I’m not conceited enough to deny this simple fact.
It’srighthere before me. I might be desperately in love with her, but we’ve spent barely a week together.
He strokes her hair, sniffs her, holds her close, still rocking her like a father would a child.
Yeah, that’s the other reason I haven’t killed him—because the vibe I’m getting is definitely father-child, not lover.
“I am so glad my call finally worked, my little one,” he softly says. “I was hoping it would. Parxon told me I was tearing my heart out to keep trying, but I would never give up. I came before, during, and after every full and dark moon, and even the quarters, and kept trying. Next to the day you were born,thisis the happiest day of my life.”
“Wait.” Okay, so I will interrupt. “You’re so gladwhatworked?”
He holds up his left hand, where I see he wears a near exact mate to the ring Eilidh has, except for a small crack in the labradorite stone. “It will rarely work to allow a crossing unless you do it perfectly on the strongest nights. But it could still signal, or so I hoped. I would try to send afahnihrto her, to find her, in hopes we could talk to her, or to let her know we were here. We never knew if it was working, but I hoped one day it would. A few times, I saw her through the stones.”
“Wait,we?”
He nods. “Me, and Parxon.” He smiles at her, so full of love and parental adoration it makes my own heart ache. “Her father.”
34
Eilidh
“Wait…what?”I stare at him. “My dad?”
I mean, yeah, I know Amber said he was alive. Yet, somehow, I hadn’t managed to convince myself of that.
Zuzu nods. “Yes.”
“Where is he?”
“He is away doing research but will return later today.” He smiles. “Wait until he sees you, love. This will bring such joy to him.”
I look at Dexter to confirm I heard what I think I heard. “Hesaidthat, right? Hereallysaid that? My dad’salive?”
Dexter smiles and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Yes, love. He said that.”
Zuzu literally doesn’t look a day older than I remember him. He smiles and touches my cheek, runs his fingers through my hair. I remember him braiding my hair when I was little, singing to me as he did.
“And who is this man, little one?” he asks, nodding toward Dexter. “Is he someone important to my angel?”
“Oh. Um, yeah. This is Dexter. He’s…mine.”
Mywhatis still up for debate, I suppose. Gawd, are weevergoing to get an uninterrupted stretch of time together where we can sort of, ya know, sortourshit out?
“It is very nice to meet you, Dexter,” Zuzu says, reaching out to shake hands with him. “I am Zeuzehn.”
“Why does she call you Zuzu?”
“Because when she was a baby, she couldn’t say my name and started calling me that.” The loving smile on his face—the paternal smile—nearly shatters my heart, and I throw myself at him for another long, desperate hug.
I’m afraid to move, afraid to leave the ring of stones for fear Zuzu will disappear and I’ll never see him again. I’m terrified this is some sort of dream I’ll awaken from, and none of this will be real.
That I’ll lose Zuzu again.
That I’ll lose any chance of reuniting with my father.
Dexter takes over the questions and I’m honestly okay with that. Zuzu’s familiar, comforting scent fills my lungs, and I really would rather just sit here, for now, and process the flood of memories spilling back into my soul.
Honestly? I don’t think I can even walk right now.
