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“So, you really thought I was a spoiled brat because of that jug of water?” she asked, eyes twinkling.
“Of course,” he said.
“Well, it’s true that most Terras are short on water, but it’s not true of my home world,” she told him. “Most of it is swampland - water is basically the one thing we never went without.”
He’d clearly gotten the wrong impression. There was so much he wanted to ask her.
But before he had a chance, Bo began to whimper.
“Oh dear,” she said. “I’ll bet it’s time for a nappy change and a little something to eat, isn’t it?”
The whelp looked up at her with adoring eyes, and Jhon watched as she tended to the little one’s needs right there on the floor, with a swift confidence he hadn’t expected from one so newly a mother.
“We can put him in his room for a nap,” he suggested.
“There are more rooms?” Ella asked.
This time, he knew she wasn’t being sarcastic or disingenuous. She really wanted to know.
“Yes,” he told her gently. “There’s a bedroom for him and another for you. And two more to use however you’d like.”
She nodded, her lips buttoned, and walked with him to the hallway where he showed her the two empty rooms and then the room intended for Bo.
A soft green carpet covered the floor, and matching curtains hung from the windows. A simple wooden crib, a changing table with drawers for clothing, and a wooden bookshelf with a few titles and toys on display were all that adorned the room.
“Incredible,” Ella whispered.
Her gaze landed on each item, and suddenly he was seeing it through her eyes - the softness of the crib blanket, the colorful books, the simple beauty of the field of lichen and azure sky out the window.
“You’re the luckiest boy in the world,” she murmured to the already sleeping baby as she laid him down.
She stood in front of his crib for a long moment, gazing down at Bo with such love that it wrenched Jhon’s heart.
When she turned, he found himself trying to blink away the expression of tenderness he was certain he wore.
“I’ll show you yours next,” he told her gruffly.
Jhon led Ella back to the hall and into her own room, tapping the light sensor on the way in.
He turned to watch her take it in, thinking he was prepared for her reaction.
“Look at that bed,” she exclaimed. “And those windows, and it has its own refresher! And, oh… a fireplace…”
She trailed off, and somehow, she didn’t seem as happy as before.
She’s tired. It’s been a long day.
“Let me show you how to use the chemical refresher,” he offered.
“Thank you,” she told him, smiling. “Cleaning up sounds good.”
He led her into the refresher and walked her through the steps, showing her the various choices for scent and heat sensation.
“There isn’t a way to like… hurt myself with this, is there?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Are the chemicals harsh?” she asked.
