Fighting for her (Novak series #1) {Completed}

4. I'm sorry

Fiona keeps staring at me like I'm a ghost who's come back to kill her. Slowly she moves toward me, and as her hand caresses my cheek, I see her eyes fill with tears. She hugs me, and I'm careful to hold my arm over Camilla, so she doesn't get hurt.

"You've grown up to be a beautiful woman, Fi," I say, smiling at her.

She chuckles and wipes away the tears that run down her cheeks. My sister is a copy of our mother, with little touches of dad. She's about to say something when it gets quiet in the rest of the house, and a voice comes from the kitchen.

"Fi, who is it?"

I recognize my mother's voice instantly, and Fiona drags me into the house. She closes the door behind me, and I feel the anxiety in my body. A couple of footsteps come in our direction, and the sweat flows down my back as if I'm running a marathon.

"Fi, what's wrong-" mom's voice stops, and when I see her, my knees feel weak.

Tears fall on her cheeks, and for a moment, we just stare at each other, on each side of the living room. Slowly she takes a step toward me and then another until she runs the last bit up to me to take my face in her hands.

"DARBY! MY BABY BOY!" mom exclaims and throws her arms around me just like Fiona did.

I'm protecting Camilla, who, oddly enough, is still asleep. She's got that from me. Mom's familiar perfume occupies space in my nose, and I feel at home. Other footsteps come into the living room, and when I look over mom's shoulder, I see the rest of the family standing there.

They stare in precisely the same way Fiona did and don't seem to understand it's me. I can't say it's peculiar, really, considering I was just a skinny teen the last time they saw me. Now my body is muscular, tattooed, pierced, and scarred by all the fights, especially after my recent injuries.

"My baby boy, look at you," mom exclaims again and gasps while examining my injured face. "What happened to you? Why are you holding your arm over your stomach like that? Do you have broken ribs!?"

I look down inside my oversized jacket and see my little girl open her eyelids. The looks from my family are confused, and I open the coat enough to pick out my child. Camilla whines, and I hold her so the others can see her correctly.

"Whose is it?" Fiona asks and hurries to cuddle with her.

"Mine. Camilla is my daughter," I answer quietly, and mom is quick to pick up her granddaughter.

"Oh, look at you! What a delightful little girl you are; yes, you are," she coos.

My dad looks at me with a severe facial expression that makes me swallow hard. He walks toward me with heavy steps and stops right in front of me. Again I prepare for the hit that doesn't come. Instead, he keeps me close to him.

"My boy," he whispers, and my anxiety begins to disappear gradually.

"You've grown up to be a muscular man," Jaxon laughs and hugs me.

The rest of the family takes part in the hugs, all except Noah and Caleb. My brothers are disappointed in me, and I know I let them down when I left. It's something I've been carrying for three years. Caleb is clearly angry, while Noah instead looks like a zombie.

My big brother walks out the back door and slams it shut behind him. I look after Caleb and feel sadness in my heart; he is angry, and rightly so. But something is going on with Noah; his gaze is entirely empty as if someone took from him the most crucial thing in the world.

"Give him time, dragi," mom says, handing over Camilla to me.

My daughter starts crying, and I'm quick to lay her against my shoulder. Slowly I walk around the room with the queen and sway her softly. When Camilla's hand clings my shirt to her tiny fist, there's none other than her and me in the room.

"Shh, it's okay, moja kraljica," I whisper to her. "Tata je ovdje."

(My queen. Daddy is here.)

It feels weird to speak Slovenian because I haven't done it since I lived here. But at the same time, it feels right that she'll learn the language right from day one; she deserves to know about her cultural heritage, where we come from.

"You're so good with her, Darby," mom says, coming up to stand next to me. "How old is she?"

"Three months," I answer, hoping she won't ask anymore.

"Where's her mother?" my uncle asks instead, and I close my eyes tightly.

"She's dead since a week back," I answer quietly.

"Oh, moj ljubljeni otrok. Zakaj se niste slišali od mame? Pogrešal sem te. Čeprav smo se veliko borili, preden ste izginili, sem upal, da boste vsaj poklicali. Zato ste se zdaj vrnili?"

(Oh, my beloved child. Why haven't you contacted your mother? I missed you. Even though we fought a lot before you disappeared, I was hoping you'd at least call. Is that why you're back now?)

"Melissa had debts, mati," I sigh and tell everything that has happened.

I'm waiting for the reactions that don't come, which surprises me because I expect them to start talking about how wrong I've done again. My uncle, Brody, who kept his distance except for a half awkward hug, sits down next to me with his hand on my shoulder.

"What do you want us to do?" he asks.

"Protect my girl," I answer without hesitation or looking away from her pretty face. "I don't care what happens to me. But Camilla is a child and should have the opportunity to grow up; she can't do that with me."

Eleonora POV

Although I seem calm, a storm is boiling inside me because my son disappeared. I love Darby and could never hate him, but I'm disappointed in him. The fact that he's here is an excellent start to becoming a responsible adult.

When he talks about the fact that his value doesn't matter, as long as Camilla is safe, my heart hurts. Beloved boy, do you honestly believe that I'll allow something to happen to you or my granddaughter? I hug my boy and let the tears fall.

My few tears quickly become a loud sob that I finally have my son in my arms, the one who disappeared and who no one heard of in three years. We've been looking for him, but given that Darby grew up with us as his family, he also learned how to stay under the radar.

