Page 5 of Daddy's Reluctant Queen

I adjust my robe, tying the belt a little tighter around my waist. I’m looking down when I hear a small voice say, “Papa?”

I glance over to see Luka standing in my doorway. He only comes up to half the doorway’s height and for a seven-year-old, he’s tall. I can see the beginnings of future long limbs when he walks sometimes.

He tilts his head and his blond curls fall into his big blue eyes. The way he resembles Angela when he looks at me sometimes…

“Luka,” I say with a soft smile. “Natalie told me that you were waiting up for me. She said you were supposed to be in your room.”

“I couldn’t wait,” he says with a shrug. “I heard you come in, so I thought I’d come to you.” He rubs his nose, sniffling a little from the cold he’s getting over. “Natalie said you were going to be late tonight. I wanted to wait for you in the living room, but she wouldn’t let me.”

“As well she should’ve. You’re supposed to be in bed at this hour. You know she likes you up early for your lessons.” He nods, his little smile faltering slightly. I take his hand in mine and say, “Come on. Let’s get you into bed.”

The main hall leads to the hallway housing his room, a single two-way hallway at the very end of the second-floor hall. It’s almost completely out of sight of the main hallway, not that anyone is ever up here without my knowledge. Still, it’s a perfect placement to keep any of my brotherhood from seeing him accidentally.

“Papa?” he asks me as we walk

“Yes?”

He pauses, then, “You know that show I like?The Fire Starters?”

He’s talking about the little cartoon with colorful superhero teenagers and fire powers. “Yes.”

“Well, I think they’re really cool. You know the leader? Mark? He’s on the football team at his school.”

Uh-oh. I know where this is going. Lately, this particular subject has been coming up more and more. We get to his room and I open it, letting him in. He bounds across the room to his bed.

“Mark and all the Fire Starters are all friends. Like, their whole lives. Since they were my age.”

“Uh-huh.” I pull back the sheets of his bed and he hops in.

“Well, anyway, they all met in school. Did you know that? Back when they were kids.”

I sit down on the bed and sigh. “What do you want to ask me, Luka? You know I don’t like it when you beat around the bush about things.”

He looks at me with those big eyes, as round and innocent as he is. “Well,” he says, “I know you said that I have to have schoolhere with Natalie and everything. And I like doing school with her, but…”

“You want to go to school like the Fire Starters? Is that it?”

He nods.

“Son, that’s not possible right now. We’ve talked about it.”

“I know. I just…Well, I wonder when it will be possible. Am I ever going to go to school like normal kids?”

“Trust me. You don’t want to be a normal kid. They’re boring with boring lives. It’s nothing like the Fire Starters. You don’t get superpowers just from going to school.”

He looks down sadly. “I guess.”

He always tugs at my heart when he does this. I wish I could tell him something different. I wish I could give him this one thing that he wants so desperately.

I pat him on the leg. “Listen, I have a meeting tomorrow morning. But after that, I should be free for the rest of the day. What do you say I have Natalie bring in some of that chocolate ice cream that you like?”

He gives me a small smile. “Okay. I like chocolate.”

I kiss him on the forehead. “Good night, Son. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He lies down and I leave him.

School. I wish I could risk it. I wish every day that I could risk it.