AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Wewereall her fathers, regardless of genetics. Maybe in terms of genetics as well, if that could be possible. Alora had Rose’s black hair and pale skin, but I noticed bits and pieces of all of us in her: a gleam of Gabriel’s red in those dark waves when the sun caught on them, the angle of Jin’s nose in hers, the twins’ freckles dotting her cheeks. And whenever she beamed at me, I saw the same dark blue eyes gazing back at me as I did when I looked in the mirror.
The six of us had never talked about it in so many words. It didn’t really matter whether one of us was more directly responsible for her conception than any of the others. But sometimes I wondered if that last bit of power I’d freely offered to the universe rather than taking for myself had given us a sort of gift in return. If our essence had melded together in some magical way to produce our daughter.
It was a little sad that even with six of us in the mix, she only had the usual four grandparents most of the time—five on the occasions Jin’s dad happened to be in town. There were too many others passed on or otherwise out of the picture. We’d all agreed to give her Rose’s late mother’s name, so that in some waythatAlora was recognized even if she couldn’t be here to see how her own daughter had survived and thrived despite Mr. Hallowell’s machinations.
After Ky set Alora down, she wandered over to me with a swipe at her eyes. I’d learned to read that sign awfully fast.
“Looks like it’s just about nap time, Ally,” I said, sweeping her up into my arms. “How about Daddy D puts you down for this one?”
“I don’t want to sleep,” she said, squirming, but her yawn undermined her protest.
“I’ll read you a story first.”
“No. Don’t read. Make one up. One just for me.”
I chuckled. “All right. I’ll see what I can do.”
She nestled against my shoulder as I carried her up the stairs, as if she’d been made to fit right there. I tucked my head against hers, breathing in the delicate floral smell that clung to her from her play outside. In her bedroom, I sat in the over-padded armchair and considered what story I was going to dream up for her. I wasn’t the artist in the family.
I didn’t need to dream one up, did I? We’d had plenty of real adventures in the last few years. I’d just have to adjust the details a little.
I rested her against my chest and kissed the top of her head. “Once upon a time,” I began, “there was a prince. His kingdom was happy and full of life, but one day a monster started creeping around the palace, looking for things to break. The prince didn’t want anyone else to have to worry about the monster, so he decided he’d capture it by himself.”
I paused, a twinge I hadn’t expected constricting my throat even after all this time.
“Monsters,” Alora mumbled on my lap. Her eyelids were already drooping. “Is this going to be a scary story?”
I swallowed thickly and hugged her closer to me. Sitting here with her in my arms, it was hard to imagine I’d ever been afraid ofthisfuture. I couldn’t think of anything I’d have wanted more—or of anywhere I’d have been more wanted.
“Maybe a little,” I said with a smile that emerged from that twist of emotions. “But I promise you it has a happy ending.”
* * *
* * *
