Page 54 of Bride of the Sea King

I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling back at the little guy.

Was I supposed to smile back?

Or ignore him?

Or… what?

He shoved the toy at me, and my forehead creased.

Was I supposed to take it?

I glanced at Triton, but he was still playing the game with the toddlers where he dragged them back to the table with water tentacles while they tried to run away.

When I peeked at the baby’s dad, to see if he cared, I got a small, respectful smile and a quick bow of his head.

Guess I could take the toy.

I slowly accepted it, and the baby squealed in delight.

Then, he ripped the toy out of my hand again, and threw it at his dad.

I blinked.

His dad handed the toy back, his smile slightly more genuine.

The baby shoved the toy at me again, waving it around as he made a demanding sound.

I took it faster than I had the first time, and he screeched with happiness.

Before he stole it back and threw it at his dad again.

His dad caught it this time, and the baby laughed loudly.

When his dad returned the toy, he repeated the first motion again, handing it to me.

And so our game began.

We must’ve played for ten minutes before Triton finally squeezed my thigh and murmured into my mind,“I think I’ve riled the kids up long enough. We can head down to the grotto if you’re ready.”

I agreed.

I liked the baby, but I was still sore and exhausted. And even though I’d kicked the grotto’s ass with my magic earlier, I didn’t want to have to get myself back down to the library on my own.

We said our goodbyes to everyone at the table—the toddlers wailed for a minute, but their parents distracted them with the promise of a swim—and slipped away.

Triton’s arm went around my waist, supporting some of my weight as we walked back to our room together. I leaned against him more than I ever had before. And for once, I didn’t feel like I needed to put more space between us.

I actually kind of enjoyed being so close to him.

I wasn’t going to overthink that feeling, obviously, but I didn’t hate it. Not even a little.

And as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I didn’t hate kids either.

Maybe I even loved them.

I could dissectthatmonster of a realization later.

twelve

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