The kids sprang up with cries of excitement. Their short attention spans appreciated the change of pace. Muzo and Mylo looked relieved that someone else was taking over amusement duty. From the corner of my eye, Viol seemed relieved, too.
“What, are you gonna haul a TV in here so they can watch a movie?” Crimson suggested. He still sounded salty that I didn’t care about folding shirts. Well, too bad. He was about to get even saltier.
I grinned. “Nope. We’re gonna have a singalong.”
That got Thystle and Matteo’s attention instantly. They sat up as if struck by lightning.
“What song?” Matteo asked. His eagle eyes flashed with passion.
Thystle pulled out his phone, frantically opening his music streaming library. “Wait, I’ll get the backtrack. Okay, go.”
“’Let It Snow’ fromIce Princess,” I told him.
From the kitchen, I heard the most tortured groan of all time, followed by Rorik’s amused chuckle.
“No!” Aurum wailed. “Anything but that!”
But it was too late. His cries of agony were drowned out by the kids’ ecstatic squeals. Hell, I doubted they cared about the actual film that much, but an upbeat, catchy song from an animated movie was enough.
“Hey, what about me?” Rorik called from the kitchen, sounding genuinely pouty. “I want to sing along, too.”
Cobalt gave him an assuring nod. “You’ve done most of the work here. I’ll take over for a few minutes. Go have fun.”
My mate grinned, then ran over with childlike joy, plopping next to me on the couch while careful not to nudge the egg in my lap. Seeing that unfiltered exuberance on his face made my heart soar. When we first met, he never smiled like that. I was glad those days were in the past. Rorik could finally be his true self.
“Everyone ready?” Thystle asked. He turned the volume up and hovered his finger on the button. “I’m starting the karaoke backtrack… now.”
A familiar tune filled the kitchen. I felt Rorik wriggling with excitement beside me. Matteo had already stood up and run a hand through his hair, letting it fall across his forehead in the typical fashion of Aquila, his performance alter-ego. Thystle fixed his obsessive gaze on his mate.
As the lyrics started, Rorik, Matteo, and I joined in. Obviously, Matteo had the best voice—he was a professional, after all. The oldest kids, Ruby and Heather, knew some of the words, so they sang along, too. Lazuli, Kiara, and Desiree swayed to the beat. Mint was too young to do anything but stare in wonder at the music filling the air. Jade and Alaric were too cool for singalongs, so they watched their son with warm smiles.
The music swelled. Matteo belted out the chorus so beautifully it gave me chills. Maybeheshould’ve been the Ice Princess instead.
But my favorite singing belonged to Rorik. It was clunky and inexperienced, but deeply earnest. He sang from the heart. And it was his heart I loved the most.
As the final line of lyrics ended and the melody descended to its conclusion, I turned to Rorik and pressed a kiss to his lips. He smiled and kissed me back.
When the music stilled, the kids cheered. Our performance earned a round of applause from Jade and Alaric, and—to my surprise—a few claps from Aurum in the kitchen.
“What?” Aurum said when I shot him a confused look. “The song’s annoying, but you guys were good.”
“Especially you,” Thystle purred at Matteo, giving him a look that should’ve been reserved for the bedroom.
Matteo let out a cool chuckle. He brushed a strand of hair out of Thystle’s flushed face. “I’ll sing it for you anytime.”
I cleared my throat. “Hey, this kitchen is rated PG, okay? Take it upstairs if you’re gonna get freaky.”
A loud gasp came from Viol, who abruptly bolted upright. At first I thought he was upset about me censoring Thystle and Matteo’s love until Viol cried, “The egg!”
My heart pounded. I dropped my gaze to the egg cradled in my lap.
At the same time, Rorik sucked in a breath. “There’s a hole. Is it okay? Did I hit it by accident?” he asked, eyes round with concern.
“No. It’s hatching,” I whispered.
Everyone gathered to watch with bated breath. My heart pounded faster than it ever had in my life, but I also felt strangely calm. I was ready for this. I grasped Rorik’s hand and held it firmly.
The egg wriggled in my lap. A tiny pip in the sunshine-yellow shell grew into a sizable crack. An annoyed peep came from within. Then the egg rocked back and forth until a tiny yellow head popped out.
