Ran Away Pregnant Came Back Alpha Heiress (Amelia and Damien) novel Chapter 246

Chapter 246

Damien’s POV

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That night, the girls and I went to our assigned room. There, though the girls were clearly tired, dragging themselves more than bouncing now, they remained excited. Little chatterboxes, they rambled about the beauty of the palace, the excitement of the event, and seeing Annette again.

“Uncle Jake said not to call Annette Mom, but I think Annette liked it,” Amy said.

Stacy agreed. “She looks so much like Mom, I don’t see why we can’t call her that.”

“Girls,” I said.

We were sharing a set of rooms, their bedroom across a small hallway from mine that connected to a sitting room with a couch and a television. The girls were in their bedroom when I approached from down the hall, having heard their conversation.

As I came nearer, they hushed each other, probably hoping to act like they hadn’t said anything, despite my having just heard every word.

“What is it, Daddy?” Stacy asked as I walked into their bedroom. The room had two beds, split apart by a nightstand. The girls sat in the space between their beds. They had toys in front of them, but it was clear they weren’t playing.

“You shouldn’t call your aunt, Mom,” I said. “Your Mom is your mom and she is with the Moon Goddess now. It would be disrespectful to both her and your aunt for you to call your Aunt Annette anything other than Aunt Annette.”

Both girls hung their heads.

“Okay, sorry, Daddy,” Amy said.

“Don’t apologize to me,” I said. “Apologize to your Mom.”

Together, the girls said, “Sorry, Mommy.”

“I’m sure she’s not mad,” I told them, not wanting them to think that either their mother or me was actually upset with them over this. I was more concerned over the long term ramifications, as well as respecting the dead.

Just because Aunt Annette looked like Amelia did not make her their mother. She was just their aunt, and shouldn’t be expected to have any bigger role than that.

Stacy and Amy shared a look.

“You know, Dad,” Amy said. “Aunt Annette could our new mommy.’

I had a sinking suspicion that I knew where this was going. “You mean if I married her?”

Both girls perked at once. “Yes!”

“We like her!” Stacy said.

“None of us even know her that well,” I said. I shook my head, annoyed with myself for getting so caught up in this that I was missing the most obvious problem with this plan. “I have no intention of dating anyone. Your mother is all I have ever needed.”

“But… Mommy’s gone…” Amy said, frowning a little.

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“I know,” I said. “But I don’t want to replace her. She’s the only one in my heart.”

Maybe that was too confusing for them. They were so young, they probably had no concept of eternal love or the commitment of mates. Maybe the other problem would give them something more tangible that they could understand.

“Besides, Annette is already dating Ian.”

The girls looked at me. “Who is Ian?” Amy asked.

“A noble from Jake’s pack.”

“Uncle Jake hates us,” Stacy said to Amy. Amy nodded critically.

I couldn’t dispute that. Though Martin and Lillian had eagerly accepted the role of grandparents for both Stacy and Amy, Jake seemed to want nothing to do with them. Personally, I was fine with that, as Jake and I had never really gotten along.

But, I knew Jake had been important to Amelia, and for her sake I would have liked for him to be more involved in the kids’ lives.

As far as I could tell, he just wasn’t interested. So far, including today, he had only met the girls four times, and each time he had been standoffish.

“Your uncle Jake misses your Mom too,” I said. “He doesn’t hate you. Things are just complicated.”

It was all I could do to spare the girls’ feelings. Hopefully, someday soon, Jake would pull his head out of his ass long enough to realize he could be a part of these girls’ lives – and keep the memory of Amelia strong by forming connections with them, instead of pushing them away and keeping them at a distance.

“Now, go on. Get in your pajamas and brush your teeth. It’s time for bed,” I said.

They nodded, standing. As they moved, I noticed that Stacy kept placing her hand to her heart. I worried the conversation had left her feeling heartsore, but decided not to push it for now. I had learned, with raising young girls, sometimes they needed time to get their own feelings and emotions in order before they wanted to talk about it.

I would address it tomorrow though. Hopefully she would be willing by then to talk about it with me!

My daughters were too young and had already gone through too much to be faced to suffer anymore.

Once the girls were in bed, tucked in and dozing, I headed to my own room to start my own nightly routine.

After, as I laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, I wondered how I was going to survive this trip, interacting regularly with a woman who looked so much like my dead wife but wasn’t her.

My heart ached for Amelia, but I was lonely.

Staying away from Annette, keeping things distant, was going to be difficult, when everything about her, just by nature of how similar she was to Amelia, made me want to lower my guard.

I couldn’t let that happen. No matter what.

Amelia’s POV

The next morning, the first event was a brunch held in the illustrious banquet hall. There were some seating, chairs scattered around round tables, but there were high tables for people too, those that didn’t want to sit.

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The entire thing was informal, giving the guests the options to grab and go, with a buffet set up for the various foods. Holding my plate, I entered the line for the food.

I was still in it when Damien and his adorable children entered the room.

Immediately, my eyes connected with Damien’s. My cheeks heating, I forced my gaze away. It was too quick to be natural, and I was embarrassed about that. But it couldn’t be helped really. I felt like staring at him would be way, way worse.

I had already decided last night as I tossed and turned in my bed, sleepless, that I would do my best to avoid him as much as I could.

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