Chapter Five

Karl

"Can we play this board game?" Georgi handed me a box and sat. "I want to be green."

"Sure, buddy." I set up the game and read the rules. "Have you played this before?"

"Nope." Georgi sipped his fruit punch and set the cup down on the table. "Have you?"

"Nope." I moved his glass farther from the table's edge and handed him game pieces. "But it sounds easy enough. Should we ask your papa if he wants to play too?"

"He seems tired. Let's tell him to take a nap."

"Hey," Peter said, coming over to the table with his fists on his waist. "I'm too old to be told to take naps."

"No. He's right." I grinned at my adorable but exhausted-looking mate. "Go take a nap. You have been working hard to make this place seem like a home for the last few weeks, plus helping at the daycare center. Go on, get some rest, and we'll be fine here playing."

"I'm fine." Peter tried to convince us but was foiled by the huge yawn that followed those words.

"Papa, go to bed." Georgi stared up at Peter with his big brown eyes. "You need the rest."

"Fine." Peter leaned down and kissed us both on the forehead. "You guys are in charge of dinner, then."

"Deal." I clasped his hand and pulled him down for a real kiss on the lips. "I'll order some pizzas."

"And wings." Peter got up from my lap and walked out of the room, leaving Georgi and me alone in the living room.

"So, are you ready to beat me at this game?" I smiled at Georgi, who was studying the rules once more.

"Let's go."

And beat me, he did. I swore that kid was born a genius and knew all the tricks to winning games. There hadn't been a game yet that I had pretty much won against him when we had been hiding out at the training center.

"Do you win against all the kids at the center, too?" I started putting all the game pieces away while Georgi looked for a new game to play.

"No, they are pretty good. Sometimes we tie." From what I knew about the newer generation of kids being born, it didn't surprise me. "I hope we can always stay here."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what to say. My position at GSC was not near the training center, so eventually, we would have to move. "Well, I'm unsure where we will be in the future, but I'm sure wherever we go, you will be happy and make many friends."

Georgi stayed quiet for a few minutes while I placed an order for dinner with the front gate officer who would send a few trainees out to grab our grub. The perks of staying here while in hiding was that the training center would allow us to borrow the trainees to run errands we couldn't do ourselves.

"I'm going to color in my room for a bit, okay?"

"You, sure? You can color out here, buddy."

"I know." Georgi shrugged.

"Okay. I'll call you when the pizza gets here."

Georgi left the room, and I sat on the couch. Should I have told him we would stay here? Should I have just not said anything? I'd have to talk to Peter and make sure I didn't screw up.

Pulling out my phone, I called my brother Kenton.

"How do I know if I'm doing this parenting thing right?"

"Are you doubting yourself every ten minutes?" Kenton typed back.

"Yeah."

"Are you always thinking about little dude's health and happiness? Even if it means you might need to sacrifice something to make it happen?"

"Yeah."

"And are you proud of even the smallest thing he does and want to cheer him on like the loudest cheerleader?"

"Pretty much."

"Then I would like to welcome you to parenthood. Some say it's an eighteen-year sentence, but I have found it to be for life. It is the best and scariest time of your life simultaneously. And if you think you are doing something wrong, you probably are doing something right because the ones doing the worst have no clue or don't care." Kenton had six young ones, so I trusted he knew what he was discussing.

"How are my nieces and nephews?"

"They are fine. Missing Uncle Karl and begging me to make your visit. When will we be meeting the new family?"

"Soon, I hope. I must work some things out in case first. But soon."

"Good. I miss my baby brother."

"Miss you too, big brother."

Disconnecting the call, I relaxed back on the couch.

"What are you smiling about?" Peter plopped down on the couch beside me and laid his head on my shoulder. "Why do I feel more exhausted after the nap?"

"Are you sure you aren't coming down with something?" I placed my hand on his forehead, checking for a fever. "Perhaps we should see the doctor at the training center this week."

"If I don't feel better tomorrow, I will. I promise." Peter grabbed my hand and interlaced our fingers.

"I was just speaking with my brother." I checked my phone to see if the pizza was almost there. "I ordered dinner, and it should be here in about ten minutes."

"Good. I'm starving. How's your brother?"

"He's doing well. He and the kids miss me and can't wait to meet you and Georgi."

"I know. I wish we could do that soon."

"We will." I took a deep breath and decided to tell Peter about what was bothering me. "Georgi said he wants to stay here forever. He loves the training center and his friends."

"I know. I keep telling him we can't know the future." Peter sighed. "What did you say?"

"Basically, the same. But then he got super quiet and said he wanted to go color alone in his room before dinner."

"He does that. It gives him time to reflect on his feelings and thoughts. It's how he processes. If he needs us, he will find us. If I push myself on him during those times, he strikes out or goes into himself. So, I learned to let him go get the alone time he needs, and if he needs to talk more about a situation afterward, we can readdress it after he's had that time."

"Makes sense. I was afraid I broke him. That's why I texted my brother."

"Half the time, you can feel like that, but then other times, you see how brightly they shine, and you know it's partly because you support them the way you do so they won't go dim."

"I just want to be a good stepfather." I leaned back and closed my eyes, feeling a bit emotional.

"And you are, trust me."

Ding Dong.

"Pizza time." I stood and walked toward the door. "That was the quickest thirty minutes."

"Do you need help bringing the food in?" Karl followed and stood by as I opened the door.

I took the pizza boxes and handed them to him before taking the wings and soda bottles from the trainee delivering our food. "Thanks. I put the tip on the card. Have a great night."

"I haven't eaten from this place before." Karl set the boxes on the kitchen counter and pulled out three plates. "Did the security gate give them a hard time?"

"Nah." I filled our glasses with lemon-lime soda and took them to the kitchen table. "I called them ahead of time and let them know. And the front gate texted me when they put the guy through the checks."

"Good to know they even checked the delivery guy. Has there been any news lately about Alessandro?"

"Nothing major. He did have a couple of private investigators looking for you, and he did receive the divorce papers. Everything on his end seems quiet, however. We are still watching though. Hopefully, he will sign them and not fight the custody section, giving you full custody. I was surprised that it didn't cause him to spiral, honestly."

"Am I naive for hoping the sweet boy I fell in love with is fighting the hard man he became, and that's why?"

"Maybe." I kissed Peter and hugged him. "But there's no harm in hoping for now, as long as you are safe here."

"Let's go get Georgi and eat dinner." A loud grumble radiated from his stomach. "I told you I'm starving."

"I'll go get him. You start filling that monster before he escapes and devours us all."

"Oh, ha." Peter knocked on my shoulder but sat down and picked up a slice of pepperoni pizza. "Well, go on. Get our boy."

"I am. I am." Chuckling, I walked out of the kitchen to get our son for dinner.