Page 66 of Daniil
Micah’s cries wake us, and I realize we both dozed off.
“I’ll get him,” I say, sliding out of bed and padding over to the crib.“Hey, big guy.Did you have a good nap?”
“Da-da-da.”
“I know.Me too.”I bring him to the bed and get back in, putting Micah between us.He immediately crawls up my chest and starts gnawing on his fist.
“He’s teething,” Courtney says.“The first tooth is going to appear any day now.”
“Have you kept a book for him?”I ask.“You know, writing down all the firsts and such?”
“A baby book?Yes.It’s digital, so I always have access to it, but I can print the whole thing or just certain pages whenever I want.I’m going to wait until he’s a year, include photos of his first birthday and everything, and then print it into a hard cover book.”
“I’d like to see it.”
“Sure.I can send you a link.It allows you to invite people to view or contribute.I’ll make you a contributor.”
“Thank you.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes, as Micah babbles and plays.
This probably isn’t the time to talk about sex, but I could bring up my compromise idea.
“I had a thought,” I say quietly.“About…our future.”
“Oh?”She turns to look at me.
“What if—now hear me out—what if I claim him as my stepson?You had an affair with someone who didn’t want to be a father, so you opted to raise him on your own.We got reacquainted and decided to begin dating.The only people who would know he’s my biological child is our inner circle.”
She’s thoughtful, frowning a little.“What about Micah?”
“Well, assuming he isn’t my child, you and I started a relationship when he was five months old.I’m going to be the only father he ever knows, so I’ll be his dad.If and when the time comes to tell him the truth, when he’s old enough to understand why no one knows, we will.”
“It’s something to think about,” she concedes.
“What are you thinking?”I ask.“Talk to me.”
“What happens if he somehow feels slighted because he isn’t a prince like his cousins?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.“I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with a compromise and only thought of this today.I wanted to run it past you.”
“It’s an option,” she says, nodding.“Do we have to decide now?”
“Of course not, but people around the palace are starting to wonder.We’re running out of time to saysomething, because talk is inevitable.”
“Are you worried about that?”
“About gossip?No.About the wrong information getting out, yes.We want to control the narrative, not gossip mongers.”
“Right.”She sits up and reaches for Micah.“He needs a fresh diaper and I’m starving.Do we have dinner plans or are we on our own?”
“I think we’re on our own tonight.Sandor and Lennox are both working, Marcus has the night off, and Xander and Elen are at their house.”Xander and Elen are the only members of the immediate family who don’t live at the palace anymore.
“That’s fine with me.I’m still dragging a little after two glorious days at the beach.And anyway, it’ll give us some time to talk about your idea.”She gets out of bed and starts changing Micah’s diaper.
I never in a million years would have imagined that watching my woman change our child’s diaper would be hot, but for some reason it is.
“I think if you did that naked, I’d attack you,” I say drolly.
