Chapter 24

8/11/2041

They changed into their clothes from the day before and returned to their main bedroom the next morning. Luca checked on Elena, who was still sleeping, before grabbing clean clothes. Tyree grabbed clean clothes and followed Luca into the bathroom. They turned on the water and stepped into the spray. Tyree pressed his naked body against Luca and wrapped his arms around him. Tyree washed Luca's body before resting his hands on his bulging stomach.

Tyree whispered in Luca's ear, "You are so beautiful, babe."

Luca faced Tyree, wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him. That's when they heard a scream in the living room. They stepped out of the shower, leaving the running water running, and put on their robes while racing into the room. Alicia was hunkered down behind the couch.

"What happened, baby?" Tyree asked as he knelt down and held her close.

"There was a man at the window," she said, crying.

"What did this man look like?" Luca asked.

"He had hair like yours, daddy," Alicia said. "But he had blue eyes," she said. Tyree saw Luca suddenly turn pale.

Luca's hazel eyes had fear in them, and his breathing quickened. He looked like he was about to pass out. This concerned Tyree greatly.

"What's wrong with mommy?" Alicia asked, noticing the change in Luca.

"Something scared him," Tyree said. "Play with your toys while I calm mommy down," he said. When Alicia left the room, Tyree asked, "What's wrong, babe?" via the link.

"It can't be him," Luca repeated over and over.

"Who?" Tyree asked via the link.

"Patrick!" Luca screamed before sobbing into Tyree's chest.

Luca's ex-boyfriend had ruined a special moment while also frightening Tyree's daughter. Why was he here? was the question. Tyree closed his eyes, put his hand on Luca's stomach, and listened for any signs from his babies. When he heard the heartbeats, he sighed with relief.When Luca fell asleep, Tyree carried him back to their bedroom and laid him on the bed. Tyree noticed Alicia peeking through the doorway.

"Stay with mommy and your little sister while daddy makes a phone call," he said.

"Okay, daddy," Alicia said, walking in carrying her doll.

The first person Tyree thought to contact was Carl, Luca's father. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and stepped into the hallway. Tyree opened his contacts and scrolled until he found what he was looking for. He clicked the number and pressed the call button.

"Please answer," Tyree muttered quietly. The line picked up after the fifth ring.

"Hello," a male voice said.

"Carl, it's me," Tyree said.

"Oh, hi," he said.

"Hi Dad," he said. "Is Ken around?" Tyree asked.

"I think so," Carl said. "Why?" he asked.

The incident in the living room replayed in his mind. Tyree composed himself and said, "Just find Ken and get on speakerphone,"

"Okay," Carl said, with concern in his voice. There was silence for several moments. "We're all here," Carl said. "Thomas and Adrian are here as well," he said. Tyree pushed the speaker and sighed heavily.

"We have a problem," Tyree said. "Patrick is back," he said. Tyree heard gasps and curses on the other end.

"What happened?" Ken asked in a worried tone.

"We were in the shower when Alicia screamed," Tyree said.

Tyree explained what happened and how it scared Alicia and Luca. "Luca can't deal with this right now," he said. "It's dangerous for his health," Tyree said. Tyree took a deep breath and said, "He's pregnant." The line was silent for several seconds.

"We're coming over to investigate the area," Ken said.

"Thanks," Tyree said. "If we lose our babies, I'll kill him," he said.

"I'll help because Luca has been through a lot, and he deserves to be happy," Thomas said in an irritated voice.

While he was feeding Elena, Tyree heard a knock on the front door. He opened the curtain slightly and peeked out. The two dads and Thomas stood on the porch.

"Hi," Tyree said, opening the door. "Come on in," he said.

"Where's Luca?" Carl asked.

"He's asleep," Tyree said. "I got him to eat and take his medicine, but he wanted to lie down after that," he said.

"Has a doctor seen him?" Ken asked.

"Dr. Newton is coming over," Tyree said.

"Okay, let's get started with our investigation," Ken said. "If my son is around, we'll find him," he said.

Tyree had just put Elena in her crib when he heard Luca whine in his sleep.

"It's alright, baby," he said via the link.

"Ty," Lucasaid via the link.

"Go back to sleep, baby," Tyree said via the link. "Elena has been fed," Tyree said. He sighed in relief when Luca relaxed. While Ken and the others investigated the area, Tyree waited for the doctor. When she arrived, Dr. Newton asked a few questions. Tyree explained what happened.

"I'll do a thorough checkup on Luca and his babies," she said. When she finished half an hour later, Dr. Newton gathered up her equipment.

"Is he alright?" Tyree asked.

"The babies are fine," "His blood pressure is a bit high, but that's expected after what happened," she said.

"Thanks doctor," Tyree said. "Do you still need to see him next month?" he asked. She shook her head and said, "See me in three months." Tyree thanked her and watched the doctor leave.

Ken and the others came back inside from surveying the area and sat down. They had worried looks on their faces.

"Did you find any traces?" Tyree asked.

"If he was here, my son might be using something to mask his scent," Ken said.

"He was here," Tyree said. "My daughter described him," he said. "

"I'm not saying that she's lying, but can you bring her in here?" Ken asked.

"Sure," Tyree said. He left the room and returned with his daughter.

Ken sat down next to the three-year-old who sat down beside Tyree.

"Hi there," he said.

"Hello," she said.

"I have something to ask you, something important, and I need to answer me with a yes or a no," Ken said. Ken reached into his wallet and pulled out a photo from it.

"Is this the man you saw?" he asked, showing her a photo of Patrick.

"Yes," she said, as she clung onto her daddy.

"We need to locate him before he does any more damage," Tyree said.

"We will," Thomas said.