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CATRINA AND STEPHAN WERE all ears.
“There’s something I need your permission for,” Leah said.
“She’s amazing at it,” Marcus said.
She gave his hand a little squeeze. She had this one. “I’ve been writing a book...” She wasn’t going to address any of the fictional books right now. “A memoir. I want to publish it. And since there will obviously be mentions of the royal family, I know I need your permission.”
“I don’t know how comfortable we’d be with that,” Catrina stated. Despite her queenly nature, her voice was gentle.
Leah caught herself biting her nails. She needed this and the hope it would provide. “It’s mostly about me. About my parents and their secrets and what it was like for me growing up. And ... why I was confused enough to try to hurt Kaylah. And maybe people would understand that I just want to be a good citizen, normal.” She swallowed. “Please just consider it. I already have most of the first draft written. I want to do this for me, and Marcus, and the twins. They deserve this.”
Stephan crossed his legs. “I’m assuming Marcus would be in this book?”
“Yes,” Marcus answered. “And I support anything she writes in there. Good or bad. I’ve ... made my mistakes, and she doesn’t deserve to take the blame for them.”
Nodding, Stephan turned his focus back to Leah. “And the palace family and staff?”
“Yes. I’ll be fair, but honest. And I’ll obviously make sure there aren’t any unnecessary details or things that would compromise security.” She hesitated. “I’m grateful you’ve tried with the rallies and announcements and stuff, but people still hate me. You get the rare death threat about me, but I get the stares and glares and comments on a daily basis. Maybe you’re used to that, but I’m not. And I don’t want my kids to have to live through that if there’s anything I can do about it.”
Catrina spoke again. “A book like that has the potential to make you a lot of money.”
It wasn’t like Leah hadn’t thought of that. She was notorious, and people loved gossip. Even if they didn’t go into it wanting to side with her, she had to take the chance she could win some people over. “I’m sure it will. And I’m not ashamed of that. If it means financial security for Marcus and me and the twins, then that’s a bonus.”
Leah cleared her throat. “And I don’t want it published by the palace or backed in any way by you guys. I respect your opinions, and I’ll follow your guidelines as I have to, but I don’t want people thinking it’s propaganda or lip service.”
“If we said yes...” Catrina angled her head. “You should obtain written permission from those you share stories about.”
“Not a problem.” She was a little worried about that, including Rachel and Guillen and their parents, but she hoped they would understand the value, especially with Marcus on her side. “Do I ... have to get permission from my mom?” She was obviously going to be front and center in Leah’s memoir, like she had been in Leah’s life.
Catrina pursed her lips. “As your mother and as a citizen, Beata has had her rights stripped from her for her crimes. You don’t ever need permission from her for anything. Do you understand?” Her tone conveyed her distaste for Beata. Queen Catrina hadn’t been victimized the same way Kaylah had, so she didn’t loathe Soren and Beata as much, at least not openly. Maybe Leah read into it too much, but Catrina’s tone almost sounded protective of Leah. “Write your story, Leah. All we ask is that you give us a chance to review it before letting outside eyes look it over.”
Relief and hope washed over Leah. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
After agreeing their main concerns had been addressed, the four of them adjourned to the waiting room, and Catrina and Stephan’s kids joined the group. Marcus enjoyed introducing everyone to Aspen and Ash, and they got to meet the two new little princesses. It was heartwarming to watch as Marcus interacted with his young cousins.
“How was it?” Eric asked, now standing next to Leah as she lingered in the corner of the room.
She smiled. “It was fine.”
“Hmm... ‘Fine’ as in ‘not really fine’ or ‘fine’ as in ‘actually fine’?”
Leah grinned. “I like you, Eric.”
He ran a hand through his blond hair. “Most people do.” He squinted playfully. “I look innocent.”
She let out a breathy chuckle.
“I’d say Aspen and Ash already have a couple of built-in playmates,” he said.
Her eyes on the group, Leah nodded in agreement. “I guess you’re right.” Family trees were confusing, so Leah had to think about it a moment. Technically, Catrina’s kids weren’t cousins to Aspen and Ash. Aspen and Ash were to the princesses and prince what Leah was to Catrina—a cousin’s child. Catrina’s kids were grouped pretty close in age, and the youngest set of twins was just months older than Leah and Marcus’s. Leah smiled more genuinely. She didn’t want her kids to grow up pariahs like her, and even though she had a lot of hope with her memoir, she feared that down the road, her children would still grow up outcasts. But even if they were shunned by most, they had instant friends right here. She was grateful they’d managed to piece together civility with Catrina and Stephan, even if it was mostly for the sake of Marcus and the twins.
