July 17, 1187
Had liked to think that his older two children were on the right road to becoming reasonable adults--and, for the most part, he was right. They knew when to pick their battles. They knew when they had a legitimate point, and when they were best just throwing the other party a bone. Their priorities were in order, moreso than Had remembered his own being at their ages. Hal and Honora both knew better than to take over the important decisions about someone else's life.And yet... well, it was their lives too, if not to the same extent. A reasonable adult--and Had liked to think he was one--would at least fill them in. Fill them in, and hope to God they didn't put up a fuss.
They'd seated themselves on the same side of the table, talking about Geneva Wythleit again, no doubt; one of these days, Hal would have to work up the guts to ask that girl out. Had took a seat across from them instead of his usual one at the head of the table. He wanted to approach them as his own children, but not as children in general.
"Hal. Honora." He nodded to each in turn, then inhaled. Here it was. "I'm glad you're both here."
"You did tell us to be," Hal pointed out. "What's the matter? There isn't any problem with the business, is there?""No, the business is doing well, and I expect it will do even better come December when we have your Uncle Sev back." And then again in June when they had their future Aunt Hanna. There were a few years of change ahead for the Indruions as it was. Perhaps they'd already noticed that.
"And then Aunt Hanna." So Honora, at least, had--and she wouldn't have smiled if she hadn't been at least all right with it. God, she looked so much like her mother. She may have had Had's coloring, and her Grandpa Halford's eyes, but her nose and her chin and that grin were all Lyraina. Lyraina, at least--he knew in his heart--would be happy for him. If his children objected, that would be blessing enough. "If it's not the business, what is it, Papa?"
"All right." Nervous as he was, he couldn't help but beam at the thought. If that didn't mean he was ready, then what the hell did? "I've decided to ask Winter to marry me."And now came the waiting. He wasn't worried about his younger two children. Adonis, the poor baby, had never known his mother, but he'd come to know Winter well over the past year and he adored her. Had might have been more concerned about Arydath, being at just the right age to still be clinging to the memory of her mother and not yet ready for the thought of a stepmother, but she too was similarly enamored, thinking of Winter somewhere along the lines of a fairytale princess who'd appeared from nowhere to make Papa happy again. Hal and Honora, though...
Well, they liked Winter well enough. That wasn't the issue.
"Well... I suppose you have been seeing her for over a year now," Honora mused. "And she's very nice, and clever. As far as stepmothers go, we could do much worse.""And she's pretty," Had added. "Maybe a bit too pretty for a stepmother. I mean, she is quite a bit younger than you, which is kind of strange."
"But she's very mature. Besides, Thetis's mother is nearly a decade younger than her father, and they're happy together."
"I guess. And Geneva's younger than me; I guess that matters less when you get older."
So... was that...?
"So you'd be all right with it?"Hal took a few seconds, but nodded. Honora was less hesitant. "Of course we'd be all right with it. Will you have babies? I miss having babies around."
"Uh... well, if she wants to have babies, I wouldn't object." He did only have four children--more than enough if Winter didn't want any, but he'd have no issue supporting more if she did. "Hal, I hope you can get used to the age difference. I do realize that she's not far from the average of our ages, but she is indisputably an adult, and I've come to love her very much."
"I'll get over it." His son smiled. He too was not lacking in his mother. "Ask her, Father."NEXT CHAPTER:
