Page 92 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“Bad night?”

“Kind of,” I muttered, looking down at the duvet I had wrapped around myself.

“Wanna talk about it?”

I took a glance at him and stayed silent. Could I ever trust him again even if he had grown so much? I couldn’t help but stare because somewhere in his eyes, I saw the truth.

“Are you sure you wanna know? You won’t believe me.”

“Try me.” He shrugged.

“I thought I saw Bigfoot in the wardrobe,” I whispered, and he laughed, shaking his head. “Keep it down.” I kicked him playfully.

I felt movement behind me. I turned around and found Kayla sitting up and looking disoriented as she looked around the room.

“Hey, sweetie. You’re up,” I said, standing up and picking her up in my arms.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, resting her head on my chest.

“How are you? Did you have a great night?” I whispered as I stroked her hair and peppered her face with kisses. I turned to Tristan, who was already on his feet.

“Morning, princess. I hope you slept like royalty,” he said, leaning closer to Kayla and kissing her head. His eyes swept to my face, lingering for a few seconds before he pulled away.

“Mommy?” Kayden called.

“Hey, baby.” I smiled, approaching his crib as he stood up on his feet.

He rubbed his eyes and stared at us.

“Hey, little man.” Tristan scooped him up and spun him around while he giggled.

“He is just waking up. Take it easy,” I hissed.

“Race you to the bathroom,” Tristan said, putting Kayden down.

Kayden took off toward the bathroom, giggling, while Tristan pretended to run after him as his long legs caught up with Kayden’s tiny ones.

“Ignore them. No one wakes up with that much energy,” I said to Kayla, who was still silent and holding on to me in an embrace.

“Let’s go and brush those tiny teeth, and then we’ll go down for breakfast. Are you hungry, baby?” I asked, and she nodded.

“You want some waffles and bacon?” I asked, knowing it was her favorite since she had arrived here.

Her head hammered down at my question.

We joined Tristan and Kayden in the bathroom. I placed Kayla on her small step stool in front of the sink and put her toothpaste on the brush for her. Tristan used a ridiculous song as he guided Kayden on how to brush his teeth. Kayla turned to look at them and giggled. I smiled and tried to explain to Kayla how to start. We’d been practicing for a while, and their grip on the toothbrush was improving.

“Good job. Now, spit it out,” I said.

She nodded, but she swallowed the paste and licked her lips at the taste. I couldn’t help but laugh.

I tried again, but she gulped it down. Tristan finished and left with Kayden, sitting him on his shoulders, while I helped Kayla to brush her tiny teeth. We finished in the bathroom and went downstairs. One of the cooks was already filling the dining table with different breakfasts. I set Kayla on her dining chair next to Kayden.

“Hi, Miss Kayla.” Wanda, the cook, grinned at her as she placed some bacon and waffles in front of her.

I cut them into small pieces and poured some syrup on the waffles.

I sat across Tristan, who was already staring at me when I turned to look at him. I turned my gaze to Kayden quickly, watching him play with his food.

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