Page 131 of Mountain Daddy

I blink, realize I've been standing still, watching them. “Yeah. Just...” I don't have words for this feeling. This lightness.

She seems to understand anyway. Stands on tiptoes to press a kiss to my jaw. “I know.”

Breakfast is chaotic.

Loud.

Messy.

Perfect.

Chleo talks non-stop.

Maksim listens with surprising patience. Asks questions. Seems genuinely interested in the ramblings of a five-year-old.

And Rosa... Rosa watches Maksim with the same interest.

“So,” she says during a lull, “what exactly do you do, Maksim?”

His eyes meet mine briefly. Asking permission.

I nod slightly. Rosa's Lilly's best friend. She knows enough.

“Security,” he says simply. “For powerful families.”

“Hmm.” She studies him. “And what does that mean, exactly?”

“Making sure problems disappear before they become problems.”

She sips her coffee, watching him over the rim. “Sounds mysterious.”

“It's not,” he says, but there's a hint of amusement in his voice. “Just messy sometimes.”

“I bet you're good at it,” she says. “The scary face helps, I'm sure.”

“Scary?” he repeats, looking genuinely confused. “I have a scary face?”

The table erupts in laughter. Even Maksim cracks a smile.

“Terrifying,” Rosa confirms, but the way she's looking at him says she finds it anything but.

I catch Lilly's eye across the table. She smiles, knowing exactly what I'm thinking.

They'd be good together.

Fire and ice.

Light and shadow.

Maybe balance each other out.

After breakfast, we move to the living room. Chleo pulls out his coloring books, spreads them across the floor. Maksim sits with him.

Rosa and Lilly clean up, their voices drifting from the kitchen. Soft. Familiar.

I watch my son—my son—teaching Maksim the proper way to color a stegosaurus. “You have to stay inside the lines,” he insists. “Or it looks messy.”

“Maybe I like messy,” Maksim counters.

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