Leah involuntarily held her breath, as she always did whenever Marigold hugged Evan. It wasn’t that she disapproved of it at all. Touching moments like this made her nervous that Marigold might decide to refer to him out loud as “Daddy” and unknowingly make the moment tense. Thankfully, Marigold didn’t say the word and when the hug ended, she happily went back to constructing the sandcastle. Leah let the breath out calmly and shifted her feet in the sand to cover up her discomfort.
“Past me didn’t have many reasons to smile.” The fact was punctuated by, what else, a smile. Leah’s assessment of how they used to treat each other was far more frigid. Her misery never wanted company and her resentment of Evan’s company back then had been completely genuine. Now, it was hard to imagine going back to despising him as she once had. Not only that, but the main reason behind her misery was sitting across from her, packing sand down with small hands. Leah’s smile grew warmer.
She made a face when he mentioned an encounter with a Waker, nodding when he said he’d tell her about it later. It was funny (in a way that wasn’t funny at all) how, now that she cared whether he lived or died, she had other obligations that kept her from going with him when he went out among the zombies.
“Excluding Mommy, you’re her favorite,” Leah corrected herself, grinning when Marigold nodded her agreement. “As long as you’re in her top five, you’re doing great.” Marigold liked people, which was a little strange because her father had been the shy type and Leah… Well, Leah wasn’t exactly a social butterfly. She snorted at the mental reference to her daughter’s new nickname. “Mon petite social papillon,” she muttered, hesitant to say it in French because she was unsure of the correct translation. Questioning eyes went to Evan, half hoping he hadn’t even heard her, in case she’d gotten it wrong.
Marigold was smiling and humming and chatting to herself as she decorated the sandcastle with sea glass. “That definitely makes it worth it,” Leah said quietly.
“Are you sure I actually said that, or was it implied by my reactions?” Leah arched an eyebrow, lips parting in a failed attempt to hide her own smirk. “Either way, I should point out that you’re not the only one who’s good at… things.”
Evan didn’t have to say it. Leah knew that Marigold was fond of Alghren. In all honesty, Leah wasn’t sure if that really bothered her or not. She loved knowing that her daughter was popular and loved by others as well as herself. Bobbing her head in somewhat reluctant agreement (which was half as reluctant as she used to be when things involved Alghren), Leah said, “Yeah, I suppose. They probably want all the practice they can get. And who knows, maybe they’ll be the lucky ones who get to answer her million questions about where babies come from.” Her huff of laughter was forced, but at least she was trying to keep the mood light.
Rae and Elliot and David and Eloise had gotten their alone time on this vacation. It didn’t seem fair that she and Evan didn’t get that same opportunity. At least that’s what her mood was saying now. Leah turned her head so that her lips touched the palm of his hand. “We deserve to enjoy our vacation, too,” was her way of agreeing.