I laughed. It was more humming than singing, but I got the point.
One by one, they shared personal details of what they’d seen and done. Told me who beat who at what games, how Grandpa had taught them new curses, and how Bethany had given him an earful for it. Alex proudly showed his missing front tooth. It was so good to see them—suntanned and happy—to hear their voices, even though I’d talked to them three days ago.
Charlie kept pausing her tale, angling her head this way and that to glance behind me. With a frustrated huff, she gestured for me to tilt my phone. Which I did without thinking.
“Hi,” she said as she waved.
Adri. Of course. I looked over my shoulder to find he’d moved to the other end of the bench, out of their line of sight. I moved closer to him and offered him a reassuring nod.
Charlie turned to Quinn. “Wow. He looks just like those Niren from your podcast.”
Shit. I forgot she’d seen those, too. With luck, Quinn wouldn’t recognize him from the reels.
“He does,” Quinn chimed in.
“Hello,” Adri replied and smiled awkwardly at my kids.
I gave him a thumbs-up for encouragement. “This is Adri, everyone. His pronouns are he/him, and he works at the hotel, in the Tech Hub.”
“Hi Adri,” the kids greeted him in unison.
“Adri, you’ve met Quinn. To their left is Julian, their twin. His pronouns are he/him.” I introduced them all, unable to suppress my laughter when Alex, once again, showed off his tooth.
“Is he the one who liked your drawings, Quinn?” Alex asked as he ducked out of frame with a wave.
“Yes,” Quinn answered from behind Ella and Charlie. “But he also designs electronic systems.”
“Cool…” Alex’s voice faded as he seemed to move even farther away.
Ella and Charlie were still staring at Adri, though.
“Coffee?” Ella asked. “Why is he purple?”
I forced myself to relax and not show Adri how horrified I felt that she’d asked that. Telling him she’d never seen a Niren before felt like a pithy excuse. Instead, I turned to Adri.
“He’s a Niren,” I said, squeezing his hand out of frame, hoping he’d take over.
His hand trembled in mine, his smile brittle as he answered Ella’s question about why Niren were purple—stuttering at first, a little nervous. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, let him know I had him. But along the way, his voice became steadier, and his trembling eased.
I was proud of the way he fielded all my kids’ questions with patience. Proud of how the kids behaved, too—friendly and polite, if inquisitive beyond belief, the nosy rugrats. If I didn’t count Ella’s purple question.
It all went swimmingly, until Charlie asked if he’d visit when they got back, and I felt like a vice tightened around my heart.
“I’m sorry, sprite, he can’t.” I couldn’t look at Adri then. “His work at the hotel is almost done. He needs to go home.”
When the kids eventually disconnected the call, I still stared at my phone. I wanted to apologize, wanted to explain I couldn’t promise my kids something that wouldn’t happen. So sure was I that my words had hurt him.
Instead, he smiled as he rose, still holding my hand. “They’re sweet.”
He pulled me to him and took me to his room.
Chapter Twenty-Five
ADRI
eye of the storm
Four days before the ball, halfway through our shift, Rick, Riley, and I finally finished untangling the mess in the ballroom.
