The Phone Call

Chapter 6

"What are you doing here?" Uncle asked as the Blackbourne Toma team walked into Veronica's room the following morning.

"We wanted to see Vera and the babies if it was okay with her," North said nervously.

"No," Uncle shook his head.

"It's okay Uncle," Veronica said softly. "They are their fathers after all. It's not fair to punish the girls for something their fathers did. Every girl deserves to have their fathers in their lives." She took a breath and slowly let it out. "Them spending a few moments with the girls doesn't mean I forgive them or that we are going to have a relationship again or even that we will be friends again. We can still allow them to spend time with the girls without being together. We can, what was it you said?"

"Co-parent," Uncle said and she nodded. "Fine you can hold Asteria and Selene before we leave."

"We still need to get things for your place, Uncle," Veronica said. "I appreciate you letting me stay with you until I can get a place. I'm close to having enough for an apartment."

"Don't you worry about that, Little One," Uncle shook his head. "I refuse for you to stay at a hotel. Especially now. If I had known where you were, you little ghost, you never would have been in a hotel in the first place. But anyway," he patted her knee, "you don't have to worry about anything. The guys brought things by last night and set things up for you and the girls."

"Really?" She asked shocked.

"Yes," Gabe nodded. "We wanted to make sure you had everything you needed for you and the girls."

"Thank you," She said while still trying to process that information.

"You are welcome," Owen nodded. "Do you know?"

"I gave Momma permission to run tests," She shook her head. "She will have the results later but—"

"It won't change anything," Axel shook his head. "We are all the fathers, genetics or not."

"Okay," She whispered as she shifted uncomfortably.

"Who is going to help while you are working?" North asked Uncle. "We can take time off."

"No," Uncle shook his head. "I already have it taken care of."

"You want some stranger around Vera and the girls when we can help?" Luke asked.

"Jessica is some stranger?" Erica asked as she walked into the room.

"What?" Kota asked and Erica nodded.

"Since it's summer time she doesn't have school so she was more than excited to stay with Ben and Vera while Ben is working to help Vera heal and care for the girls. It gives me ease of mind that she isn't alone so much while I'm working, and Jess has already been talking about taking nursing and midwife classes so it will be educational for her as well. So no stranger will be around Vera and the girls."

"We can help also," Axel said softly. "They are our daughters after all."

"We will see," Uncle said as he handed some paperwork to Vera, "this is the girls' information and your copy of their birth certificates, proof of filling out the forms to get their social security cards, all sort of stuff you don't need to worry about right now. Do you want me to hold onto it for you?"

"Please," she smiled softly at him.

"You got it, Little One," he smiled, "I'll put it in my safe when we get home."

The girls started crying and the boys looked at Erica worried who just chuckled. "Out, Mommy needs to feed the girls."

The boys stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall. "Thank you for letting us hold them," Nathan told Uncle.

"It wasn't me," he shook his head. "If it were up to me, you wouldn't be allowed near them right now." He sighed, "but she does have a point. You are the girls' fathers so you need to be in their lives but you have to earn it. That stunt you pulled—"

"We were utterly stupid and foolish," Owen shook his head. "Once we calmed down we tried finding her, but she used our tricks against us, and rightly so. We just want the chance to show her that we understand what she was trying to say then and we understand now. We want to let her know we would like to be a family again and not just because of the girls but because she is our queen. We are very sorry for how we acted back then. We will do whatever we have to get back in her life and now in the lives of our daughters."

"We will see about that," Uncle said as he glared at them. "Just remember if you miss some sort of milestone it will be your own fault. Everything will be on her terms."

They nodded and said in unison, "we are willing and will obey."