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mariaofdoranelle · 27 days

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Look at Us Now - ch. 24

Fic masterlist

I’m so happy to get this one out!! I’ve been thinking about this chapter for an insane amount of time. Enjoy!

Warnings: sex shop stuff

Words: 3,3k

Of all the times Rowan listened to his dumbass coworkers out of curiosity, he never thought he’d follow through with any of their advice. Yet, there he was, in the rope section of Doranelle City’s newest sex shop.

At first, he couldn’t believe that an old small-ish supermarket closed, and in its place someone opened a giant adult shop. Then, Rowan couldn’t believe he came here to check what the fuss was all about. He had more than enough confidence to stand tall while checking the most bizarre aisles, but he wasn’t used to picking and choosing vibrators the same way he did his groceries.

Still, regret was the furthest thing from his mind when he saw the lingerie section.

There, hanging between lots of blacks and reds, a scrap of golden fabric caught Rowan’s attention. After hurrying there with his basket, he took a good look at it. The tag said ‘three-piece embroidered lace garter lingerie set’, but he was struggling to understand where each part went. All he saw was so many straps around the sheer lace that was the actual lingerie, and gold. Not yellow—real, metallic gold.

This. He just found the perfect, most selfish apology for those ripped panties.

Getting the bra sizing right was a struggle, though. Rowan squinted at his hand, muscle memory mimicking how it grabbed Aelin’s breast, and tested the different sizes on his palm.

It was almost time to go, so he made his way to the clit vibrator section. Aelin’s only one was attached to a penetrative stimulator, and while it was great, it didn’t quite fit this specific idea he had in mind.

However, right before entering his aisle of choice, Rowan spotted an awfully familiar blonde head.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Retreat.

He stood where Aedion couldn’t see him and checked the time. A little more and he’d be late, which wasn’t an option. Rowan was going to pick Maisie up at school alone because Aelin wanted to take a nap after work—he couldn’t afford to wait until Aedion left.

In a bold move, Rowan entered the aisle, standing on its end while the other man was in the middle. He wouldn’t be able to see everything, but hopefully enough to pick what he needed.

Still, he kept an eye on Aedion, briefly glancing at him every now and then while looking at all kinds of clit suction vibrators.

In one of those times, Aedion was already looking at him. Shit.

For once, he was glad that the families didn’t know about his relationship yet. Aedion had no idea that he was here with ravishing Aelin in mind, and the last thing Rowan wanted to know was the purpose of the other man’s… purchases.

Turquoise eyes met pine-green, but he still looked around to see if the Aedion was looking at someone behind him. Nothing. They were alone in this aisle, staring at each other for what felt like ages.

Rowan took a step forward. “Hey,” he said in a stiff greeting.

“Hey.” Aedion’s greeting was almost a wince. “You…”

“Just buying some stuff.” Rowan’s neck felt on fire with embarrassment as he played nonchalant. He hid the chosen purple clit sucker deep inside his basket, as if the man beside him hadn’t seen it already. “For myself.”

“Same.” Aedion’s unusual lack of words was a relief.

Rowan eyed the vibrator and anal beads inside the man’s own basket. Well, good for him.

˜˜

“YOU’RE SORRY!” Maisie shouted on the garage floor, trashing in her father’s arms.

“I’m not, love, you can’t play drums while your mother’s asleep.”

The little girl screamed louder, tears streaming down her already puffy face. After a lot of improvised, unpolished drumming sessions, Rowan and Aelin enrolled her in weekly lessons. While they encouraged the little girl to keep practicing, her learning process was hard on their eardrums.

It broke Rowan’s heart to see Maisie like this, but work has been running Aelin ragged lately; he couldn’t allow their daughter to play when her mother was finally letting herself rest.

Still, the little girl threw herself on the floor, then threw a drumstick at her father. The wooden mallet hit him in the chest, and though it didn’t hurt at all, its weight wore down his thinning patience.