Leah studied Catrina as she crouched and listened to Prince Leon telling her something. Leah doubted she’d ever really see eye to eye with her. They were just too different. But she couldn’t forget what Kaylah had said, that when they’d deliberated on the day of the assassination attempt, Catrina had been the first to open her arms to Leah, to invite her into her home. She couldn’t overlook that kindness.
Leah had her rough edges, her painfully sharp moments. The stress she faced was small compared to what a ruler like Catrina endured on a daily basis. Leah had hated the pressure placed on her to be perfect. Had she expected Catrina to never make a mistake?
From the corner of her eye, Leah spotted Kaylah as she perched on a settee near the larger group. Kaylah gave her a reassuring smile, and then a wink.
***
Kaylah and Eric accompanied Leah, Marcus, and the twins as they entered the palace’s rifting cave.
“Have one more stop in you before heading home?” Kaylah asked.
Leah grimaced.
“If not, I’m sure Rachel and Guillen would understand.”
Marcus bounced Aspen, keeping his mouth closed.
“Sure. Let’s go.” It wasn’t Leah’s first choice, but she needed to push through that discomfort. Catrina’s had been the visit she’d been fearing the most today anyway.
They gave the Seeder on duty the coordinates for the cave closest to Rachel and Guillen’s home, and she opened a rift for Marcus and Aspen to go through first.
After their entire party had arrived and Marcus had tucked the twins’ jade tokens into his pockets, they rented a pair of rickshaws to get to the house faster. Ash fell asleep on the ride, and Aspen looked pretty tired, too.
Leah was nervous. But also oddly excited as they got closer. It was hard to grasp her feelings. She didn’t know how her and Marcus’s apology letters to his parents had landed. And Leah didn’t know if they’d forgiven her for slapping Marcus. She hoped they had, or that they could.
The more she’d reflected on her interactions with her now in-laws, the more Leah had made sense of how things had fallen apart during her time in the cottage. She had no beef with Guillen, and he didn’t seem the type to hold grudges. And Rachel—Rachel was a protective mother, and a good mother. Leah had come to see why Marcus had pushed the two together after the pregnancy news came out. Leah could learn a lot from Rachel.
Society hadn’t been prepared for a couple like Rachel and Guillen when they’d married, or even when they’d adopted Tobias and Marcus.
Despite that, they’d raised their boys in a loving home, and even with outside pressure on their blended family soon after the war ended, Tobias and Marcus had turned out relatively well. Leah’s upbringing, on the other hand, hadn’t done her many favors. She’d been a lying, thieving almost-murderer.
Marcus again rested a supportive hand on her back as they reached the front door. “I love you,” he mouthed.
“You too,” she returned.
Guillen opened the door with a smile, welcoming the group in. Leah and Marcus indicated with fingers to lips that the twins had both nodded off, so everyone was quiet.
Rachel stood from an armchair, shyly hugging herself.
Kaylah and Eric first exchanged hugs with Rachel and Guillen.
“Congratulations,” Guillen said. “On your marriage.” He nodded at the twins. “And on those two. Pretty exciting to have a rare set of Boman twins.”
Marcus teemed with pride, giving his dad a side hug. “This is Aspen. Want to hold her?”
“Oh goodness,” Guillen said softly as he carefully took Aspen from Marcus’s arms.
“Congratulations, Leah,” Rachel said, just above a whisper. She was acting as timidly as Leah was at the moment.
“Thank you. I’m sorry it was all ... away. That family wasn’t there.”
Rachel had taken lives in the old war. She was as intimidating as anyone when she wanted to be. Leah had witnessed that heated rage only once, after the assassination attempt. But on a daily basis, Rachel was simply kind. She was tenderhearted, soft. No matter what Rachel would say, Leah would always know she had been hurt by missing their wedding and the births.
“It’s okay, Leah.” Rachel gave her a gentle smile. “You’re your own family now, and I have to remember that. I didn’t mean to step on your toes. I’m sorry.”
Leah shook her head. “It’s not your fault. And I’m really sorry I lost my temper with Marcus. That will never happen again.” It was inevitable she’d lose her temper, but they both understood what she was getting at.
