by Xavier Neal
Once I got past the ludicrous notion he was in deed after my wife, things between us smoothed out quite nicely. He helped Brie pick out a stellar staff that hasn’t quit or had to be let go for any reason. He also helped pick a solid, uplifting group of people to run the boarding side as well. His incredible ability to read people has fortunately for me helped employ only the best around the children who have agreed to our care and rules. While originally he was set to be an English teacher, it was obvious he was meant for a Headmaster position. I think his husband, Stephen, enjoys the naughty role play. Can’t say Brie and I haven’t played out that fantasy once or six times.
At the top of the stairs we start for the end of the hallway where the art classroom is located.
All the other arts such as dance, drama, and music are downstairs. Brie insisted hers be on the second story to allow for a view worth painting or drawing some days. Out of all the teachers she’s probably the most creative with how she teaches. For instance last week, she packed up each of her classes and took them to water paint in the garden while it was drizzling, insisting to use what the sky provided. Crazy I know, especially for a woman pregnant with twins. We had quite the disagreement about her actions. And quite the makeup…Believe it or not, twins run in their family. Viper and Candice had a pair of their own last year. Both sides of the family are growing quickly. What I find most amusing is all sets of grandparents seem to come with built in inability to deny the little ones anything. It’s maddening some days.
When we arrive outside of Brie’s room, Kendall immediately presses her face against the glass to search for her mother. The students giggle and wave at my daughter who is returning the joyful gesture.
They love when we come for a visit, though it’s not as often as I would like. Due to the growth of MINOH and the constant flooding of investors looking to have something like Hannah’s Hope created for their territories or countries, I’m at the office a bit more than I care to be. While working with Wes to create, maintain, and create a sister branch of Hannah’s Hope in the states has been nothing but fantastic, it has also been time consuming. Thankfully, because he himself has a family he is determined to put first, he never requires anything too outrageous. Most of the time, I arrive home just as Brie and Kendall do from Hannah’s. One of the suggestions made by Guy was to have an additional area for children of the staff who are under school age. Of course because of laws, we have to have them in two classrooms. One for toddlers and younger, the other for three to five. The free childcare not only provided much needed assistance to some of the staff, but gave my wife and I a much bigger peace of mind than a full time nanny. We agreed early on in her pregnancy to aim to raise our children a little more on the ‘normal’ side. While we do in deed have a nanny, Lena, who I’m sure we will need lots of help from when the twins are born, we aim to do more of the basics such as allowing her to be in childcare and making dinner without the assistance of cooks every night. I may have mastered the art of quite a few foods, but Brie has nearly lit the kitchen on fire four times and been banished from attempting further.
“There’s Tiff Daddy!” She exclaims, tapping her index finger on the glass. “Hi Tiff!”
I lightly chuckle at her in ability to say names that begin with the letter C.
My father says not to worry. That I went through the L instead of Y phase for quite a bit.
Cliff gives me a small wave seconds before Brie calls on him to answer the question.
Out of all those who originally came from MINOH, I have to admit, Cliff is my favorite. And even though Brie will never admit it because she ‘loves all her students equally’, he’s hers too. We even discussed adopting him. It wasn’t that we decided against it. It was that he did. He wanted to be a part of Hannah’s Hope. He wanted to make his own path. He didn’t want to be ‘rescued’. With that said, he has spent and does spend a lot of his free time with us. It’s wild to me he’ll be graduating in just a couple of months. He’s asked me to help him look into universities and even asked if I could help him find the right suit for potential interviews. The latter may have filled me with a bit more joy.
After he provides her with the requested information, she turns to give us scowl.
“Ot oh,” I mutter to our daughter. “She’s making the mean mummy face. Give her the big Kendall smile to make it go away.”
Instantly, she grins comically wide, which sends my wife into a laugh.
The classroom joins and the two of us high-five.
Finally the bell rings, dismissing everyone for the day. I scoot Kendall and myself to the side to allow for the class to exit. Despite the looming guards, the students greet us warmly as they scamper towards their after school activities.
Upon Cliff’s exit, Kendall excitedly shouts, “Tiff!!!”
“Little Princess!” He says back in the same tone. She reaches out for him and the moment he has her in his arms, he asks, “How was ballet?”
“Fun! Now it’s time for ice cream! Wanna have ice cream with us?”
“Can’t,” he replies giving her hair a ruffle. “Gotta get to football practice, but how about we play this weekend? Maybe your dad and I can take you to another rugby match.”
“No. No. No,” Brie chimes in unexpectedly. “She was making weird grunts at the dog and it was a nightmare.”
The two of us laugh at her response resulting in another frown.