Who. The fuck. Gave. This child. Drums.

He drew a deep breath to calm himself, but it didn’t stop his Dad Voice, as Aelin would call it. “Maisie Whitethorn,” he chided, “if you throw another one of these… forking sticks at me, you won’t see them again for a helluva long time, you hear me?”

Defiant as the day she was born, Maisie held her head high despite the teary eyes, squared her shoulders, picked the same drumstick off the floor and threw at Rowan again.

That’s when the unwavering patience he reserved for his daughter snapped.

Blood boiling, he threw her over his shoulder—her five-year-old body was lighter than a potato sack anyway—and left her in the garage, ready to put her in time-out for eternity. Maisie trashed, likely hurting his back as she did it, but it was hard to pay attention to it over the pounding on his ears, caused by anger and her shouting both.

“What’s going on?”

Aelin’s voice coming from the living room stopped him short. Rowan took in his girlfriend’s messy hair and slightly puffy face from her nap on the couch; his heart sank with the realization that she woke up anyway, and it was his fault.

“I told her to stop the drums so you could sleep, then she threw the drumsticks at me and is about to get grounded for eternity.”

Aelin gestured for him to pass Maisie over at the same time the little girl wiggled out of his grip, even with her head on Rowan’s back, away from her mom; it sometimes stunned him, how in sync these two were.

She sat with their still crying daughter on her lap. “Maisie, we don’t hit the people who feed us.”

“Or anyone,” Rowan added, eyes hard.

He was a firm believer that, sometimes, violence happened to be the last and only resource to resolve things. It wasn’t a good lesson to teach a little kid, though, especially when she could think that a minor conflict at the playground required extreme solutions.

Aelin wiped out Maisie’s tear-streaked cheeks and combed her hair out of her face with her fingers, showing a gentleness she rarely showed for people outside her family. “Do you understand why we’re upset with you, honey?”

“Daddy said I’d be in trouble if I threw another stick!” The girl’s high-pitched voice cracking and raspy as she tried to defend herself. “I didn’t! I threw the same one!”

Rowan’s mouth fell open as he felt disoriented with his daughter’s Aelin-like defense. If she was like this at five years old… he didn’t want to think about what would happen in ten to twelve years.

“Maisy Daisy,” Aelin warned in a calm yet alarming tone. “You know you shouldn’t have thrown that stick at all.”

“We can’t find loopholes for hitting people,” Rowan added, still stunned, and looked at Aelin. “She’s still getting grounded. Maisie’s not playing anything if she acts like she was raised in the wilderness ”

“But I didn’t throw another stick!”

Aelin winced, and from her looks she seemed to say she has a point, Buzzard. A sigh. “What about cutting drumming time in half this week?”

Maisie gaped, outraged.

Rowan tilted his head, pretending to think this through. Reducing something instead of cutting it off usually worked best in his family, but he still threatened with the worst option for impact. When suspended something completely, if Maisie didn’t convince her father to suspend the punishment at all—which completely weakened his authority in the long term—she’d have several more meltdowns they couldn’t avoid because she was still learning to regulate her emotions.

“Sounds reasonable,” Rowan finally said.

However, Maisie shook her head. “I don’t like that.”

Aelin snorted. “You’re not supposed to like your punishment, honey.”

They settled in the living room when Maisie cooled down, her and Fleetfoot playing in the mat as quiet Rowan could expect a kid and a puppy to be.

He and Aelin stayed on the couch, her soft body resting half above him, in a drowsy state.

“It’s almost dinnertime,” he said. “We could order pizza.”

Aelin’s only response was a grimace, but Maisie’s loud cheer made her agree to it.

Rowan would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him. For days now, her sleeping and eating patterns were off, and it could only mean one thing: a depressive episode.

He knew it, because he studied it. He had every sign engraved in the back of his mind, alert for when she needed him again, to not let her down again. Ready to be there and support her in any way he could, Rowan just didn’t think she would be the one to evade him.

