Consequences Series Book 3

“Stop crying. It really doesn’t hurt,” eight-year-old Aiden said, trying to reassure his best friend, Andy, who was sobbing in the chair next to him.

“Okay, what did you do this time, kiddo?” Elliot asked, chuckling as he walked into his surgery and saw his son cradling his arm, while Andy sobbed beside him.

“We were playing in the woods, and I fell on my arm,” Aiden explained. His pale-blue eyes—mirror images of his father’s—looked up at Elliot. Despite the pain in his arm, Aiden hadn’t shed a single tear since he arrived, knowing that his tears would only upset Andy more.

“All right, let me take a look,” Elliot said, sitting down next to his son. He gently lifted Aiden’s arm, moving it slightly, causing Aiden to hiss in pain.

“Well, it’s not broken, just sprained. I’ll put a sling on it, and you’ll be as good as new. Your daddy was really worried about you,” Elliot reassured him, beginning to secure the sling around his son’s small neck. “See, Andy? He’s fine,” Elliot said, ruffling Andy’s hair, but Andy continued to sob, his deep-blue eyes fixed on Aiden.

“Is he okay? Oh my goodness, my baby,” Charles exclaimed as he walked into the surgery, cradling his large belly and trying not to move too quickly.

“He’s fine, just a sprain,” Elliot reassured him, planting a kiss on the side of Charles’s head.

“Just a sprain! He could’ve lost his arm!” Charles protested, his voice not exactly quiet, causing Elliot to smirk. Charles had always been overly protective of their children.

“Daddy, I’m really fine,” Aiden said, smiling at his parents.

“It’s all my fault. I wanted to chase the bunny and didn’t see the slope. Aiden caught my arm and pushed me out of the way, but he ended up falling,” Andy confessed through his sobs.

“Shh. It’s not your fault, darling,” Charles comforted him, sitting down next to Andy and rubbing his back, seeing how guilty Andy felt. As he soothed a crying Andy, he looked up and shared a smile with his mate, Elliot, who wore the same expression, seeing how their son behaved around Andy.

Elliot knew his son was too young to understand why he was so protective of Andy and why he was willing to get hurt to keep Andy safe. Charles also smiled, remembering the first time he’d taken Aiden to see the twins, who had just turned three at the time.

He’d known instantly when he saw how his son had looked at Andy and tilted his head as he watched the toddler run around and chase his twin brother. That entire night, Aiden had just watched Andy from his father’s lap, and when Charles had asked if he wanted to play with Andy, Aiden had just shaken his head, but he’d never taken his eyes off the blue-eyed boy.

As they grew older, they became inseparable, and their parents knew exactly why, even when the two children were oblivious to it. It was as clear as daylight, but the adults left the children to discover it themselves.

In the midst of Andy’s sobs, Drew walked in and took his son into his arms, soothing the sobbing boy. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault,” he said, rubbing his son’s back.

Among his sons, Andy had always been more sensitive and softer than his brother. Growing up, he would always cry when he was upset or sad about something, whereas his brother would go into a rage fit and break the first thing he saw or end up throwing everything around.

“How about I take you guys for ice cream? That’ll cheer you up, right?” he suggested, wiping away his son’s tears.

“Can Aiden come too?” Andy asked in a tiny voice.

“Of course he can,” Drew reassured him, watching as Andy hopped off the chair and walked over to the bed where Aiden was sitting.

Andy held out his hand and smiled when Aiden took it and hopped off the bed. They walked to the door where Hunter was standing, holding a sleeping Andrew in his arms, and he smiled at the two before walking out with them.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let them run off to play on their own,” Drew apologized, turning to face Elliot and Charles.

“They’re kids. They’re bound to get hurt at some point,” Elliot said, pulling out a chair for Charles to sit down.

“How is Hunter holding up?” Charles asked, rubbing his palms against his belly.

“He’s fine, just complaining about the nausea, and that he feels too cooped up in the house,” Drew said, chuckling.

Hunter was now four months pregnant with their third child, and unlike his pregnancy with the twins, his fatigue and nausea were worse, resulting in him having to stay in the house because he fainted a lot.

“Imagine that, we’re pregnant together yet again,” Charles said, laughing.

“Well, I should go before he starts yelling. He said he wanted to take the kids for ice cream when I’m one hundred percent sure he’s the one that wants it,” Drew said, laughing as he said goodbye and walked to the car. He got into the driver’s seat since Hunter was sitting in the passenger seat, still holding Andrew while he slept.