“You’re right.” She stared up at me. “I hate it when you are.”
I chuckled at her and moved off the bed, bringing her with me.
“Klaus is making pancakes for Ellis. Come on.” I led her out of the room in her pajamas and straight to the kitchen, where Klaus and Ellis were putting together what Ellis had dubbedpannycake sandwiches. They were basically fruit and whipped cream sandwiched between two pancakes. She and Klaus had invented them last summer.
“Mm, pannycake sandwiches,” Ro said, sliding onto a stool next to Ellis. She reached out and kissed Ellis on the cheek.
“Mommy, Dada said we might go home,” Ellis said. “Are we?”
“Uh, yeah. We are,” Ro replied, taking the plate Klaus slid across the counter at her. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips before offering me a plate. I took it and settled in on Ellis’s other side while Klaus ate in front of us.
“What about real daddy? Is he coming too?” She stared at Ro with her big blue eyes. I saw the pain flash across Rosalie’s face, and it made my heart ache. I blamed myself for all of this shit.
“No, baby. He-He’s busy. He has work, and we have stuff we have to do. It’s just a hard time right now, but I am hoping we will be able to work something out soon.”
“Does he not love me anymore? He hasn’t seen me in a long time,” Ellis said, looking down at her plate. “He promised.”
“Oh, Ellis.” Rosalie wrapped her in a tight hug. “Daddy loves you very much. We’re just in a bad place right now, but we will figure it out, OK?”
Ellis nodded. “Is he with Daddy Ani?”
“Daddy Ani is with Ryder. They’ll both be coming home in a few days. Try to eat something, OK?”
Ellis went back to her food, picking at it.
“It’ll all come out in the wash,” Klaus said. “Faith, hummingbird.”
Rosalie sighed and nodded.
We ate the rest of breakfast in silence before Rosalie left to shower and dress while Ellis played in the living room with her dolls.
“I have a plane booked for tomorrow,” Klaus said. “Private jet. We’ll be out of here before noon.”
I nodded, my throat tight. “Good.”
“The kings are the only ones who know where we are. We should be safe here, but I don’t want to push it,” Klaus continued. “Wear out our welcome and all that. Putting a riff before the kings and the horsemen isn’t something I want to do.”
“I know. We’ll leave tomorrow,” I said.
“Are you OK?” Klaus asked.
I shrugged. “Feels like I died all over again.”
He sighed. “The man with nine lives. All will be well. Our focus should be on our family and careers. Fuck the horsemen. If they’re too stupid to see what they’re missing, then let them eat shit.”
I nodded glumly.
“In time, Evan. Give them that,” Klaus said gently. “I am sure time is what is needed.”
“And if it isn’t?”
“Then they lost some of the best people they could have ever asked for, and that is their choice. Head up. Our family, brother. They will need us if this doesn’t work out.”
“I thought it would all come out in the wash,” I mused.
He shrugged. “I’m positive with our woman because it keeps her head above water. I can only hope it works out. Manifesting good things.”
“When did you get into that shit?” I asked.