He thought they were better at communicating, better than this, but each time Aelin shut him off and said she was feeling emotionally good, just a little tired even if all signs pointed otherwise, his heart sank with doubt.

“Hey, Buzzard.” Aelin ran a thumb over the crease between his brows, where a frown must’ve formed at some point during his musings. “What got your feathers all ruffled?”

Well, since she asked, he might as well tell her. “I—“ Rowan’s eyes zeroed on Maisie. This wasn’t something to discuss in front of a little kid. “Mais, it’s almost time to go to your mother’s. Can you go pack your bag?”

“No,” the little girl said, plain and simple as if his request wasn’t a polite order.

Aelin sat back, leaving their cuddling position with both brows up. “Excuse me?”

“I’ll go pack my toys to go to my other house, then Dad’ll go with us, and we’ll do the same things we were doing before, but in another house. Every. Time.” Maisie’s brows remained drawn together, her little arms crossed. “I’m so tired from packing my toys that much.”

Rowan and Aelin both froze, staring at their daughter after this bomb she just dropped. To be fair, Maisie was completely right. They kept the same custody arrangement as before, but one parent would follow the other to be together, so the three of them were basically going from one house to another.

He could point out that packing a bag of toys wasn’t nearly as much work as the packing her parents did, but Rowan didn’t want to argue with his daughter because he agreed with her. They were so worried about maintaining a steady routine for Maisie, they weren’t expecting her to point out that this arrangement made no fucking sense anymore.

And most of all, Rowan really wanted to take a bunch of next steps with Aelin.

“We’ll take this into consideration,” Aelin said, reluctant. “For now, you’ll still have to pack your toys.”

Maisie got up and complied, but not without grunting a few complaints, Fleetfoot hot on her heels.

The second their daughter closed her bedroom door, Aelin jumped on Rowan, trapping him with both arms on the couch.

“She’s right, you know?”

Rowan snorted. “You’re taking advice from a child now?”

Looking oddly invigorated by how Maisie brought up the subject, Aelin was undeterred. “Let’s move in together.”

Yes. Rowan opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again. “I thought you wanted to take things slow.”

The three-month mark she requested to tell people about their relationship was so close he could taste it, but no matter how much Rowan wanted to test her boundaries, he couldn’t. She was the one to request them, which made him question this sudden change of heart.

An adorable blush creeped up her neck and cheeks. “Because that’s the responsible thing to do. Don’t you hate being responsible sometimes?”

Rowan chuckled, amused, because not being responsible was never an option for him, the only exception being when it came to Aelin. Still, they weren’t two twenty-somethings moving in together on a whim to share rent. They had logistics to discuss, Maisie to think about, and their on-base housing that would be incredibly hard to regain if either of them gave up on it.

He kissed the bony tip of her nose. “We can talk things over until we’re ready, yeah?”

And by that, Rowan meant that he just wanted to wait long enough to be sure she wasn’t crossing her own boundary in an impulse decision she’d regret later. He was so fucking ready to move in with her for real and stop ironing his uniform at 5:30 a.m. because it got rumpled in his bag.

Aelin nodded, eyes intent on him. “Sure. That’s where we’re headed, right? Moving in together, I mean.”

“Fuck, yes, we are,” he said while giving her a crushing hug.

With a silly grin, Aelin cupped his face and kissed him. It was sweet and shallow, since they were smiling too much to deepen it, but Rowan loved it. Every kiss with her, every time, it blew his mind.

However, they were brutally interrupted by a high-pitched scream, painfully loud in a way only horror movies could muster—and Maisie, apparently.

The little girl stood rooted where the hallway met the living room, panicked green eyes widened with the sight of her parents making out.

“Why— WHY’DYOUKISSDAD!?”

Aelin slowly detangled herself from him, and Rowan’s mind was going a mile a minute. Of all the parenting preparation he did, no one ever taught how to explain to your child that you’re dating their mother.

