Chapter Three
"Good night, Prince Daddy." Zia scrambled up onto Reaves's lap, wrapping her wiry arms around his neck and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Will you still be here in the morning?"
Reaves glanced over at his dad as he said, "I'll be back again in the morning and I'll see you."
Zia tilted her little head to the side, studying him closely. "Why don't you stay here?"
He let out a short laugh, shooting his dad another quick glance before saying, "Because I have my own apartment in town. You've seen it, remember?"
"Yes, I know, and it's nice." She looked around the family room where the four of them had spent the last couple of hours. "But it's not as nice as it is here, is it? You should stay."
"Come on, Z, it's time for bed," Alara interrupted.
Zia sighed and climbed down from his lap before going to Charles. She stood beside his armchair and wrapped her arms around him, planting a kiss on the side of his head.
"I know you'll still be here in the morning, Grandpa Grape."
"I will, and we'll see what fresh mischief we can get into. How does that sound?"
"Perfect," Zia announced, before scampering to the door where Alara was now waiting for her.
It was only when Zia joined her that Alara said, "I'll say my goodnights now, too. Thank you both. I'll see you tomorrow."
Reaves exchanged a puzzled look with his dad, but Charles seemed just as surprised as he was that Alara didn't intend to come back.
Zia bowed with a flourish before straightening up and saying, in her best fairytale voice, "I bid goodnight to the kind gentlemen who reign over the realm of sunflowers and raisins."
Reaves laughed, and Charles shook his head with a smile. "Good night, sunflower. We'll see you in the morning."
After they'd gone, his dad got up to pour himself a glass of sherry. He lifted the decanter with a questioning look at Reaves. "I assume you’ll say no since you have to drive home."
"Exactly."
"Don't say exactly as though I'm the one who's created a problem for you.
All I did was set a clear boundary when I told you that you may not spend the night here unless and until Alara invites you to.
I was establishing a principle, and you won't be able to persuade me that it was the wrong thing to do.
If that girl had her own place—or God forbid if she were still living in that camper of hers—you wouldn't have been able to spend the night under the same roof as her until she invited you.
She wasn't in a position to assert that kind of boundary, so I saw it as my duty to do it for her. "
"Yeah, I'm not complaining, Dad. I get it. I understand it." He met his dad's gaze. "I respect it. I do."
"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Now, do you want to explain why you looked so forlorn over dinner? I'll admit that it caught me a little off guard. After seeing you and Alara disappear into the vines this afternoon, I was hoping that the two of you might have returned a little closer."
"It wasn't like that, Dad. And to tell you the truth, I think we did return a little closer from that walk than we were when we set out, but only because…
" He glanced back over his shoulder at the door, feeling almost disloyal that he was about to tell his dad.
But it wasn't really an issue. Charles would know where she was going in the morning anyway.
"She told me that she's booked her appointment for tomorrow. "
"The doctor's appointment? Really?"
"Yep. Finally."
"Well, that is good news. Unless… does she know more about her health situation than she's shared with us?"
"No, she doesn't. It's nothing like that. But she's scared of what she might discover."
"That's understandable." His dad glanced at the door before he continued. "I'm a little apprehensive myself."
"It'll all be okay," said Reaves. "Whatever it turns out to be, we’ll handle it."
"And you're determined to stand by her through whatever is required."
"I am."
"I thought as much. And I hope you know that while you stand beside her, I'll be standing behind you both. If there's anything at all I can do, I want to do it."
Reaves grinned at him. "It's funny you should mention that."
His dad chuckled. "Let me guess. While you accompany Alara to her appointment, I'm going to be glitterified?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
"I think you know just how much I don't mind. I adore that child."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we should impose upon you."
His dad frowned.
"What?"
"I don't see it as an imposition. In fact… if anything, I'm a little hurt to be left on the outside of that we. I understand that you see yourself and Alara becoming a we. But in my mind, there are four of us in this. Zia and I count, too."
"Yeah, of course you do. And I love that you see it that way. I just didn't want to—"
His dad raised a hand. "I know. I simply wanted to make my position clear, so that there's no room for misunderstanding."
"Thanks, Dad."
