother of the Wolfe family, is at Lily's home. She was the first person I met when I came here that day.

Lily is Liam's boyfriend, and they are the parents of their baby boy Ramsey. Last week, the girls and I had a N*****x and Gossip without the boys except for the kids.

Jordan, who I remember as a child. I used to have a crush on her because of her boyish appearance, but later, when we shared a kiddy pool, it turned out she was a girl. Jordan looks more lady-like with strawberry-wavy hair and beautiful emerald green eyes. She turns from an ugly duckling to a swan.

We told stories of how Thea, Lily, and Effie met their boyfriends and fell in love. I was fascinated and distraught throughout their stories, but everything worked out great for them. Their love story differs from mine, and my magical romance is manageable.

My love fell out once I had a black eye.

"What is this? A kissing game?" Seth appeared to bring me back from my thoughts and surprisingly grabbed Logan's face. "I want to join!"

"Hell no!" his little brother screeched as he pushed Seth's face away.

"Leo, he hit me," Seth whined, flashing his puppy eyes to my son for sympathy, pointing his finger at his brother. Leo leans and presses his small lips on Seth's face making him delighted. "All better, thank you, Leo."

"Uncle Logan, no hitting," Leo scold the oversized man. Logan nods his head and apologizes to my son.

It's like a small bunny rabbit telling a large wolf not to eat his meal.

Picturing it seems off.

The second eldest Wolfe brother grabs his seat at the table, and while filling his plate, I ask, "Where is Donovan?"

Not that I'm scanning for him.

For the past two months, I have tried to avoid him occasionally. Sometimes I can feel my eyes behind me and see him peering as if he's back in the Marines. Logan's youngest and twin brother, Liam, told me Donovan was in the marine. It explains all the visible battle scars. It's similar to Effie's scars on her body, but Donovan fought in the war and received each of his scars.

He looks hot with scars. It's another reason I avoid looking at him. He's different from Eddie. Although, Eddie can be crushed like a soup can in Donovan's hands.

Donovan is more prominent than his brothers on the broad side. He may look menacing, like a large bear, but the way I see it, he's not scary at all.

He's an oversized teddy bear.

"He came home late because of his shift at work," He sniffs his plate and moans. "Nothing but a plate of bacon, eggs, sausage, and don't forget waffles to fill up my belly. Oh, speak of the devil, wearing nothing but his Batman briefs. Have respect, man; we have a child and ladies' presents."

I pinch my eyebrows together, turn my head, and let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Morning," my body twitches at Donovan's raspy morning voice. I look away, covering my face after what I saw and hiding the redness on my face.

"Donny, you need to put on some clothes. You're in front of a lady."

I get a glimpse of his body. I see everything, including his tattoos that cover both his arms and one side of his side. Mother said people with tattoos are violent and dangerous and that I should not interact with them. But I find Donovan's tribal marking fascinating and storytelling. I changed my perspective on people with tattoos.

Eddie doesn't have tattoos; what does it make him?

Effie clears her throat and glares her eyes at Seth. "Excuse me, what does that make me?"

"Sorry, ladies." He emphasizes the s on ladies. I giggle. Seth is the clown of the family. It always makes me laugh from his teasing and jokes. "Anyways, what do I hear about Disneyland?"

I watch Donovan take his seat next to me, and his closeness makes my body quiver, but I can respond to Seth. "Oh, um, Ares wants to take Leo to Disneyland."

"We should all go," Effie suggested. Look at Logan, who nods in agreement and then turns her eyes at me. "It's been a long time since we have gone. What do you say, C.J.?"

"Yeah, Mum," Leo says, trying to sound distraught. "Can we go, please?"

I sipped my coffee and glanced at my son's pleading puppy eyes. I couldn't resist the look. "Going there will be my first, and Leo seems excited about it. Why not?"

"Yay!" Leo surprised us with his cheer making us all smile and laugh. "We should go now!"

"Leo, sit down. We can't today, darling. Your aunts and uncles are working."

"Aw," he frowns.

"Hey, Leo," Donovan wiped his mouth with the paper towel. I cringed once he called my son's name and could feel my heart beating fast - waiting to see what would happen. "We have to work to make money. Without money, we can't have fun. We can't buy you the things that you want. Do you want to buy something at Disneyland?"

"No, not really," Leo replied. "My mum said it's better to save money than spend. That I shouldn't be spoiled. I buy what I need is important."

Leo is an intelligent boy. He always listens and remembers what to say and do, what is right and wrong.

Donovan reaches forward as I gasp silently, watching him playfully rub my son's head. "Great answer, buddy." Then he sat back down, letting my heart relax. "Yeah, we should save and not spend. People shouldn't be spoiled with how much money they have. Some aren't born rich, while others are earned by their parents. But we spend money on important things as well. It's okay if you want to spend worth buying for; don't exceed the limit, okay?"

"Okay," Leo flashed a smile at Donovan. It's been a long time since I've seen him smile like that.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and seeing. I got worried for nothing once Leo whined. Donovan didn't get angry or hit my son for his attitude. Instead, I spoke in a clear and short understanding for my son to keep in mind, and it worked. He's completely different from Eddie. When Leo wants something and whines about it, Eddie yells at him to shut up, and when my son cries, he hits him with the belt making him cry more.

Eddie would hit his son for a small, simple demand. But with Donovan, he smooths it with an explanation.

No hitting. No belt. No fist.