Page 121 of Red River

He nodded, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes, and the moment his head hit the pillow, he was out.

A few hours later, he woke up looking much more refreshed.

Noticing my watchful gaze, he grinned and announced, "Now is the time to get up. I really miss my kids, and I feel great. I want to go see them!"

I smiled, leaned down, and brushed a kiss over his soft, red lips. "I believe you now. You actually look almost normal again. Well-rested?"

"For the most part!"

Tilting my head, I eyed him. "Then let’s go. But I want you to remember—you don’t have to feel guilty. You’re allowed to take time for yourself too. Oliver handled things just fine these past few days. We should hire him more often and take little getaways… maybe to our nice islet…"

River’s eyes lit up. "Gladly! There are sea monsters around deserted islands. And sirens. One of them might show up, looking to defile an innocent omega Robinson Crusoe."

It took some time before I stopped cackling.

And then we both went downstairs.

RIVER

Even before we entered the living room, I could hear music playing. When I stepped inside, I saw Lake sitting at the table with his keyboard, showing Avery something on the keys.

Van and Aiden were clearing the dishes, loading them into the dishwasher, while through the glass doors leading to the patio, I spotted Igor and Milo gathering training pads and shields.

"Dad!" Lake called out, jumping up from his seat. A moment later, I was surrounded by all three of my younger sons.

"Well, well," I said, hugging them tightly, my chest bursting with happiness. "The house is actually in one piece! I was expecting total chaos when we got back."

Archer smiled, about to say something, but at that moment, Igor and Milo walked into the living room.

Igor immediately approached Archer. For a second, it looked like he wanted to hug him but held himself back at the last moment. Instead, he raised his hand in a salute.

Archer laughed. "Hey, let’s not make this a habit. This is a home, not a military base! But seriously, Igor, I really appreciate everything you’ve done these past few days. We’ve been watching you from the window. Good job. You’ve got a real knack for leading people."

Something flickered across Igor’s face. Archer placed a hand on his shoulder, and for a brief moment, they just stood there, looking at each other.

My son’s eyes seemed a little glassy, but he just nodded firmly. "I didn’t want to let you down."

"And you didn’t, Igor. I’m proud of you."

After that, we went to check in with Oliver, who was organizing supplies in the pantry. He didn’t seem too overwhelmed with work, mostly because he had plenty of eager helpers. He gave us a quick update on all the household matters. The boys reportedly behaved perfectly, there was no problem whatsoever!

As I came back to the living room, I noticed that Igor was no longer there. Something told me I should talk to him. Stepping outside onto the patio, I spotted him standing near the greenhouse, talking to someone on the phone.

I probably shouldn’t have eavesdropped, but something made me hesitate before calling out to him. Instead, I came closer—just enough to hear his conversation.

"…Thanks. And really, I’m sorry again. That never should have happened—"

A pause. Then Igor spoke again.

"I hope everything’s going well in class. Straight A’s, yeah?"

Another pause.

"A recital? That’s great. Make sure you’re as prepared as you can be."

Silence again. Then, more hesitantly, Igor added, "Yeah… I had some trouble at school, but I got through it. Thanks to Archer…" He trailed off.

"I hope you’ll come next week. You’ll get to meet him—he’s seriously an amazing guy. A true miracle he’s Dad’s TM."

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