“I was kissing your father because we’re in a relationship now.” Aelin’s voice was gentle, but it left no room for argument.

Rowan added, “We were planning to tell you soon.”

Maisie was still frozen in place, and he felt like beating himself for letting his daughter find out about his relationship this way.

“Honey, I—“ Rowan scratched the back of his neck, feeling his face heat. One might think they were two teenagers getting caught by their parents, but it was actually two thirty-somethings explaining themselves to a five-year-old. “Your mother and I, we’ve been very close lately. Sharing a bed. Are you actually surprised that we’re dating?”

Maisie narrowed her eyes on her father. “I share my bed with Fleetfoot. That doesn’t mean anything.”

“You’re right,” Rowan agreed, determined not to taint her innocent way of thinking. “But we’ve also been spending all our free time together. You see us cuddling plenty and—“

“I thought we were cuddling all the time because we’re a family and we love each other, not because you’re boyfriend and girlfriend! Ew!”

Aelin leaned closer to her on the couch. “Maisie, love, can you tell us how you’re feeling?”

The little girl eyed her mother’s phone on the coffee table, grabbed it and ran away, locking herself in the bathroom as quickly as she could.

Rowan pinched the bridge of his nose. He was so throughly fucked.

The day Maisie learned how to call her grandmother, he knew he’d never know peace again.

He sighed. “I think she—“

“She absolutely is.”

Rowan met her gaze, slightly panicked, and stared at her grin with no small amount of confusion. Something about him made her burst, so she held onto his arm, shaking and losing her breath with laughter.

“That’s not funny!” He looked between his girlfriend and the bathroom door that hid his distraught daughter, not knowing what to do.

“Come on.” Aelin leaned on him, her outburst subdued. “It is a little.”

Rowan relaxed back on the couch, letting himself think about what happened in a different light, and the corners of his mouth quirked up. “The way she never suspected anything…”

“Ugh!” Aelin hugged him tight. “I want her to stay this little forever.”

“She did grow up too fast,” Rowan said in a pensive tone, and it made him think about how much he wanted to watch other tiny people grow up with Aelin. One thing at a time, though. “She’s likely telling my mother everything before the three-month mark, and—“

“Your mom will tell everyone she knows.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“It’s okay. I mean, we were close to the mark already, but…” Aelin closed her eyes and breathed deep, a small smile on her lips as she finished. “I feel great. It’s not how I wanted to do it, but I feel like it was about time.”

“Okay.” Rowan kissed her cheek. “I’m okay with it if you’re okay with it.”

Aelin caressed his face with her thumb. “I’m very okay with it.”

Her face was a breath away from his when his phone rang.

Mom

Aelin mouthed good luck at the same time he took the call.

“Rowan Whitethorn, you are in so much trouble.”

“Is that so?” he asked, unbothered by his mother’s dramatic antics.

“I cannot believe I have to learn from Maisie that you’re dating again!”

“I couldn’t hide it forever, it’s not my fault Maisie ruined the reveal we—“

“Every night, I prayed to Mala for you and Aelin to get together—for years, Rowan. Years! And when it finally happens, you can’t even bother to let me know…”

He tuned his mother off when his daughter left the bathroom, looking calmer, and sat facing her mother.

“Maisie’s here. I’ll have to hang up.”

“I’m not finished—“

He hung up.

Sitting back beside Aelin, he asked, “Do you feel like talking now, Mais?”

The little girl crossed her arms. “Are you married?”

Rowan’s eyes bulged out. “No—“ He sneaked a quick glance at Aelin. “I mean, not yet. Why’d you ask?”

His daughter hummed. “So you have a kid and you’re together, but you’re not married?”

“Yes.”

“This is weird,” Maisie mused, sitting on an armchair before them. “You tell me that people choose boys or girls to have kids, puppies or kittens with, until death or divorce; but you mixed it up and you’re doing it all confusing.”