Rachel glanced at a smiling Marcus as he and Guillen chatted quietly over Aspen. She faced Leah and nodded.
“He’s a great dad,” Leah said. “He had great examples growing up.”
“Thanks.” Rachel blushed. She glanced down at Ash as he slept in Leah’s arms. “Black hair like you.”
“But they have brown eyes, like Marcus.”
Technically, Leah had descended from a clan with mostly dominant traits. Without similarly dominant whisper rifter genes to compete with, like how Leah’s dad had likely contributed to Leah’s green eyes, Aspen and Ash’s brown eyes had probably been inherited from Beata, not Marcus. Still, Leah was glad to have them look like their father in that way.
Rocking on her feet, still hugging herself, Rachel looked antsy.
“Do you want to hold him?”
“Yes!” Rachel swooped in, snatching Ash up and clutching him to her chest. “Oh my gosh,” she whispered, positively lost in the moment. “Babies!”
Leah’s heart warmed. A long time ago, Leah had asked Rachel how she was capable of allowing Leah into her life, given how much Leah’s parents had traumatized her. Rachel had been frank with her, had told Leah that it was hard. But she’d wanted Marcus to be happy. More shyly, she’d confessed that it helped for her to think of her best friend, Kaylah, as Leah’s mother, instead of the truth that Kaylah’s brother Soren had been her father. It hadn’t made as much sense to Leah back then. But she appreciated Kaylah’s part in this more now, in helping them bridge a massive gap.
Rachel kissed Ash’s head. “Leah, I will never forgive you for making me a grandmother so young. But I will always forgive you, because they’re so adorable.”
After a few minutes, Kaylah and Eric excused themselves, letting Leah and Marcus know they were safe to take the nearest cave back to the estate whenever they were ready. Escorts would be left behind for them.
Eventually, Leah and Marcus sat on a sofa together, while Guillen and Rachel eased down onto armchairs next to each other, still holding the twins.
“Do you want to see pictures?” Leah offered. The palace staff had given them a bag they could unstuff their pockets into, so they’d be more comfortable, and their items safer.
“Of course!” Rachel answered.
As they talked about the wedding and birth and everything in between and after, Leah realized how much she’d miss having a cell phone with her for quick communication and for constant picture-taking. Rachel and Guillen had visited the human world often for family trips before she’d fully matured as a Seeder and become incapable of rifting over. Leah hoped she and Marcus would take the twins on plenty of adventures back there as well, and would definitely take the opportunity to snap pictures to bring back.
“So, do you plan to stay in-realm, then?” Rachel asked timidly.
Tobias had settled down in the human world for Camry, his human wife, leaving his little brother as the one to be there for his parents. Rachel would be devastated to have them both gone, even if they visited often. With how warm their relationship had been before the pregnancy drama, and how that was already rekindling, Leah wasn’t afraid to spend time with her in-laws. They’d find healthy boundaries. “Yes. I might do some work in the human world on projects I’m working on, so I might travel often at some point, but we’re planning on making things work here.”
Rachel beamed. “That’s great to hear. And projects in the human world?” She raised an eyebrow.
Leah wasn’t ready to divulge anything about the books today, except perhaps... “It’s a work in progress. But do you have your friend Saff’s address in Seeder territory? I want to ask her about something.”
Marcus quietly snickered, wearing a know-it-all grin about the painting in Kaylah’s library. Leah gave him a dirty look.
By the end of their hours-long visit, they’d eaten a late lunch, Rachel had given Leah Saff’s address so she could send her a letter inquiring about possibly painting for the twins’ books, and the twins had woken, both needing diaper changes.
It was going to be hard to get used to cloth diapers, but at least they were covered already at the palace and at Grandma and Grandpa’s place.
They stood at the doorway saying their last goodbyes before heading back to Kaylah and Eric’s estate.
“And I mean it,” Rachel said. “We don’t want to step on toes, but we’re happy to watch the kids if you need sitters, if you need breaks for date nights or anything.”
Leah gave her a warm smile. She didn’t trust many people enough to allow them to hold or watch her kids, but she had no doubt they’d be safe with Rachel and Guillen. And a date night with just her and Marcus sounded amazing. They hadn’t had one since the twins were born because they hadn’t had anyone in the human world they felt comfortable visiting and leaving them with. “I’m sure we’ll take you up on that.”