“Uncle Wyatt, you sit here.” She points to the seat on the left.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I say, sitting.
“Presley, sit here.” She points to the right.
“I feel honored to be seated at the right hand of the queen,” Presley says with a curtsy.
Remy quietly talks to Liam as Alie puts food on Sera’s plate, pretending not to look at me with concern.
“So, how’d it go today?” Liam asks.
I glance at Remy, who’s pushing pasta around his plate.
“Uhh, complicated,” I say.
Liam nods once, and Alie moves her gaze to Presley.
“Later,” Presley says quietly.
“Right,” Liam says, then claps his hands. “So who can tell me why Cinderella was so bad at football?”
Alie snorts into her glass of water.
Remy looks at Liam quizzically. Like he’s trying to decide if the question is funny or not.
Sera giggles.
Rhyan squirms in her seat. “Tell us!”
Liam looks at each child. “No guesses?”
They all shake their heads.
“Because she kept running away from the ball!” he laughs at his own joke.
“This right here is an example of a girl-dad joke.” Alie leans her head on his shoulder, smiling.
“Damn right I am,” he says, then kisses the top of Alie’s head.
Now, there is something I want.
I look at Presley over Rhyan’s head, and she meets my eyes, smiling.
Once we finish eating, Alie and Liam help us clean up. Then we sit on the couch, and Rhyan shows Alie and Sera an elaborate drawing that appears to involve fire, a castle, and maybe … me getting eaten by a dragon.
Presley’s on one side of me, and Remy leans against my other side without saying much, but he doesn’t look upset. Maybe just tired. He doesn’t ask for comfort much from me, more so from Presley, so I don’t move an inch because I want him to have as much as he wants from me.
“Okay, Aliette Pitz, we need to get our own princess home and to bed.” Liam stands and stretches.
“I’m not a Pitz yet,” she says, teasing him.
“I am!” Sera claps.
“That’s right, baby. Mommy is too,” Liam winks at Alie.
Presley and I stand and follow them to the door.
“We’ll be going with you guys to Remy’s hockey game tomorrow. I think he was surprised when I told him I used to play hockey too,” she says, smiling. “Do you want us to come here first?”
