CHAPTER 61
NERO ZANTHOS
“Shhhhh!” Kael whispers—even though I’m not talking—when he notices me looking at his mother, asleep beside him. “We can’t talk loud anymore, okay, Dad? So we don’t wake Mommy.”
“But won’t she want to wake up to watch the movie?” I whisper back, genuinely worried.
I hadn’t meant to intrude on Nina’s time with Kael.
When she said it was her day off, I assumed she was just letting me know she’d be supervising today’s visit.
But as soon as I arrived, Kael rushed to tell me everything we’d be doing because it was Mommy’s day off—and that’s when I realized they have a routine for days like this.
Staying was selfish of me. I know that. But I couldn’t help it.
Nina keeps as much distance between us as possible.
Most of the time, I only see her in the photos scattered around her apartment.
And I miss her. Every day, a little more.
It feels like, eventually, that feeling will consume me entirely.
But I didn’t lie when I told her weeks ago that I didn’t mind waiting a lifetime. I meant every word.
And Kael… fuck. My son is the most incredible child that exists.
“No,” he answers, whispering too. “She always sleeps. Then we tell her everything later.” He explains, and I smile before nodding.
We watch the movie. At some point, Kael stops sitting upright and lies down on the couch, resting his head on my lap and his little feet on Nina’s thighs. I stop caring about whatever’s happening on the screen.
I lower my gaze and fall in love with every detail of my boy. I stroke his hair, watch his lashes flutter each time he blinks, and try to memorize every expression that crosses his face as he reacts to the movie.
When I left Greece and boarded that plane to Italy, I knew I owed Nina more than I could ever repay. The debt was too big. Far too big. I also knew I’d never be grateful enough for the son she gave me—even before I’d met him.
What I didn’t know was that there would be another gratitude, one I’d never be able to express in words, gestures, or anything else.
The kind that tightens my chest until it suffocates me every time I think about it—which is all the time.
Gratitude for her making me part of my son’s life even when I refused to be.
Kael looks at me like I’m his superhero.
Because even if I’ve only known him for a few weeks, I’ve always been in his heart.
I’m in his memories, his tastes, his daily life.
I’ve always been present in the most important places—even without knowing it—because Nina worked tirelessly to make it so.
There’s no way to thank someone for that.
“Do you know how to wash dishes?” Kael asks, still whispering, as he lifts his head from my lap. I notice the credits rolling on the screen.
I blink several times, chasing away the tears that gathered while I drifted.
“No,” I answer, curious where this is going.
Kael carefully slides off the couch and walks a few steps away. When he notices I’m not following, he turns back and beckons me with his hand.
I stand and follow him. He leaves the living room, walks around the small counter, and enters the open kitchen. It’s quick—the house is small and identical to the one next door, where my brothers and I are staying. Still without Kael’s mother knowing.
Downstairs there’s the living room, the kitchen, a bathroom, and a laundry area. Upstairs, two bedrooms and another bathroom.
Kael pulls a small stool from under the kitchen counter and positions it in front of the sink.
“I’m going to climb the stool to wash the dishes. But I can’t wash the cutlery. For that, I have to call an adult. So you’ll have to wash those.”
His explanation makes me laugh. Kael scolds me, climbs onto the stool, and goes up on his tiptoes to check if his mom woke up. She didn’t.
“Sorry. I forgot,” I whisper. He shakes his head at me, reprimanding. This time, I swallow the laugh.
If Kael has my face, he has Nina’s gestures entirely—from the wide, toothy smile to the frequent eye-rolls.
“Okay. Let’s go. Pay attention so when it’s your turn, you do it right,” he demands.
I nod obediently. Seconds later, I’m melting all over my son again.
Is it normal to want to cry watching your kid wash dishes?
Kael washes two plates, two cups, and two plastic dessert bowls. Then he turns to me.
“It’s my turn, right?” I whisper.
“Yes,” he confirms. He steps off the stool, shifts it aside, then climbs back up. I take the sponge, and Kael supervises.
He watches closely as I wash forks, knives, and spoons. When I’m done, he pulls a dish towel from under the sink, behind the curtain.
“Now we have to dry,” he says, grabbing one of the plates. He rubs it with the towel in circles. “It’s like this, but I don’t know how to do it, because I try forever and it never gets dry.”
This time, I bring a hand to my mouth to stifle the laugh I can’t swallow. Kael scolds me again and hands me the towel.
I dry the dishes—and although it really does take a while, I don’t hand him anything until it’s perfectly dry.
“What are you doing?” Nina’s voice asks, and I turn toward her.
“I’m teaching Dad how to wash dishes, Mom,” Kael announced, his voice returning to its normal volume.
Nina’s brows lift as she stands.
“Did you like it?” my son asks proudly.