Rowan winced. “I’m painfully aware of that.”

Aelin cleared her throat, focused on Maisie. “My relationship status with your dad might’ve changed, but nothing about you ever will. You will always come first, and we’ll always love you very much, no matter what. This doesn’t change anything for you.”

“Anything?” Maisie asked, perking up.

Aelin slowly nodded. “Anything.”

“Do I still get two Yulemas gifts?”

Cackling, Aelin squeezed her daughter in a hug. “I don’t know,” she said in a playful tone. “Rowan, does she still get two Yulemas gifts?”

“Huh.” Rowan tilted his head, pretending to think hard while a warm feeling spread through his chest. “I don’t know, I guess she’ll have to wait and find out.”

Aelin winked—she knew that being an only child and only granddaughter on both sides, Maisie was spoiled rotten by her family on Yulemas. “Any other requests?”

“No kissing!”

Aelin gasped. “No kissing?” she asked in a dramatic, almost theatrical way for her daughter’s amusement.

Maisie shook her head. “Nuh-uh!”

The mother pouted. “Then how am I going to do this…”

Next thing they knew, Aelin was pecking quick kisses all over the little girl’s face, earning those high-pitched squeals he adored so much. Rowan watched that scene, grinning and with a familiar tingling in his chest, when his phone rang again.

His mother, of course.

He showed Aelin the screen. “I should take this before she books a flight.”

“Sure.” She bit her lip, looking unsure. “She sounded angry before.”

“Actually, this is her best-case scenario for my love life. She’s just upset that I didn't tell her sooner.” Rowan kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back,” he said before leaving to answer this phone call that could take anything between 20 minutes and 2 hours.

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mariaofdoranelle · 2 months

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Look at Us Now - Bonus chapter 23.5: Maisie’s pov

Fic masterlist

Getting Maisie’s voice right was challenging (and the whole reason I didn’t consider writing her pov before loll), and I don’t think I nailed it, but I kinda like how this chapter turned out heheh enjoy!

Rowan mentioned dropping Maisie at Aedion’s on ch. 23, and this is what happened

*Winks at this Nonnie*

Warnings: none?

Words: 2,6k

“F—fork,” Uncle Aedion said as soon as he opened his front door, rubbing his eyes. “Rowan, what the fork are you doing here at six-thirty?”

Maisie sighed, holding Fleetfoot. She knew what he was going to say, that word she couldn’t repeat either. But if grown-ups hated the word ‘fuck’ so much, why were they always saying it?

“I brought Maisie for a fun morning with you.” Rowan patted his daughter in the head, a reminder of the terrible braid he made. It was the fastest braid he’s ever done, with no ribbons and some strands thicker than others. Her mom would never let her go out with hair like this. “You can go to the pool…” He trailed when Aedion wouldn’t stop glaring. “The playground?” Rowan’s face started turning into a grimace. “Watch TV? Roblox?“

Maisie’s heartbeat fastened. Her dad was strict about screens, so something must’ve happened. And it was weird that her mom didn’t sleep with them last night. The only change was Fleetfoot, but Aelin liked Fleetfoot—she even promised to play with them later.

But she didn’t.

The little girl turned off from the conversation her dad and uncle were having, needing to think. Most of the time, she was the cause of her parents’ fights, since they were always shouting her name at each other, but it all got better when they started going to the playground together. She didn’t hear them shouting anyone’s name, but maybe her dad would feel better if Maisie took him to the playground with her mom.

The little girl clutched Fleetfoot to her chest, her heart feeling all tight and squeeze-y inside.

Rowan and Aedion were having a weird staring thing, so she didn’t miss much.

“We can go to the pool once it opens.” The last words didn’t sound nice, and Maisie didn’t like the way Uncle Aedy was talking to her dad. Not sure of what to do, her eyes darted between the two men.

