He pulled out his phone and did exactly that, then leaned against the counter with his own mug of hot chocolate. He looked tired, Lena realized. Not physically, but in that bone-deep way that came from carrying weight for a long time. How old are they? she found herself asking. Adrien glanced up, surprised she'd spoken.
Sophieie's eight. Marcus is 10. Thomas just turned 12. They're good kids. They're a handful.
But his voice was warm when he said it. Loud, messy, constantly fighting over the bathroom, but yeah, they're good. How long have you had them? The question came out before she could stop it. Too personal, too intrusive.
But Adrien didn't seem bothered. Sophieie came first 5 years ago, then the boys a year later. He took a sip of his drink. They were in the system. Different families originally, but circumstances change.
I had the space, the resources. Made sense. Just like that. Nothing's just like that. His eyes met hers.
But when you know something's right, you make it work. Thomas was demonstrating something to his siblings that involved a lot of hand gestures and sound effects. Sophieie laughed. so hard she snorted chocolate up her nose, which made Marcus crack up, which set Thomas off. The three of them dissolved into giggles. "Napkins!"
Adrien said, pushing a stack across the island. "Before someone makes a mess, I actually have to clean." Lena watched them wipe their faces, still laughing, and felt something crack open in her chest. This was what she'd wanted. This exact thing, the chaos and the noise and the easy affection, the feeling that she belonged somewhere, mattered to someone.
Marcus had promised her that had stood in front of 150 people and vowed to build a life with her then discarded her the second she couldn't deliver what he wanted. "You okay?" Adrien's voice cut through her spiral. She realized her hands were shaking around the mug. "Fine," she said automatically.
"You keep saying that because it's true, Lena." He kept his voice low, mindful of the kids who were now arguing about whether aliens definitely existed or only probably existed. I'm not going to push you to talk about whatever happened today, but I'm also not stupid. So, if you need anything, space, silence, an extra blanket, just say so. The timer on his phone went off before she could respond.
All right, crew. Upstairs. Teeth, pajamas, bed. more groaning, but they complied, sliding off their stools and stacking their mugs in the sink. Sophieie paused next to Lena. "Are you going to be here in the morning?"
The question hit harder than it should have. This little girl with her gap-toothed smile and her pink pajamas peeking out from under her jeans genuinely wanted to know if Lena would still be here. Like, it mattered. "I don't know," Lena said honestly. Sophieie considered this.
"I hope you are. You seem nice." Then she followed her brothers upstairs, leaving Lena alone with Adrien in the enormous kitchen. He started loading mugs into the dishwasher, moving with practiced efficiency. Guest room's yours as long as you need it.