Three pairs of tear filled eyes staring forward, unblinking, unseeing as they tried to digest what they were told not an hour before. They sat a in the room crying once the doctor left after thoroughly explaining the phenomenon. They were shocked, stunned really, everything came tumbling down around them, leaving them surrounded by a pile of rubble. Both? How could they both be the father? How does that even happen? How would it even work? How do you raise twins with two different fathers? The reality, the explanation didn’t seem real—it had to be some kind of horrible nightmare.
They spent the ride back to the palace in stunned silence unsure what to say. How do you begin to navigate co-parenting twins—with a king no less? It would have been hard enough with one, but two—how do you explain to your children that they have different fathers? Stupid! How could I have been so selfish?! How do you explain to them that one is royalty and one isn’t?
Heads spinning with questions, the world moving at warp speed, feet rooted to the ground—standing still as everything flashed around them. Where did they go from here? How would they explain to the country that they weren’t welcoming the heir and a spare, but just the heir and it’s half sibling? I really fucked up! Everything that happens to our country will be because of me. Veronica’s guilt only grew tenfold at the new information. Twins, fraternal twins with different fathers. She didn’t know that was even possible. Of course the rare would happen to them—another hurdle to jump. Could their marriage survive?
They were tossed into the unknown, stuck wandering in the dark, searching for a way to survive. There was no way out of this mess, not really—they simply needed to find a way to co-exist. Co-existing, that’s what their love, their marriage, their life had become, all because of one careless moment, one foolish fling. Stupid! Veronica internally berated herself for being so weak willed. This mess is all my fault!
A warm arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close, his woodsy scent engulfing her senses—Liam. How was he so calm through all this? She messed everything up, their entire marriage was at risk because of her moronic lust filled desires. One stupid night could cost them their country’s stability. How could he remain calm and comfort her when this was all her fault? I don’t deserve him, I don’t deserve them. Her hand gently rested on the small swell of her stomach, she’d already failed them so completely—growing up would only be complicated immensely.
How could she possibly raise them equally when they weren’t? She loved them both so much, even though she just found out there were really two tiny hearts beating instead of one. Could she, would she love them the same? Knowing that they didn’t share the same father, would that change how she saw them, treated them? They had to be treated different, only one could ever be the heir. How would she explain that to a child? How would they not feel less than? How could she ever make sure both her children felt special? New questions and concerns flying through her head making her feel almost dizzy.
After the SVU pulled up in front of the palace, Veronica jumped out. She ran through the palace doors, heading straight to the royal suite, hot tears threatening to spill once more.
“Veronica.” Liam stated, catching her just inside their suite. He grabbed her and pulled her close.
He held her close to his chest as she started to heave heavy sobs into his chest. He softly stroked her hair, kissing the top on her head.
“It’s alright my love.” He reassured, as he led her further into their suite to sit on a couch.
“Liam,” she croaked, lifting her head to look at him, “I’m so sorry.”
“For what my love?” He asked as he gently wiped the tears from her face.
Veronica gave him a quizzical look, “for messing everything up, for—”
“You didn’t mess anything up love.” Liam replied gently cutting her off.
“How can you even say that Liam? Twins! That don’t even have the same father, it’s a giant mess, and it’s all my fault. Anything that happens to Cordonia is my fault.” She countered sighing in frustration.
“I’ll admit this isn’t how I had seen things going, and it does complicate matters, but it doesn’t change the most important thing.” Liam replied, placing a hand to rest on her small bump.
“And what’s that?” Veronica asked.
“That I love you and them.” Liam replied.
“Liam, stop being perfect, please! I love you, but how can you possibly mean that, mean any of it? I hurt you—I had a fling that is going to affect us for the rest of our lives. Be sad, be angry, yell, anything other than this perfect kingly image, please!” Veronica shouted in frustration. His calm demeanor, calming presence and loving words only frustrating her more.
Liam looked physically affronted, “what do you want me to say Veronica?” He asked standing up starting to pace, “ That I’m pissed that we are in this mess! That I wish they were both mine! That I hate the position you and Drake put us in! That everything that happens to our country is your fault!” He shouted.
“Liam!” Drake yelled, pointing at Veronica as he stepped further into the room.
Liam turned towards where Drake was pointing, Veronica seated on the couch crying harder, her face in her hands, his heart shattered sinking to the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t meant to make her cry, he sighed, sitting back next to her. His arm wrapped around her back, pulling her into his chest once again. “Veronica, I’m sorry my love. I wasn’t trying to make you cry. I lost my head for a minute I’m sorry.” Liam stated, desperately trying to calm her and apologize.
She raised her head, “no Liam, you were human. You had a real reaction.” She said. “This,” she gestured to her tearstained face, “is a hormonal reaction. You’re allowed to be human Liam. Forget being king for once in your life and just let yourself feel, please.” She gently stroked his cheek. “Please tell me what you really feel.”
Liam knitted his brows together in thought, “I feel like this is a mess and I don’t know how we even begin to make this work between the three of us, let alone explaining it to the country.” He replied sighing.
Drake leaned backwards against the bar cart, tumbler of whiskey in hand, he raked his free hand through his hair. “What are we going to do? Try to co-parent? How would that work?” He asked. He took a long slow sip of whiskey relishing in the burn in the back of his throat, wishing it could dull the ache in his heart. He still wished she could be his, that they were both his, that he didn’t have to try to co-parent twins with his best friend, a freaking king.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Liam replied pinching the bridge of his nose, “Technically they’d both be out in the spotlight, but only one would be heir—”
“Right, the other would be considered a bastard.” Drake said cutting him off.
“Drake!” Liam admonished.
“What?” Drake asked shrugging his shoulders, “technically my child is nothing—a bastard.”
Liam shook his head sighing as he raked a hand over his face. “Well, I think if we’re going to co-parent, it would be easier if we moved your room closer to ours, closer to the twins and the nursery. We have to decide how much or little you’d want me to be involved in your child’s life—”
“No Liam, you are fully involved in both of their lives! You’re my husband and technically you’d be the stepfather, but we aren’t playing your’s and Drake’s when you and I are married!“ Veronica declared, her voice hard showing both men she would not budge on that point.
“Fine. But I want as much say as I can. I get that you can’t completely keep them out of the public eye, but I want to give them as much normal as possible too.” Drake countered.
“I can understand that, but even with one having royal status and the other not—I don’t want them to feel favored or treated differently. I want them both to have normal. Obviously they should both have one on one time with their father, but I want them to feel as equal as possible given the situation.” Veronica replied, her hand rubbing small circles over her slight bump.
“So you want to blur the lines so to speak? They both would know who their father is but we both try to treat them the same.” Liam questioned, rubbing his bearded jaw. Blurring the lines, raising them both as normal as possible, two fathers—none of what she was asking would be easy, but he knew he needed to try for her, for them.
“As much as possible, yes. I don’t want either of them to feel like they got the bad deal. I know only one of them has any claim to the throne, but I don’t want either of them to feel less because of that.” Veronica answered. She knew none of what she wanted was practical, none of this would be easy, but she didn’t want to have her kids feeling different, less than. She wanted them to both feel special. She didn’t want either child to feel like their sibling got the better deal. She didn’t know if her hopes would work, but she knew she had to voice them, make the demands now—she had to try her best to make it work for them.
