“You never cared much about tradition.” She didn’t care about this baby at all, so why was she throwing a fit about what he was called? I didn’t get it.
“It’s important, okay?” she bit. “Might as well try to follow one rule around here, since we’ve broken all the rest.”
“Uh… a C name. Okay.” I scuffed my shoe against the floor. “I’m drawing a blank here.”
Ava drew a long, annoyed sigh. There was a tense quiet before her voice finally softened. “His name is Casey. It’s… always been my favorite boy name.”
“Casey? I like that.” It sounded short and perfect. “I don’t know if Prince Casey sounds formal, but I don’t really care. The monarchy can like what we pick.”
“It’s a nickname.”
Gently, with the only sliver of grace she’d shown me since I walked in, she added, “His royal name will be Cassiel the Second.”
I staggered backward, too far away to reach out for her, and wholly unable to even if I tried. Every shred of hope that had bloomed within my heart since Casey’s birth shattered all at once. I should’ve been honored by the gesture, but instead, it was my complete undoing. Even though Ava and I weren’t together, I’d foolishly thought we’d do this together— in some capacity, at least. Ava didn’t have to be there if she didn’t want to be; she didn’t have to raise him, but I’d thought she’d at least play a role in making decisions for this child. But that wasn’t what this was. His name wasn’t the first of our decisions to make together as parents.
It was our last, and her final goodbye.
Hot, heart-wrenching tears that I failed to choke back began to leak from my eyes, because Ava knew how much my grandfather had meant to me. This was her final gift to me before we parted for good.
She could pretend she didn’t give a damn all she wanted. With that small gesture… I knew this meant a lot to her, too. Though she didn’t want to allow herself to accept that.
Ava shifted on the bed, rolling over to face away from me, and I knew I was no longer welcome here.
I bolted. I shoved past Kallie, running from Ava as fast as my legs could carry me.
“What did you do?” Kallie yelled after me, but she didn’t follow. She hurried back into the hospital room to console Ava, which I was grateful for, because Ava needed her right now. She certainly didn’t need me. I’d already done more damage than I could ever fix. I loved her too much to keep causing her pain, and all I was doing was breaking her, over and over and over.
I ducked into an empty room and broke down completely. My chest tightened and sobs rocked my entire body, while the sound of Ava’s voice speaking our son’s name echoed in my mind.
Casey.
What a lovely name— a beautiful homage to the only family I ever had. I’d had Ava for a moment, my wife and my world, but Ava and I didn’t have to be parents together if she didn’t want that.
Still, she’d given me the greatest parting gift I could ever ask for. I didn’t have her anymore, but I needed a family, and I needed someone to fight for.
Now I had Casey. If he was all I had left, I was going to do everything I could to live for him. He needed me now. So I would be the best parent I could be, and give him the greatest of my life, because that’s what he deserved.
I heard shouting from down the hall. There was an argument going on. Hell, what now?
I quickly dashed away my tears. I staggered upward, getting to my feet to figure out what was going on. I heard my best friend’s voice, speaking every word as if it were a threat and not a request.
“You shouldn’t be here!” Marcus seethed. “You need to leave!”
“I’ll do whatever I damn well please!” Cameron shouted. “I am the EMPEROR!”
For fuck’s sake, not him. I’d be damned before I allowed my useless father to get anywhere near my son. I raced down the hall to the NICU, where Eldin was thankfully blocking Cameron’s path into the room.
“You will not enter here,” Maddie’s voice rang out, bold authority ringing in her tone.
“No one is permitted inside except his parents,” Eldin added. “I’m afraid that includes you, Emperor Cameron.”
Eldin deserved a reward for being so brave. No Elf ever refused a request from the Emperor, but here she was, standing her guard. My hands shook at my sides. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see my grandson,” Cameron stated. “Why else would I be here? The arrival of the next heir must be announced.”
“Ava’s given an order that no one is to know about Casey.”
Cameron scoffed. “Casey? That’s the best you could come up with? It’s not a suitable name for a prince!”
