Chapter 296

Chapter 30 – Walter POV I had every right to feel the way I did, the anger I felt at my parents actions, was the only way I could react to them crossing so many of my boundaries. I didn’t want my children near anyone here, but it hurt more that I even had to do that. We were such a close family when I was growing up, I had my children and mate but nothing was how I thought it would be. When Nora had told me their names, Nicolas and Mattia, named after my great grandfather and grandfather on my mothers’ side of the family a whole new set of tears came up. Memories, trips and bonding moments I shared with my older brother Theo, dad, Nicolas and Matteo, twisted in my emotions now. Back then I knew without a doubt when I had kids we’d do the same things I did when I was a child. I wanted my children to have a close relationship with their family, who doesn’t want that? But now, I couldn’t even trust them not to hurt my own children, when they so brazenly hurt me. It didn’t please me to see the hurt in their eyes when I told them my children’s name, but I knew they were regretting their decisions, they had too. Nora wasn’t some random girl; she named our two children after people I loved greatly, based on memories I shared with her that I wouldn’t have shared had she not been important. The hurt I saw in my mothers eyes, told me she finally understood, maybe not completely but some part of her was finally seeing just how much pain I had been in since I came here. I walked away from my parents, not once looking back heading inside, and straight to our living quarters, “Nora?” I called out, “in the twins bathroom,” she said at a regular level. Going to them, I waited against the doorjamb watching her bathing our babies, hair wet and dripping, Cole and Tia looked the most alike then. Swinging her head to see me, splashing water Tia squealed, “Daddy,” her toothy smile washing away my ire. Entering I go to sit on the covered toilet seat, watching them, it really was still baffling to not know about them and see them so big already. I had missed so much that I wanted to be around them for everything, even after they were put to bed, I would sit in the chair in their room just watching them, learning their sleeping ways. Cole liked to sleep on his left side, sucking his thumb and when restless he’d cry if he pulled his own finger out of his mouth, whining until he put it back. Tia slept on her stomach the most, she sucked her thumb as well, but her legs were curled underneath her, butt up in the air. When they were awake, they were truly awake, climbing and playing with everything, but what I noticed was that Nora watched with new eyes just as I would, “We’ve been on the run for two years Walter… they nor I are used to them in this environment. Set nap times? Playing with other children? This is all new for them and I,” what she never really mentions is the fear and the hunger from not eating regularly. When I ask if the babies had enough food, she nods uncommitted. “Did you have a nice talk with your parents?” Nora asked softly, her back facing me, I just snort. Sighing she doesn’t ask about them again, until we’ve been the babies down for the night, the two of us going down and taking a few slices of pizza each then going back to our quarters. Eating, Nora picks up a piece of pizza, picking the pineapple chunks from her slice, “I think you should forgive them Walter,” her accent thick but lovely to my own ears. “W-what?” I choke around a mouthful of food, coughing, “Are you – no,” I shake my head, how could Nora even begin to consider forgiving my parents? “I understand their side,” she whispered with a shrug her brown eyes sad, “they took it too far, I understand that-” “And we’ve – you’ve ­– been struggling for the last two years,” I whispered harshly. “Exactly, but we’re on an island with them, when we see them what do you want me to do? Run inside with the children? Punish them – Tia and Cole? We’re taking away from them,” she uttered imploringly, her head shaking, as she took a bite. “So you want my parents to meet Tia and Cole?” I asked her straight out, taking a sip of water, as she sat quietly. She nodded, “Yeah… I know that they kidnapped you, but their reasons were sound, how they went about it, it can’t be undone. What is holding a grudge going to get you Walter?” “My father… he killed my mother… that is a reason to keep someone from our children. What your parents did… I would like to think we wouldn’t do something like that to our children, but my mother did that with me. We never stayed one place for too long, she would uproot me time after time again. For a while I hated it, I was angry with her because after a while I realized this wasn’t normal, dressing me, as a boy for most of my life wasn’t typical behavior. Then, I watched the reason we were running, kill my mother and I understood…” she swallowed her voice hoarse, “Before – everything I would say I was never going to have children or I was never going to live like my mother did, and guess what? That is all I’ve done Walter… for different reasons...” her eyes wet. “Tia has more ‘boy’ clothes than girls, more blues than pinks because they were cheaper, and I could dress Cole in them as well…” she shrugged, “I know it’s different I was a child and you were nineteen years old, but – but wouldn’t you do anything to protect Cole and Tia?” her words cutting me deeply, because I would do anything for them, for her now.