AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There’s a carpet of pink unicorn Christmas paper covering the entire room and as much as Kaiden and Zie are trying to entice Rose to play with the toys they’ve unwrapped, she’s more interested in inspecting the shiny bauble she’s pulled off the tree.
“What have you got there, little rosebud?” Axel coos in a tone I never thought I’d hear from him, but which has fast become one of my favourite sounds in the world.
Rose turns to look at him, giving him a beaming, toothy smile and holding up the bauble for him to inspect. On confident but wobbly feet she toddles towards him, garbling away in her nonsense language.
“Da…da…”
“Did she just say?—?”
“Dadadadada.”
“Oh my goddess!” I cry, tears welling up.
Moments like this still catch me off guard. The biggest shock was waking up the first morning and watching Rosewalkto Zie. The night before when she was curled up fast asleep, she seemed so tiny. She was so much like the baby I held in my arms for those few short hours before she was snatched away. I had her back. But I woke up to atoddler. I cried for a bit, but then decided to focus on the good, thanks to a little encouragement from Zie.
It doesn’t matter that she’s sixteen months and we missed out on so much in that time, all that matters is she’s here with us now and we have a lifetime of firsts ahead of us.
Like today. She’s just said her first recognisable word – despite Kaiden hotly debating that she said “nargle” two days ago and was therefore ready to listen to him read her Harry Potter – and I’m not sad at all. I’m overjoyed that I’ve got to experience this, and relieved she never said it abouthim.
“Clever girl!” Axel beams, looking the happiest I’ve ever seen him. He picks her up and swings her into the air, catching her and making the room fill with her delighted giggle.
“Dada!”
“That’s right, rosebud, I am your dada.”
“Who’s the daddy?” Kaiden sniggers.
“You all are. Behave,” I remind them.
I’m not saying that life is perfect or that we’re suddenly living a fairytale. I’m not seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses, no matter how perfect I thinkmy Roseis. I know who I’m married to and what they do for a living. I know they – we – have empires to run and will have hard decisions to make. I know that The General’s death can’t be swept under the carpet, and that there’s work to be done soon. For the moment, we’re cocooned in our little bubble of bliss, and I’m perfectly content to stay here.
I have to pinch myself every day to check I’m not dreaming. The guys think my disbelief is hilarious. They tease me about being so quick to cry now, ribbing me about ‘the time I thought they were dead’ like it didn’t just happen last week.
I’m not ready to joke about it yet. Not sure I’ll ever be.
But I absolutely count my blessings every single day, and I have no shame in admitting that yes, most days, I’m so blessed I could cry. And Idocry.
It’s the damn pregnancy hormones.
Enjoy these two little retracted scenes. One of Odi’s first wedding – to all three guys. It may not be legally binding, but to the four of them, it was the only union which mattered.
The other is from the time The Holy Trinity spent waiting to be resurrected from the dead. I hope you can understand why these were ‘temporarily withheld’ from the original manuscript. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise ;)
Sorry (not sorry)
Crystal
xoxo
“Ah, welcome, Mr Abbot,” an old, kindly looking man dressed in formal mass robes says when we enter the candle-lit church. It’s beautiful. “I do appreciate a man who is punctual.”
My betrothed smiles. “Call me, Axel. I believe that punctuality is next to godliness,” he replies with a dry chuckle. I don’t even think he’s joking – heisanal about time keeping – but I’m not sure that’s how the saying actually goes.
“Well, I have to say it’s lovely to meet you all, even under…unconventional circumstances,” he says after a beat where his ancient gaze seems to take in my short dress and my bare feet and find me lacking.
Shit! I’m completely underdressed for church…even if it isn’t my fault.
“Axel!” I hiss, grabbing his arm and letting my nails sink into his skin to convey my annoyance.
