against the counter, hanging my head. I take a few minutes to compose myself, to prepare myself for more days like today. Hell, probably an eternity.
I get Luna dressed, and true to his word, Endymion is here in just a few short minutes. My parents have thankfully retreated to their own rooms. I think they understood how important this would be for Luna and Endymion, and the last thing they need is an audience dissecting every moment of their time together.
“Is he here?” Luna jumps up and down excitedly, and I grin down at her, glad at least one of us is feeling positive about this experience. Her eyes suddenly grow wide as if she’s just remembered something. “Oh, no! I forgot my toys in the room. Wait, Mommy!”
Sucking in a lungful of air, I palm the amethyst crystals in my pocket for strength and open the door. My breath gets lodged in my throat at the sight of him. Dressed in another flannel, a forest green and gray one that brings out the color of his eyes, and a black shirt with fitted jeans, he looks as handsome as ever. His hair is an unruly mess at the top of his head. If my memory serves me correctly, the strands are thick and silky to the touch. Rogue strands fall over his pale green eyes that are so opaque, they’re almost like moonstones dipped in an ethereal moss.
His jaw is set in a firm line. The muscles jump, no doubt as he grinds his teeth together. It’s obvious he’s not happy that he has to converse with me. He couldn’t be any colder toward me, even if he tried. I shift awkwardly on my feet, feeling anxiety twist my stomach. I tug at the hem of my shirt nervously, suddenly incapable of speech now that he’s here. I had everything I was going to say to him worked out. I planned on playing the part of the strong parental front, but that obviously isn’t working.
“Where is she?” he asks, glancing inside, over my shoulder.
As if answering for me, Luna’s feet pound along the oak floors as she runs down the hall. She’s wearing her favorite dress. It’s a white summer dress with sunflowers on it. Her brown hair hangs around her shoulders in little loose little curls that she’s had since she was a baby. I added a sunflower clip to each side of her head to keep the hair out of her face. Her little arms are filled with toys. My lips quirk up in amusement as I watch her skid to an abrupt halt, her bright eyes looking up at Endymion.
As I watch my daughter stare up at her father, something happens in my chest. It’s a restricting sensation that makes it hard to breathe. I press my palm to my sternum, trying to rub the icy twinge away.
Luna’s cheeks are tinged a soft pink, just like mine usually are, as she stares up at Endymion. “Hi,” she whispers.
I risk a glance at Endymion’s face and find him staring down at Luna, a fierce look in his eyes that displays so much emotion, I internally berate myself. I’ve never seen him look so uncertain. Finding out you have a daughter you never knew about can’t be easy. It’s written all over his face.
“Hey there, Luna.” His tone is softer than I’ve ever heard. A voice reserved solely for our daughter.
Luna grins. She looks like a happy, bright-eyed little girl, just like she’s supposed to.
“I’m so happy you’re here!” she belts out excitedly, dropping the toys that are in her hands, and she throws her arms around Endymion’s legs, hugging him. He seems slightly taken aback at first but seems to recover quickly, wrapping his arms around her, then lifting her. Hurt skirts briefly across his face as he holds our daughter before he masks it. The view of them together like this, it has a fresh wave of tears stinging my eyes. They look like twins. She is quite literally a tiny version of Endymion. His hands span most of her back, making my sweet girl look tinier than she usually does in my arms.
When I glance back up at his face, my heart does something strange at that moment. It skips more than one beat. The way Endymion is looking down at Luna isn’t the way he’s looked at her before. This look is different. It’s filled with so much love and emotion that I don’t