Mitch's P.O.V.
I sighed, scooping the blonde toddler up into my arms. He was grumpy and tired and probably just wanted to sleep but I couldn't let him until Jerome got back with Rob. He whined and clung to me, acting quite a lot younger than he actually was, at 3 years old.
"Hey Lachy, it's okay, it's okay." I shushed him, rocking him from side to side. He could never sleep without Rob at his side or in the same room at him and hadn't been able to since they had been placed into foster care together at age 1 and 2.
We had fostered them at the same time and then adopted them into our family. They both refused to be apart most of the time, sleeping in the same room and did absolutely everything together, including going to kindergarten.
Lachlan hadn't gone to kindergarten that day because he was sick with a cold and because of his close proximity to other children I would rather he didn't go and get everyone else sick.
He had gone the previous day and when I had gone to pick him and Rob up he had been playing with his friend of about the same age as him, Vikk. Vikk was a shy boy, smart and a lot smaller than Lachlan, but stuck to Lachlan's side like glue and the two were the best of friends.
Rob was in a different section of the kindergarten most of the time but because of their closeness they often played together in the same playground. He also had a close friend, Preston, a boy who was a little bit younger than ours but bright, bubbly and constantly full of energy. He was a ball of fire, never able to sit still for long.
Both Preston and Vikk had older brothers, both aged 7, Josh being Preston's brother and Harry being Vikk's, who went to school across the road from the kindergarten. We saw them often, almost every day as they came with their parents to pick up the boys.
Josh was a sensible boy, acting a little older than his age and was smart too. He was a kind boy as well, taking care of his little brother and our boys too on occasion when Jerome or I were running late to pick them up from kindergarten.
Harry was another ball of energy much last Preston and I had to say I was thankful for Harry's parents that they didn't have little Preston as a son as well. He was a ball of blonde fire, never able to sit still for long and always on the move.
And we knew the parents of these boys very well. JJ and Simon were the parents of Harry and Vikk, the ball of energy and little Lachy's best friend, and we often met up outside of school to talk together. The two were the best of friends as well as husbands and brilliant parents to Vikk and Harry, encouraging their best traits and giving them the best environment to grow.
Ethan and Tobi were a little different. They were honestly the last people you might expect to be a couple but they worked so well together, no matter what happened. They raised their two boys, Josh and Preston, so well in fact that the boys were always amazing to be around.
They weren't always on their best behaviour but they were able to do things that many other kids weren't able to do for fair of punishment. They spoke their mind, asked for help when they needed it, expressed their opinions and Ethan and Tobi always nurtured their personalities to make them well-rounded. They were amazing parents and Jerome and I honestly wanted to be as amazing parents as them.
Rob loved being around them which was amazing because he was normally very reserved except around Lachlan and even though they weren't his parents they knew what to do to bring him out of his shell. We had always struggled with getting him to do more things but Tobi and Ethan worked their magic.
Lachlan never seemed more alive than when he was around Vikk and Jerome and I loved it. The younger boy brought something out in him that we never saw otherwise and he became a completely different person, bright, bubbly and energetic like any other kid who hadn't been through what he and Rob had.
