Hating You (BL): Book 1 of the You Series

Chapter Two ~ Please Come Back

LEO’s POV ✓

I woke up not only to the sound of the alarm, but also the shouting of three kids seeking attention. Shouldn't it be a happy, relaxed day when it's my day off, not another stressful one? I got up, grumbly, and went to see what the little rascals were up to. I found out they were wide awake and kept talking about their toys while sitting on their beds. I wanted to keep them in cribs at first but apparently, werewolf pups grow faster than human kids and have no need for a crib as they can leave it easily.

I needed a bath anyway, so I decided to bathe them with me seeing as they are awake. The thing about kids is that they like to splash… a lot. So when you have three little kids and not just one, you get to shower with them, whether you like it or not. 

I got their clothing ready and left them playing on the floor near their toys. I went into the bathroom to get the water ready and make sure the water isn’t deep, about half of the tub. I went out to see my cuties playing with their toys and when they saw me. They waved their little hands with cute smiles plastered on their cute little faces that made me grin back at them as they said, "Hi daddy".

I took them into the bathroom with me as I told them it was time for a bath. Some people may think that kids with different genders shouldn't bathe together once they go past a certain age but they are too connected for them to be separated which is apparently a werewolf thing, according to what Katie told me. They seem to feel fine being naked with the many times they are seen naked while they transform so it's not a big deal for them like humans. Werewolves are much different as both females and males can be born alphas or omegas so they don't judge each other by gender only although Katie says that some werewolf packs are sexist although they're a very small number. 

After removing their clothes, I help them get in as I place Joel the oldest in first then Jason next to him, and finally Julia. Joel had brown hair that was lighter than Derek's hair while the other two had blonde hair like me, and they all had my blue eyes except both Julia and Joel's eyes were a darker shade. 

As I predicted, they splashed each other and me the entire time, with big fits of giggles coming from all of us. Instead of the bath taking thirty minutes, it took more an hour. I dressed Joel in a blue onesie with a teddy bear on it, Jason in a red onesie with a basketball, and Julia in her favorite, a purple onesie with a flower on it. I brought the giggling trio outside to the living room and they ran to their toys. Then decided to make them breakfast before they got cranky.

I was making breakfast when I heard the phone ring. Thinking it was Katie, I hurried and picked up.

"Hello?"

"Leo, is that you?" My breath caught in my throat at the sound of his voice. It was my dad, the same man that kicked me out of the house and disowned me. I made the mistake of picking up before checking the number on the phone.

"What do you want!?" My voice was so cold and emotionless that even I didn't recognize myself. But you couldn’t blame me for never wanting to hear that man's voice again.

"I'm sorry. Please, son, forgive me, I beg you. Forgive me." His voice trembled and I wouldn't have been sure it was the same man if he wasn't speaking with my father's voice. 

"I know I was wrong, and I realized it too late. You were already gone, and we couldn't reach you." He sounded like he was about to cry. But why!? Was it some kind of trick, or did he really mean it?

Katie said I'd have to face this but my anger was just too much after all these years.

"As if I care, old man! Don't call this number again, because your son died long ago, the moment you threw him out!!!"

"Please, Leo, just listen to me. I'm sorry and if you want me to prove it to you, I will. Let me fix the wrong I did long ago, and come home. We just want our son back safe and sound!"

"What!? You want me to go home after all this time, and after what you did to me?!" No matter how much I struggled these years I never once thought of going back home.

"Son, please, I know you're struggling. Please let me fix this, and let me help you. Just let me help you, and I promise you I won't make the same mistake again." His voice was shaking and it made me pause. I was reminded of how good my parents were before that day and our happy family but I just couldn't agree.

"How do I know you're telling the truth!? How do I know this isn't a trick!?" I'm not the previous innocent little boy that didn't see the world.

"Your mother needs you. She was heartbroken, and she needs her son back. Please, come back, and I’ll give you my word that you won't regret it. Please. You can even have Katie check for you and you'll know that this isn't a trick at all." I thought about it for a long while and he was silent. The only thing that I thought about was that it would be good for my children. No one would need to know about the father, but with this, they could grow up in a good environment, with everything they needed. I sighed, then made my final decision. 

