“But your family is there.”
“No,” he nudged her elbow with his, “my family ishere, traveling with me.”
She gave him an amused smile. “That’s adorable.”
“I was born to be a romantic.”
With a chuckle, she nudged him back. “So you’re going to follow Jonn and me around for the rest of your days.”
“That’s the plan.”
“And what happens when you find a woman worth marrying?” she asked.
He gave her a sly grin. “I already have.”
Her expression grew flat. “If you’re referring to Calyn, you can stop right there.”
“It’s a joke,” he said, then added, “Unless she’d actually have me.”
“Stop that.”
“Why?” Thom shrugged, turning to stare at the sky. “She’s lovely, sweet, and pliable. I could be very happy with a wife so devoted to my whims. And it helps that she’d be more than willing to bear plenty of my children.”
Evylin shook her head. “I don’t like this version of you.”
“What version?”
“The cynic.”
“Cynicism is part of my charm.”
Evylin pierced him with her glare. “You don’t want a simple wife, Thom. Yes, Calyn is lovely. She would dote on you to distraction. You’d enjoy her company for a while, and you might even come to love her if you’d let yourself.” She frowned then. “But you wouldn’t be happy.”
“Why not?” Thom asked sadly, almost as though desperate for her to be wrong. “Why couldn’t I be happy with a normal life? Why should I pursue something that I may never find?”
“Because you want more,” she said. “Just like Jonn. Just like me.”
“Maybe I’m tired of wanting more.” And Thom did look tired. His expression was almost harried, his eyes dulled. “Maybe I just want to be happy with who I am and what I already have.”
Evylin offered him a soft smile. She took his hand. “You’re a much different man than when we met four months ago,” she noted. “I have a feeling that the same will be said four months from now too.”
Thom’s chin dipped, but he didn’t reply.
Evylin let him hold onto his reluctant thoughts. She squeezed his hand, then released him. “So,” she said, “you plan to follow Jonn and me wherever we go. What if we go to Stocburrough?”
His brows drew together. “What? To live?”
She nodded.
Thom scoffed derisively. “Sure, yeah. And Raff’s going to find himself a pious woman who’ll change him into the picture of an Allorian gentleman.”
“I’m serious,” Evylin said, even as she laughed with him. “What if we all moved to Stocburrough and built a life there with your family?”
Thom eyed her as though trying to puzzle her out. “You wouldn’t want that.”
Her shoulders lifted in a casual shrug. “But Jonn might.”
A sharp laugh burst out of him. “Evie, you really are predictable,” he said fondly. He gave her a pointed look. “Jonn does not want to live out his days in Stocburrough.”
