Page 37 of Lost Times

“Nope, bedtime stays the same…unless it’s a weekend.Ifyou behave the rest of the week, then we can set up special bedtimes for the weekends.”

Jasmine perked up, “Okay!” Then she went back to the movie, Thalia’s attention shifting to me as her smile came back.

“You don’thaveto come here if you don’t want to, by the way. If you’re tired after work or would just prefer some solitude, I understand. Just come over when you want to.”

I appreciated that she thought to add that, but I sincerely doubted there’d be a time I didn’t want to be here instead of at my house. Leaning my chin on her head, I hummed.

“Thank you, but trust me, being here is much preferable to being at home. I’ve been told by a handful of people that it’s bland and empty. They aren’t wrong, and I like your place more.”

Mine often reminded me of the furniture stores’ display areas. Not a hair out of place, and everything was picture perfect.

It didn’t feel lived in, but Thalia’s?

It was the exact opposite, and it fit her perfectly.

Remembering my earlier consideration, I asked. “Jasmine, would you mind drawing a few things for me to put on my fridge?”

Thalia blinked, taken by surprise, and Jasmine whipped around so fast I briefly worried about her injuring herself. She was at my side in a blink, eyes wide and smile stretching from cheek to cheek.

“Of course! What do you like? I can draw really cute cats! And dogs, and horses, andlions.” She sucked in a breath, then rambled about the various animals she could draw. When she didn’t seem ready to stop and breathe anytime soon, I cut in.

“Anything you want to draw. I’m sure it’ll be great no matter what.”

She beamed, running to her room while calling over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back. I need to get paper and pencils!”

Once it was just Thalia and I, she faced me with a look I’d never seen before. It was soft and warm, all but melting my heart in my chest, and she tugged me into a kiss.

Pulling back, she leaned on my side and hummed. “You just made her night.”

I shrugged, sinking into the contentment the moment brought. “I’ll appreciate having her drawings at home, it’ll make it feel less like a furniture magazine. My house growing up had the same feel to it and while it’s bothered me for years, seeing how different your house is…it hits home just how much I’m tired of mine.”

She nodded, twining our fingers and squeezing. “It’s been a while since I’ve crocheted, but I can make you a blanket if you want?” She tugged at the light blue one draped across the back of the couch. “I made this one.”

I traced my fingers over the wool, enjoying the soft texture. “If you wouldn’t mind, I would love that.” I said, already envisioning a blue blanket over the back of my white couch.

It would add some much-needed color to the place, and I couldn’t wait to see it.

Shutting down my computer, I put it away and relaxed into the couch as Jasmine came running with her drawing supplies. The rest of the night passed quickly, and when I fell asleep with Thalia draped over my chest and Jasmine’s steady breathing nearby, a layer of contentment settled over me.

If this was what having a family was, then it was well worth carving out time from work for.

Chapter 15

Thalia

“I need these done by the end of the day,” Ludwig said, setting down a stack of papers on the corner of my desk. He didn’t spare me a glance otherwise, his gaze firmly locked on the single paper he was reading now, but I didn’t take it personally.

This was work after all, I didn’t think he’d be affectionate here. The man was the epitome of ‘proper’ and PDA, especially in the workplace, was a hard no for him.

That was fine. As long as he went back to being affectionate when we were home, I’d be alright with that. He was already doing a lot of things that were outside of his comfort zone, the least I could do was not push him on this.

“Sure thing. Are there any others before I get started?” I asked and he hesitated, then shook his head.

“Those are some leftovers from yesterday that don’t require my signature. Thanks to how backlogged we were, I split up some of the simpler paperwork and distributed it between this floor’s employees.”

I blinked, surprised he’d actuallydelegatedwork for once, but when I looked around I could see similar stacks on everyone else’s desks as well. Pride warmed me and I smiled up at him, barely holding myself back from telling him right there how proud I was.

That could come later, when we didn’t have so many eyes on us. Apparently my smile said more than enough though, because a light flush inched across his nose, and he cleared his throat.

---