Page 26 of Deep Sea Kiss
“As long as you include plenty of fish, they’ll be perfectly fine,” his mother replied. “You can also let them catch their own when you put them in the water. The sooner they learn to fish, the better.”
Eiric grinned at Lottie’s skeptical expression. “Raw fish is great for sea dragons, even little ones,” he assured her. “And growing kids need loads of food. You’ll go bankrupt if you try to keep up with their food demands without letting them forage on their own.”
She rubbed her face with her palms. “God, I have so much to learn. It’s no wonder they’ve weaned already.”
With that, she left for the kitchen nook, leaving them in the relative privacy of the living room. Eiric chewed over what he wanted to say to his mother, but she beat him to it.
“I know you’re wondering if I’m planning something,” she murmured.
He frowned at her. She held her head high, proud as ever, but her eyes were downcast.
“Are you?” he asked.
She pursed her lips. “Only how to get my youngest son to return home and make sure my grandbabies are protected.”
He gave her a reluctant grin. “You’re a grandmother now.”
“Finally,” she replied. “I’ve been waiting for some new joy to come to the island. It’s so…empty sometimes.”
Eiric’s chest was tight with guilt. He hadn’t exactly been the most attentive son this past season, but Mikkel’s death and his subsequent discovery of Lottie had occupied his mind. He’d also been slacking at researching Mikkel’s accident: he’d gotten a call from the security company several days ago that he should come examine some strange footage in their center in Ålesund, but he hadn’t followed through with it.
“I’m not blaming you for wanting to stay away,” his mother added softly. “Gods know you never had an easy time living there.”
He grimaced. “Things have improved since father died, so that’s no excuse.”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “But your memories of your home should have been happy ones.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears, and she sniffed.
Eiric had often wondered what his mother’s life had been like under the thumb of her despot of a husband. “Why didn’t you leave? We could have gone to live elsewhere…”
The corners of her mouth tipped up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Do you really think he would have let you go?” She paused, thinking. “Well, he might have let me leave withyou. But not Mikkel. And especially not Magnus. I could never leave without them.”
The sad truth of his childhood was that it had been significantly happier than his brothers’ because his father had never taken an interest in him. As the third son, he’d been seen as unnecessary.
“I think I’m ready to return home,” he said, looking at Aksel.
His mother grasped his hand and squeezed it tight. “I’m so happy for you, Eiric. I wish Mikkel was here to see how beautiful his children are. But I’m glad you found Charlotte.”
They both glanced her way, and she stopped mid-stride as though she felt the weight of their gazes. She lifted her eyebrows in question, and Eiric just smiled in return. He was glad he’d found Charlotte, too. She filled a hole in his life that he wasn’t even aware of before he first laid eyes on her.
“Well.”
His mother cleared her throat beside him, and Eiric snapped out of his thoughts.
“Hm?”
“We need to get moving if we want to get there in good time.”
He frowned at her, certain he’d missed a part of the conversation. “Get where?”
“Drageøy, of course.”
Lottie dropped a spoon, and it clattered to the counter. “What?” she squeaked, her voice an octave higher than normal.
“It’s a perfect evening for sailing,” his mother declared. “With the wind, we’ll be there in no time.”
Eiric stared at her. “Are you sure?”
She patted his knee. “Of course, dear. We can leave as soon as the babies are fed.”
