“Very much so.”
“That may be your silver lining here. I’ll tell you what. You can dispense your news to them. Hopefully tomorrow. And I will be on hand to offer encouragement. Perhaps they’ll both be happy to return to Rotslavia, back to their beloved nanny.” She forced a smile. “And perhaps this will be your opportunity to be a more present parent in their lives.” She pointed toward the house. “There’s Mishka now. Perhaps he’s looking for his father.”
Spencer glanced at his watch as he stood. “And it’s nearly dinnertime.” He extended his hand to help her up. She took it, surprised by both the warmth and the gesture. “I do appreciate your help, Meredith. As you have guessed, I’m not very good at parenting. I suspect it’s been too easy to push it off on others.”
“It’s not too late to learn.” She smiled nervously, realizing he was still holding her hand. And in that moment, she could see traits of his children in his expression. He too was insecure and slightly fearful. At least he was in good company. Hopefully, he’d use his vulnerability to connect with his children.
17
To Meredith’s relief, the dinner hour passed without Spencer breathing a word about the children’s holiday coming to an abrupt end. In fact, it was a surprisingly pleasant meal. Spencer genuinely tried to connect with his children. He only looked at his phone once and, perhaps due to the schoolteacher look she gave him, he then silenced it and stowed it in his shirt pocket.
After dinner, Mishka begged for a movie night. It was his turn to pick the film, so he opted forThe Lion King. Kat pretended to be vexed, but by the time Meredith came back from the kitchen with popcorn, Kat had stuck around. And whether it was sincere or not, Spencer was telling his children how much he’d loved this movie as a child.
As usual, Mishka snuggled up to Meredith on the couch. But when the scene came when Mufasa was killed, Mishka moved to sit next to his dad. Despite herself, Meredith was teary-eyed when she and Spencer exchanged looks.
The next morning, Meredith rose early again. She dressed and went downstairs before the children awoke so she could enjoy a little stroll. She suspected this might be her last day here,and after praying about everything—and giving it all to God—she was fine with leaving. She’d done her best for the children, and hopefully this little royal family would grow closer when they returned to Rotslavia.
“Good morning.”
Meredith turned to see Spencer coming her way. She waved and returned the greeting. Today he wore khaki shorts, a white polo shirt, and a ball cap. Not exactly traveling clothes.
“I’m glad I caught you before the children woke up,” he said. “I’d hoped we could make some sort of game plan.”
“Game plan?”
“I considered your suggestions. And I believe you’re right—it’s not necessary to upset Mishka with the possibility of danger. I won’t mention it to him. Although I do plan to discuss the situation with Katerina. She’s old enough to understand. And besides that, I’ve decided to give them both some additional time to adjust to the idea of returning to Rotslavia.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
“I’ll tell them about the altered holiday plans this morning. But we won’t leave until Monday. That’ll give them a couple more days to be here. I’d like the extra time myself.” His smile looked genuine. “To practice being a dad.”
She returned his smile. Hearing her phone jingle, she pointed out it was breakfast time. As they walked up to the house together, Mishka’s voice carried their way from outside the dining room. She yelled back, waving toward him, and he came running.
“Oh, Meri!” He threw his arms around her waist. “I had a bad dream.”
“Really?” She smoothed his hair.
“I went to your room, but you weren’t there. I thought you left us. Just like in my dream.”
“I’m still here, Mishka. I was just out for a walk.”
“With Papa?” His eyes lit up.
“Yes,” Spencer said. “With Papa. And I was about to challenge Meredith to a football match. Boys against girls.” He patted Mishka’s back. “Think you and I can show the ladies a thing or two?”
“Yes.” Mishka nodded eagerly. “Boys against girls. We’ll win for sure, Papa.”
“Breakfast first.” Spencer’s eyes twinkled, and Meredith suppressed the urge to chuckle. Little did Spencer know, they would be hard pressed to beat the ladies.
When the football match ended, Meredith had to remind Kat not to gloat. “The only thing worse than a sore loser is a smug winner,” she whispered to her.
“Okay.” Kat turned to look back where Spencer and Mishka were slowly coming up the hill behind them. “Nice match, fellas,” she called out. “Better luck next time.”
Meredith giggled, playfully punching Kat in the arm. “Is that the best you can do?”
“Hey, they’re the ones who were gloating at the beginning,” Kat replied. “You know what they say, Meri. If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out.”
Meredith shook her head. “I hope you learn a bit more humility before you reign in Rotslavia.”
