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“That's a wise attitude.” He wrapped his arm around her and pushed the stroller with his free hand. “But then everything you do is wise.”
She arched a brow. “Really? Says the guy who was upset about me chasing visions.”
“In your infinite wisdom, you convinced me of the futility of my worries.”
Syssi's frown deepened. “Who are you, and what did you do with my husband?”
“I am a reformed man.” Kian winked. “Most of the time.”
“Oh, yeah? And what are you at other times?”
He chuckled. “Sometimes I'm still the alpha-hole you fell in love with and married.”
She didn't smile. “I've never called you that. Where did you even hear that expression?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Have you been reading my romance novels again?”
He pretended to look guilty. “You leave your books in my office, and it's easy to pick one up and start reading a paragraph or two.” He smiled. “I need to know how to keep things fresh, and those books are a great source of inspiration.” And also a few laughs, but he kept that part to himself.
Sometimes, when he had to work late into the night, Syssi sat on the couch in their home office and read while he worked. He loved having her there and seeing the relaxed expression on her face while she was immersed in the story. She read romance novels to relax at the end of her day, and those types of books guaranteed happily-ever-afters, where nothing truly terrible ever happened to spoil her mood.
There was enough of that in the real world.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Syssi put her hand on his arm. “Please don't. Those are someone else's fantasies, not mine. If you want inspiration, my Perfect Match scenarios are a better source.”
“You haven't written anything new in a while.”
“I know.” She sighed. “Between taking care of Allegra, working at the university, and dealing with one crisis after another, I don't have the bandwidth left to think creatively.” She lifted a hand to her temple. “I used to be able to tune everything out and concentrate on the scenarios, but lately, I can't even bring myself to read through the Perfect Match financial reports or do anything productive at the end of the day.”
“You need a vacation.” He kissed the top of her head. “That's one of the reasons I accepted my mother's suggestion and made compromises regarding the cruise. The Kra-ell will stay behind with most of Kalugal's men.”
Syssi tilted her head. “I hope Jade doesn't feel left out.”
He snorted. “I would love to reenact her response for you, but I'm not a good enough actor to do it justice. The gist was that she called me nuts for thinking that her people would ever want to get on that ship again. The Kra-ell hate deep water, and some are still traumatized by the swimming lessons Phinas forced them to take in the ship's freezing pool.”
“Yeah, it occurred to me that they might not be overly enthusiastic about going on the cruise. Your mother will be disappointed, though. Knowing her, she thought seeing her presiding over the weddings would be the best way to introduce her to the Kra-ell without making it formal.”
Annani had met with Jade and several of the other main Kra-ell players, but there hadn't been a formal meeting with all the newcomers.
Kian trusted Jade, but he didn't yet trust all of the Kra-ell. That was one of the reasons he hadn't lowered the security alert level even after the crisis with the new gods had been resolved. A team of Guardians watched over his mother twenty-four seven.
“I just hope she won't demand a formal meeting with the Kra-ell before we sail.”
Syssi arched a brow. “I thought you trusted Jade.”
“I do, and she also vowed to protect the village to her last breath, but I'm not sure about all the others, and I need more time to get to know them.”
“Did she give you the life vow? You said that you didn't want her to do that.”
“It wasn't the life vow per se, and I tried to stop her, but it was no use. Jade is an incredibly stubborn female.”
“And yet you like her.”
He nodded. “I see a lot of myself in her.”
“I'm okay with you admiring Jade, but don't overdo it.” Syssi pouted. “You are making me jealous.”
Kian stopped and turned to his mate. “You are the person I admire most in the world. You are everything to me.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You and our daughter own my heart.”
Perhaps he could have come up with something more eloquent, but that was how he felt.