Rowan ran a hand through his head. “Look, I know I should’ve—“

“And I have a guest sleeping upstairs,” Aedion added, eyebrows raised.

Her dad’s eyes widened, and for once he seemed to change his mind, his expression dropping. “I’m sorry. I’ll try Lorcan—“

“No, I—“ Aedion ran a palm over his face, shoulders dropped, and when he looked up again, it was like a different person. He smiled down at Maisie. “Come on, Kiddo.” He patted her shoulder, frowning just a little bit at her ugly braid. “Gods, I’m as bad as your mother when I wake up too soon. It doesn’t even look like I’m always asking her for more time with you, huh?”

Her uncle gave her a reassuring smile, lighting up Maisie’s mood a little.

“Just—“ Rowan cleared his throat. “Your guest… is he or she decent?”

She didn’t understand why Aedion’s smirk was so big, but at least he said, “She’s a mom—a very good one. Don’t worry about her.”

Her dad hesitated, but handed her purple backpack. Maisie knew he didn’t like leaving her with strangers, but he trusted Aedion, even if Aelin complained about him.

Rowan crouched down to remind her of everything every grown-up ever told her, but she wasn’t worried about staying with her uncle. Instead, she thought about her dad. He had already done everything Maisie thought was impossible, so she trusted him to fix things today. He did it once by taking her mom to the playground, he could do it again.

“…don’t talk to strangers, don’t listen to anyone but your uncle, and don’t leave his side, okay? Do not, under any circumstance, run off.” A pause for emphasis. “But if you do, call me when you get lost.” He lifted a brow.

Maisie let out a heavy sigh, already knowing what to do. She recited her dad’s phone number in front of him, watching him check if she was correct.

“That’s perfect.” He kissed her forehead. “Your mother’s now.”

Like she remembered the second part of it. “You’re teaching too many numbers,” Maisie protested, “It’s making me dizzy!”

Uncle Orlon said her life would be easier once she knew how to count, but she was having a tough time agreeing with him. Ever since Maisie learned it, Rowan had been making her learn phone numbers. She tried to remind him that she could know every number in the world and play Roblox if he just gave her a phone, but it was hard to change her dad’s mind.

After a long time of her dad being a big Buzzard, Aedion finally shooed him away. He banged the door closed and grimaced at the sound, then dropped her big purple bag and Fleetfoot’s smaller one at the couch.

“You hungry, Kiddo?”

“Yes,” Maisie lied. She ate breakfast at home, but she also had plans.

“I can make you a grilled cheese,” he called on his way to the kitchen. Maisie carefully laid her puppy on the floor and ran to her uncle.

“Can I eat lots of sweets and then you tell Mom and Dad that I ate grilled cheese?”

She didn’t expect Aedy’s loud laugh.“Nice try, Kiddo. I’m more scared of your mom than you.”

Maisie frowned, a little grumpy about her plan not working out, but she could convince him to give her sweets later. It worked with her mom most of the time.

“You’re lucky I did the groceries for my friend yesterday,” he said, head stuck on the fridge. “I have Brie, Gouda and provolone.”

Interesting. Maisie had no idea what any of these were. “I want grilled cheese.”

“With which cheese?”

The little girl sat up straighter. No one ever asks her that, but Uncle Aedy would mock her forever at any sign of weakness. “The yellow one.”

He snorted, but brought a very yellow cheese to the counter. “Good choice.” He paused before closing the fridge. “With salad?”

“No, thank you.”

“Good manners, Munchkin,” Aedion praised, even if Aelin always complained that he had none. “Would your parents even ask if you want salad?”

She giggled. “No, but you did.”

He sat her on the counter so Maisie could help him make the perfect grilled cheese—like cutting off the crunchy part of the bread and making triangles, or adding the perfect amount of cheese. It looked so good, Aedion even made one for himself.

“This is the bestest grilled cheese ever,” she said on the table where they ate, eyes closed to taste it better. It tasted differently from the one her parents made, but it was so good Maisie wished she could give some to Fleetfoot, who was laying at her feet.

