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"How recent?" Nico asked

"The last tiht before I flew to France to find you"

If that hurt to hear, Nico’s eyes did not betray it She must have known somehow that once she ain They’d had one last dark and beautiful night together And now … never again

"And while Kingsley may not seem like a father to you--yet--in his eyes, and in his heart, you are his son He’ll never touch ry?"

"No Because he loves you"

"Is this why you didn’t want to let sley has secrets that he shares with very few people You can count the number on one hand, and I was one of thesley’s lover, she’d been his dohts he’d needed pain She’d also carried his child once, if only briefly--not that she could tell Nico In tih price to let sley and I haveeach other for twenty years the way only two people who are like faain, I couldn’t do that to you--be with you and then go back to hiht means too much to me You mean too much to me"

Nico raised her hand and held it to his chest

"You’re grieving," Nico said "So I won’t ask you to make any decisions I will only say that if it were my decision, you would stay with me"

"And what? Marry you? Have your babies? That’s not who I am I’m selfish like that"

Nico scoffed "Selfish is the naive to the free I’m free, too"

"You are, aren’t you?"

"I ae, children, ould I chase woe? I have a little sister now Why would I need any other heirs?"

Nora leaned forward and rested her head on the center of his chest He kissed her hair

"Don’ther back "But know this--you will always be welcome in my home and inher head into the crook of his shoulder and neck, she breathed his scent, quieted her heart