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“Yes! Mommy’s home!” I made my way to greet her in the foyer. The moment she saw us, she reached for Victor.
“Hey, baby,” she cooed and cuddled him close to her. He squealed more and touched her face with his tiny hands. The way she smiled down at him with so much adoration and love... It was my favorite expression of hers.
I leaned in and kissed her lips. “How was school today?”
“Excellent. All the students are making me feel like a valued part of the community,” she said. “Which is awesome and kind of a surprise since I’m new. They treat me like I’ve been around for a while.”
“I knew you’d fit in perfectly.”
A fact that relieved me, because I’d been nervous. Everything about my realm was new and mysterious to Katerina. She’d expressed so much hesitation when we’d first met. Since she embraced my dragon, she also embraced living in my world. I’d thought she might resent me. I quickly learned Katerina was a woman of her word. If she said she was willing to go all in, she meant it.
And she went all in with me.
“I’ve been asked to help plan the next family event at the school,” she said. “I can’t wait to show you my classroom and introduce you to my students. A lot of them know of you but not much about you, so they ask me all sorts of questions.”
I chuckled. “They’ll be stunned when they see how normal and boring I am, compared to my brothers.”
“It’ll do great things for the kingdom, though.” She smiled up at me, and I appreciated her thinking about that bigger picture aspect of our life.
Regardless, if I was a legitimate heir to the throne or not, my brother, Damon, had a lot of damage to undo. I’d be a part of that whether I wanted to or not. Living in town created a small bridge between my family and the people.
“What did you do today?” she asked.
“Worked outside,” I said. “Victor did a lot of swinging while I got the planks ready for the new deck. It should be finished within a few days.”
“A few days? Wow, you’re a machine.” She shook her head.
I winked. “Not only in the bedroom.”
“Are you sure you’re human?” she teased. “I mean, I know you’re a dragon, but what about a robot? Are there mechanical dragons?”
“You know I’m all flesh,” I growled playfully. “Or do I need to remind you later?”
She pretended to think. “Gosh, my memory is awfully foggy.”
“Mama!” Victor interrupted.
“Oh, sorry. Are we traumatizing you with our love?” She booped Victor’s nose. “And do you help Daddy while he works outside?”
“He does by talking to me. I’m not sure what he was saying today, but he had a lot of opinions about it.”
“Dada do,” Victor said, lifting up his hands.
“Yes, Daddy does work hard,” she said.
I gave her a weak smile. “He just woke up from his nap. I know, it’s later than usual. I was so sucked into my work.”
“Guess we’ll have a later night,” she said. “I bet he’s growing, so he’s probably extra tired.”
She brought him into the kitchen, and I loved how she made him a part of everything she did. Victor couldn’t help by any means, but she talked him through her day and the process of whatever task she was completing. Whenever I wondered what I should do, I looked to Katerina as a guide.
From the moment I found out we were having a son, I knew it was an opportunity to break the cycle my father had continued. I had a choice: follow in his footsteps or pave my own way. Doing my own thing wasn’t as difficult as I thought with Katerina teaching. She was excellent at her job, after all.
I was going to do better, and Victor was going to be an amazing young man because of it. Together, Katerina and I would start a new legacy.
I watched my wife with my son. Our life was simple—beautiful. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Love won.
THE END