“Really?” Aedion perked up. “Better than your dad’s?”

“No.”

Uncle Aedy didn’t seem as happy anymore, but her parents always tell her that it’s bad to lie.

He changed the subject. “So, you’ve got a dog now?”

“Yep.” She gave her uncle a big grin. “I went to a dog place with Uncle Dorian and Uncle Fen, because they were looking for one. Daddy went too, but he kept being bossy with me and didn’t even notice them. Then, I saw this little puppy, and I just loved her so much!”

“She is cute,” Aedy said, leaving the table to sit with Fleetfoot on the kitchen floor. Maisie did the same, not caring about their dirty plates. He grabbed a small toy the dog chewed on, trying to play with her. “I think Dorian posted about it on Instagram. They got two rescue boxers, right?”

“Yes,” the little girl said without explaining a lot. She was still grumpy about her uncles—why invite her if they wouldn’t do anything she said?

“Did you like them? What’re their names?”

She frowned. “Calvin and Klein.”

Aedy leaned back, laughing loud. She couldn’t figure out why it was funny.

“What? You don’t like it?”

“No,” she said with her arms crossed.

“But they’re boxers!”

Who cares? Just because the doggies have a smushed, grumpy face, it doesn’t mean they can’t have cute names. Maisie sighed. “Calvin is okay, but Klein?” she said in a squeaky voice. “Klein isn’t a good name for a dog, a kitty, a fish, not even a giraffe!”

Aedion had this smiley, funny face on. It didn’t even look like they were talking about something important. “So you think ‘Fleetfoot’ is a better name than ‘Klein’?”

“Much better. Fleetfoot is the cutest, babiest puppy name.”

“Did your dad teach you how to clean her poop?”

“Daddy’s having a tough time teaching me how to clean me after I poop.” Much less Fleetfoot. It’s too much poop for a kid to clean.

“Fair enough. She’s sleeping outside, then?”

“She’s sleeping with me.”

Aedion snorted. “I doubt your parents would let it.”

“She is!” the little girl shouted, then crossed her arms, eyes squinted at him. “If Daddy sleeps in twos, I can sleep in twos too.”

Maisie never got to join her parents’ sleepovers, so she told her dad that she’d have super fun slumber parties with Fleetfoot and not invite them too. Rowan said it was fair.

His eyebrows went so high it looked funny. “Your dad sleeps in what?” Aedy asked really loudly.

“We’re all sleeping in twos now. We spend the day together because it’s more fun, and then Daddy sleeps with Mommy, and now I’m sleeping with Fleetfoot too.”

He bent down to be eye-to-eye with Maisie, eyes as big as plates. “So your mom and your dad… they’re sleeping in the same bed now? You’re sure of that?”

She sighed. This was getting boring, and she was supposed to spend the morning at the pool. But maybe… is this why her mom’s always saying that she worries about Uncle Aedy when he’s alone? Because he needs someone to hug?

Maisie put one hand on his shoulder, petting it like she sees adults doing sometimes to someone who’s sad. “Hugging someone when you sleep is nice because it makes us feel happy and safe. That’s why we’re all sleeping in twos now,” she said, hoping he’d get the tiny suggestion.

Maybe he was worse than her mom thought. Uncle Aedy was so surprised he didn’t say anything, and his mouth was open so big a fly could come right in.

“Aw. That’s so sweet, Mais.”

Maisie heard the voice coming from the door, squealed when she saw Auntie Lys there and ran to hug her.

Aedion blinked, still looking a little frozen. “Okay, Kiddo, focus on me. Just to be sure, your mom and your dad—”

“Shh!” Lys gave him a sneaky grin while she hugged Maisie. “I didn’t know I’d see you today, Hawkie.”

