Page 24 of Liberating Water

I let Brayden’s love for me and the other people around us flow through me. Never in my life did I think I would have a boyfriend like Brayden, let alone someone who, for lack of a better word, was my husband. Wait—I had two husbands now that Hudson and I had Bonded.

“About time you guys finished with that, we have some serious decorating to do here. Ben, will you grab pens for everyone to write with?” Grace directed as she brought in more boxes. “I always make sure that we make some of our decorations each year; it means more that way. Anyone can put things on a tree and make it look nice, but that takes away from the spirit of Christmas, non?”

The more I got to see Grace away from her mother, the more I liked her. She reminded me of a milder version of Cami, in some ways, with her drive to make things fun. Ben, on the other hand, was just as quiet, but he didn’t hunch his shoulders the same he did at home, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Coming back with pens, he handed one to all of us and then Grace followed, passing out strips of green and red paper.

“Now, we are going to write our wishes for the new year on these. I’m giving everyone three, so if you have more wishes you can put them down. I know that personally I’m going to want more than one,” Grace explained as she sat on the floor, legs crossed.

I had to agree that there was a lot that had changed in this year alone, and I didn’t know what would happen in the next. Part of me was worried to even try and think about it, but I’d promised myself that I wasn’t going to let the Dark Lord take away more from me than he already had. Walking over to the couch, I snuggled into the corner and grabbed a pillow to write on. I hunched over my work, not letting any of them see what I was writing. A girl had to keep some secrets. Just as I finished, I felt someone lean over the back of the couch, casting a shadow on my slips of paper.

“What are you wishing for, Trouble?” Parker asked from right beside my ear.

Quickly, I flipped the slips over so he couldn’t see. “Nope, I’m betting the same rules apply to all wishes. You don’t tell anyone what it is that you’re wishing for or it doesn’t come true.”

“That’s no fun,” he whined, trying to give me puppy dog eyes. “How are we supposed to make sure your dreams come true if we don’t know them?”

“Nice try, but I’m not going to tell you. Back me up here, Grace,” I said, looking up to find her grinning at us both.

“I have to agree with Lailah. You can’t tell people what you wish for.” Grace smirked.

Leaning back into the couch, I looked up at him. “Nice try, but not quite good enough.”

As Parker pouted at me, I gave him a peck on the lips but scooted out of the way when he tried to come back for more. I was not going to make out with one of my boyfriends in front of another’s parent and siblings.

“Now what do we do?” I asked even though I had a guess.

Grace stood up and took the slips from me and everyone else. “I’ll staple them together. That way no one will be able to peek.”

“Lailah, would you help me in the kitchen while Grace directs the boys on the decoration process?” Chadwick asked with a soft smile.

“Of course, I would be happy to,” I said, following him.

The kitchen was just off the living room with a door that led right into the formal dining room. It was far more simple than the one I’d glimpsed at Isabelle’s, and there was no hired help to do the cooking, it seemed. Chadwick pulled down a large wooden board, setting it on the counter, then started taking things out of the fridge.

“If you wouldn’t mind arranging all these things on the board while I cut up the cheese, that would be helpful,” he asked, nodding to the array of items.

We worked in silence as I tried to organize foods I didn’t recognize while he chopped cheese and some meat as well.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Chadwick ventured.

I paused, scooping out the mini pickles to look up at him. The concern written all over his face made it hard to deny him what I knew he wanted to ask. “I don’t mind as long as you are alright if I don’t answer it.”

“That’s fair,” Chadwick agreed, resuming his task. “I know that Hudson sees Isabelle as the closest thing he has to a mother, but I know she doesn’t view him as a son. It was one of the major reasons we got divorced. At first we tried to work it out for Ben and Grace since they were still at home with us, but I could tell it wasn’t healthy.” Chadwick seemed to pause and switch gears on what he was going to say. “Did you know that this is the first time in ten years that Hudson has been home for Christmas? When we was at boarding school he never came home even on brakes.”

Shocked, I snapped my gaze up to meet his. “Ten years? He told me it had been a while, but I just figured it was since he’d been at school.”

“He was sent to the Elementi schools as soon as his powers presented. Isabelle didn’t think it was safe to have him around Ben and Grace. I should have fought harder against her request, but I didn’t know the first thing about dealing with any of that. I’ve always been a scientist, and it was my cousin that held the water element before Hudson, and I never interacted with him. In trying to do what was best for my son, I also sent him away and made him feel unwanted. We have always stayed in contact, and he kept saying that he would visit since I moved out, but he never did until now.” Setting down his knife, he turned to me and grasped my hands. “I have seen the change that has come over him, and I know it’s because of you. Thank you, Lailah. Thank you for giving me another chance with my son.”

He leaned forward and placed a kiss on my cheek, making me blush at his heartfelt words.

“Um…” I started and cleared my throat. “You said you wanted to ask me something?”

“Right,” he said, combing a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “Are Grace and Ben safe with their mother? I don’t want what happened to Hudson to happen with them.”

I thought about that question for a moment and wondered if answering it was even my place. Yes, I was now part of this family for better or worse, but they didn’t know me and I didn’t know them—not really. “I won’t give you an answer to that question, but I do have a suggestion to help prevent something like that from happening, if you care to hear it.”

“By all means.” Chadwick gestured for me to continue.

“Find out what those two really want to do. Where do they want to go to college? What job truly interests them? Not what would be best for the family image, but what gets them excited about learning? They are extremely smart, kind, and they might even have talents that you don’t even know about that they would like to pursue. I think if you let them know they are heard and their opinion matters, it will change everything,” I answered with a shrug of my shoulders. “What could it hurt?”

“Indeed, what could it hurt...”