One Night Stand With My Husband’s Brother

Mackenzie tore her eyes away from Chase and Calista. She also found herself twirling her son’s hair with her index finger.

She stared outside the window, trying to keep all her thoughts in one place, but it was almost of no use.

“Would the kids be going to school tomorrow?” It was Chase’s voice that snapped her out of her reverie, the voice had always been strong enough to do many things to her.

She sniffed in and shook her head.

“No. They are…uhmm, actually on a break throughout this week.”

“I see. I have to be in the office tomorrow, and I will also need to go to the hospital for my father’s surgery.” Chase replied. He did not sound furious or ice cold anymore, but Mackenzie knew better than to make any assumptions.

“Should I bring them to the hospital tomorrow?”

Chase looked down at sleeping Calista. His heart danced to the rhythm of her slow breaths.

“You don’t need to do that. I would like for them to be away from the public eye for now. They might be in danger, with how the news broke out. I…I would send some security details to be on standby at all times.” Chase reclined into the leather seat.

“I would have loved for them to come to my place, but I know I can’t be there all the time. After my father’s surgery, we can discuss the legal matters.”

Legal matters.

Her heart started to sink into her chest once it realized it couldn’t jump out.

She squeezed the hem of her dress and closed her eyes firmly, allowing a short and sharp sigh escape her throat.

Did she really think she could eat her cake and still have it?

They arrived at the house soon enough. Chase still held Calista in his arms, while Mackenzie held Cameron. She tried to reach for Calista, but Chase corked his right brow at her, as though asking her what she was doing.

“I need take them in and put them to bed.” She said, without looking at him.

He scoffed. She couldn’t tell his mood, she really wished she could.

“No. I’ll tuck them in today.”

Mackenzie did not argue with him, there was no need to. She stepped out of the car with Cameron and started her journey towards the door. Cameron opened his eyes halfway, and the little boy looked to find his mother holding him.

Cameron frowned, his brows squinted at his mother.

“Where is daddy, mummy? Did he go again?”

Chase, who was behind them, wanted nothing more than to reach for his son, hold him tight and swear that he would never go anywhere ever again.

“I’m here big boy!” Chase called out instead. Cameron’s eyes widened on seeing him. The boy’s frown dissolved into a smile, showing off his beautiful dentition.

The sound of Chase’s voice must have woken Calista up. She turned her head left and right, before flicking her eyes open. Her feeble arms went around Chase’s neck, and she buried her right cheek into the skin of his neck.

“Please don’t go anywhere daddy.” She mumbled.

“I’m here, sweetie. I’m not going anywhere.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead and continued his journey to the front door.

Mackenzie pressed the bell just once, before turning the knob open. She stepped into the living room first, making way for Chase, and closed the door behind them.

The aroma of steaming hot and fresh apple pie graced all their nostrils at once. The scent was coming from somewhere in the house, Chase could tell.

The living room was small, almost the size of his walk-in closet. There were many doors around them, each he knew led to somewhere in the house.

One of the doors opened, and Charlotte and Felicity stepped out of it.

“Who could be…?” Charlotte’s sentence hung midair. Her jaw almost dropped to the ground when she saw Chase holding onto Calista.

Felicity was not left out of the surprise.

They stared at Chase as though he had fallen from the sky, like they were looking at his ghost and not him.

“Charlotte, could you take Cameron inside please?” Mackenzie called out, pulling her friends out of their trance.

Charlotte jerked up at the mention of her name and forced a nervous smile.

“Oh! Hi, Mr. Chase. I’ll just get little Calista over here. Felicity, could you get Cameron?”

“Sure, sure, why not?”

Both women turned to Mackenzie and shot her questioning glares. To her earnest surprise, Mackenzie blushed. Charlotte and Felicity took Calista and Cameron into the house.

Chase and Mackenzie followed them behind. Chase took his time to drink in the sight of the small apartment. Despite the size, it was neat, cosy and comfortable. He had to give Mackenzie and her friends credit for that.

