Callum’s POV

Our morning routine was perfect. It was quick and simple. We all woke up about the same time, had breakfast together, then all left within a few minutes of each other. It was perfect an practiced and I was happy to have it.

Now that we had more bodies to keep up with though it had become a bit harder. I hadn’t thought this part though when we decided to take in the twins but they’d need somewhere to go while we were working. During the school year they’d be fine and could just come to the shop until someone else was ready to take them home but I wasn’t about to let them stay home alone for 9 hours at a time by themself, especially when they just got here.

So now here I was, awake long before everyone else ready to get the twins up and figure out where they would be going for the day. Plus I knew Axel was going to fight me every step on of the way about this so I knew I needed the extra time.

I started in Weylyn’s room first, knowing he would get up with little to no care about it but when I knocked on his door before before entering, my heart stopped when I saw his empty bed. The covers were slightly messed up but the rest of the room was spotless.

My eyes slipped to the closet, praying I wouldn’t find my brother huddled in there like I used to find Carter back in the days of his mental breakdowns.

I was both relived and terrified when I opened the door and he wasn’t there. All of his clothes were still there thank god so at the very least he probably hadn’t run away but I was still nervous. All of us have had enough break downs to know that leaving the bed in the middle of the night was hardly every a good sign.

Both bathrooms were empty so I went across the hall to see if Axel was still here at least before completely letting myself panic.

My heart had been beating out of my chest up until the moment I opened Axel’s bedroom door and revealed two heads peaking out of the covers. A breath of relief escaped me as I leaned against the door frame before knocking loud enough for the two of them to hear me.

Axel’s head shot up before he started glaring daggers at me when he noticed the sun wasn’t even up yet.

“Go the absolute fuck away,” he spat as he laid down again and shoved his head farther into the pillow. 

“Can’t. We have to get ready and figure out where you’re going today,” I said as I stepped further into the room and began tapping Weylyn’s feet, it had always been the easiest way to wake him up.

“We can stay here. Problem solved, let us sleep.”

“You’re not staying here by yourself. You don’t know anyone around here for emergencies, no one is going to be home until at least 6, and I don’t trust you in my new home alone. Need I remind you of the last time I left you home alone.”

“That’s not fair,” Weylyn whined. “We we’re 7. How were we supposed to know that stove top popcorn would catch on fire?”

“I told you not to touch the stove,” I said with a small glare. “Get up, Carter will be making breakfast by now and you don’t want it to be cold do you?” He groaned but did what he was told anyway, purposefully stepping on his brother as he got up to leave and get dressed.

“You know we could have gotten you bunk beds if you wanted to share a room,” I said once Weylyn was gone. I knew he would just be embarrassed if I asked him about it but Axel would be honest with me about anything that would directly benefit his brother.

“We don’t want to share a room,” Axel said as he sat up when he noticed I wasn’t going to leave until I saw him actually making an effort to get up. “It’s just a new place and we’ve been sleeping in the same room for years now. He’ll get used to it eventually.”

“Let me know if you change your mind,” I said before turning to leave so he could get dressed.

Downstairs Carter was moving around the kitchen like he had been cooking in there for his whole life. He moved effortlessly, making more than enough food for all of us before making his own plate and sitting down. 

“Are the others up yet,” I asked as I sat down in a chair beside him.

“Yea Liam and Ryder are taking a shower, they should be ready before long. Are yours up?”

“They’re up but they aren’t happy about it.”

“That’s fair. I hated getting up early at that age too.”

“They’ll get used to it,” I waved off. I hated that they would have to but I wasn’t going to let them be by themself again; they’ve had enough of that lately. 

“So where are they going exactly,” he asked as the other two came down.

“Well Liam is completely out seeing as HIPPA is very clearly an issue so the two of us are the only real option.”

“You want them in a tattoo shop for 8 hours,” Carter asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“I want them where ever they’ll feel comfortable,” I said as I took his hand. “But it’s up to you and Jax if you want them there. I won’t make you take them if you don’t want to.”

“Jax said it would be fine unless they start becoming a problem and make people freak out he doesn’t care.”

Before long the twins were down and making their own plates before taking the same seats they used as last night.

“So here’s the deal,” I said once their plates were almost finished. “Liam can’t take you because his clients need to feel safe and you wouldn’t be able to sit in his office so you would just be sitting in the waiting room and that’s not fair so your options are the shop with Ryder and I or Jax. Jax works at a tattoo shop so you would at least be able to move around a bit and watch Jax work on stencils and possibly tattoos if the client is okay with it. I personally think coming with Ryder and I will be for the best. We own a cafe and bookstore so you could walk around, read, we have computers to play games on, you can have a few drinks and pastries.”

“Bookstore,” Weylyn said the second I stopped talking. His eyes went wide with hope while Axel shrugged.

“As long as I can play on the computer I don’t care.” Carter nodded looking relived that he wouldn’t have to take care of them today.

“This is going to be so fun,” Ryder said with a wide smile. “The computer is on my side of the store so we’re going to be able to hang out all day! Doesn’t that sound fun?” Axel shrugged again but Weylyn at least nodded.

Most of the day was quite. We had a few busy times that helped us stay in business but it wasn’t the best day on the books we had. I was honestly a bit thankful for it. Every time Ryder had a minute of free time he would sit next to Weylyn who surprisingly didn’t look pissed off every time he had to put his book down. I could only assume they were taking about other books they had read and that was the reason behind my husband not getting told off by the interruptions.

