Page 54 of Stolen Fate

“Not in the pool house. And we can look at the sky through the see-through ceiling! Please, please, please!”

Jace looked up and met my gaze, and I offered a dainty shrug, as if to say it was his decision. I hadn’t actually spent a lot of time with Jace to know why he was home so early, and whether or not he wanted me to leave him and Elliot to it, but he hadn’t dismissed me yet, so I guessed that meant he wanted me here.

I tried not to think about our moment mere minutes ago.

I couldn’t afford to lose control like I had almost allowed myself to do. Not like that, and certainly not with Jace.

“Okay, Elliot. Why don’t you go change out of your school uniform? Evelyn can help you pick out something to wear while I pack us something to eat, deal?”

“What?” I asked. “Don’t you want me to prepare the picnic instead?”

He shook his head. “No, I got this. Why don’t you help Elliot out of his school uniform?”

“All right. If you’re sure…”

He nodded. “Positive.”

I nodded once and held out my hand for Elliot, who took it without hesitation, a sure sign of trust. I hadn’t realized how important it was for him to trust me until I got to New York and Elliot had given it to me without so much a second thought.

We walked—well, I walked, Elliot skipped—to his room with Elliot filling me in on his day as though he hadn’t already told me about it all earlier. I listened patiently and opened the door to his room, leading him inside.

“What do you want to wear?” I asked.

“Spider-Man!”

“Which one?” I asked. I was glad Jace was one of those parents who let Elliot express himself through clothes. He had way more Spider-Man and superhero shirts than I had sweaters. And though he did have some fancy clothes in his closet for special occasions, Jace never expected Elliot to wear any of it unless it was needed.

I watched him walk into his walk-in closet, got onto the stool and grab a Spider-Man shirt I had hung up recently. It was his favorite.

“This one, Evelyn.”

“Oh, my!” I said, like I do every time he showed it to me. “I haven’t seen this shirt in a while.”

He giggled and climbed onto my lap, wrapping his arms around me. I gently tickled his belly, making him laugh even harder.

I laughed along with him, tightening my arms around his wiggling body and bringing him close to me so I could plant a soft kiss in his head.

“Alright. Do you want some help taking off your shirt?” I asked. He could take off his jacket, but he always had problems with the buttons on his uniform—hell, sometimes I had trouble with it.

I didn’t know why the school made uniforms complicated, all stiff with small buttonholes, but it gave us quite some trouble, no matter how many times I washed it, hoping to loosen up the fabric a bit.

“I got this,” he said with a proud tilt of his chin. He was so much like his father. At least I didn’t have to wonder where he got his arrogance from.

“Okay, sweetie. But remember, it’s okay to ask for help when you need it.”

“But I’m a big boy.”

“Hmm.” I pulled him close and moved some of the hair hanging over his forehead. He looked at me with big blue eyes. “Just because you’re grown, doesn’t mean you don’t need help.”

“Do you need help sometimes, Evelyn?”

“Well, of course. There are things I can’t do by myself.”

“Do you ask Daddy to help you?”

“Uh, I don’t… I haven’t asked your daddy to help me. But when I was little, I used to go to my daddy for help.”

“But not anymore?”

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