The gray, heavy sky dropped a lazy rain Tuesday morning. Regina woke early to Charlotte's soft whimpering, and when her daughter didn't go back to sleep after being fed, she grabbed a soft blanket and made her way downstairs with her. With a cup of tea, Regina went outside with the baby.
Her daughter in her arms, Regina cuddled her close and spent the morning talking to her baby girl. Charlie reached her hand up toward her face, and Regina caught it, kissing her soft palm dramatically. It gained the beginnings of a laugh from her daughter, making Regina's chest fill with warmth and love for her. She wished she brought her phone down with her to record it for Robin or message him to come down and see, but she didn't, so she enjoyed the moment between her and Charlotte. She'd repeat it later for him, positive Charlie would do it again and again once she started.
"Good morning, dear."
At the sound of the voice, Regina looked up to see Eleanor standing in the doorway and smiled. "Good morning."
Taking a seat across the patio table from her, her mother-in-law smiled at Charlotte, then sitting back in her chair, let out a long, tired sigh. "Are you and Robin still planning on taking the children to the hall today?"
She reached for her tea and nodded. "As far as I know, we are."
"You know, I think I'll stay in today," Eleanor said. "Neither Jack nor I wish to spoil the day…"
Placing her cup back down on the table, Regina let out a soft sigh. "Eleanor, you and Jack need to talk to him."
She waited while Eleanor looked off in the distance. Finally, she too set down her own cup of tea and wrapped her sweater around her a little more tightly. "And dear, what would we say?"
Regina pressed her lips together, frustration for her mother-in-law filling her, making her want to say things she knew she would regret if spoken. With a deep breath through her nose, Regina tipped her head down to meet the gentle eyes of her daughter and said, "I don't know... you could start with I'm sorry and work from there. Anything is better than nothing."
"I feel like a simple I'm sorry is not enough to help this."
Eleanor had Regina there. Simply telling Robin they were sorry wasn't going to smooth everything out overnight. They lied to him for years now, and they would have to make an effort to rebuild that trust with him. But they had to start somewhere.
"No, it might not be," she offered, "but it's what Robin deserves. He's very disappointed in you both, but not talking and avoiding him is just going to make everything more difficult for you both and for him."
Eleanor shifted in her chair. "I know; you're right."
Regina looked back down as Charlotte let out a wide yawn, and she dropped a kiss on her soft cheek before saying, "Then do it today. I can take the kids out for the afternoon so you can talk…"
"I'm afraid today won't work. Jack and I made another appointment for this afternoon..."
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, and tell her there was always after their appointment, Regina suggested, "Tomorrow then."
"It's the festival…"
"Before it," she said, losing her patience. At Eleanor's widening eyes, Regina tilted her head to the side, softening her features along with her tone as she said, "You have to know this is killing him."
"I do..." Eleanor started, then trailed off as tears filled her eyes. She cleared her throat, and Regina watched with a breaking heart as she wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. "I do know, and I will talk to him."
As much as she felt for the older woman, she wasn't about to let her off that easy. "I hope so, because if I have to bring it up in the middle of dinner and then take my kids out of the room..."
"No, you don't have to do that," Eleanor said, interrupting her with a resolved tone. "I will talk to him."
"With Jack," Regina added.
Eleanor looked down into her cup of tea. "Yes, all right."
Regina gave her a small smile, a smile that she hoped conveyed her sympathy because while she too, was upset with them, Regina wanted them to work this all out. For them all to get back to the place they were. She knew it could happen. "Don't let this be something else you regret."
"I already do, dear."
"Then set it straight," she said, sitting up while cradling Charlotte against her chest. "You owe it to him and to yourself."
There was a moment between them where they both sipped their tea and let themselves just be after their talk. Regina stroked her thumb across her daughter's cheek as Eleanor said, "If I haven't told you before, I want you to know you're a very good daughter-in-law, and I don't take our conversation lightly. We've hurt our son terribly, and I appreciate that you're protecting him so much."
"I'll always protect him, and just so you know, you're not a bad mother-in-law, you're not a bad mother. We all make mistakes." Regina smiled and reached her hand across the table. Eleanor wiped away a few stray tears that had fallen, but reached out and took her hand, squeezing tightly. She may have her faults but Regina understood, for the most part, the reason behind her actions. She could fix this mess, they just needed to talk to one another. And one way or another Regina would make sure it happened.
When the door to the bedroom door closed, Robin opened his eyes. It was an odd thing, pretending to sleep until his wife left. Any other time he'd reach over the moment he knew she was awake - would have called her name softly and pulled her over for a morning kiss, then lingered with her in bed for a bit until they needed to start their day.
This morning was different though.
