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“They’re playing tag,” the nanny explained as she joined him on the porch.
“An Earth game, I presume?”
“Is that okay?”
“Well, I’m not used to seeing my kids, let alone any children, run around chasing each other in this manner.”
He caught Mia’s face falter slightly at his words. He didn’t intend to come off so harsh. Everything was cut and dry. Being in the military aided that feature in the Tor’vians because that was how they were required to be on all planets.
But that was the nature of his kind. He forgot how brash it could come across to other species. He didn’t want to dissuade her since she was so foreign to their customs.
“Though I haven’t seen them have this much joy for a long time. Once a child reaches a certain age here, things change. I didn’t realize how much until watching them now.”
Her shy smile returned. Tharon hadn’t realized how beautiful she was, especially for an Earthling. He had never found them super attractive until now.
Maybe it was her red hair, but it looked like flames were framing her face as the sun was setting behind her. He’d never seen such rare, raw beauty. He’d have to spend more time to find out what exactly it was that seemed to draw his curiosity.
The children caught sight of their father and used their remaining energy to run over to him. Upon approach, they both straightened, and the childishness from a few seconds ago was replaced with respect and maturity.
“Remain as you were. You looked as if you two were enjoying yourselves with the …” he looked over at Mia for assistance.
“Game. Tag is called a game. It’s played for fun.”
“Ah.” He pretended to understand, just happy he hadn’t been asked to partake in it. He wasn’t sure he had the energy Mia seemed to have.
* * *
As Mia gotthe hang of things over the next couple of days, Tharon was happy he had gone through the nanny service. He had been hesitant at first. Adding things to their strict schedule was something he didn’t want to do. Change, in general, was something Tharon wasn’t a fan of. But was any Tor’vian?
As the newness faded, there was still plenty for Mia to learn, but she was making the kids happy and keeping on them about their intellectual pursuits, among other things. They had similar ideas for what was expected. That pleased Tharon. It made his ability to trust in the process much easier than he had anticipated.
One of his new favorite things was seeing Mia with the kids. He had never seen an adult make a fool of themselves as much as Mia did, just to interact with children. And Tharon had to admit, it was working. They were much more engaged in what she had to say or teach, and they had opened up to her quickly. That alone made Tharon’s insides warm with happiness.
He was no fool. He knew the twins needed a mother figure in their life. Tharon wasn’t up to the task, nor did he have the time with all of his other responsibilities. And with tensions rising between certain planets … Now just wasn’t the time for him to be too proud to ask for help. It would only stunt the children and risk them resenting his absence.
Tharon finished some paperwork while the children watched a lecture on the importance of alliances and organization. Through his open door, he heard Mia talking to the children. “When you are done with your history lectures, maybe I can show you a different game. It requires great tracking skills.”
He pinned his keen ears back to capture the reactions. He smiled as he heard the eager voices.
“Really?”
“What’s it called?”
“Hide-and-seek.”
“Cool!” they both said in unison, picking up on an Earth word the nanny said often.
Tharon chuckled quietly. An idea occurred to him. He pushed his work to the side and walked out of his office. He watched Cian and Triat take notes on their self-scrolling paper. Mia sat behind them, doing some studying of her own. Tharon noticed the title of the book.The Dos and Don’ts of Tor’vian Culture.
“How does the knowledge building go?”
Mia jumped at his voice. He tried not to laugh at her.
“Good,” Triat answered. “We’re almost done.”
“I was thinking that Mia’s been with us a few days now, but we haven’t taken her out to really enjoy our culture and see some of our favorite spots. Should we show her around?”
Cian’s lavender eyes glistened. “Yes.”
