Chapter 48

It was strange having Valen under my roof, awkward. Everything I usually did for Valarian, he suddenly asked his dad to do. Like cut up his food, I was suddenly no longer needed; he asked for his father when it was his bath time. Most of my afternoon was spent twiddling my thumbs since I only had to heat dinner up. Yet Valen never once complained and seemed to enjoy his son’s constant attention.

Even as I went to put Valarian to bed, he asked if his father could tuck him in, I know it was childish, but nights were the only time I got to spend with him, really, so it bothered me more than it should. I was so used to juggling things between Zoe and me that it felt unnatural having someone willingly helping us, ruining our usual routine, I suddenly had time on my hands, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

Once Valarian was tucked in bed, Valen returned to the living room. He scratched the back of his neck before looking at the empty spot beside me on the couch.

I rolled my eyes before moving over, and he smiled before coming to sit next to me and draping his arm across the back of it.

“Finally, Casey is down for the night,” Zoe says, coming out in her pyjamas while braiding her hair. I had always been envious of how she could do that, I had tried and ended up only making a knotted mess, yet she did it so effortlessly. Zoe comes over and sits down on one of the kids’

bean bags, the bag almost swallowing her petite frame as she sinks in it.

“I’m so d**n tired,” she yawns, covering her mouth with her hand.