Titus Danforth is a bit stunned by how much he loves his children. Yes, he assumed he'd care for them as they are his heirs after all...
He doesn't anticpate he'll love them though...like genuinely fully love them with his whole chest.
Titus Danforth is selfish after all. People never fail to remind him that he is a petulant brat who only cares about himself. He has been told that he has no good in him.
His wife seems to disagree, but he's certain his wife is an outlier when it comes to his ability to feel affection.
He falls for his wife on the hunting field when he witnesses her take down a man twice her size with all the grace of a capable killer.
He works hard to woo her after witnessing that hunt, and though he's certain her father is not pleased with the age gap between Reader and himself, Titus manages to not only gain Reader's affections but take her hand in marriage.
So, he guesses it should make sense that he loves their children.
He doesn't anticipate the love he feels though.
He feels himself cry when his first born is placed in his arms and he's shocked by the tears. He stares down at his newborn and is certain he'd not only kill for them but he'd burn down the world for them.
The feelings are the same with each child born after that.
The Danforth children are the apples of Titus' eye. They get every little thing they want.
His daughters have hand crafted intricate doll houses, little miniature versions of the Danforth family estate. They have tea parties with real china. They have a massive collection of stuffed animals and always seem to acquire more.
His sons have more legos and hot wheels than any child should reasonably have. Reader has to talk Titus out of buying an actual dinosaur skeleton when his sons have a dinosaur phase.
The Danforth children are permitted to interrupt any business meeting Titus may be having or any serious meeting he's having with the high council.
There have been more than a few occurrences of a child entering the room during a serious meeting and Titus reaching down and pulling the kid into his lap without missing a moment of the meeting,
He's rocked and bounced cheerful chubby little babies in his arms while discussing the logistics of the latest hunt to honor Mr. Le Bail. He's discussed kill pits and goat sacrifices while cuddling a drowsy sweet baby in his arms.
Titus carries pictures of his children in his wallet.
Titus trains his babies to hunt because they will survive and will be victorious on the hunt.
Titus would shatter the bones of anyone who dared to lie a hand on any of his children.
The man is overprotective to a dangerous extreme.
Titus does everything in his power to be nothing like his own father. He does not raise a hand to his children. He tells them he's proud of them every day. He tells them what fine Danforths they are and how they bring honor to their family name.
When his kids reach the teenage phase where they want to argue with him and push his buttons, Titus is beyond frustrated...even more so when Reader points out they get their impulsive tendencies and stubbornness from him.
Even when there's slammed doors and snark thrown at Titus, at some point during the night Reader will find the man sitting with the teenager he was bickering with just earlier in the day looking at a photo album from when they were babies and acting as though they weren't at each other's throats hours ago.
Titus Danforth might be a petulant brat, but the man does genuinely love his babies.
Titus might do anything to gain power, but his wife and children make him want to gain that power all the more.
His family deserves to have anything they want. Titus intends to make sure his place on the high council ensures his family will have everything they deserve.