The children’s bedroom was almost as big as the sitting room.

Calista looked at her father with pride in her eyes as she spoke.

“Daddy, would you want to look at my paintings?”

Chase narrowed his eyes on her.

“Paintings? You paint?”

“Yes!” She smiled, throwing both her hands into the air.

“Did mummy not tell you about them?”

Apparently, she didn’t tell him anything.

He forced a smile and smacked the back of his head with his right hand.

“Oh! Silly me, I forgot.”

Calista shook her head and laughed, and Chase joined in with a nervous one of his own.

“Well, there they are.” Calista called out, pointing to the top of the wall beside her bed.

Chase’s gaze travelled to the pictures on the wall. The first was one of her puppy, drawn and painted with so much talent. He would have never believed it was the work four-year-old if he did not know better.

But he did, and he knew that his child possessed impeccable talent.

From her puppy, to a gold fish, them a scary looking shark. Calista took her father on a tour around her side of the room, and all her works of art on display. Chase continued to smile from ear to ear. To say he was proud would be an understatement.

“Daddy, you can take a look at my baseball gear too!”

Mackenzie laughed as Cameron called for his father’s attention. It was obvious the boy did not want to be left behind.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Chase found the jersey and ball tossed in a corner by the side of his bed. He immediately tilted his neck to glance at Mackenzie.

“Cameron plays baseball?”

“Yeah, he does, and…”

“But mummy doesn’t come to my games. No one ever comes to my games, because mum is always busy at work.”

Chase’s glance turned into a stare, an angry stare. He rolled his fists into balls at his sides, and sucked in a deep breath, anything to hide his annoyance, which was slowly brewing in the pit of his stomach again.

Mackenzie, knowing it was only a matter of time until her knees buckled under Chase’s stare, had to think of a way to lighten the mood. She moved to her pouting son, lowered herself and kissed his cheek, ignoring Chase’s glare.

“Okay! It’s time to brush our teeth, take a shower, and get ready for bed!” Mackenzie was excited, or she tried to be, but her son did not share in his sentiment.

He wriggled out of his mother’s hold and stamped his feet on the ground, folding his arms underneath his chest in a stubborn and defiant stance. It was obviously something his father could do.

“No, mummy. I don’t want to get to bed!”

Mackenzie let out a helpless sigh. She parted her lips to speak, but Chase was faster.

“Say, how about you get ready for the night and then, you can tell me all about your baseball games?”

Now that seemed like something Cameron was interested in.

With wide eyes, his cheeks spread out in a very broad smile.

“Really daddy?”

“Yes.”

“And I can tell you about all my paintings too?” Calista was squeezing his hand now. Felicity and Charlotte stood at a corner of the room, smiling. Even though they still had a lot of unanswered questions.

“Sure, yes.” Chase replied.

Mackenzie managed a smile at him, grateful for his help. The children could be a handful sometimes.

She took out their pyjamas, undressed them and led them into the bathroom. Chase tried to step in with them, but the size of the bathroom forced him to lean against the door frame.

Everything in the house seemed to be three sizes too small.

“Where would you sleep tonight, daddy? In Cameron’s bed?” Calista asked him. Mackenzie poured some water on her head, and she giggled.

Chase’s heart soared with love.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it. Daddy’s going to be just fine.”

Chase Axford watched his twins with all the love in his heart. They were the most adorable beings he had ever seen. Mackenzie finished bathing them, and Chase offered to help get Cameron dressed. Calista had fallen asleep halfway through the bath, and Mackenzie had to take extra caution not to wake her up.

She had not wanted to fall asleep, he could see her struggle to fight it, but after he kissed her forehead and promised to return the next day with a lot of stories, books and paints and brush, young Calista’s mind was put at ease. After jumping with excitement, she had managed to fall asleep. As he watched Mackenzie put them to sleep in their various beds, Chase could barely take his eyes off them.

At that moment, Chase knew deep in his heart, that he would do anything to protect them, it did not matter what he would have to sacrifice, he would give it up in a heartbeat.