Chapter 4

"Mommy!"

The kids scrambled into my arms, giggling uncontrollably.

Amidst their sweet laughter, the anger on James's face froze.

"Emily... whose kids are these?"

His eyes widened as he scanned their faces, searching for any detail that didn't look like me.

"Did you adopt them?"

The kids didn't like that.

My son, Mason, puffed out his chest.

"You're the one who's adopted! Your whole family is adopted!"

My daughter, Mia, pouted and wrapped her arms tighter around my neck.

"Mommy, who is this weird mister?"

Kids speak the brutal truth.

The color drained from James's face. Even his lips began to tremble.

"You... got married? You have kids?"

I smiled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Mia's ear. "Yes. Twins. I inherited my mother's twin genes."

"And their father is..."

"None of your business."

I kept it short. Then, I gently nudged the two clingy kids forward.

"This is... someone Mommy used to know."

"Hello, mister!"

Though a bit reluctant, the kids greeted James politely.

James instinctively reached into his pockets, probably looking for some cash or gifts to give them.

But he realized his tailored suit didn't have any suitable pockets.

Awkward and out of his depth around children, he could only watch dumbfoundedly as they vied for my attention.

"Mommy, I learned how to make my bed today! My teacher praised me!"

"I helped the teacher wipe the blackboard! I'm better than Mia!"

"Mommy, what are we having for dinner?"

"Roast chicken! Daddy promised we'd get roast chicken!"

I patiently answered each of them, the faint lines around my eyes softening with their laughter.

James looked down, his long eyelashes casting shadows over his eyes. This domestic warmth seemed to cut him like a knife.

"Emily," he breathed, "you used to hate noise. You had such sensitive ears."

"Remember? I promised you we'd never have kids because I didn't want you to be stressed."

The kids were currently fighting to stuff their leftover candies into my mouth.

With my cheeks stuffed, I looked up blankly, trying to recall.

"Did you? I don't really remember."

"My husband and I love kids. Honestly, if pregnancy wasn't so exhausting, he'd probably want a third."

With that, I happily kissed both of my children on the cheeks.

James swayed slightly. Before he could speak, his phone buzzed.

It was a large folding phone.

I caught a glimpse of the caller ID on the screen.

[Wifey ❤️]

Isabella's shrill voice came through the speaker, complaining about something.

James frowned, his tone laced with annoyance.

"I know, I know. I'm coming home. You're an adult, how can you not handle this..."

He said he was leaving, but his feet remained glued to the floor.

I gave him a polite smile.

"Mr. Harrington, it looks like it's going to rain. You should head home."

"And if you want to get that tattoo removed, make sure you find a professional studio."

James muttered a quick response, took one last lingering look at me, and hurried out to his car.

I let out a sigh of relief and sent the kids to the back room to play with blocks.

Then I noticed he had slipped the black card onto the counter anyway.

I scratched my head in annoyance.

With no other choice, I locked up the shop after closing and walked over to the Werewolf Council office.

"A client named James Harrington left his card at my shop. Could you return it to him? I don't have his contact info."