Ch 104

**Artemis**


Blue has been feeling so bad lately that I’m happy to do anything she wants while she’s having a good day. Because of her being sick I decided to keep work low for now and stick to our government contract only. Alan was on board as well so that he could focus on Abigail and their baby. It’s surreal that we both will be becoming fathers at the same time, but it has helped having someone else who was going through the early stages of pregnancy with their partner.

Rhea and Max have also been very vocal about everything I should be doing while Blue isn’t feeling well. I was happy to do anything that would take the load off Blue. She’s carrying our babies so the least I could do was take care of the rest. Lilly and I have been able to spend a lot more time together and I’ve gotten to learn what a special girl she is. She started talking about her parents a little but admitted to me that she wasn’t sure if she should.

She didn’t want us thinking that she didn’t like us, but I assured her that we wouldn’t be upset by it. Blue has been so upset that she hasn’t been able to do more stuff with Lilly, but Lilly will sit with her in the room and read or watch TV. Blue still cries every night and tells me repeatedly that she isn’t being a good mother, but she has already shown how good of a mother she can be. She delt with the problems with Lilly’s school and found her a new one.

I still haven’t told her about me buying the group home where we met Lilly, but the renovations are done and I’m hoping to surprise her today. The kids were shocked by the huge transformation and had been abundantly grateful for the small trip I arranged for them. I had hoped we could join them, but plans changed when we found out Blue was pregnant. I didn’t want her going anywhere without me and I wanted to be close so I could oversee the renovation myself.

Abigail has been working there as well, and since things are slow with the company I have had her focus her attention on running the place. Blue will join her when she’s ready but for now Abigail has taken on a huge role. Alan also visits and helps the kids with homework and plays games with them. The group home might get most of our attention now, and I’m hoping we will be able to open more homes soon. This project has become bigger than I expected but becoming Lilly’s dad and soon to be father to three babies has changed my perspective. I don’t want to waste my life on work and nothing else. I enjoyed my work for a long time but it sucked the life out of me. There was no happiness in it and I made everyone else around me miserable.

Maybe I didn’t know what it meant to be happy, and figured success was enough. My father drilled into me that success was securing your future and I allowed his mindset to run my every decision. I was becoming another version of what I hated most about my father, and I won’t let that happen. He was a crap father and has been the center of most of my resentment and anger. I haven’t heard from him or my mother in a while and they haven’t been showing up in public either. My old company filled for bankruptcy only two weeks after we crippled it and rumors spread that this was the final nail in Rhodes Enterprises coffin.

I couldn’t have agreed more. Me, Rhea and Athena crippled our father’s company when we pulled out from our roles in the business. Their stock has dropped, and it looks as if that version of our family is sinking quickly. However, my sisters and their husbands have been in the spotlight for their own successes. Rhea has taken on the role of agent for Max’s band while Athena has started working on her own clothing line. I made a statement that I would be taking time from my work to spend with my new family. Word about Lilly got out quick when the photo of my girls and the woman they met at a shop was posted.

Everyone wanted to know where Lilly came from and why we decided to adopt. Blue and I did one interview with a person we knew would tell the complete story and answered as many questions about our new family as we could. No one knows about the pregnancy though, and we hoped to keep it quiet until Blue reached her second trimester. According to Rhea there is less chance of loss of pregnancy by that point. This being a multiples pregnancy means Blue was more at risk of a possible miscarriage, so we needed to be careful to keep the news quiet.

“Mom?” Lilly sounds shocked to see Blue smiling and walking around looking better than she has in weeks.

“Hi cutie! What do you say to a day out? I owe you one for not being able to do much with you lately.”

Lilly shakes her head and smiles up at Blue. “It’s okay. Where are we going?”

“Well, I guess I’m going to need some new clothes because…” Blue lifts her shirt and Lilly’s eyes grow wide when she sees the small bulge around Blue’s stomach.

“Those are the babies?” Lilly asks.

“They’re in there but still pretty small. According to the baby app it’s mostly fluid but the babies are still small. I will be getting bigger faster than women with one baby, so that will be interesting.” Blue drops her shirt back down and sighs. “I just hope I don’t look too weird with a giant belly.”
“You won’t! I can’t wait to feel them. When does that happen?” Lilly asks excitedly.

“Not for a few more weeks.” I tell her.

I’ve been following the app as well. It let’s Blue put in her symptoms as the weeks go and any questions she has for her doctor. We share it so I can see how she’s been doing while I’m taking care of other things.

“Let’s go guys! I’m craving a caramel apple.” Blue walks to the door and throws it open dramatically.

“She’s happy.” Lilly says as we both watch Blue go.

“Yeah she is. Let’s try and enjoy it while it lasts. We don’t know when she’ll start feeling bad again.”

She nods and I push her toward the door where Dane and Bryant are waiting. I let Dane take over at Lilly’s request and she talks his ears off about a new toy she’s been watching videos about. She wants to buy some for her friends at the group home and I haven’t told her yet but they all received one last week. Hers is hidden for now, and I’m still thinking of the best time to give it to her. All she wants is things for her friends, but I want her to have things for herself too, so I sneak in a thing or two into her room when she isn’t looking. When she finds them, she gets so happy that it warms my heart seeing her big smile.

Besides Blue, she is the only girl in the world who could melt me inside like that. If we have another girl or three, I’m going to be outnumbered but I don’t think I’ll mind. If they are as beautiful and amazing as Blue, I’ll be blessed.

“Artemis!” Blue calls from the car with a wave. “Hurry!”

I laugh at her eagerness. She’s acting a lot more like herself today, and it’s settling some of my nerves. I have been so worried about how sick she’s been, but her doctor has been reassuring me that everything is fine. I have her number saved and call her at least once a day, but she’s been nice about my daily freak outs. Apparently, it isn’t uncommon for first time dads to go crazy during this time.

I finally make it to the car and Blue grabs my hand to pull me inside.

“I’m coming woman, damn.” I grumble making her laugh.

“Sorry, it’s the first time in so long that I’m crazy hungry. I’m ready to drive myself if I don’t get an apple soon, and I don’t know how to drive!”

“Why not?” Lilly asks from the other side of Blue.

“Because I never had a car, and Bryant drives me around so much now that I haven’t thought about it.”

“And you don’t need to. They keep you safe, and I prefer them driving you especially now.” I say.

Blue rolls her eyes. “Your dad is way too protective huh?”

Lilly laughs. “Yeah. Way too much.”

They both laugh but I don’t care how they feel about my wanting to keep them safe. It’s my job and I take it very seriously. Nothing will happen to them as long as I’m breathing.