“Aren’t you curious?”
“No.”
Peter makes a small, throaty noise. “Then you’re accepting the status quo, but doing that only breeds complacency, which is a dangerous mentality given your proximity to your mother.”
Hiram rolls his eyes. “I’m not curious because I don’t have the bandwidth to give a damn about anything else.”
“That,andyou’ve always hated the pressure that comes with being challenged. You know what’s right and what’s wrong, and hate expending the energy you need to hold people accountable.”
Peter isn’t wrong, and Hiram can’t stand it. Silence overtakes the room but doesn’t last.
“Do you have any remedies for nightmares? I have back pain from sleeping on Antaris’s floor.”
Peter tilts his head. “There’s a story here.”
“It’s been the only solution to keep his nightmares from spiraling out of control these past few nights.”
“What does his therapist say?”
“I shouldn’t expect improvement this soon.”
This earns Hiram his first sidelong glance from Peter. “What doyouthink?”
“I’m not sure,” Hiram admits.
“You’re the most decisive person I know.”
He isn’t wrong. Sighing, Hiram lets the first thought escape unchecked. “I’d fire Dr. Kidane just to spite my mother for hiring him. Is that the right decision? I’m not sure, but I do know he’s the highest-rated child therapist in the area.”
“But is he the best?” Peter presses. “They don’t allow Seers on those lists. I’ve mentioned Antaris to a few Seer therapists I know in the area. They’re interested in his case, if you change your mind.”
“You already know how my mother would react. I’m keeping the peace.”
“How peaceful is it, really, if your decision is at your son’s expense?”
Hiram winces. “Are you going to lecture me or tell me how he’s doing in school?”
“He’s struggling, but not academically.” Peter’s expression shifts. “You know, I’ve been meaning to apologize for how he ended up with a tutor.”
“Don’t worry about it. I trust you.”
“I can vouch for her. She—”
“Oh, I’ve heard,” Hiram says dismissively. “I’m giving my mother three strikes, and she’s already used one by overstepping with this tutor. I left her once, I can do it again.”
“Is that why your house looks like a staged listing?” Peter gives him a knowing look. “I don’t think I’ve asked how you are in all of this.”
No one has, but his feelings don’t matter. “My focus is on Antaris.”
“Grace meant something to you, too.”
“A long time ago.”
After meeting through mutual friends, Hiram can count on one hand how many conversations they had before sleeping together. Sporadically at first, then more often. After two years of casuallydating long distance, he moved to New York City, hoping to build something lasting.
Obviously, it didn’t.
A world without Grace is nothing new; she’s been gone from his life longer than she was in it. Still, her deathwasa shock. There was no guide to help him navigate how he felt in the aftermath. Over the last few months, he’s wondered if she would have ever told him about Antaris. But her stone message answered that. She’d planned to take his existence to her grave.
