Chapter 26


    #Chapter 26 – Slumber Party


    “Slumberrrrrrr Partyyyyy!” Ian yells, bursting in the back door of Victor’s house, a huge backpack of


    toys and pillows on his back. He spreads his arms out and zooms around the kitchen, pretending to be


    an airne.


    Alvin follows his brother,ughing, his arms equally filled with supplies. Beta Edgar follows both,


    shutting the door behind them and giving Victor a cheerful nod, letting him know that all is well.


    Victor smiles his gratitude and then kneels down,ughing with the boys. “What is all this stuff?” he


    says, taking an armful of toys from Alvin so that he can chase his brother.


    “It’s our SUPPLIES,” Alvin says, unhelpfully, grinning. “Everything we need for the slumber party!”


    “But you have toys here,” Victor says, confused as he looks through the assortment of toys, books, and


    nkets that Alvin has brought. “Everything you have at your moms house you have here –“


    “Nooooo,” Alvin whines, running back and wrapping himself around Victor’s leg. “We neeeeeed it.”


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Victorughs, giving in. “Fine, whatever. Are you ready to take it up…to your new ROOM?!” The boys


    gasp, pleased shock all over their faces.


    “We have a new ROOM?!”


    “That is awesome!” Alvin jumps with his hands up in the air like an ecstatic little frog. Victor smiles


    down at them, pleased to make them so happy. Until now, the room had been a stuffy guest room for


    Victor’s family, when they rarely chose to visit. But with a few changes, it became a little boy’s paradise.


    “Where is it?” Ian says, looking around the first floor as if a new door would materialize out of nowhere.


    Victorughs.


    “It’s upstairs. But first, you have to say thank you to Amelia – it was her idea,” he puts out a hand to


    Amelia as she walks into the room, beaming a smile.


    “Oh, you’re here!” Amelia says, pressing her hands together. “I’m so excited to y with you!” The boys


    immediately stop jumping and sneer at her.


    “Oh. Hello, Amelia.” Alvin says, narrowing his eyes.


    “Whaaaat,” Ian whines, his body going limp as he falls onto the floor in despair. “You didn’t say SHE


    wasing to the slumber party!”


    “She lives here, Ian,” Victor says, shaking his head at him. “Don’t be rude, get up and say hello. Both of


    you need to thank her for your new room.”


    Ian picks himself up and walks over to Alvin,municating with him silently. As one, they turn and


    sullenly say “thank you, Amelia,” without an ounce of real gratitude in their words.


    “You’re…wee,” Amelia says, working hard to keep her smile on her face.


    Victor’s phone pings on the counter, and he picks it up.


    Evelyn: Did they get there okay?


    Victor: Yes, it’s all fine.


    Evelyn: Okay, have fun! I’ll be here if you need me, just across the yard.


    He clicks the screen off, confident that he won’t need to contact her. All is prepared for the night – the


    first real night that they boys would be staying at his house without their mom. Victor wouldn’t admit


    how excited he was to finally have the boys to himself – a dreame true. Luckily, the boys match his


    spirit and enthusiasm.


    “Can we go, can we go see our new room?!” Ian says, perking up.


    “Sure, it’s upstairs,st door on the right,” Victor says, gesturing upwards. The boys fly up the stairs,


    climbing with their hands as well as their feet like little pups scurrying off on an adventure. Theyugh


    as they go, an infectious sound.


    Amelia takes Victor’s hand as they go, squeezing it. She knows that Victor believes her about the


    parade, and she feels finally secure again, like things are returning to normal. They reach the top of the


    stairs just in time to see the boys rush through the door to their room, the new wooden “Alvin & Ian”


    sign banging behind them.


    “Wow!!!”


    “Incredible!”


    Victor smiles wide and hurries his steps, eager to see his boys’ reaction to the room. When the adults


    arrive, they find Alvin and Ian standing in the middle of the room, spinning around to take everything in,


    their old toys forgotten down in the kitchen.


    “I love it so much, daddy!” Ian says, climbing to the top bunk of the new bed, which is designed to look


    like a rocket ship. The rest of the room continues the space theme, with ck walls decorated with


    glow-in-the-dark stickers that will light up in the shape of constetions overnight.


    “Thank you, thank you!” shouts Alvin, kneeling by a book shelf that is packed with fresh books on every


    subject imaginable. Victor leans against the wall, filled with new-dad pride, so happy to finally be able


    to give his sons a home.


    “I’ll let you guys y,” Amelia says softly. “I’ll put the pizzas in the oven. Give it about…half an hour,”


    she says, hugging Victor and then slipping downstairs.


    “Did she say pizza?” Ian’s head pops out from the covers of his new bed, his wolf hearing picking up on


    everything.


    “Yes, pizza for dinner! And then all the ice cream you can eat!” Victor says,ing into the room and


    opening the French doors to the balcony. “Did you guys see out here yet? There’s a telescope on the


    balcony.”


    “What!?”


    “You’re kidding me!”


    Half an hourter, Amelia returns with a pizza in each hand. She hasn’t heard a word from any of the


    boys, though she did hear a lot ofugher and thumps from upstairs. I know I’m supposed to think it’s


    charming, she thinks, all this boyish ruckus. But frankly, it’s just…loud.


    She steels herself, putting on her patented Amelia smile, and then walks into the bedroom. “Pizza’s


    ready!”


    “Thank you!” Alvin says, peeking his head out from a massive fort that the boys have constructed from


    the nkets, sheets, and furniture that they’ve dragged to the middle of the room.


    “You can leave it by the drawbridge!” Ian’s voicees from inside, not bothering to surface.


    “Now now,” Amelia says, working hard to be motherly. “We can eat in the room, but everyone needs to


    come out and wash their hands, like civilized people.”


    “But we are WOLVES!” One of the twins howls from inside, she can’t tell which one. “We have dirty


    paws! We eat with our teeth, we tear and scratch!”


    Amelia can hear Victorughing from inside and stands awkwardly, not knowing what to do. “Um,


    Victor?” She calls.


    Victor pushes open the nkets at the front of the fort, revealing himself to be tousled and red-faced


    and….well, happy. Happier than perhaps she had ever seen him. “What’s up, Amelia? Is the pizza


    ready?”


    “Yeah,” she says, gesturing towards the pizzas she holds.


    “Okay,” he says, e in! Let’s eat!” Amelia smiles, starting to move towards the entrance, when she


    hears –


    “No! No GIRLS allowed!,” one of the twins protests.


    “Yeah!” Says the other.


    “Come on, boys, it’s Amelia’s house too,” Victor’s deeper, more sensible voice pleads.


    “But it’s our first nighttttt,” one whines. God, were they always this whiny?


    “And she didn’t help to build the fort! No GIRLS!”


    Victor peeks his head out again, abashed. “Amelia…” he says. “Do you mind? Just for tonight?”


    Amelia smiles wider, her cheeks aching. “No problem,” she says, ying it cool and cing the pizzas


    by the fort’s entrance. “Maybe you cane down in a little bit and have ice cream with me?”


    “Sure thing,” Victor says, giving her a handsome wink and a smile before he pulls the pizzas into the


    fort. As soon as he disappears, Amelia lets her smile drop into a scowl and heads down the hallway.


    “Fat chance,” she hears a twin say as she walks away, “we’re having ice cream in HEREter. All we


    can eat.” The other twinughs.


    “You know, if mommy wanted toe in, that would be okay.”


    Amelia clenches her fists as she walks down the stairs, intent upon a ss of rosé. A big one.