Chapter 199

Cassie

I had just climbed into bed when I heard their feet approaching. Tiny little footsteps that tried to be stealthy but failed delightfully.

"Mama?" Two curly dark heads poked around the door, wearing identical apprehensive but cheeky looks on their sweet faces.

"Hey babies." Letting out a sigh of relief I opened my arms wide in welcome. Laughing, they bounded on to the bed and into my arms. "Come here." Smothering their little faces with kisses I finally felt at peace again. What had just happened with their dad wasn't ideal , but then again nothing in our life was perfect. Apart from these two little angels.

"Are you mad at us?" Niall asked in the smallest voice I had ever heard.

Hesitating, I turned to look at him, my arm tightening. "Of course not. Why would you think I would be?" Smoothing my fingers into his hair and held his face to my chest.

"Papa said we did something wrong." Noah mumbled. "And last time Niall scratched the blonde lady and-"

I pulled him into me as well. Holding them both as tightly as I could without hurting them.

"She was so mad, that he got sent to bed without any dinner."

Slowly I looked at each one of them in turn, keeping my eyes soft even when the rage was rumbling through me. It didn't take a genius to know who he meant by the blonde lady.

Megan.

Julian had brought that viper into their lives. Even after everything she had done when they were inside my stomach he had done that. Goddess knew what kind of horrible and evil things she had done since, probably behind his back.

"Is the blonde lady kind to you?" I asked , forcing myself to stay calm.

The twins shrugged in unison.

"We don't see her much." Noah said.

"She's papas friend, not ours." Niall added quickly. "I don't think she likes us much. When she gave me a needle, she made me cry."

He sounded so upset that I wanted to rush off and kill her with my own hands. Something I should have done long ago but couldn't now.

"Did papa punish you today?" I asked instead, changing the subject. "Did you both eat?" I searched their faces.

If he had withheld food then I would kill Julian because what kind of father did that? Punish his sons when they couldn't control the changes happening in their bodies. Changes that had happened so early.

"We weren't allowed cake."

Letting out a sigh of relief I began to laugh. "Well that's not too bad but-"

An idea was forming in my head. One that would make me happy and my children happy at the same time and one which might just piss off my husband at the same time.

Which in my opinion was a win-win situation.

"Do you want to sleep in here with mummy tonight?"

Two pairs of blue eyes locked on me. Niall looked unsure. "Papa doesn't allow us -"

He sounded so formal. So much like his father apart from the uncertainty.

"Papa won't be sleeping in here tonight," I said with a smile. "Just me , you and Noah. We can have a little sleepover, watch any movie you want. Within reason." I added quickly, seeing the look that passed between them.

"With snacks?" Noah asked , his face lifted and his eyes glittered with excitement. Again I couldn't help but laugh.

"All the snacks." I ruffled his hair playfully. "Popcorn, and candy."

Niall frowned. In the time since I had been awake I had learnt a lot about my boys personality. Niall was the sensible one, the sensitive one who liked to follow rules. Noah wasn't fussed about rules at all, and he protected his brother with a ferociousness that was almost scary.

"But not cake." Bending down I kissed Nialls dark curls. "Because Papa said no to cake." I winked at Noah who didn't even bother to stifle his giggle.

"I'll sneak down to the kitchen and get us some yummy supplies, you two go and get what you need from your room and we will meet back here in-" I theatrically looked at my wrists. Tapping it. "In five minutes."

"Silly mummy." Noah scrambled up to wrap his arm arms around my neck and kiss my cheek.  "You don't have an arm clock."

Laughter erupted out of my lips before I could stop it. "Arm clock. You silly pup. Do you mean a watch."

"I knew it was a watch." Niall preened.

"We are wasting time, let's go. Whoever is back in the big bed last has to-" I didn't get to finish as the boys bounded away. Their high pitched laughter echoing around the empty halls.

I was much slower moving so when I finally reached the bedroom, with a full tray of goodies and a bottle of pop under my arm, they were already under the blankets and the tv was blaring at twice the usual volume.

"We win." Noah clapped his hands.

"Yes you did." I climbed carefully in between them , so I had one of my babies on either side and settled the tray on my lap carefully.

"I like this." Niall said as he cuddled into my side.

"Yes we do." Noah said as he did the same. "We like an awake mummy more than sleeping one." He lifted his face to search my face. "If you promise." He held out his pinky finger, "to not go away again then I'll let you win every race."

"Yes." Niall nodded his head. "Every single one."

I looped my little fingers around each one of theirs and promised. "I don't need you to let me win because I am never going to leave you. Either of you ever again." I vowed.

Almost instantly they relaxed against me and we settled into watching some movie about monsters that they had chosen.

I didn't watch it though, I watched them. Memorising the expressions of excitement and wonder on their faces and locking it away in my heart.

Never leaving them was a promise I would never break, it didn't matter if they beat me at every race or every fight for the rest of their lives because I was the real winner here.

With them finally in my arms, I was the winner.