Page 219 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Kallie shifted on her feet. "So everyone keeps saying. I’m just…" She peered up at Graeson, knowing he would understand.
"Scared?" Graeson asked.
Kallie nodded, incapable of lying to him.
She wasn’t even sure what she was scared of. The child couldn’t hurt her. But when she thought of holding the baby, her limbs wouldn’t move. Kallie’s actions had torn the child’s family apart once already. The little girl was too precious, too fragile. What if something happened when the baby was in her arms? What if the moment she was in Kallie’s arms, the child cried and thrashed? What if Kallie accidentally dropped her?
Kallie did not know how to take care of a baby. She had never been around many—hardly any, actually.
And in truth, Kallie didn’t know if she could handle it if the child rejected her. Because how couldn’t she? Kallie was the reason she was fatherless.
Just then, the child started crying, and Terin groaned, tossing his head back.
"I give her to you for less than five minutes, Ter, for asinglemoment of peace. You really can’t keep her from crying before I even finish my meal?" Dani said, standing and reaching for the child. A gold necklace hung from her neck, and a dainty ring weighed the chain down.
"I did nothing! I didn’t even move!" Terin held up the baby, turning her this way and that as if trying to figure out what was wrong with her.
"Just give her to me," Dani said, reaching for her daughter. "I’ll just eat when she can walk, I suppose. For your sake, you better hope Finnley’s a fast learner like me and not her father."
Terin handed the bundle over to Dani, who cradled her. She ran her knuckle across Finnley’s round cheek. Rocking her, Dani whispered something Kallie couldn’t hear.
Graeson leaned toward Kallie. "You can’t be any worse than Terin. He hasn’t been able to hold her for over five minutes."
A small smile cracked at the corner of Kallie’s mouth, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"Maybe one day," she said after a moment.
Graeson wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. Understanding she didn’t want to talk about it, Graeson changed the subject. "Have you decided yet about what you want to do?"
Kallie shook her head. She had been avoiding that question since the battle had ended. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go. Terin had approached her when the first group of Pontians were leaving and extended the invitation for Kallie to return home with them. Kallie, however, declined. But Terin left the offer open. The rest would head back once Dani was ready. Even with Helena staying behind, Dani still needed time to heal. Her body was sore, but she was slowly regaining her strength.
Kallie’s mind drifted to the soldiers returning to Pontia under Dani’s father’s command with Kage in tow. Terin had proposed imprisoning Kage in Pontia, where they would had the resources to ensure his permanent imprisonment. With no better suggestion, Kallie had agreed. Rian already had his hands full. Frenzia’s dungeons were a mess.
Sebastian had wrongfully imprisoned countless people, falsely accusing them of treachery. Some had been injected with a faulty serum. As soon as they were let out, the soldiers rushedthem to the infirmary. It turned out Sebastian had rushed the production of the serum when the first battle began. Once the wrongfully accused were transported to the hospital ward, prisoners filled the cells, waiting to be questioned.
"You don’t have to choose now," Graeson reminded her.
Kallie turned to look at him. His silver eyes instantly met hers. "Have you decided where you’ll go?"
Graeson placed his hand on her face, caressing her cheek. His thumb brushed across her jaw. "I thought we were past the point of asking silly questions like that?"
Pursing her lips, Kallie shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe we are. But I just…I don’t know if I’m ready to go back to Pontia yet. I still haven’t quite figured things out."
"And like I said, you don’t have to choose now. You don’t even have to know what you wish to do a week or a month from now. If you decide you want to go to Pontia after they leave, we’ll go. If you decide you want to stay here and help Rian rebuild, we’ll stay."
"Really?" Kallie asked.
Graeson nodded. "We can go anywhere you want," he said, weaving his fingers into her hair. "Even Ardentol."
Kallie’s lips parted.
"You think I don’t realize that the people of Ardentol are also on your mind? You’ve lived there for most of your life. That kingdom is as much of your home as Pontia is."
Kallie stared up at him in shock. "You would really come with me?"
With no hesitation, Graeson nodded.
"But what about your friends and family?"
