“Oh, yeah,” I hum sleepily.
He chuckles.
But there’s a long pause because I don’t remember what the story was about.
“Apple May, sweetheart.”
“Oh yeah!” I do a happy wiggle in his arms as he gets past the last step. “When Sapphire and Niklaus traveled to the asylum, Meridei was their conformist for joint treatments, and she let her sick mother watch and torment them too!”
Dessin breathes heavily as he walks slowly into our bedroom. “What?”
“Apple May was a sexual sadist! She was having them—”
“I’m too old and too much of Sapphire’s father to hear those details of this story, Skylenna,” Dessin grumbles.
“Right, right, anyway, Sapphire ended up manipulating time in Apple May’sscalpandhair! She decayed the top of her head only and made the vain woman bald. Side note, Apple May’s hair was her greatest pride and joy.”
Dessin sets me down on our bed to laugh.
“And that’s why Apple May wore that bath towel around her head,” he says.
I flop onto the fluffy pillows and grin at the gold-painted ceiling. I am so tired I could sleep for days. But these memories have me tickled pink.
“Our daughter is brilliant.”
Dessin agrees with a hum. And being the gentleman he is, Dessin also undresses me, pulls a nightgown over my head, and massages my feet.
“Remind me of the agenda for tomorrow?” I slur woozily.
My husband kisses each of my toes. “It’s supposed to snow in the morning. I was thinking I’d make us some hot chocolate and breakfast, and we could sit on the balcony with some blankets and enjoy the view.”
I peel one eye open in the dark. “Is that my sweet Kane?”
“Yes, honey.”
My eyes well up as I close them. I haven’t seen him in a while, and I’ve missed him so much. “You promise you’ll be here in the morning for that idea?”
“I promise.”
“Then continue with the agenda so I may sleep, and we can have a fun day together.”
“Well, after that it will be too cold to go outside, so I thought maybe we could get the fireplace going, cuddle on the couch, and read those new books Krimson gave us for Christmas.”
I coo happily. “With more hot chocolate?”
“Bottomless hot chocolate for my sweet Skylittle.”
Kane kisses me on the head and walks to his side of the bed, getting comfortable under the covers, and scootching my way to spoon me.
“Kane?”
“Yes, honey?”
“I miss DaiSzek.”
“So do I. Every day.”
“Time travel is so funny. Can you believe we were so drawn to the Red Oaks as kids because that’s where our DaiSzek was laid to rest almost a thousand years in the past? Turning the forest red?”
