Page 46 of The Dark Elf's Surprise Baby

“It was a long road to get here,” she says with solemnity. “A lot of mistrust and misunderstandings. And plenty of wrong decisions made along the way.”

I don’t know if she’s trying to hint at something or not but I sidestep it anyway. “Well you made it there in the end,” I remind her. “And you’re stronger for having been where you were.”

“Being on the island was nice,” she agrees. “I met you, for one. And I realized that I’m strong and capable.”

“Same,” I tell her, taking a bite of egg. “I think it was good for both of us but to be honest, I think I’m glad to be back in Vhoig. I missed living in the city.”

“Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” Layla promises. “You and Addie are our guests.”

“Jasper would be very upset if I took Addie away,” I say with a grin. We turn to see our children running around the garden together, Jasper chasing Addie as she shrieks in mock terror from his grabby hands that are covered in mud.

“Oh my goodness,” Layla says, smacking her palm against her deeply tanned forehead. “I’m so sorry, Harper. I promise that if Jasper gets her dirty, I’ll clean her up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. “Kids will be kids. She probably needs a bath today anyway.”

We watch them for a few more minutes before turning back to chat idly about things. Kerym is planning to bring Layla’s aunt and uncle here to live so they aren’t so far away and she’s going to break the news to them today. The offer also stands for her cousin but Layla is worried she won’t want to leave the settlement so easily.

“I’m sure Amara will want to be with her parents and with you,” I reassure my friend. “She won’t want to live in the encampment if you’re all here.”

“She’s just so prim and proper,” Layla complains. She loves Amara but even after three years she’s still a bit jealous of her cousin. It’s kind of cute actually. It’s because deep down she looks up to Amara like a sister.

Suddenly Addie and Jasper run in from the outside, bursting through the glass double doors. “Mama, Mama!” Addie calls. She’s got a grin on her face that stretches from ear to ear. “Mama!” she shrieks and Layla and I are forced to cover our ears.

“Adelaide,” I scold her. “Indoor voice please.” Her face falls and she looks down.

“Sorry Mama,” she apologizes. “But I hafta tell you somethin’.”

“What is it?” I ask, picking up a flaky biscuit to butter it. “What do you have to tell me?”

“There was a handsome man outside and he said he was looking for you, Mama,” Addie tells me. I raise an eyebrow.

“A handsome man?” I repeat back, trying to follow the conversation.

“Yeah, he was real handsome and guess what Mama?” Addie says, getting excited and raising her voice again. She realizeswhat she’s doing though, so she lowers her volume immediately. “Guess what Mama?” she whispers.

“What?” I ask, leaning towards her as if we’re sharing a secret. “What is it?”

“He’s got thesameexact eyes as me Mama! They’re dark blue just like mine! And you know what?”

My stomach is churning. It can’t be, right? It has to be a coincidence. “What is it?” I ask, feeling a chill going down my spine.

“You said that my dad has the same eyes as me! That means that’s my dad, right?” she asks eagerly.

I stand up from the table abruptly, pushing my chair back as I glance behind Adelaide and see the person opening up the double glass doors.

“What are you doing here?”

21

DEMETHYS

“Can we talk?” I ask, swallowing hard. Harper’s eyes are on me and they’re cold, all warmth from them vanished the minute she looked at me.

“I have nothing to say to you,” she says, pulling her daughter close.

I glance down at the little girl and my heart skips a beat. She does have eyes like mine. They’re the same shade of navy blue and they have the same curve of the lashes. My heart is aching.

“Your daughter is very adorable,” I tell her, trying not to break down in front of the little girl. My eyes are watering but I blink them rapidly, trying not to cry. I really fucked everything up last night, didn’t I?

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