5 years later…
Godiva’s POV
“Care, stop bothering your sister.”
Mia’s crying made me pause as I chopped garlic. Care had just knocked down the Lego tower Mia had carefully built, grabbing my attention for a moment. While cooking, I glanced over at them now and then, seeing Mia intensely focused on rebuilding her Legos, her lips pursed.
Care was the one who filled our home with laughter and life. His giggles whenever he teased his sister Mia-even to the point of tears-always distracted me from whatever I was doing. I could never be mad at that little boy, as just looking at him filled me with energy again.
Meanwhile, Mia, my quiet little daughter, reminded me so much of myself. She’d always give in, tearing up when her brother picked on her, just as I had with my own cousin, Kayleigh. I was much older than Mia at the time, but even then, I was still a crybaby.
“I was just trying to help Mia straighten her blocks, Mom. Why are you blaming me?” Care’s brows furrowed, and I exhaled slowly.
“Alright, then… go help Mia rebuild her blocks. I need to get dinner ready. Uncle Declan is visiting tonight.”
“Really, Mom?” Mia’s eyes lit up, even with tears still in them.
Mia was thrilled at the mention of Declan. They’d grown closer since she turned three, especially after he started taking her along when he drove Lizzie to ballet practice. Mia always told Declan that she wanted to be like Lizzie, a ballerina.
“I want to show him my one-foot spin, Mom,” Mia said, immediately stopping her tears.
“Care, help me tidy up here. I’ll be dancing ballet right here,” Mia declared, pointing to her scattered Lego blocks.
“Show-off,” Care muttered, folding his arms across his chest.
“I don’t care; what matters is Uncle Declan’s opinion, not yours.”
Watching the two of them made me smile. As long as they were only arguing and not hurting each other, I wouldn’t interfere. I wanted them to learn to work things out on their own.
I heard Mia’s hurried footsteps toward the stairs. She was probably getting ready to change into the ballet outfit I’d bought her, leaving Care to finish picking up the Legos.
Just as I finished setting our dinner plates on the table, I heard the front doorbell. Without a word, Care raced to answer it. I knew it was Declan since he always rang twice as his signature. I heard Care cheerfully running back to the dining room, now holding a big box with a new robot toy. Declan followed with a warm smile and a gentle greeting.
“How are you doing today?” Declan gave me a warm hug and lightly patted my back.
“A bit stuck with a wooden table, so I had to leave it in the garage. You were right; some things really do require a man’s strength.”
“I told you to let me handle that table.”
Declan’s gaze fell to my white shirt, now dusted with dirt from the garage. I had to make an effort to look like a regular person and pretend I couldn’t just lift the table with ease into the yard. It was a bit of a struggle, to be honest.
Trying to shift the focus, I asked, “Why didn’t Lizzie come with you?”
“She said she needed to study for a test tomorrow. You know how she is. But she said she regrets missing out on coming over.”
“She’s almost a teenager now and will be harder to keep track of soon. Make sure to keep a close eye on her, Declan. Kids these days can get out of hand. Better she’s home and studying, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“I made dinner. Join us.”
He nodded, then turned around as Mia called his name. She was in the middle of the living room, showing off her one-foot spin. Declan clapped for her, encouraging her, even though I could tell her balance was still a bit off. She almost stumbled but caught herself.
While Care was captivated by his new robot and Mia was demonstrating more ballet moves for Declan, I began setting the table. Usually, Trisha would take care of all the housework, but she’d gone to the supermarket to stock up on groceries for our beach trip next weekend.
After living among humans for five years, Trisha had become more at ease with them. She did our shopping, took the twins to school, and even occasionally chatted with the neighbors when she had free time.
I think Trisha enjoyed it all. She never complained and would often tell me about it when I’d finished my day at the cafe. Once, she told me about a neighbor who’d been bitten by a stray dog and had to go to the hospital for rabies shots. As one of our kind, she had to suppress her reactions to fit in, but I had to laugh at her serious expression as she recounted the story.
Everything around me seemed perfectly normal-just not my own life. I always wore a mask of “I’m okay” to seem fine while feeling otherwise inside. The dark clouds of life without my mate never lifted, and nothing could brighten the skies of my existence.
Raising and caring for Care and Mia on my own, I managed. We even had a small one-story house just big enough for the three of us. But living without my mate by my side left me empty. I tried everything to distract myself, but the pain was hard to bear.
“You’re zoning out, Godiva. Mia’s calling you.”
Declan’s voice brought me back to the moment. Mia needed me to serve her dinner. I quickly filled her plate, and Care then asked me to do the same for him.
After dinner, I told Care and Mia to brush their teeth before bed. I could hear Mia’s muffled complaints, and I knew Care was teasing her. I called out for them to finish up, and the house quickly quieted down.
“I have something to tell you, Godiva. It’s about Lizzie.”
I stopped on my way to the kitchen and turned to face him. Declan’s expression was unreadable, so I couldn’t guess what he wanted to discuss.
As he stepped closer, I felt my heart race faster than usual. I couldn’t hold his gaze for long because it made me nervous. Declan took my left hand, placing it against his chest so I could feel his heartbeat.
“I can’t keep it inside anymore, Godiva. I know you’ve heard this from Lizzie a lot already. But these are my real feelings for you.”
I was at a loss for words. My eyes blinked rapidly, my breath caught in my chest as I felt his warm breath on my face. Every second flew by until, finally, I closed my eyes.