Kenji fought his own smile.
Qylar sat on the floor, allowing Zaadi to paint his toenails a sparkly pink while Cryss built a tower with chunky Legos alongside Aeloran nearby.
“Good evening, sleepy head,” Alex said from his perch on a couch of sorts, his bare feet elevated.
“Good evening,” Kenji replied.
“How did you sleep?” Alex asked, a knowing smile on his lips.
“Well,” Kenji answered, his face warming. He’d tried to hold back his pleasure with Qylar earlier, but it had damned well been impossible. He hoped the kids hadn’t heard him bellowing.
“You woke up right on time,” Alex said. “Dinner should be delivered before long.”
Kenji grinned. “All I seem to do lately is eat.”
“Insatiable?” Alex asked with a grin.
Kenji’s face warmed again. He scratched his ear and fought a smile. “I never used to have a huge appetite, but now? I can’t stop.”
Qylar lifted a brow and crooked a finger, signaling for him to come over. Kenji joined him and took his hand to help him sit on the floor at his side. Zaadi was just finishing up Qylar’s last little toe when she looked at Kenji’s bare feet peeking out. He must’ve kicked off his socks in his sleep, which he often did.
“Do you need your toes painted, too?” Zaadi asked him, eagerness in her expression.
Kenji looked at the messy paint job on Qylar’s feet and chuckled inwardly.
“I was hoping you might ask,” Kenji said, straightening his legs out. “I would love for you to paint mine, too.”
Zaadi crawled over, shaking her little bottle, a broad smile on her face. “Do you want pink like Uncle Q, or do you want purple?” She lifted a bottle of lavender to show him his options.
“Which one do you think would look best?”
“Purple would look prettier with your robe,” she declared and shook that bottle up.
“Then, purple, by all means,” Kenji said.
Zaadi got to work on his toes as Qylar wrapped an arm over his shoulders and drew him close. He rested his head against Qylar’s chest and sighed with a contentment he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before.
“Uncle Q?”
“Yes, princess?”
“Uncle Kenji needs a pedicure,bad.”
Uncle Kenji.Pain blossomed in Kenji’s chest, making it hard to breathe. Tears burned the backs of his eyes. Why the title made him suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, he wasn’t sure. Maybe it was simply being included as a member of the family.
He’d never felt like family to anyone before.
No, that wasn’t the true, either. Qylar was beginning to feel like home.
Qylar leaned over and eyed Kenji’s feet. “They look pretty good to me. Nice and clean with even nails.”
Zaadi rolled her eyes dramatically. “Uncle Q—lookat his cuticles.”
“Excuseme,Ms. Professional Salon Owner. Should I get him the works?” Qylar asked Zaadi. “Manicure, too?”
Zaadi glanced up at Kenji’s hands before applying the first stroke of purple polish. “Yep. Manicure, too.”
Qylar turned to grin at him, but his smile faded and turned into a frown. He mouthed,“You okay?”
