“All sorts, Earth is a very exciting place,” she explains.
“Will you show me A.C. Milan?” she asks.
“What?” Aefre says and gives him a curious look.
Constantine smiles and says, “Yes, we will take you to see A.C. Milan.”
“Yay,” she says. “Cee-Kay says I can play for them.”
“Oh?” Aefre says, hiding her smile.
“I will leave you now,” Constantine says, not wanting to intrude further. The girl is going to have many questions and he knows Aefre will be more comfortable if she is alone to answer them. Besides, he has things to think about.
He closes the door quietly and makes his way down the hallway to the right wing. For so many centuries, this area of his castle held such painful memories–for both of them–and it was all over nothing. So much time wasted that could have been avoided if they had only trusted one another more, he laments.
He pushes open the door to the nursery and smiles. It is done out in pink and white and, secretly, he loves it. He picks up a stuffed bear from the crib and sits down in a white, wooden rocking chair by the window. Aefre will love to sit here with their daughter and look at the beautiful view. He fiddles with the bear’s pink-and-white spotted bow and sighs.
He knows what he must do now. It couldn’t be clearer to him.
He has to let go.
There is nothing else for it now. Sebastian ruined everything by invading her mind. She will be more headstrong now than ever and he is done fighting for her affections. He knows that she loves him. She has since the first time she laid eyes on him, as he did her. That has to be enough for him now and he is okay with that. He will let her do whatever she wants to do, because she will anyway. That is just Aefre all over. He is growing exhausted trying to manipulate her into choosing him, tired of the constant struggle to make her see what she already knows: that they belong together. He knows it and she knows it and this child will only bring them closer.
One day, when she is as old as he is, she will give up searching for the non-stop affection she so desperately needs in every form she can get it and from as many people as she can.
He knows he is partly to blame for that. He treated her so badly, but it all started with her human life, her cruel parents and even crueler husband, and then Lance just killed off any part of her that could be content with what she had–and that was him. The man who loved her more than he could tell her. The man who was so scared to admit his feelings that he tried to sabotage his own happiness.
But as much as he loves his wife, and he will never reveal that he thinks this about her, she is damaged, broken, and he must give her the time she needs to heal herself before she can feel happy committing to one man. He had hoped it would have happened by now, but he must keep remembering that she is still so young compared to him. It is something he always forgets because he feels like he has known and loved her his entire life.
But now there will be no more fighting. He has learned his lesson once, and truly, for all. He has been burned too many times, by both himself and her, by trying to force the issue. He has to place his trust in her and their love.
What is clear to him is that there will be some changes. He will be making some changes within himself. There will be no more Substitutes. No more killing in fits of rage and jealousy. And most especially, there will be no more punishing her and denying her affection because it only makes her worse. It only makes her more intent on hurting him to get back at him.
All he will do is love her.
He created her and now he finally has to let her go and be whatever it is she needs to be right now, but he will always be here for her when she wants him.
He can do all of this because of one reason only: their child.
He must be a better man for his daughter. A good man. A man that will love her so completely that she will never, ever need to become her mother. She will grow up loved and secure and happy and confident and stable. He will provide all of that for her, here, in their home. She will want for nothing and be his princess. He truly can’t wait to hold her in his arms. It has been the one thing that has been missing from his life and he cannot believe his luck that he managed to father a child. A child of his blood. His heir. He loves Aefre even more for giving him this. She is truly special and the woman of his dreams.
He smiles fondly at the bear. He knows she will come around to him eventually, and he can wait.
Ponte, Italy, October 2014 - Aefre
I have spent the last hour trying to explain to Delinda why we are leaving the Fae Kingdoms for a while to live here on Earth. I told her that she needs to experience all the Realms, not just be stuck in one of them.
“Also,” I say, finally adding the part that she will like the most, “you will be spending a lot of time with Papa.”
Her face lights up at that as I knew it would. I love how much she still loves him. It just shows what a big heart she has. I try to push away the thought that the same could be said about Remiel.
“Okay,” she says with a nod. “But I will miss Daddy. We can stay here for a while, but I want to go back there soon.”
“Okay, my love,” I say to her, giving her a cuddle and hating lying to her. We will never be going back and the chances that her “daddy” will survive the wrath of everyone who loves me is pretty slim. But I will cross that bridge when I come to it. “Now, have you eaten?”
“No, I am hungry,” she says.
“Let’s go and find Marguerite and see if she can make you something,” I say, taking her hand and leading her away. “Do you like this castle?”