Axel stayed in the office most of the time, playing random games on the computer. He only every came down for a few minutes at a time for food or for a refill of whatever he was drinking that day. 

It was a good day and I was happy for it. Maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as I thought it would be. Axel had actually been in a decent mood today. He hadn’t actively sought out fights all day, he didn’t give me any attitude when I told him he wasn’t getting more caffeine after his second drink in an hour.

Maybe this was a good idea after all. 

Axel’s POV

So maybe the coffee shop wasn’t the worst place imaginable. Weylyn seemed to enjoy being able to read all day along with talking to Ryder about all the books he had read and also getting new recommendations and the free drinks and food made Callum’s side of the store wasn’t horrible either.

Weylyn even protested when Callum said it was time to leave but caved when Ryder invited us back tomorrow.

When we got back to his house the two of them started dinner while we waited for Jax and Liam to get back. Liam was in a good mood but did give a little frown when he looked at his phone. Apparently Jax was having to stay late for some reason and told us to start dinner without him.

After dinner the three of them piled up on the couch to watch a movie but I opted to go to the room I had been given to finish the lego set I didn’t get done the night before.

It was nice in that room. Just far enough away that I couldn’t hear the TV but could hear my brother if things got bad. I sat in the bed, legos spread across the sheets as I stared at the confusing instructions trying to figure out where in gods name I supposed to put this brick.

I froze completely when the front door slammed open. My heart was already beating out of my chest but I jumped out of my skin when heavy footsteps walked down the hall towards me.

My hands started to sweat as I forced them to stop shaking when the door beside me opened before closing so hard the door frame rattled.

Seconds later the sound of fists hitting something hard and fast. Every hit drilled into my head. I forced my hands over my ears as I curled farther into the head board, just wishing it would be over soon.

Though I wasn’t in the room and Rowan wasn’t here I saw it so clearly. With every hit the picture became more clear until I was fully back at the old house. I would be on the floor and Rowan would be standing above me with that hateful glare on his face. He would looking at me like I was nothing gum on the bottom of his shoe and even though I didn’t, he would be screaming at me that I deserved that was about to happen.

He would beat me until I couldn’t breathe and was begging him to stop. He never did. Every hit drove me farther into the picture until it finally stopped and I was left sitting on my bed feeling like I was a shell of myself. My hands never left my ears and I never uncurled my body.

When the door beside me opened again, it was closed much softer than before and those harsh footsteps went back in the direction of the kitchen. I heard the exact second the man had sat down on the couch with Weylyn and even though I didn’t want him down there by himself I couldn’t force myself to get up to keep him safe.

Thankfully I didn’t have to. Weylyn ran into my room a few minutes later, closing the door softly on his way in before rushing to the bed. He was mindful of the small pieces laid out but was quick to wrap me up on his arm. His hands covered mine on my ears as he bang rocking us back and forth.

“It was just Jax,” Weylyn said when I finally felt well enough to remove my hands. “He had a bad day and needed to let it out. Everything is fine.”

“I don’t want you near him alone,” I said firmly.

“He didn’t seem that bad after he was done,” Weylyn said with a small smile that for once did not make me feel better.

“Rowan didn’t seem that bad at the beginning either,” I reminding him. It had taken all of two months of coming around the house before his true colors began shining through. It was small things at first; slamming windows and doors, cursing a bit too much even when the reason wasn’t enough to warrant the reaction, punching walls and pillows to let out aggression. It only took a month after that before he turned his attention to me and Weylyn.

That would not be happening this time. I refused.

“I don’t want you anywhere near him alone. Do you understand me,” I asked again when he didn’t say anything for a while.

“I’ll stay away from him,” Weylyn said when he saw I wasn’t;t going to budge on this issue.

“Good. And keep an eye on him. Just because others are around doesn’t mean he won’t still try something.”

“Callum wouldn’t let that happen,” Weylyn argued. “He always stood up to mom’s boyfriends when they got too handsy when they were drunk.”

“Things have changed,” I reminding him. “Callum hasn’t been around for a while. He’s married to that man for god’s sake,” I seethed. “Old Callum would have never tolerated someone so aggressive. Just because Callum wouldn’t have let it happen back then doesn’t mean he won’t now. We don’t know these men. We hardly know Callum anymore. You keep a close eye on all of them and you yell for me if something happens.”

“I can take care of myself,” he mumbled as he pulled his arm away from me but didn’t leave. He made himself comfortable in the bed, still careful with the legos, and tucked himself in; making it clear he would be sleeping with me again tonight.

“I’m older. It’s my job to take care of you.”

“Mom said-!”

“And Callum said he remembers I’m older by 12 minutes,” I teased as I reached over to pinch his cheek. He groaned and pushed my hand away. 

“I thought we didn’t trust Callum anymore?”

“That was old Callum. We can still trust old Callum.”

“How convenient,” he said with an eye roll.

“Promise me you weren’t just saying that to make me shut up,” I said after a while of trying to go to sleep and failing miserably. 

“I promise I’ll make sure to watch them,” he said, his voice slightly slurred as he leaned into the pillow.

“And?”

“And I’ll call for you if I need to.”

“Good.” 

I stayed awake for hours after that. My eyes were wide open and my ears strained to pick up any movement they may have come from the room at the end of the hall. None came but I still didn’t sleep that night.