My Little Fae looks me up and down, lingering on the dish towel draped over my shoulder. Then she looks at the empty sink, and finally back at Kael.
“I loved it, sweetheart.”
The smile Kael gives her is the most beautiful thing in the world. And when she smiles too—fuck—my heart forgets to beat.
“Did he do a good job?” Kael asks.
Nina’s smile sharpens into a suspicious squint.
“He did,” she answers.
“As a reward, can we have chocolate pie?” Kael asks. “But I don’t want yours, Mom. I want Mrs. Anna’s!”
I cross my arms, holding back a smile. I probably shouldn’t feel proud of him trying to negotiate a reward for washing dishes—but I do.
Nina looks away, purses her lips, then looks back at us.
“You know we have a rule, don’t you?” she says.
My brows knit.
“We can only buy it on payday,” Kael answers, deflating a little.
My mouth opens—but I close it before doing something Nina would definitely disapprove of.
“Exactly.”
“And how long until that?”
“Six days.”
Kael nods in agreement. Then suddenly turns to me.
“When is your payday, Daddy?” he asks.
I could laugh—but I’ll take the victories I can count. I didn’t offer. Nina can’t blame me for my answer.
“Yesterday,” I say.
Kael beams.
“If Mom lets us, we can go buy it.”
***
Kael stares at the display window of the small café in the town center, torn. Alongside his favorite pie, there’s one decorated with Batman’s colors and symbol, and he can’t decide whether he wants the one he came for—or the one that surprised him.
I look at Nina, silently begging her to let me buy both. She’s unmoved. A firm shake of her head. I feel miserable.
I step back from the window and tilt my head, inviting her to join me.
She does, her expression making it clear she’s not open to negotiation.
“What if I buy the Batman one for myself and let him get the other?” I suggest.
She rolls her eyes.
“It wouldn’t really be for you, would it?”
“I really like Batman,” I say.
She doesn’t answer. Just sighs.
“We can buy both, Nina. Please,” I murmur.
“No, Nero. He needs to learn he can’t have everything,” she says.
I turn fully toward her.
“He can,” I whisper. “We can.”
“This isn’t about money. It’s about limits. He needs to understand he can’t have everything he wants the moment he wants it—even if the money exists.”
I sigh, resigned, and look back at Kael. I understand what she means. It still hurts knowing I can’t give him everything.
“How do you do this all the time?” I ask, genuinely curious.
She laughs. A real laugh.
I try to burn the moment into memory—it’s the first time in five years she’s laughed with me, not at me.
“You get used to it,” she says, nodding toward Kael.
“Me?” I protest softly. “I’m the one who has to tell him?”
“You’re his father, aren’t you?” she asks, amused—without realizing what she’s just given me.
“I am,” I answer, smiling wide, and walk over to Kael. I crouch to his height and kiss his cheek.
“So? Have you decided?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“I want the chocolate one, but the other one is Batman.”
“I know, buddy. But you can only choose one,” I say calmly. He nods—he already knows this. “How about this: you eat the chocolate one today, and on your birthday, we get one that’s half chocolate and half Batman?”
His blue eyes go wide. He turns to me immediately, looking away from the window for the first time.
“We can do that?” he asks.
Nina said payday was in six days. Kael’s birthday is in two weeks. He could eat another pie until then, right? Or did I just screw up?
I turn my head, searching for Nina’s gaze. She looks confused about why I’m hesitating, and I don’t know how to say I might have messed up.
“We can,” I decide—choosing to deal with Nina’s potential anger later. I’d already said it. No going back.
“Then I want the chocolate one,” he chooses.
I kiss his cheek, stand, and order the slice. I buy one for Nina too.
She thanks me, a little awkward, when we sit to eat. Kael makes a huge mess. Chocolate is everywhere by the time he finishes.
I feel blessed. This is one of the best moments of my life.
I drive them home with my heart bursting. When I park, I turn around. Kael climbs onto the back seat and wraps his arms around my neck, hugging me with the seatback between us.
“Thank you, Dad,” he says, then lets go.
“Thank you, Nero,” Nina says too, opening the car door so Kael can get out first. He stops with one foot already outside.
“Now can I ask my uncles when their payday is so we can eat pie too? I have three!” he celebrates, eyes shining.
“No!” Nina answers quickly.
“Why not?” Kael asks, genuinely confused.
“Because you can’t ask everyone for pie, Kael.”
“But they’re not everyone. They’re uncles,” he argues.
I bite my lips, hiding my smile.
“I’ll explain at home, Kael,” Nina says, cutting me out of the rest of the discussion.
They leave the car. I drive around the block and park on another street, then walk back quietly so neither my Little Fae, her mother, nor Kael discover that I’m their new neighbor.
I do it grinning ear to ear, feeling like the luckiest man alive.