Unveiling The Hearts

I'm so excited for this sequel and to get back in touch with my Inkitt family. I hope y'all enjoy this book as well. xoxo.

“Elijah!”

“He isn’t up yet, Mom,” Little Rose informed from her seat at the table.

“He should be up before the kids,” Lily grumbled. She lifted the frying pan off fhe stove and tilted it over a plate.

“Why can’t we have pancakes?” Little Amira scowled at the plate. Lily stopped working and looked up with a pointed look on her face.

“Because two kids decided to eat all of the wedding cake that was left behind,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “That happened last night as far as my poor old brain remembers.”

Amira gave a cheeky smile in return and sent flying kisses to her mom.“I’m sorry, Mom,” she said. “But the cake was yummy.”

“Can you get married again?” Rose looked at Lily with hopeful eyes.

“No, baby.” Lily groaned. “You can’t just marry out of nowhere. A wedding happens at a special time.”

The girls pouted. The wedding had been fun for all of them. Lily Verlice married the man she was seeing for the past year and the kids finally got to see a wedding.

With no connection to her past, Lily wasn’t invited to any weddings or events, hence neither were her daughters. So they were excited for the wedding and all the sweets and lights that came with it. Even though they didn’t know Elijah that well.

Heck, her kids didn’t even know that she was dating someone. They just got to know that she was getting married to this man named, Elijah Verlice. They met him about two months before but hadn’t interacted much with him. They simply couldn’t meet often. But she trusted Elijah enough to know that it’d take no time for him to win the girls over, now that they were under the same roof.

Footsteps approached the kitchen, making all three girls focus on the sound and look at the door.

A big scary man appeared in the doorway. The same man who had married Lily and the same man who was singing ‘when you say nothing at all’ last night after their wedding.

His blue eyes looked around the room, satisfied with the sight. He couldn’t define how happy he felt that he’d wake up to this sight everyday from now on. Those three girls in the kitchen, waiting for him and for breakfast.

And his beautiful wife with that pretty scowl he loved to see. Something about this woman made him oddly happy. No matter what she did, she looked perfect in every way.

Like how she had her hand on her hip and a disapproving scowl on her face at that moment, she still looked perfect. It made him feel happy. Even though he was about to get told off in the presence of the two angels he’d fell in love with at the first meeting.

“Good morning, Mr. Verlice,” two little voices rang out in the kitchen, breaking the staring contest between the two adults.

Elijah’s smile dropped slightly but he managed to muster up another smile as bright as his previous one.

“Good morning, little angels.” The twins liked his cheerful tone. The happiness it held was contagious. It made them feel happy. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes.” Amira smiled. “My room is so pretty.”

“Is it?” The man exclaimed, mocking surprise. He pulled out the chair beside her and took a seat.

“Yes.” Amira nodded vigorously, her hair bouncing with her head’s movement.

“That’s so good to hear.” The sweet smile resting upon the man’s face had the girl staring intently.

None of the grown men she’d met had a smile this sweet. This person was a dad and she couldn’t imagine how a dad could smile so sweetly.

All she’d seen on her father’s face was a glare.

“How about we all go for a family vacation?” He asked, looking over the kid’s head at his wife.

“Yes!” Rose clapped from the other side. “Can I help make sandwiches for the picnic?”

“A vacation, honey.” Elijah chuckled. “It’s gonna last a few days. Can you make that many sandwiches?”

“I’ll make lots of them.” Rose nodded. She looked to her Mom and smiled. “Mom will help me.”

“Can I help too?” The man asked, standing up from his place and walking over to the other side of the table. He sat beside the other angel and pleaded with his eyes.

“You know how to?” She asked with wide adorable eyes.

“Well yes!” The man cheered. “So? Can I help?”

Getting a vigorous nod in return, he stood up from the chair. His eyes met his wife’s, his heart immediately starting to beat faster. With every step he took towards his wife, the speed of his heartbeat increased.

Lily’s scowl vanished and a smile appeared on her beautiful features. She saw how his eyes softened when he entered the kitchen and made eye contact with her. She saw how love washed over his whole being, radiating a heat of love capable of burning the whole world down, as soon as he laid his eyes upon her.

“Did you sleep well?” He asked, as soon as he was within reach. His arms wrapped around Lily’s petite body, not exactly helping his racing heart. He just grew warmer.

Lily loved his hugs. This man had the warmest embrace that just felt like home, just like his eyes. She couldn’t remember the exact moment she fell in love with him but she remembered the first time she had met him. How when she looked into those pretty eyes of his, all she saw was home.

“Not you asking that, Elijah.” She smacked his arm lightly.

The man laughed quietly at the blush that rose onto her cheeks. He leaned down to kiss her warmed up cheek and smiled against her skin.

“You’re so pretty, ” he murmured, placing a trail of kisses leading straight to her lips. Before his lips could reach their destination though, his face was pushed back with a hand spread out across it.

