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He yawns then pulls the blanket back up and around his shoulders. “Yeah. I wanna hear the one about the princess and the bad man who stoled her away from you.”
Ah, yes. This has been his favorite for the past year. It’s a watered-down version, of course, but when he’s old enough, I’ll tell him how true it is. Maybe by then, he’ll have a whole horde of brothers and sisters, and he’ll be ready to help me excise the bad yet necessary man from our lives.
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She was brighter than the sun, lovelier than a flower, and smarter than the wisest wizard. A curse had fallen upon her, and she could not have a baby of her own though it was the thing she wanted most in the world.”
“Me? Was I the baby?”
It never ceases to amaze me how sharp he is, even for his young age. I shouldn’t be surprised though. He’s the spitting image of his mother. Between the two of us, genetics indicate he’ll have a higher level of intellectual ability than his peers.
“Yes. The baby was you. Your mother and I wanted you very much.”
He snuggles further into the pillow as if this information pleases him greatly.
“So, the princess made a deal with a very bad man. If he would give her a baby, then she would agree to be his prisoner. Her prince was very sad, but he understood her sacrifice because he wanted a baby, too.”
“Mommies and Daddies love their babies.”
“That’s right,” I affirm. “And they would do anything, anything at all for their children. So, the princess stayed with the bad man for many years because he gave her many children. Until one day…”
“The prince came to rescue his princess!”
I chuckle, in spite of longing for the time when that can happen. “This story is supposed to be making you sleepy, not excited.”
“Sorry.” He immediately settles back down, properly chastised. He’s such a good little boy. An angel, really. Evie’s doing a wonderful job raising him.
Over the course of the next hour, I spin the fantastical tale of when I’ll finally rescue my family from the clutches of the bad man. Jack-Jack drifts off to sleep, and yet I continue to talk, hoping my voice carries enough love to tide him over until I can hold him in my arms as a father should.
I switch back over to the feed from the bedroom, settling into my own bed as I watch Evie sleeping peacefully in the bad man’s arms. It pains me to accept the full knowledge that my inadequacies forced her into this situation. The man who has taken my place for the time being has never harmed her, but should that ever change, I’ll have to alter my plans. Once she gives birth to our daughter, I won’t risk a hair on Evie’s head for more children should his patience run out with his role. He’s been more than fair to give up the best years of his life for the sake of our family.
In the morning, he’ll bring her a cup of coffee and wake her with a kiss. I’ll be satisfied, knowing this hell on earth won’t last forever.
Nothing does.
Not even death.
* * *