"Fine, I'll come only after checking with Katie and if anything goes wrong you'll never find me again. But three little ones are gonna be with me, so don't be surprised to meet them," I said. I had to ask Katie to check for me as her family is much more powerful than even Derek's family which was the richest one around our town and I only found out the more I interacted with her but my father shouldn't know the full details. He probably thinks she has a strong background from all the times she stopped his investigators that came to find me.

"Really!?" He sounded surprised, but also happy, which surprised me a bit.

"Yes, old man, but I didn't say I would stay yet."

"Of course!! But you'll come and that's all that matters. We'll be expecting you, okay?"

"Yes, I'll come soon." After thinking about it, I made the decision to finally face the conflict from back then. I may have made that choice on the spot, but I hoped I wouldn’t regret it.

"You need to come soon, so we can finally meet again," he said urgently. It was as if his life was on the line, which I doubt it was. 

I thought about what he said for a bit. I didn't own much to bother packing. I also hadn't moved far since Katie found a job for me with her uncle nearby but far enough for it to be hard to find me easily. It would only take a few hours to drive there, so I could do it in a day if I wanted to. Whether it was tomorrow or later didn’t matter to me, so I could just go sooner.

"Fine, I come in a few days." I agreed, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to argue with him.

"Sure!!! See you soon!!" He sounded ecstatic, which made me raise an eyebrow. Did they really miss me this much? I hoped it was true because no matter what, they were still my parents, and I missed them even if I can't forgive them.

"Bye." I hung up and sighed thinking about the decision I just made. I f****d up badly this time. Oh well. This is the best for my children, and I have to do what I can to give them a good life.

I called Katie right after and she said she'd look into it.

After we ate breakfast, I heard the front door open so I went to check who it was. As I predicted, it was Katie with a big grin on her face. 

"Hey cutie, what's up?" She said, heading my way.

"Not much. I just fed the kids. I'm glad you came so did you find anything?"

Katie looked at me and I understood as we moved to the living room, "You're going to want to hear this."

"What is it?” I asked. “Are they really tricking me?" Her face pulled into a frown.

"I don't think what they did was because they hated you. I was an i***t to not look into this but I think what they did was to protect you." She declared. Katie could be scary, especially when she announced things with such a serious tone.

"What do you mean protect me!?" I whisper-shouted at her to make her explain quickly without the kids hearing.

"Okay fine. Your father may just be a normal company employee but people seem to be paying attention to him a bit too much. I think your father has some secrets that you should find the time to talk with him about. He may have acted that way as the day before you spoke to him someone visited him at his house while you were outside and no matter how I looked I couldn't find their identities. After you left it seemed they stopped keeping tabs on your father." She gave me an apologetic look. She knew I didn't want the kids to know about this, so she tried her best to keep it between us.

"He called and said he wants me to go home," I said suddenly.

"Are you going? I think you should." She looked at me and I couldn't tell what she was thinking at all.

"Well, yeah. Think about it, Katie, this is the best way for my kids to grow up right. I don’t want them to grow up in this filthy apartment and find out that their father works at a bar and w****s around to feed them." I couldn't hold in my anger because it wasn't the future I wanted. I wanted something better and not for a second did I think that my future would look like this.

"I know, Leo. I think you should go hear what they have to say. If there's a chance for your family to get back together and for your children to have a safe place to grow up, then you better take that chance. And maybe you'll find out exactly who keeps watch on your father and why they suddenly stopped after you left."

"Thanks, Katie." I hugged her and she hugged me back.

"Just remember that no matter what happens, you'll always have a place with me to return to when you need it, okay?" And she meant to keep that promise, according to the determination in her eyes.

"Okay," I said, with a gentle smile on my face. Smiles like that used to be so easy for me, but now I only have them for Katie or my kids. I hope my parents aren't hiding something dangerous from me.

"I love you, Leo," she said while giving me a hard squeeze. That was what it truly felt like to have a family. Katie was always like a sister to me.

"I love you too, Katie." I knew her words were true because they always were, and she always was and always will be my safe haven. She pulled back and looked at me with a smile which I returned.

"So, when are you going?" I scratched my head and looked at the ground. I know she's going to shout at me for this decision.

"Tomorrow," I mumbled, hoping she didn’t hear me.

