Chapter 632 - Man To Man

After dinner, Nicolae excused himself to return to his apartment on Robertson Road. Although he rarely came to Singapore, he still kept his apartment there. Now, he had decided to invite Altair and Vega to live with him in his place.

"We can go sailing tomorrow if you want to. Mommy is already too big and can't be too active, so you'll just go with Daddy Nic," he said, helping to unpack the two kids' belongings in their rooms.

Altair and Vega looked at each other and secretly smiled. Nicolae didn't notice that his two children were plotting to plan something, gladly carrying Vega's bag on his shoulder and held Altair's hand in his right hand.

The three said goodbye to Aleksis and Lauriel then left for Robertson Road escorted by Alaric.

Alaric deliberately joined because as usual, he wanted to read stories to his children before going to bed and spend time with his brother without Aleksis.

"I'm glad you came here. Thank you," Alaric commented when they arrived at Nicolae's apartment. He helped his children tidy up their belongings in the room then told them to clean themselves before going to bed.

"I wouldn't miss this for anything," Nicolae answered with a smile and patted his brother's back.

Physically, these two men were very similar, only differing in face and hair color, even causing Vega and Altair, who just came out with a toothbrush in hand, to be momentarily stunned. They rarely see their fathers together like this.

"Too bad Father and Daddy both love Mommy," Vega whispered to Altair. "We have to find Daddy a new girl soon, so they can get together like this more often."

Although they were only 10 years old, Vega and Altair were very smart. They knew what had happened between their parents, and they could also see that Nicolae and Alaric cared for each other from their interactions. Unfortunately, the two men couldn't meet often because there was still a sense of indecision caused by the presence of Aleksis in their life.

In the hearts of Vega and Altair, who really loved their Daddy Nic, both of them really wanted to see Nic happy. They also wanted Nicolae to slowly forget his love for their mom and find a new woman to love.

"Hey... have you guys finished brushing your teeth and washing your face?" Alaric scolded as his two children stood in amazement at the door. Altair and Vega hurriedly shook their heads and fled to the bathroom.

Nicolae only laughed at their interaction. He really missed the two children.

"Have you prepared a name for your next child?" Nicolae asked, taking a bottle of wine from the cabinet. "Oh... I forgot you don't drink during Aleksis's pregnancy."

He looked awkward and wanted to return the wine bottle to the cabinet, but Alaric stopped him.

"It's okay... I'll drink this once. This is a special occasion. Besides, I need to calm down. The next few days will be very tense..."

"Oh, is that so?" Nicolae took two glasses and poured wine for them. "This isn't the first child, so it won't be as difficult as the first time she gave birth when the birth canal had never been opened."

"Hmm... I don't understand. This is already 2050 and humans have had civilization for thousands of years, yet women still have to endure pain in childbirth. Diseases such as cancer already have a cure, but why is the pain in the process of giving birth still there?" Alaric complained. "I can't bear to imagine Aleksis going through such pain..."

Nicolae could only sigh. Ten years ago, when Aleksis gave birth to the twins, he wasn't there to witness the event. At that time, he was still very heartbroken and chose to travel around the world.

From what he heard, the process of the birth of Altair and Vega was quite long and painful, he couldn't bear to have Aleksis experience it again.

"I feel so selfish. Just because I want a child from Aleksis, she has to experience so much pain..." Alaric sipped his wine until it ran out. He clearly looked frustrated at the thought of the birth that was expected to occur in a few days.

"Hmm... there are some birth procedures that aren't too painful, like the water birth. And I'm sure if you accompany her from beginning to end, calm her, hold her hand, and support her, she won't feel too much pain," Nicolae said soothingly. "Besides, you're not the only one who wants this child. Aleksis, too..."

"Hmmm..." Alaric only let out a long sigh. "I think just one child is enough. I don't want Aleksis to experience another pregnancy and birth..."

Nicolae knew that one of the reasons Alaric really wanted a child from Aleksis was because he had to share his first two children with Nicolae. Alaric wasn't there in their ten years of life and he missed the days of birth and growth of his children because they had been separated for ten years.

Sympathetically, Nicolae embraced his brother's shoulder and nodded. "Alright... have you prepared a name?"

Alaric nodded. "Alaris if the child is female and Aleric if the child is male..."

Nicolae wanted to roll his eyes at the two names, but he managed to hold back. He knew that Alaric and Aleksis's first two children were named after their favorite constellations, which both happened to begin with the letter A ー Altair and Alpha Lyrae (Latin names from Vega). Now apparently, the husband and wife wanted to name their children with a combination of their names.

Alaris and Aleric are both combinations of the names Alaric and Aleksis.

"Nice name," Nicolae commented, coughing a little.

Alaric saw his reaction and frowned. "Do you think we're overdoing it?"

"Uhmm... no, no. It's right for your child to be given the combined name of your names. The child was born out of love," Nicolae replied hastily. He then pointed to the twins' room and told his brother to immediately read a story to his children. "Altair and Vega are going to bed. Don't you want to read them a story?"

Alaric nodded. He put down his glass then went into their room with a storybook. When the door closed behind him, Nicolae continued to look at the room and shook his head.

"Alaris... and Aleric," he murmured. He then finished the wine in his glass and walked to the balcony and looked at the sky.

Alaric read a story to his children and waited for them to sleep before returning to meet Nicolae.

"Are you really going to take them sailing?" he asked.

Nicolae nodded. "I can use your ship, right?"

"Of course. I'll leave my children to you. Don't forget the day after tomorrow. My father, mother, and brother-in-law will arrive too. They'll definitely want to meet the twins."

"Of course," Nicolae went back into the living room and poured wine for themselves again. "Sit here for a while. You're not in a rush to go home, are you? Father is  accompanying Aleksis in the mansion."

"No." Alaric received the glass of wine from Nicolae and clinked his glass to his brother's glass.

They sat drinking in silence for a while until Alaric started talking.

"Nicolae... I haven't had time to thank you, because all this time, you've been protecting Aleksis and my children."

"Hmm?" Nicolae looked up and looked at Alaric. They had never talked between man-to-man about Aleksis since Alaric's abrupt arrival, which was the day right before Aleksis and Nicolae's supposed wedding, which was canceled in the end.

"I know you love her very much..." Alaric sighed deeply. "If I could give Aleksis to you, I would do it... But I can't. I can't live without her in my life."

Nicolae didn't answer. He understood very well how Alaric was feeling. He too, for the past four years, had felt the same way. His life revolved around Aleksis and he had regarded her as his wife, and he did everything for Aleksis's happiness. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

Although he voluntarily parted ways from Aleksis, his broken heart needed a very long time to recover.