“Come in,” I said.
He looked surprised. “Are you certain?”
“Killian asked for you. And honestly, I’m too tired to keep being pissed right now. I don’t have the energy.”
We approached the bed from opposite sides, falling into the familiar routine of tucking Killian in together. We’d done this hundreds of times over the past four years, our movements synchronized without thought. Our hands brushed over him briefly and I didn’t pull away.
Once Killian was deeply asleep, his breathing soft and even, we both settled onto the bed on either side of him. For a moment, we just lay there in silence.
Then Killian’s eyes fluttered open. He saw both of us and smiled, looking far too smug for someone who was supposedly asleep. “Finally,” he mumbled.
Then he was out again.
I stared at the ceiling. “Did he just...”
“Yes,” Mal said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Our four-year-old just sassed us.”
“He gets that from you.”
“Fair.”
We were both silent, staring at the ceiling while our son slept between us.
“He’s been trying to get us back together,” I said finally.
“I noticed. I found a purple flower crown on my pillow yesterday. With a note that said ‘Mom’ in his attempt at handwriting.”
I laughed softly. “So subtle. Master of manipulation, that one.”
“He also asked me if I made you cry.”
“What did you say?”
“That I was stupid and made a mistake.”
“Good answer.”
“He suggested I bring you flowers to apologize. Said that’s what princes do in his storybooks.”
“Did you?”
“I was going to. But then assassins happened and ruined my romantic gesture.”
“Assassins ruin everything.”
“Everything,” he agreed solemnly.
We fell quiet again, the comfortable silence we used to share slowly creeping back. Then Mal spoke. “I should have told you. About my suspicions.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“You were overwhelmed. New queen, new mother, navigating a completely new world, juggling Earth and Lytopia. I thought you needed time to adjust without more chaos being thrown at you.”
“So you decided for me?”
“Yes. And I was wrong. I see that now. I thought I was protecting you but I was just keeping secrets.”