The little girl giggled at the nickname. Auntie Lys started calling her that after seeing the White Hawks shirt her dad sometimes makes her wear to soccer classes. It was her favorite team—not that Maisie knew many—and she liked cheering for them with her parents.

“Is Timmy here?” The little girl asked his mom, excited with the idea. Maybe she could take them to the pool, since Aedy was a little slow today.

“No, he’s not…” Lys trailed, combing Maisie’s loose strands out of her face until she saw that crazy braid. She made a funny noise with her throat and kept going, “And I’d appreciate it if you waited a little to tell him you saw me with your uncle. You see, Timmy hasn’t met him yet, and I don’t want him to feel left out.”

Maisie walked past Lys, into the living room, and threw herself on the couch. What’s a girl gotta do to go to the pool here?

“I don’t have anything cool to tell him anyway. I know Uncle Aedy likes boys more than girls.”

Aedion ran to her, his eyes big again. “What?”

Why was he making her repeat everything she said today? “I know you and Auntie Lys aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend because you like boys more than girls.”

“No, that’s not—“ He looked between her and Lys, saying the f word that would make Maisie’s mom mad—he said it in a low voice and probably thought she didn’t hear it, but she did. Her auntie was laughing, but Aedy looked red like a tomato, and he said, “Not like that! I like boys and girls the same, okay?”

Huh. Maisie held her chin with her hand, trying to understand. People like girls or boys more, because they have to pick one to marry and have kids, puppies or kitties with. But if Uncle Aedy liked both… her eyes widened with realization.

“Is that why you’re not married? Because you can’t find a boy and a girl to marry at the same time?”

“No!” he answered super quickly. Auntie Lys had the same red face as him, but she was laughing, while Uncle Aedy looked weird and mixed up. “I don’t wanna be with two people. Not that I can’t, it’s… actually, I can’t anymore, but—“ Aedion sighed and ran a hand through his face. “I’m like your Uncle Dorian, you know? Like when he used to date your mom—“

“That’s a lie!” Maisie screamed, feeling angry for her mom and uncle both. “Uncle Dorian likes boys more than girls.”

He and Uncle Fen have puppies together. He doesn’t want to marry a girl! And him and her mom—ew. He’s her uncle, not a second daddy, and Maisie liked it that way.

“Yes, yes.” Aedy squatted to look at her in the face, holding both her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Kiddo. I’m just trying to explain that some people look for girls or boys to be with, but I look in both until I find one person to settle down with. You got it?”

“Yes,” she lied. Girls or boys was easy to understand, but if you could search in both, it’s not helpful to chop off half the people you could marry. Maisie sighed, resting on the couch. Whenever she talked about marrying a girl because boys are gross, her dad said she was too little to decide. She was finally understanding that he knew something she didn’t—or maybe he still knows something else she doesn’t yet.

Uncle Aedy looked ready to say something else when his phone rang. “It’s your mom,” he said before taking it, answering her with lots of yes and um-hum, and finally letting her—and Maisie—know that yes, they were going to the pool soon.

He passed her the phone. “Your mom wants to talk to you.”

“Mom?”

“Hey, Maisy Daisy.” The happiness in her mother’s voice made Maisie feel better too. If her mom was happy, it meant her dad was happy too, and if both of them were happy, it meant her dad fixed whatever he needed to fix. “Your father told me you were spending the morning with your uncle. Are you having fun? Are you hungry?”

“It’ll be nicer once we go to the pool,” she said, eyes squeezed at her uncle, watching him closely so he’d know she hadn’t forgotten about that promise. “And we ate grilled cheese. It was yummy.”

“That’s great, honey.”

Her mom sounded relaxed in a way it only happened when she was being lazy, and Maisie didn’t want to end it with something serious, but she had questions.

“Uncle Aedy just told me that you and Uncle Dorian were boyfriend and girlfriend.” Maisie scrunched up her nose. “That’s super duper gross. Did you do it or not?”

“AEDION TOLD YOU WHAT?!”