Chapter 150

Grace

What the hell was I supposed to say?

Never?

Never because I hoped the rotten bastard rotted in whatever lycans called jail? Never because he would be too busy with his young, pregnant mate?

I winced at those thoughts. None of those responses would be appropriate, even if they were all technically true.

"Mommy?"

I hesitated, scrambling for something to say. The question, so simple yet loaded with layers of complexity, made me shut my mouth and think, but I had nothing. I was stunned by Cecil's question. My whole brain practically short-circuited at the thought of them seeing Devin again.

I had never imagined that Cecil would want to see Devin. Could I just tell her I had no idea? That used to work.

"I don't know, honey. You... sure you want to see him?"

Cecil frowned. "He's been gone a really long time... He's never gone this long..."

She kicked her feet. "I thought... we'd get to play over the holiday. I was practicing catch with Kelly, but he wasn't here then either..."

My gut turned. Cecil hated playing catch. She thought it was dumb and would much rather color or paint or build with her blocks. Devin had said plenty of times he wasn't interested in playing with Cecil, that he'd wait until Richard was old enough to play catch with him.

When I thought back to how comfortable Charles was sitting at her little tea table, serving tea and pancakes, my eyes burned with tears I couldn't afford to shed right now.

It was unfair that Cecil, at four years old, felt like she had to change who she was or do something she didn't like just for some attention from the one man in the world who was supposed to love her.

The guild would probably haunt me into the grave for choosing him as a father to my kids.

She looked up at me with big, glossy eyes. "Is he going to be too busy for my birthday too?"

My gut clenched at her words. Her birthday was in a few months. The idea that she was thinking that far ahead and thinking about Devin made my heart feel like it was in a vice.

I didn't know what to say. Shit. What was I supposed to say?

"Of course not," Charles said, crouching down beside us. "How could he be too busy for your birthday?"

I glanced at him, not sure where he was going with this. To be honest, I didn't really remember Devin ever really being around during Cecil's birthday. Her birthday usually fell on the Heart Moon. Looking back, he was probably spending it with Amy, and that was even more irritating.

Though, I'm not surprised that getting his dick wet was more important to him than his family.

"You really think so?"

"I know so," Charles said. "You'll see your daddy soon. He's just away taking care of a few things right now."

"Daddy's always busy."

He nodded. "He is, and when you see him again, we'll all get together, and you can tell him all about what he's missed."

"Even being in the big van?"

I smiled, my heart trembling.

"Especially being in the big van," Charles reassured her, his voice soothing and tender. "But we have to wait for the best time when Mommy is a little more done with her important work."

I was bewildered by what he was saying, but I was grateful that he had something to say. Devin would be around? In Mooncrest? I'd rather chew nails than let him back in my city, but for Cecil... I supposed I would have to just bite the bullet.

But what was he talking about?

"Mommy's work?" Cecil asks, her face scrunching up in curiosity.

Charles nodded, his eyes alight with a mischievous glint. "Yes. You know your Mommy is getting ready to be a Senator. That's going to take a lot of work, and you wouldn't want your daddy to stop her from doing that, would you?"

She shook her head. "Is daddy helping mommy?"

Charles smiled. "In a way."

I stared at him. A senator. The idea still felt surreal, but I couldn't believe that Charles was outright lying to Cecil like this. He glanced at me with a meaningful glance.

Was he not lying? How would Devin be helping me become a senator?

Then, Charles spoke again and left me speechless.

"We should all have a chance to have a break, and it's going to be a special one."

She leaned forward, captivated. "What kind of break?"

"A trip, of course," he said, his voice rich with anticipation. "We'll go see your daddy, and you can pick the spot for your birthday party at the palace."

"A palace? Like a castle?"

"The Lycan Clan castle, yes."

She squealed, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Is it like the castle we built?"

He smiled. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see, hm?"

I blinked.

"What do you think, Mommy?" she asked, her small hand clutching mine. "Do you think it'll be like the castle we built?"

I found myself at a loss for words, my heart brimming with gratitude for the love and support I have in my life. Charles had mentioned holding her birthday party at the castle, of us going to visit, but I had never imagined that he was serious.

"I think... we'll just have to wait and see."

"Oh, can I have a tiara and a princess dress for my birthday?"

"Of course," he said. "You can't be princess for the day with the proper uniform."

He stroked her hair. As I watched Charles interact with Cecil and listen to her questions about her birthday tea party extravaganze, I was struck by how gentle he was with her, how much he cared about her, about me, about us. His promise to take her to the palace to throw her a ridiculous birthday party was heartwarming. There was no way anything would ever be able to top that. We'd have to do it every year well into her twenties, probably.

My heart clenched as I realized I was thinking that far.

It was a bit of hope for the future I hadn't thought I could still have.

But as I reveled in that bright, hopeful feeling, a cloud of apprehension darkened my thoughts.

The realization that Devin's presence at the Lycan Clan palace would have to coincide with the impending case weighed heavily on me. I tried not to wonder if Amy would have delivered her children by then or what would happen to them after the case. I tried not to think about what was and wasn't possible in lycan court when there were werewolf lawyers involved, but the unease at the thought of stepping into that mess made it hard not to think about.

Devin had to pay for what he'd done to me, to our children, to Mooncrest. If I was paying penance, he had to as well, but what would it be like to be in the courtroom with him? To see him in person? Would it all come rushing back to me? Would I feel indifferent?

I don't know, and I wasn't looking forward to finding out. Despite my concerns, I put on a brave face.

"Isn't that nice?" I asked Cecil. "I wonder if he'll help you pick out colors."

She kicked her little feet bashfully. "Do you think he will? Ooh! Can we have a ball? Do you think he'd dance with like in the video?"

My heart clenched as I thought back to the video. It was from human social media. A little girl about Cecil's age was dressed in a tiny ballgown, and a man, presumably her father, had waltzed her around. It had been the cutest thing. I hadn't even known Cecil had been paying attention to the video. Still, I was almost certain that wasn't going to happen. Devin had been pretty clear that he wanted nothing to do with me or our children now that he'd gotten Amy pregnant and they were going to get married or whatever was in lycan customs to do.

"I think a ball could be arranged," Charles said. "There's a very large ballroom in the palace. But you'll have to promise to be patient."

"I will! I promise I will!"

""And you'll behave and look after your brother while I'm gone?" Charles asked. "And your Uncle Eason?"

"Hey," Eason groused. "I don't need any more eyes watching me."

"I will," Cecil said, bouncing on my knee. "I promise. I'll be the best. I'll make sure Uncle Eason gets plenty of sleep."

I chuckled at her enthusiasm as Eason started to grumble. Then, I frowned at Charles' words.

"You're leaving?"

"For a little while," Charles said lightly.

"To go where?"

He smiled. His eyes glinted viciously as Amira came back to announce that the police were here to take a statement.

"To the capital," he said. "I have a meeting with your President and a very long list of issues to address with him."