"You're most welcome. But now I think it's time for you to be on your way. If I know your schedule, and I believe I do, you'll have some phone calls to make once you get home."
Reaves gave him a rueful smile. "Yeah. Ollie won't mind. And Elliott won't mind covering for me."
"I'm sure they won't. They’re good friends to you. And in case that didn't come out right, what I mean is that you have good friends because you deserve them. Anyway…" His dad reached for the TV remote. "I'd like a little peace now. I think I'll catch up on the news."
Reaves rested a hand on his shoulder on the way out. "Yeah, you enjoy your news, Dad. I'll see you in the morning."
He gripped Reaves's hand tightly as he said, "Goodnight, son."
~ ~ ~
"And the princess finally lay her head down on the pillow, closed her eyes, and went to sleep to dream sweet dreams." Alara closed the book and ran her hand over Zia's head. "Just like you should do, Z. Goodnight."
Her daughter's dark curls framed her head on the pillow as she smiled up at Alara.
"Does it really say that in the book, that the princess went to sleep? Or are you just saying it so that I will?"
Alara chuckled. "It really says it." She opened the book again and ran her finger under the words. Zia's little eyebrows drew together as she followed along—not really reading but at least recognizing the shapes of some of the words.
"Okay, thank you. I'll do like the princess then and go to dreamland."
Alara pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll wake you early in the morning. We have to go out."
"We do? Are we going on an adventure? Or… Or do we have to leave now?"
"No, we don't have to leave. Nothing like that. It's just that I have an appointment."
Zia let out a little huff. "I could stay here, you know; Grandpa Grape wouldn't mind."
"Maybe. We'll see. But for now, good night. Get some good sleep, okay?"
"Okay."
Alara hesitated at the door, watching Zia toss and turn until she found a comfortable spot. When she did, she shot her a sleepy smile. "Good night, Mom. See you tomorrow. I love you."
"Love you too, Z."
She left the door open a little. Even though Charles had given them adjoining rooms, it still felt strange, after years of living in the camper, to sleep so far away.
She sank down onto her own bed, then forced herself to her feet, knowing that if she didn't wash and undress, she'd fall asleep where she sat.
Once she was ready for bed, she took out her phone—the phone that Reaves had loaned her when she and Zia had set out for Oregon.
It had only been a few weeks ago, but it was starting to feel like a different lifetime.
She caught herself. She needed to remember that it wasn't a different lifetime.
That was her life. This time she was spending here was only a little detour.
It was like one of Zia's stories—as if they'd found their way into a magical kingdom, with a kind old king, and a handsome prince, a place where good things happened and happily ever afters came true.
But like the books, that was a fairytale, and her life had never been one of those.
She clicked onto the health insurance website and started to read through the details again, wanting to be prepared for whatever happened tomorrow.
At least, thanks to Ollie and the salary he'd been paying her, she didn't need to worry about being able to cover the copay.
She rested the phone on her lap as she stared at the wall. She was grateful, of course she was but the money had never been the scariest part.
Reaves was right, though. Before she stood even a chance of fixing whatever might be wrong with her, she first had to discover what it was. And that process would begin in the morning, at the appointment.
She allowed herself a small smile—the appointment that Reaves would accompany her to.
~ ~ ~
When he arrived home, Reaves stopped at his mailbox in the lobby and was disappointed to find only junk mail.
He'd ordered a book of fairytales for Zia, and he'd hoped it might have arrived so that he'd be able to leave it with his dad in the morning.
He didn't doubt that the two of them would find plenty to do while he and Alara were at the doctor's appointment, but he figured that reading stories might be a more peaceful option for his dad.
He locked his mailbox and dumped the junk mail in the trash can before approaching the front desk, where Frank the doorman was sitting, smiling at him.
"Evening, Reaves. Have you been flying today?"
"Only this morning. I've been over at Dad's this afternoon."
"And how's he doing?"
"He's doing great, thanks. He sends his best—he always asks me to, when I mention you, but I usually forget. Sorry."
"It's good to know he remembers me. We haven't seen him over here in a while."
"There's not much reason for him to come visit me. I'm over there most days."
Frank winked at him. "That's understandable. How's that girl of yours doing? Her and her little one."