by Halle Dean
"How do you fare, Layla?" she asked.
"I'm... all right," Layla responded. "Better, now, at least. Before... I was waiting for him to return." Sophie didn't need to ask who she meant. "Mason and Warner returned, seemingly from the dead," Layla continued. "I thought James would be the same. But… I suppose not."
Sophie took Layla's hand and offered a small smile. "And how is the baby?"
"Doing well, so far," Layla said, smiling genuinely for once as she placed her hand on her rounded stomach.
"Have you decided on any names?"
Layla nodded. "Paisley." She glanced after Warner and Ella. "Ella told me it's a girl. I don't know how she knows."
Sophie shrugged and sighed. "She senses many things."
Layla looked around at the thinning crowd. All the other guests had left. Mason, Melody, Petunia, Tatsuo, and Li had all retired to their rooms. "It looks as though it's time to head to bed," Layla said. "Thank you for asking about me."
Sophie smiled. "Let me know if there's anything I can do."
"You already lent me your healer," Layla said. "What more could I ask of you?"
"Anything," Sophie said. "You are my friend."
"Well, thank you," Layla said with a smile. "Have a good night."
"You, as well."
Sophie stopped at Ella's door on the way to her room. She looked in to see Warner lay Ella down on her bed.
"I love you," he murmured, kissing Ella's forehead. Then he turned around to see Sophie smiling at him. "What?" he asked self-consciously.
"Our little life has turned out well," she said, holding her hand out to him as he approached.
"It's not very little," he said, taking her hand and leading her down the hall. "We're ruling an entire kingdom. And it's one that's been practically ruined by your uncle. We must straighten it out before we can even do things properly."
"And we'll be together, so, we'll be all right," she said. "Our enemies have always tried to separate us. Why do you think they do that?"
"To make me fall apart?" Warner suggested.
"Because, we win if we're together," she said. "We always make it through, even when the odds are against us."
Warner smiled softly, pulling her into their bedroom and closing the door behind them. "I love you so much." He hugged her to him and looked down at her. Her heart fluttered as much as it always had when he got close. He had been far more forward with his emotions recently. It made her happy, but it also sped her heartbeat every time. "I know I'll be all right as long as you're with me," he told her.
"Good," she said. He plucked the crown from the top if her head and set it on the table, next to his own, before tangling his fingers in her hair. "Do you know how long it took to fix my hair this morning?" she pretended to complain.
"It seemed like three days and nights waiting for you," he teased. "I assume you spent much of that time painting your face, but I plan to ruin that for you as well."
He pulled her head toward him and kissed her. The color on her lips did smear, but she didn't care. She threw her arms around Warner and felt him smile. He broke away and leaned his forehead against hers, grinning down at her. She thought he was going to say something else, but he opted to kiss her again instead.
"How did I survive without you for so long?" she wondered aloud as they changed into night clothes.
"Let's not think about that," he murmured. "We need not worry about the past."
"I'm glad you think that way now," she told him, yawning and climbing into bed. "It took you long enough."
"I couldn't live without you," he said, lying down and wrapping his arms securely around her. "So I had to get past it."
She smiled and nestled closer to him. "I love you, Warner."
"And I love you, my dearest Sophie," he whispered into her hair as she began to doze off.
She had one final thought before falling asleep. Everything had turned out better than she had dreamed of for years.
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Note From the Author
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