I lean over to plant a kiss on her lips and then one on the top of her high, very round stomach.
According to the dozens of elderly women that have been hounding my father about my wife’s progress, a stomach this high can only mean boys. I can hardly imagine…I mean two children no matter what they are going to be are enough work, but then two boys to teach the gentleman rules to, including proper suit wear, seems extra exhausting. Though, I would rather that then having to allow Vincent to shoot on sight every male who even looks like he may be picturing my daughter or future daughters without their clothes.
“Ice Cream!” Kendall chants again this time climbing into Brie’s arms.
“Manners…” I fuss.
“Please, mummy.”
Cliff gives me a hard pat on the shoulder before strolling off backwards. “You coming to the game tomorrow night?”
“We all are. You better bloody win too. My wife’s pregnant. Do you have any idea the bargains that have to be made to come watch you? Not to mention a very active three year old with a fleeting attention span…though she does seem to like sports.” A grin appears on my face at the thought of her following in my footsteps in that department. “I’m expecting at least two goals.”
He laughs and cockily retorts, “I’ll score three. One for each of you.”
“That’s five you, blockhead.”
Rather than back down he shrugs. “Five it is.”
With a wink, he turns on his heels and heads for the stairs.
It’s actually much bigger than the five of us. It’s much bigger than the Kenningston name. Our family encompasses those who protect us, those who support us, and those who love us. Being with Brie and building a life together taught me that. Together we have not only rewritten a pivotal point in my life but essentially the entire story. Our adventure, while messy and unpredictable, is filled with endless love for one another and those who’ve helped make it possible. And while this is far from the ending, I have no doubt the next chapter of our odd fairy tale will be just as amazing as this has been.
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NEWS!!!!
While this is the end of Brie and Kellan’s royal love affair, they will return as supporting characters in the near future! So make sure you stick around and check out the other works that will be featured in Doctenn!
Curious about Wes Wilcox? Check out the first book in his trilogy today!
Private (Private Series
#1)
Mogul or Monster?
Billionaire Weston Wilcox hasn't been seen by the outside world in almost a decade. No face to face meetings. No interviews. No social media accounts. Despite his ghost demeanor he continues to financially flourish and make his fellow investors richer with every decision. Throughout the years many have sought to discover the man inside the mogul while others have spread legends painting him as a heartless monster consumed by greed. None of it matters to him. Weston's true identity is secured away in his estate of solitude, which consists of the only people in the entire world he believes he can trust. That is until he's asked to allow a guest access to the property under extreme circumstances. One he knows he shouldn't. It doesn't take long before his world is turned upside down, unexpected threats arise, and Weston's forced to ask himself what really should be kept private?
*This is the FIRST in a trilogy. Each book will wrap up the events that took place within it*
Thank Yous!
The truth is….everyone who has allowed me to be in their lives and took place in mine is royalty as far as I’m concerned. So to each and every one of you who listen to me, who are my shoulder to lean on, who support or cheerlead me, who buy these books or read these pages on KU…YOU ARE ROYALTY. You are the reason I get to have a kingdom of writing. I love you. I appreciate you every single day. Never forget that.
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Senses Series (Sports Romance/ Romantic Comedy)
Vital (Prequel Novella)
Blind
Deaf
Numb
Hush
Savor
Callous
Agonize
Suffocate
Mollify
Blur
Blear
Adrenaline Series (Romance/ Romantic Suspense)
Classic
Vintage
Masterpiece
Unmask
Error
Iconic
Prince of Tease Series (Romance/ Romantic Comedy)
Prince Arik
Prince Hunter
Prince Brock- Coming July 17th, 2017
Hollywood Exchange Series (Romance/ Romantic Comedy)
Already Written
Blue Dream Duet (Contemporary Romance)
Blue Dream
Purple Haze
Havoc Series (Military Romance/ Romantic Suspense)
Havoc
Chaos
Insanity
Collapse
Devastate
Never Say Neverland Series (NA Fantasy Adventure)
Get Lost
Lost in Lies
Lies, Mistrust, and Fairy Dust
Dust to Ashes- Coming 2017
Rub Me Series (Erotic Shorts)
Rub Me The Right Way
Rub Me The Wrong Way
Rub Me All The Way
The Just Series (Second Chance Romance)
Just Out of Reach
Just So Far Away
Private Series (Romantic Suspense)
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Duched Series
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Royally Duched
Royally Duched Up
Standalones
Compassion (Military Romance)
Cinderfella (YA Contemporary)
The Gamble (Romantic Comedy)
Freeform (Romantic Comedy)
Part of The List (Contemporary Romance)