"Never leave me again," I say between my tears, and his arms hold me just as tightly. "My heart can't take you being away again. I love you too much for that."

"I'm so sorry, mati," he whispers, and I nod slowly because I know he was a foolhardy teenager. "I'm so sorry for everything."

As soon as I notice that my son's body begins to tremble with tears and sadness, I stop because my son needs me. I drag him with me to the couch again and let him cry against my chest. My hand caresses his silky soft hair, and I understand that he has carried the blame within himself for a long time.

"We know you're sad, son," Damien says, the man in my life, and sits down on the other side to hug him too. "You're home now, and that's the most important thing of all."

Camilla starts to whine, and I immediately pick up that little bundle in my arms. She's very similar to her father and an adorable little girl. I have always wanted a large family, and the joy of its expansion makes me happy inside.

"Are you here to stay?" Noah asks suddenly, who has been silent all the time and not even greeted Darby.

My gaze moves to my other son, who twists on the couch. Oh, no, you don't! He just got back home, and I understand if he feels he can take care of himself, but we need him. Darby is family, and we're not leaving anyone behind.

"I can't pull problems into the family that isn't yours; it's my responsibility to solve it," Darby replies, looking at the girl in my arms. "As long as I know Mila is safe; I can take care of the rest myself."

"No way!" Noah exclaims before anyone else can say anything. "You just got back! I need my brother!"

Noah is going through a prolonged depression that we don't really know what it's due to, and he doesn't talk much these days. He's the one of the triplets who has always been quiet and observant, but as quiet as he is now doesn't depend on his personality but something else.

"Neither you nor Cal seem particularly excited that I'm here anyway," Darby points out, annoyed and I see traces in him from adolescence, his mood. "So what difference does it make?"

Noah hurries to Darby and hugs him hard. We all look astoundingly at Noah, who has shown no sign of his usual self for years. Darby, who's a little taller than his brother, has to bend down a bit to hug him properly.

"Please, don't leave me," Noah says, then whispers something inaudible that only Darby hears.

Whatever he whispers, it's noticeable that Darby hears it and hugs his brother even more. The rest of us decide to give them some private time and walk back into the kitchen. Damien stands next to me with his brothers and Adrien to look down at our new family member.

"She's a smaller version of Darby!" Adrien exclaims and looks as happy as he always does when he's near babies, causing Camilla to look at me with wide-open eyes, not prepared for the loud sound.

"Živijo punčka, jaz sem tvoja babica. To je tvoj dedek. Tako smo veseli, da smo vas spoznali," I coo at my grandchild. "Prezri glasnega starca, no, babica je tukaj."

(Hey, little girl, I'm your grandmother. That's your grandfather. We are so happy to meet you. Ignore the loud old man; there you go, grandma's here.)

I have started talking more Slovenian than I've done before. It began in connection with the birth of the Fransiscus and continued when the twins arrived. Nowadays, I mix English and Slovenian when I talk to my family members. My children understand it well and the rest of the family as well, but at different levels.

"How do you really feel, my love?" Damien suddenly asks, and I sigh.

"I'm glad our son is home, but I worry too. We don't know what kind of people are after our boy, and he's suffering right now. Camilla's mother died, and he hasn't had time to process it before he finds out he has a daughter he's now taking care of. Add to that the anxiety of having to come back here after all the years of worry over how we will react," I begin, looking up at the man in my life. "I worry that we'll lose our son in the war he has with himself, like Noah."

I whisper the last bit of the sentence because I feel like a bad mother, a shame because I can't help my sons with their problems. Noah, I can't help because he refuses to talk about his experiences, and Darby, I hardly know any more now that he's an adult.

It might sound strange to you, considering he's my son. But on the other hand, three years is a long time, especially since he disappeared when he was still a teenager and came back as a full-grown man. The years between adolescence and adulthood are significant in development for a boy, hence my thoughts.

"We won't lose him, moja ljubljena boginja," Damien whispers in my ear. "Noah needs his brother, and as soon as Darby realizes it, he won't want to leave."

(My beloved goddess.)

"But Caleb is so mad at Darby; he's been like that ever since he left," I quietly say.

"Let me take care of Cal," Brody suddenly says. "I know how he works, and he will calm down soon enough. He has a mixed mood between both his crazy parents and the same temperament; it'll be fine."

Darby and Noah come into the kitchen, laughing together. It warms my mommy heart to see my sons go back to being happy in each other's presence. Even more, because it seems Darby can access his brother's interior.

"Okay, you've been stealing my niece long enough. Give her up!" Noah laughs and lifts Camilla from my arms; he studies her closely while watching Darby. "She's a more attractive version of you."

"Shut up!" Darby exclaims and laughs at his brother's teasing.

Damien puts his arms around me, and I feel the uneasiness in my chest gradually disappearing the longer I watch my boys. I don't know why Noah feels bad or why Darby actually left; that's something I'm going to find out. But not today; today, I'll enjoy having the family back together for the first time in three years.

A/N:

Hello everyone!

Somehow this chapter never released, don't ask me why because I don't know. Anyhow, here it is!

~ Did the family react according to what you thought?

~ Is Caleb's reaction understandable?

~ Why do you think Noah is depressed?

Please, tell me your opinion of what you think! I always love to read your comments, and I also would be happy to take your suggestions into consideration when I write the book. <3