9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Kalwin

I texted all my brothers to let them know that we needed to have a discussion. Those of us that were in the country at the moment gathered in the family room, for lack of a better term. Once upon a time, it had been a place where the five of us would gather to play pool or darts or whatever. These days, it was filled more with children's toys and activities. The wet bar had been totally removed and replaced with a mini-fridge full of kids' snacks.

There was a special recliner designed to help position a person correctly so they could feed a baby. It was also incredibly comfortable for a random napping chair. Everything had shifted since my nieces and nephews had been born.

But it still served the same purpose: a place for us to get together and hang out without the prying eyes of our servants, the press, or anyone else. Even our parents steered clear of our room.

"What's this all about?" Agustus asked when he sat down, his husband Wendell sitting next to him.

We were all here, thankfully.

Thomas's brother, Jacques, was even here. He had stayed around after Thomas married Cort, as a special guest in the palace. He was like another member of the family, and given his position as an untitled brother of the king's consort, I trusted his discretion.

"I got the information you asked for," Augustus said. "I emailed it to you."

"Great. Did anything crazy stand out to you?"

He shook his head. "No, he seems like a normal everyday person. His sister teaches here in the city. That's why we granted his citizenship. So he is a citizen, and his son as well."

I nodded. I suspected as much.

"Thank you for looking into that for me." I had so much I wanted to talk with Bren about, and Gus had to be curious as to why I was looking into a random citizen.

"Care to clue us in?" Cort said. He pulled his mate into his lap. When they were away from the prying eyes of the press, the two of them rarely kept their hands off each other.

Here goes nothing. "About a year ago, or a year and a couple of months, I met an omega barista and started a relationship with him. He had no idea who I was, and I liked it that way. We were only together for two weeks."

"Two weeks? Damn, you move fast," Gus said.

I glared at him. "None of you have any room to talk about how fast a relationship moves."

Cort cleared his throat. "Actually, my husband and I had a very long courtship."

Technically, he was correct. I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, when he went back to the United States, we didn't stay in touch. He had no way of contacting me. But he left Swena pregnant with my child. He didn't know until a few weeks after he returned home."

All of my brothers' eyes went wide.

"He had a baby?" Iain asked. "How old is the child?"

"Four months," I said.

"Oh shit. Our dads are going to kill you. The press is going to have a field day with this," Cort said. Thomas shot him a look and swatted at his shoulder.

"How are you?" my twin asked, putting a hand on my arm.

So many emotions had rolled through me since seeing Bren again, it was hard to identify them all. "Terrified, excited. Relieved that I got to see Bren and that he plans on talking to me. If he had stayed in the United States, I never would have learned anything about him. Hence the background check that I had Gus run."

"What's the plan?" Gus asked.

"I have no idea."

"Whatever you need, we'll back you up. I can have some plans written in place to communicate to the country that we have a new family member," Cort said. "We'll stand by you for whatever you need. As the crown and as your brothers."

"You would claim the child as family?" Jacques asked. Until then I had assumed he wasn't listening. Sometimes when we were all here, he tended to put his earbuds in and listen to books.

"Of course. We are not cruel," Erich said. "This isn't the sixteenth century."

Jacques narrowed his eyes.

Cort picked up a coaster from the side table and threw it at Erich. "Have a care, brat."

Erich had the decency to at least look sheepish.

Jacques shrugged a shoulder and picked up his book. "Don't mind me, I'm just a bastard son of a king."

I turned my attention back to Cort. "Let's hold off on any communications for now. Eventually, of course, I want my son to be recognized. He will not be raised as a bastard son. He's mine, regardless of the circumstances of the relationship I have with his omega father. Bren is a good man."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacques's shoulders relax.

"We trust you," Cort said. "I'll support you no matter what the dads say. They're going to have opinions on this one."

"Oh, I know. Thank you, guys. I appreciate the support."

"When can we meet him?" Wendell asked.

I shrugged. "Soon, I suppose. I need to speak with Bren alone first, of course. I am hoping that he will agree to a visit to the palace to meet all of you and discuss what the future may look like."

First thing tomorrow, I would be arriving on his doorstep to talk with him and properly meet my son. I couldn't wait to hold him in my arms. I wanted to know every single detail of his life. I had already missed so much. Every moment that passed was another potential milestone missed, a memory I would never get back.

"I'll have your schedule cleared. We can claim food poisoning or something that will explain your absence for as long as you need," Iain said.

I couldn't even think about work at this moment. Perhaps it was selfish of me, but I needed to focus on my family rather than my obligations as prince.

Family.

That word made me smile.

In the past few years, I had watched three of my brothers—including my twin, who I was closer to than anyone—make their own families. Now I had one of my own.

And I would do whatever I could to make sure I didn't lose them. I would not miss any more of my child's life.