“Really?” Tom felt a dart of worry. “But she has friends, right? At school?”
“Yes.” Ari nodded. “She has friends. She also has friends from her violin lessons. Oh, and her My Little Pony fan club meetings. But still, she’s quiet.”
“She’s in a My Little Pony fan club?” Tom asked.
Ari laughed. “Yeah, Reine’s a big fan. I think it broke Luis’s heart a little that she never really got into Barbie dolls. He had grand plans for going to Barbie conventions with her.”
Tom felt a dart of jealousy shoot through him. “But Reine likes the ponies instead?”
Ari nodded. “Mm. It’s okay though. Luis made his peace with it. He’s now head of the My Little Pony fan club, London chapter, and don’t tell anyone this, but I think — Ithink—I’ve seen him writing Applejack and Rarity fanfiction.”
Tom nodded. “Does she go horse riding?”
Ari laughed again, stepping over a patch of mud. “No, but God, Sebastian would love that. He’s forever trying to make a lady out of her. He and Luis are already planning their outfits to wear to Queen Charlotte’s ball when Reine’s eighteen.”
“What’s Queen Charlotte’s ball?” Tom asked.
Ari gave an embarrassed shrug. “A debutante ball.”
Tom swallowed. “If Reine ever does that, please don’t tell my mother. She can get...” he paused “. . . overexcited sometimes.”
“Really?” Ari asked, and there was a teasing tone to her voice that Tom hadn’t heard in years. “You mean the woman who only had to hear once about the possibility of having a grandchild, and then redecorated an entire wing of her house to accommodate her — as well as having a custom playground built — can get overexcited?”
Tom flushed red. “Sorry about all that. My mother has had too much time on her hands, far too much time, actually, since she retired. There’s nothing like a project to keep her occupied.”
He felt Ari stiffen next to him. “Reine’s a person, not a project.”
Tom immediately stopped, pulling on Ari’s hand. “I know. I’m sorry. I just meant...”
Ari shook her head. “No. I’m being oversensitive. Don’t worry about it.”
Tom felt another flash of guilt. “If you’re oversensitive, it’s for a reason. I’m sorry.”
Ari sighed. “Look, Tom, if we’re going to move on from here, and . . .co-parent, you need to stop apologising.”
“I’ll never stop being sorry,” Tom replied. “I’ll never stop telling you how sorry I am.”
“Okay,” Ari nodded. “Okay. But not with Reine, right? She doesn’t need apologies now. She just needs you to be there for her, okay? That’s what Reine needs.”
“I can’t wait to start,” Tom told her, and he meant it. It was the absolute truth. He couldn’t wait to start spending time with Reine.
“Well,” Ari replied with a smile. “No better time than the present.”
She gestured forwards, and Tom’s mouth dropped open with shock. For there, in the clearing of the woods, satStella Snow, of all people. But it wasn’t the Stella he knew, the one who made his sphincter clench and his blood freeze in his veins, it was a strange, alien Stella. She was sitting on a log, looking almostrelaxed. A dirty pair of boots were on her legs, covering a pair of mud-splattered jeans, and she was pointing up into the trees, talking animatedly. Next to her stood Reine, looking equally relaxed in muddy clothing, eating a chocolate cookie and staring at whatever Stella was pointing at.
“Stella is watching Reine?” Tom spluttered. “Stella?”
“Yeah.” Ari shrugged. “They actually get along really well.”
“But she’s . . . she’s so—”
“She’s so what?” intoned an icy, stern voice, and Tom at once snapped to attention.
“She’s, um, uh . . .”
Stella rolled her eyes. “Verbose as always, I see, Somerset. My God, an odd jawlineanda babbling brook of a mouth. How a man like you produced something so glorious as this little girl, I’ll never know.”
“It’s nice to see you again,” Tom replied through gritted teeth. “Thank you for watching Reine.”