"WHAT!? Tomorrow!? And you haven't packed or prepared at all, are you crazy!?" She whisper-shouted. I could see her gritting her teeth while her right eye twitched, I could tell that she was angry but holding anger back.

"I was gonna do that later. I was just waiting for your news then I would decide when to leave," I mumbled, looking at the floor like a scolded child.

"There is no later, mister. We're doing this now and you better get your lazy ass inside that room to start packing for your kids, understand?" She always looked scary when she was angry, so I just nodded and ran to my room.

"Yes ma'am!"

"I'll take care of the kids, so just focus on those bags!" 

I sighed once I got inside the room and groaned when I remembered that I had to pack for not one, but four people. Why did I have to have triplets!? Why!?

Hours later, I flopped down on my bed, exhausted from packing. I was finally done! I looked at the clock to see it was already 3 pm. Great, now I gotta start lunch, and just like I thought, this packing took too long. I went outside and smelled something amazing. I went into the kitchen to find my little cuties sitting in their high chairs and giggling as they whispered to each other, waiting for their food. I smiled and kissed each of them on the forehead as I passed.

"What is that amazing smell, Katie?"

"That smell is my chicken tetrazzini. I know you love it, so I thought I should make it for you before you leave."

"You're the best! But it's not like I'm gonna leave forever. You can come and visit me and the kids any time, and I’ll come to visit, too. We can hang out at your house over there like we used to in the past"

"I know, but I'm just so used to coming and staying with you almost every day--"

"Almost? Really? You’re literally here all the time! Sometimes I think that you live here. I should get rent from you," I said with a teasing grin and a raised eyebrow towards her.

"Let me finish, i***t,” she whispers so the kids don’t hear inappropriate words. “As I was saying, I’m going to be lonely, and I won't see you as much." 

"You'll still see me! I can't forget my best partner, sidekick, and number one companion," I said, motioning toward her with a wide smile.

"True, but stop talking already and set the table so we can eat." She matched my smile and motioned to the food.

"Yes ma'am, right away." I got the table ready and we started to finally eat the chicken tetrazzini. Afterward, I washed the dishes and cleaned each of my kids' faces, which looked like they’d rolled their faces onto the plate. It was already 5 pm by the time I was done, and Katie left to go to work. I decided to take a nap with my kids. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was immediately pulled into dreamland. I was so tired.

I woke up and it was only starting to become bright outside. I looked at the clock to see that it's 5:30 am. It seemed I was so exhausted that I slept that entire time, and with my cuties sleeping soundly next to me. Probably tired from all that playing they did yesterday. I got up, went to the bathroom, took a shower, and did my morning routine. By the time I was done, I heard the little calls of 'daddy' from my kids, wanting to probably eat some food by now.

I took them out and put them in their high chairs. I decided to feed them strawberry yogurt with some fruits which is their favorite. After feeding them, I cleaned them up and went to our room so I could change their clothes. I chose a cute purple dress for Julia, a blue shirt and jeans for Joel, and a red shirt and jeans for Jason. Then they went to play in the living room. I chose a white shirt with the word 'dude' on it and a pair of light jeans. After changing, I waited for Katie with the kids. 

After a while, Katie finally arrived and she came into the house with a big smile. 

"How are my little sweet pups today?" They all giggled at the tone of her voice and even I chuckled at how childish she would become when she saw them. She liked calling them pups because she said that their wolves enjoy it as well which would make them happier. I first learned about the wolf sides when I found out about my pregnancy. According to Katie, werewolves have two souls, a human soul and a wolf soul which are connected and that's what makes them different from humans. Their wolf soul is the one able to find their mate while their human soul allows them to keep their human form and transform easily.

"Morning, Leo," she beamed at me after her exchange with the kids.

"Morning," I said, and smiled back.

"Are you ready to go? I already have a car waiting downstairs and it'll take you straight to your destination." She motioned toward the door.

"Yeah, I'm ready. We just need to get all the bags and boxes downstairs and wait for the moving truck to come and take the rest of it." I started picking up some bags.

"When will it get here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"It'll be here in ten minutes, and they'll take everything down."

"Okay, then we'll wait. Are you ready to start a new life, Leo?" She seemed to want to hear my honest answer, so I thought seriously about it.

It was a great question. So, am I?