Autumn Feast - Charlie Richards Page 0,28
were red, probably with anger.
“Phoenix ordered Hetty and Adrianna to his office while Viktor went and talked to the lady from child service. Nothing could’ve kept him from protecting Devin and his grandkids. Ours, I mean, though I still think I’m too young to be a gramps at twenty-six.” Shea rubbed Noah’s tiny back in circles, pushed his nose against the baby’s neck, and breathed deeply.
“Will Phoenix give her the boot or not?” Kirill asked.
“I sure hope so,” a gruff voice said.
Andrei looked up to find Devin in the doorway. He held Tommy’s hand, and Beth was perched on his hip. Beth was a month older than Shea’s triplets, and when she saw Georgia, she squealed and stretched her arms in her direction. “Dada!”
“What is it, sweetie?” Stefan came up behind Devin, looking out of breath. He held a car seat with a sleeping baby. “Oh, hey guys.” He gave a wave when he saw them. “Andrei. Didn’t know you were here.”
Kirill stood and relieved Devin of Beth. “Spontaneous idea. Tommy, do you want to come play with your sister and Georgia?” When the boy nodded enthusiastically and let go of his father’s hand, Kirill took both kids to the rug. He sat Beth beside Georgia.
Georgia laughed and offered one of her blocks. “Bet.”
Stefan flopped down beside Andrei on the sofa, placing the car seat between his feet. “It’s good to see you.” He bent over and freed his son from the seat. He lifted the baby against his chest and kissed his head. The boy shuffled and yawned, blinking his blue eyes open.
“Hey, little Dimitri.” Andrei softly touched Dimitri’s cheek. “Shea’s telling me about your trouble with Adrianna. Anything I can do to help?”
Stefan’s features darkened. “She totally fu... dged up her chances to ever spend time with her grandkids. I’ll never let her near my family after the stunt she pulled. Phoenix is dealing with her.”
“Understandable,” Kirill said. “She won’t be invited to the baby shower.”
Andrei frowned. “The what?”
Kirill waved his hand. “Ask Haley.” He returned his attention back to Devin, who sat in an armchair, and the two chatted quietly.
Andrei met Stefan’s gaze. “I’m sorry she’s causing so much trouble.”
Stefan grinned. “Let’s switch children. You can use the practice. It’ll be a while before you have to worry about teething and tantrums.”
It took a bit of careful juggling, but Andrei and Stefan managed to relocate Tara to his lap and Dimitri into Andrei’s arms. “He’s so tiny.” He kissed the boy’s fingers when he reached for Andrei’s beard. Dimitri had been born a month ago. Andrei loved his sweet baby scent and nuzzled his surprisingly thick blond hair. Dimitri grunted and ruffled his tiny fingers through Andrei’s beard. “And quite the charmer.”
“Just like his dad,” Stefan said, a warm smile on his face.
“Papa.” Tommy came running and stopped beside the sofa. He placed his hands on Stefan’s thigh and bounced on his toes. “Daddy said Uncle Andrei and Uncle Kirill will have a baby soon. Can we go and see it?”
Stefan laughed. “In another month, yes.” He focused on Andrei. “How’s Mary?”
“Not half as nervous as Kirill and me. Here...” Andrei peeled the picture from his pocket and held it up for Stefan. “Our baby.” He grinned when Tommy craned his neck and handed the boy the picture.
Tommy’s eyes widened. “Looks like the pictures of Beth and Dimi on the fridge. Is it a boy or a girl?” He crawled on the couch between Andrei and Stefan, dangling his legs.
“We don’t know.” Andrei winced when Dimitri tried to stab his eye with a tiny finger. He placed his hand gently around the tyke’s hand. “It’s a surprise.”
Tommy grinned up at him. “You need cake when the baby comes. We had cake for Dimi.” His head suddenly snapped around, then he shouted and jumped off the couch. “Pappy!”
Viktor stopped in the doorway, went down to one knee, and opened his arms. Tommy flung himself at him. Laughing, Viktor stood and whirled the boy around. “Hey Tommy.”
“Can we go out and play with your bear, Pappy?”
Andrei leaned toward Shea and muttered, “What does he call you?”
“Sheppy.” Shea rolled his eyes. “It’s kinda cute. We’re the first grandparents to really pay attention to him. Hey, how about you all stay for dinner?” Shea’s eyes sparkled. “It’s not often we have the whole family under one roof. I want to feed and spoil you.”
Viktor walked over and leaned down to kiss Shea on the lips, Tommy still clinging to him like