He was terrified that Elysia would me him!

Elysia had her own rules when it came to raising kids-she was definitely loving, but never coddling.

Whenever the kids cried, she felt it in her bones, but she''d never let their tears be an excuse for bad behavior.

She believed, except for the exceptionally wild ones, most kids were born good- a nk te.

Whether they grew into mighty oaks or ended up as deadwood, a lot depended on how the parents raised and guided them.

Tarquin, yton, and Pam stood off to the side, wide-eyed, watching Elysiafort the baby.

They had opinions, sure-but nobody dared voice them.

In their family, Elysia''s word wasw.

Especially when it came to the kids. She was the undisputed boss.

Thankfully, Elysia actually knew a thing or two about child psychology, and with Elliot, Evan, and Emmett helping out, the baby calmed down pretty quickly.

The little girl still hupped from crying,

"Mommy, you have to remember, okay? Don''t forget to pick me up."

"I promise, sweetheart! Mommy will never forget."

"Mommy, you have to be the very first one to pick me up, okay?"

"Deal! Pinky swear!"

Once Baby was soothed, Elysia turned to Elijah.

He was mostly okay now, but since he''d never really been around other kids before, he was a little nervous.

As soon as Elysia looked his way, he piped up,

"Don''t worry, Mommy, I''m fine. Really."

Elysia gave him a warm smile.

"If anything happens at school, you can always ask the teacher to call me, okay?"

"Okay!"

Elliot then tried tofort Elysia,

"Don''t worry, Mom. I''ll look after my little brother and sister. You can count on me."

Elysia''s heart melted. "Thank you, Elliot. I hope you all have fun at preschool." The kids waved goodbye,

"Bye, Mommy! Bye, Daddy! Bye, Grandma, Grandpa!"

"Bye, sweethearts! Have fun!"

The four adults watched as the kids disappeared into the school building.

The moment the little ones were out of sight, Elysia spun around and buried herself in Tarquin''s arms, muffling her sobs.

She was miserable.

The kids missed her, but honestly, she missed them even more.

But she couldn''t keep them wrapped up in her arms forever. They needed to leave the nest, learn to be in the world without their parents constantly hovering.  s

yton and Pam saw what was happening. They felt for their daughter, but

they knew better than to crowd her, so they quietly headed back to the car.

Tarquin gently stroked the back of Elysia''s head, trying to soothe her.

"Elliot and the teachers are there. The kids will be fine. We''lle pick them up early this afternoon, okay?"

"...Elliot, Evan, and Emmett will be fine. I just worry about Baby and Elijah. It''s their first day. What if they don''t fit in?"

"They''ll be okay. And even if they aren''t, Elliot, Evan, and Emmett are in the same ss. I already talked to the school about it."

Elysia sniffed, about to say something, when she suddenly heard Blossom''s voice.

“Elysia!”

Elysia quickly wiped her tears and looked up. Blossom had just hopped out of her

car and was hurrying over.

Elysia was surprised. "Weren''t you taking the day off?"

Blossom, still catching her breath, nodded.

"I was, but I kept thinking about the kids'' first day at school and got too anxious to

stay away. So I cancelled my day off."

"I called you, but you didn''t answer. The kids already inside?"

Elysia replied, "Just went in. My phone''s in the car, sorry. Are you feeling better?"

Blossom nodded hard.

"I called my mom against night. She told me that lucky charm she gave me is the real deal! Apparently, a bunch of priests blessed it together, its guaranteed to keep Axel safe!"  s

Elysia hesitated, "Does Hollis know you gave it to Axel?" "Nope! And you''d better not tell her!"

Elysia just shook her head, half relieved Blossom was in good spirits, half worried. She liked Axel so much and Elysia was afraid, was setting herself up for heartbreak.  s

Axel''s feelings were...plicated.

And besides, the Blythe family already had other ns for their precious son-in-pw.