Captivated Desires

09

He nodded to me as I told him to remember about my appointment, and he sighed quietly. "I will. I could never forget something this important. Just take care of yourself until I get home. Call me if you need me for anything at all." he mumbled, still holding Levi in his arms.

After getting ready I drove with Lion over to Azar's place. I parked outside and I held Lion's hand as we walked to their house. Azar was sitting on his balcony when he saw me walking up to his house, his kids were at their grandmother's house for the night, so it was just him and his wife Olympia. He walked to the front door and opened it.

"I thought the kids were here," I chuckled softly as I rubbed Lion's hand.

"They're at their grandmother's," he said with a smile. He stepped aside to let me and Lion inside the house, "Come in."

I walked inside as Lion ran to hug Azar. Azar chuckled and rubbed Lion's head. "Hey little dude, how are you?" He asked with a smile.

"He's not good, he thinks his dad doesn't like being around him since Levi takes his attention a lot," I said to him.

"Why do you think that?" He asked looking at Lion, a look of genuine concern on his face.

Lion cuddles into me "I don't know," I replied.

He knelt so he was at eye level with Lion, "Why don't we go get you some ice cream?" He offered. He knew how to handle kids, he was good with them, plus he could empathize with Lion since he knew first-hand what it was like to not get any proper parental attention.

Lion slowly nodded. He smiled and patted his head. "Good. Now why don't you wait on the couch while I go talk to your mom for a minute?" He suggested.

Lion walked to the couch. Azar stood back up and turned to me, "Can we talk outside for a minute?" He asked.

"Yeah sure," I replied as I followed him.

He went out to the balcony and held the door open for me, "Come sit," he said as he sat down on the chair, patting the seat of the empty one right next to his. I sat down next to him.

He sat in silence for a moment, trying to figure out how to word what he was going to say. He spoke after a few seconds, "How has Reign been treating you and the kids?" He asked.

"Amazingly, he's just the best. Always has been," I told him softly.

He nodded and looked out into the distance for a moment before looking back at me. "But I imagine he has a soft spot for Levi since he's the youngest, right?"

"It's not that, Lion is a mama's boy. Levi is a daddy's boy,".

That made sense. "Are you worried about how it will change once the baby girl arrives?" He asked.

"Oh not at all, Lion and Levi are both excited even Reign," I said gently.

Azar smiled, he knew how much Reign loved his family, and he also knew he was a fantastic father. "Then why does Lion think he's not going to get enough attention?"

"You know what it is like being the oldest," I said gently.

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, I do," he looked down for a moment then looked back up at me. "Has Reign been helping you around the house? Making you feel loved?"

"Yes Azar, you know he isn't like his mother,".

He smiled. "I know I just," He sighed and looked out into the distance again. He was concerned for me like he was for any of his friends. He never had many friends, not till Reign, so he was fiercely protective of them. "I just worry,".

"You're a good friend, you're a brother to him,".

"Yeah, and he's a brother to me." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I don't know what I'd do if something bad happened to any of you. Especially you."

"Awe are you being soft?"

"Hey! I'm not soft, I have a reputation to maintain for being an evil villain." His words were followed by him trying his best to give me a vicious glare, though it was a rather lousy attempt.

"Mhmm sure," I teased.

"I'm being serious!" He said crossing his arms and huffing. Though the corners of the mouth turned up in a smirk. "You think you're so sneaky don't you," he said in a playful and mocking tone of voice. "Getting me to open up like a flower."

"That was all you, not me," I smiled.

He rolled his eyes. "You're so impossible sometimes you know that?" Despite the playful look on his face, he couldn't stop smiling.

He leaned back in his chair. "How are you feeling? You look tired." He asked now taking a concerned tone.

"My nausea is back. Last night Lion woke up from a bad dream and then Levi noticed his brother was not in his room and cried, so we had both of the boys in our bed last night," I replied gently as I rubbed my baby bump.

He nodded slowly as I explained what happened. "You're a good mom. You know that, right?"

I smiled gently "You think that?"

He nodded. "I do and so does Reign. You've sacrificed so much just so your family can be happy and safe. So yes, you're a damn good mom." He said sincerely.

"Thank you that means a lot to me," I replied gently.

He smiled and nodded. "Just being honest. You've always been a good mom, even when Lion was first born, you worked hard to give him a good life. You could have left Reign, but you stayed and continued to love him and help build a family. That's how I know you're a good mom. Even now, when you're tired and probably not fully healed from having Levi, you still don't complain and you care for your family."

"So does Olympia to you and your kids," I said to him.

His smile widened as he thought about his wife. "She's been through a lot because of me, but she's always stayed by my side, no matter what. She's a good woman," he said quietly, more to himself than to me.