“The kids are here,” Lily said, hearing a satisfying groan from her shameless husband. That’s what he gets for keeping her up all night.

“The kids can’t even see you,” Elijah whined. Raising his hand to his face, he grabbed her hand and pulled it away easily. “Just one kiss.”

“No.” The lady smirked, pulling her hand out of his grip.

“No?” He challenged, a hint of a smirk on his face.

Lily’s head whipped to face him, clearly not expecting the challenge. It caused a little nervousness inside her but she successfully pushed it back.

“No,” she confirmed, squaring her shoulders and crossing her arms.

“Alright.” The man drawled. He turned to the twins who were eying the pair ridiculously. “Why don’t you girls go see if Lucas is awake?”

He smiled sweetly when he got a nod from each girl. The little angels stood up and ran out of the kitchen.

With a satisfied look on his face, Elijah turned to face his wife again, only to find a pan directed straight at his face.

“Don’t you dare try to kiss the queen, peasant!” Lily said, smirking at her husband. As tempting as a kiss from him was, she’d make him work for it.

“Come on, Lily. You can’t possibly be making me work for a kiss on the first day of our married life,” he whined, taking a step forward.

“Oh I am, Elijah.” Lily’s smirk widened when the man pouted. “I am making you work for every second of sleep I lost last night.”

A full blown laughter sounded from the man. His wife got annoyed by that. He had the audacity to make fun of her on the first day of marriage!

“You didn’t want to sleep,” he stated, once he was over his laughing fit. He took a step forward and grabbed the pan from her hand quickly.

He put it on the counter behind him and moved closer.

“I’m warning you now, Elijah.” Lily pointed a finger at him in warning. Her blush, however, intensified. A coat of red coating her cheeks as she watched that illegally handsome man move towards her with the sole intention of devouring her before he even had his breakfast.

Lily yelped when her back hit the counter behind her. She looked at her husband nervously, with a tinge of excitement visible on her face. Nothing could explain the butterflies in her stomach as Elijah took two of his big steps and trapped her between the counter and himself.

He leaned down to place his lips on her earlobe and breathe in her scent. Lily shivered slightly, the shiver going from her ear through her whole body.

“How about another round?” His deep voice sounded over the sound of her rapid breathing.

He laughed again when she slapped his chest.“Alright,” he said. “Just my morning kiss.“.

His hand moved to the bottom of her chin and the other moved to the side of her face, his fingers digging softly into her hair.

Lily looked up when he straightened up. She couldn’t explain how much she loved him. How much he had changed her life since he entered. How he put an end to her bad times unknowingly and how he brought loads of happiness in her life.

The same sweet smile remained on his face as he kept a light hold on her chin with one hand. He leaned down, noticing how adorably she looked at him before closing her eyes.

“I love you so much,” Two voices murmured before their lips met, the laughs that followed, melting into the kiss.

Elijah kept rubbing gentle circles on her scalp while Lily’s fists kept a tight hold on the fabric of his Tee, right at his stomach.

“I love you more,” Elijah declared, after they pulled away. “I hope you know that, my love.”

Lily simply smiled in response to that, running her hands over the creased fabric on his stomach. She was tired of fighting him on it.

“I know.” She got on her tiptoes to peck his lips. “But the kids are running down the stairs, so go away, peasant.”

Elijah laughed as his ears finally started operating again and he indeed heard the kids running down the stairs.

“Alright, my queen.” He stepped back, raising his hands in surrender. “I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”

He ducked when he saw her throw a spoon at him, a laugh escaping his throat at the same time.“Forgive me again, my love.”

Lily huffed and turned to face the door, awaiting her kids.

Lucas entered first, clearly still sleepy judging by the way his face held a slight pout on his face.

“Good morning, my little soldier.” Elijah cheered, as he took a seat at the head of the table.

“Good morning.” Lily smiled wide. This was one adorable kid and she loved him already. “I see you didn’t get much sleep.”

“Good morning,” the boy replied, his pout intensifying on hearing his stepmother’s comment. He moved towards his father, who had his arms open wide as he expected his morning hug.

This was a routine. They were to hug each other in the mornings. Something he hoped to extend to the new hearts that had entered his world.

Once the kid was standing between his knees, Elijah leaned down to place a kiss on his head. He pulled him into a hug next, rubbing his back slightly. The side of his face resting against the boy’s head.

Lily admired the sight as she saw the girls skip into the kitchen. The girls stopped at the door when they saw their stepfather hug Lucas tightly.

Elijah pulled away and chuckled when Lucas didn’t.“Wakey wakey, baby,” he cooed, shaking the boy gently.

“I don’t want to!” Came a muffled whine.

“Come on now, little one,” Elijah said, pushing him away gently. “Have breakfast before you sleep again.”

Lucas pouted again but nodded slowly. Elijah smiled and ran his fingers through Lucas’ disheveled hair to smoothen it out and make it look less messy.

