Page 35 of Merciless King

His expression is sweet, nearly awed, and it makes my heart swell. He recognizes the beautiful nature of my daughter.

“I’d be honored.”

She rushes up to her room, leaving me and Elio alone.

I hand him one of the glasses of wine and settle on the couch. I’m sitting several feet away from him, but the air around us feels charged, a mix of familiarity and uncertainty. I take a sip, the rich, red liquid warming my throat as I gather my thoughts.

"Elysse seems to have taken a real liking to you," I say, breaking the silence. "She's not usually this open with new people."

Elio smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "She's a great kid, Piper. You've done an amazing job raising her."

I feel a flush of pride at his words, mixed with a twinge of guilt. If only he knew the truth about Elysse's parentage. "Thank you. It hasn't been easy, but she's worth every sacrifice."

“I’m ready,” Elysse calls from the hall.

“We’re coming.” I rise, and Elio follows me to Elysse’s room.

“What do you think of my room, Elio?” Elysse asks as she jumps into bed.

He takes in Elysse’s version of a fairy garden, with pastel floral flowers in greenery, a sheer canopy over her bed, and fairy lights everywhere.

“It’s wonderful.”

“It’s fairies.”

“Aren’t fairies naughty?” he asks.

She laughs. “Some are. Not me.”

“You’re a fairy? Where are your wings?”

She giggles, and while it’s wonderful to watch, it fills me with guilt that she’s not happy like this all the time.

Elysse gives Elio a hug and a kiss on the cheek. There’s no missing how moved he is by her affection.

“Goodnight, sweetie,” I say to her as I tuck her in.

“Goodnight, Mommy. Thank you for the fun day.”

“It was fun, wasn’t it?” I feel like I can see the light dimming in her eyes as we return to reality. “We’ll do it again soon.” I hope I’m not giving her a false promise.

“Can Elio come?”

“We’ll see. You go to sleep now. You must be exhausted.” I give her a kiss and exit her room where Elio is waiting.

We stare at each other, and my heart stops as I wonder if he’s figured it out yet. How can he not realize this is the child he’d been adamant that he didn’t want to know about all those years ago?

We head downstairs, and I think I should ask him to leave, but I don’t. Instead, we return to our wine. We chat for a while, catching up on the years we've missed. The details aren’t deep or detailed. It’s like small talk, each of us not wanting to share too much.

The way Elio looks at me holds more weight than the words we’re saying. His gaze is intense and searching. For a moment, I wonder if he's piecing together the timeline, realizing that Elysse's age lines up with our past together. But he doesn't say anything, and I push the thought aside, not wanting to shatter the calm, sweet moment.

"Tonight didn't go as I initially planned. But it's been the best night I've had in years,” he says.

I tilt my head, curious. "What do you mean? How did you plan for it to go?"

"To be honest, I showed up at the restaurant for business. But when I saw you and Elysse there, I couldn't help myself. I had to come over, to talk to you."

“I can’t believe you own the restaurant.”