Chapter
Nineteen
“Oh my back.” Corbin put a hand to the small of his back and tried to stretch. He was feeling huge and ungainly.
While the babies were very quiet this morning, they were moving; they just weren’t laughing and chattering at him, and he wasn’t sure whether it was because of the weather—which was stormy on two fronts—both the human and Lunastra, or if it was just because he was out of sorts, and they were trying not to be too rambunctious.
One way or another, he kind of wanted a cheeseburger. He blamed that on Evander.
What’s wrong, brother?Cosmo’s mental touch was sweet and soft.You okay?
I want a cheeseburger. I want, like, eight cheeseburgers with bacon and cheddar and tomatoes.
All right, I’ll send Yarrow out to get them. We’ll have him get like thirty burgers. That should be enough for everybody. And we’ll have a big hamburger movie party in the main room!
He beamed, so tickled that Cosmo had reached out.Oh, that’s an exceptional idea! I’d love that.
It made him feel a little stupid because why hadn’t he thought of that? That was a brilliant idea to ask Yarrow if he wouldn’t mind running down into town to buy thirty hamburgers for a football party.
I’ll let everybody know. You relax. You’re very, very busy growing babies.
I am. My belly feels like it’s going to explode. And I’m not even halfway through this pregnancy.
Thank goodness you have all of us and Evander to help. I don’t suppose you could watch Elliot and Isabelle while I go talk to Yarrow.
Of course I can! I’m just sitting.
Elliot was more than capable of sitting for hours and playing. And Isabelle wasn’t much of a sitter, but she understood the idea of ‘be kind to your Uncle Corbin. He’s the size of a house’.
She did occasionally climb on his head and sit on it like a cat, just like she did to everyone else, but that was okay. He didn’t mind. She didn’t weigh much, unlike her brother who seemed to weigh a metric ton.
Okay, I’m sending them to you.Cosmo was really good at directing his kids with his mind. Elliot would just roll right into the room. Isabelle would either crawl or flit, but sometimes, he thought she could teleport.
Elliot came rolling right in a few minutes later, Isabelle stumbling along on his heels, half walking, half running like a cat with its back up in the air. It was sort of hilarious.
“Hello, my darlings.” He held out his arms and stopped them short of running right into his shins, which was good because that would have been a heavy-duty clunk. Isabelle floated right up into his arms, and Elliot crawled up on his lap, weighing him down, but it was adorable.
“How are my dear little ones? It’s so good to see you.” He nuzzled them both and listened to their sweet jabbering, kind of just pouring over him in a way. So sweet.
It didn’t take long before Tisi and Serena came in, both of them so eager to play and so worried about being left out.
Elliot got out crayons and color books, encouraging them both to take on their more human form so they could color with him. It took them both a bit to shift, but they did, and then they settled next to their beloved eldest cousin.
“We make pictures for Unca Corbin.”
Elliot set to drawing, and the other two started scribbling madly, their little heads together.
Isabelle seemed content to sit on top of him and just let him hold her, but that was okay. She was a little bit small yet for real coloring. Although she was wildly creative, and every so often she would let out an illusion exactly as Cullen did. He didn’t think that was going to be her particular talent, but she could do it just like her uncle could.
It was peaceful, and he was dozing a little bit by the time he heard Cosmo come in, chuckling.
He had heard Elliot telling the little flyers to not color the floor, which he was grateful for. But goddess knew, the wood floors in his part of the house had a good solid coating of wax on them, they would be fine.
“Everyone’s coming. I thought maybe we could move into the big main room, get pillows and blankets, put on the monster TV, and watch something appropriate.”
He smiled at his brother and nodded. “Perfect. By the time we get everything in there set up, Yarrow will be ready.”
Cosmo picked up Isabelle and kissed her, making her laugh. “We called ahead. Otherwise, I think thirty hamburgers would be a stretch.”