Lucas waited for him to be done before he took his seat at the table.

“Can I have a hug too?” A little voice cut the silence. Elijah perked up at that, his eyebrows raising as he looked at the doorway first and then at his wife for confirmation.

Lily sighed but smiled in reassurance. It had been a long time since the girls had had any kind of father figure. Even if they had one before, he didn’t act much like it.

All Alessandro Mazzanti showed Lily’s youngest kids was ignorance and rudeness. All he ever did was make her oldest kid work harder than was good for him, curse her second oldest out for being too soft and ignore all of the other kids. He had another level of despise for the girls though, which Lily never understood.

How could someone despise another person to that level, much less his own daughters?

She never wanted to leave her sons under that man’s care. She never wanted to leave without her kids. But she had no power against him. She had no choice but to leave with just two of her kids.

And when she realised she was going to be seperated from her sons, she had tried to beg him to change his mind. Although it was her who demanded a divorce, but it came to bite her back. Her hopes of taking her kids away from that devil of a man were crushed within minutes.

It had been two years since she saw her sons. Two years without them and it still hurt as if it was yesterday.

Seeing the tears in Lily’s eyes, the happy feeling blooming inside the man faded slightly.

“Me too,” Rose said timidly.

He decided to deal with those tears later in private and turned to the two angels.“Of course.” He turned to the side and opened his arms for a hug.

Amira stepped forward first, taking small steps towards the man. The man’s contagious smile had its effect and a smile appeared on the little girl’s face.

As soon as she was standing between his knees, Elijah leaned down to wrap her up in a hug. He chuckled when he realized exactly how small she was.

So he slowly pulled her up into his arms and set her on his lap, making sure to keep his arms wrapped tightly around her. He lowered his face to place a kiss on her head.

Once again, his heart was racing. He was itching to give some love to these little girls but he didn’t want to cross a line. He didn’t want to force them into something or force himself into the position of a father for them.

But he couldn’t wait for them to call him dad either.

He extended his hand, indicating Rose to come forward. Rose stepped forward with a similar smile on her face. Once she reached him, he picked her up with one arm and set her on his other knee, hugging both of the girls tightly to his chest.

To their surprise he pulled them closer and turned in his seat, so they were trapped between the table and him. Lily composed herself and took a seat at the table finally.

“Do you want anything else, Lucas?” She asked, smiling sweetly at the boy who was enjoying his breakfast.

“No thank you, Miss Lily.” The boy gave a toothy grin. “It’s delicious.”

Lily’s smile widened along with a slight tilt of her head as she admired the boy.

The next twenty minutes were spent with Elijah telling stories and the girls listening to him attentively. They were intigued with all the stories he had to tell.

When the three were finally full, he ended the story and leaned back slightly. He, finally, gave attention to his wife who had been listening to the stories attentively too. When their eyes met, Lily smiled and got up from her place. She picked up everyone’s plates and took them to the sink.

Lucas had already finished and had gone back to his room.

Elijah placed a kiss on both the girls’ heads.“I love you two already,” he murmured. “I’ve said this before, you’re just like Lucas to me.”

And they could call him dad like Lucas did. He left that part unsaid. The kids knew he was the father figure now, but they needed to take their time accepting him completely.

Rose, being the smart kid she was, figured his hint out.“Can we call you Father?”

This did not give her the reacton she had expected. Elijah’s lips curled into a frown as a loud bang sounded through the kitchen. He looked back to Lily for an explanation. The word ‘Father’ surely had a not-so-good history for the three.

Lily had just dropped a wooden spatula into the sink a little too loudly. She kept her back turned to her family as she furiously blinked her tears away. She didn’t want to remember anything related to her first husband.

“I’d prefer Dad.” He forced a smile as he looked down at the kids. If the word didn’t hold a good past then he’d make sure he made the girls forget about it.

Besides, Father sounded a little too old.

“Dad,” Amira tested, nodding her head slowly. She looked up with big adorable eyes that made him coo internally.

“I love you.” He cheered again, refraining himself from hugging the life out of these little people.

“I love you too,” Amira said, giving him that smile that made him melt instantly.

“Me too.” Rose agreed with her sister again, giving him a sweet smile. “I love you too.”

That did it. Elijah couldn’t contain the happiness anymore, he couldn’t keep thinking of all the lines he thought he would be crossing. All he knew at that moment was, they were his kids. These two girls were his daughters. And they deserved all the love and kisses in the world.

He leaned forward and placed gentle kisses all over their little faces, earning angelic giggles from the two.

“It tickles!” They said together, earning a chuckle from the man.

“Oh, does it?” He said, poking a finger into the sides of their stomachs. As the giggles filled the room, he found himself tuning every other sound out.

These new additions to his world were all he needed. They had completed his world. There was nothing more he could want, as long as he had their love.