This morning when he woke, he just wanted to lie in bed and think. Or not think. He'd rather not think about the day, about going downstairs, about facing the two people who looked him in the eye for the last week, for the last three years since their marriage problems started, and outright lied to him.
After he and Regina came back up to bed, she fell asleep almost instantly in his arms, but he laid awake for what felt like hours, his mind not wanting to settle. Every time he tried to empty his mind, the image of his father with an unknown woman would flash in his mind, and he would get angry all over again.
Finally, he drifted off sometime early in the morning, which explained the deep feeling of exhaustion when he woke. As soon as the door shut, he looked over into the small crib by the bed to see if Charlie had gone back to sleep, but she was also gone.
He fell back against the pillows with a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face. Regina had taken the baby with he, probably to let him sleep, he supposed with a frown. But before he could go too deep down the frustrating road that was his parents' dissolved marriage, the door to the room burst open and in ran Madelyn. Her little steps carried her quickly over to the side of the bed, and he chuckled as she scampered up beside him.
"Hey, there's my girl. You're up early." Her only response was a soft giggle against his chest. "Have you come in here to go back to sleep or did you need cuddles?"
"Cuddles."
Right then, he thought, and wrapped his arms around her, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. He laid there for a few moments with his little girl in his arms until she shifted and said, "I want to color."
It was such a random thing for her to want that early, the request made him laugh. "All right, darling." He got up from bed and made his way over to the other side of the room. "Let's hope Mummy put your colors and paper in your suitcase so we don't have to go downstairs."
Sure enough, bless his wife, her construction paper notebooks were there along with her crayons. For the next little while, he and Maddie laid in bed drawing and coloring. All thoughts of his parents' problems shoved aside, focusing only on the paper before him and drawing whatever his daughter's little heart desired.
On his fifth picture, this one of Ella, he looked up to see Regina slip into the room with Charlotte. Her eyes flicked from him to Maddie right before she smiled. "You're up."
"We are," he said as Maddie got to her feet and walked across the bed over to her. Regina held out Charlotte, and Robin sat up, taking his baby girl so that Regina could lift Maddie up and into her arms. Placing Charlie down beside him on the bed, Robin propped his head up on his elbow meeting her gaze. "Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a good morning with Mummy, hm?"
"You're avoiding going downstairs," his wife said, sitting on the bed with Maddie.
"I'm not," Robin defended and motioned to all the artwork strewn across the bed. "We were just enjoying our morning coloring, weren't we?"
Madelyn nodded as he did, then jumped from Regina's lap to take a paper. "Uh huh, look, Mommy, I drew you a picture."
"Did you?" He watched Regina smile and her eyes widen. "Oh my goodness, is this me?"
"Uh huh, and Daddy and Ro and Olivia and Charlie," Maddie told her with her bright smile to match her mother's.
"Where are we going?" Regina asked her.
"We're all going home, see?" Maddie pointed to the top of the page. "See the airplane?"
"Oh, I do see it. Thank you, sweetheart." Regina held out her arms and Maddie went to her, wrapping her own arms around her mother's shoulders. With a kiss to her brow, she looked over at Robin. "What did you want to do today? Did you still want to drive out to the Hall?"
Robin chuckled. Renishaw Hall had been one of the first things Olivia wanted to see when they were planning their trip. She and Regina's love for period dramas made the home from Pride and Prejudice their top pick when they found out it was so close. "I think our daughter would be very disappointed if we didn't."
"She may be, but if you're not feeling up to it…" she started.
"Babe, I'm fine. I want to go," he insisted. "I want to walk with you and the kids through the house and the gardens, and I want to pull you away for a moment to steal a kiss with you by the fountain. And maybe grab us a bottle of wine from their vineyard to bring home for us to enjoy after we tuck the kids into bed?"
Her eyes softened. "That sounds nice."
His lips pulled up. "I know you didn't want to drink at the awards, but one glass of wine won't hurt, will it?"
"No, it won't," she agreed, and they shared knowing looks. Their times drinking a glass of wine by the fire at night after putting the kids to bed had been far too long ago. It was their thing. Something they did every now and then to catch up when they got too caught up in work and the kids. Their time to spend talking about them, about the future and what it might look like.
Their daughter's voice broke the look they shared. "Mommy, can I have juice, please?"
"Yes, you can baby girl," Regina told her, slipping her eyes from Robin to hers, and tapping her on the nose. "In fact, let's go make you some breakfast."
"Why don't we all just get dressed and go out?" Robin suggested.
Regina gave him a look. "So you can avoid certain people in the house some more?"
He shrugged his shoulder. "Possibly that, but more I'd like to enjoy my day with the people who don't lie to me on a daily basis." She shifted her eyes from his to their daughter who was looking between them and back with a curious stare. He sighed. "I'm sorry, love. I'll stop."
"Mmhm," she hummed softly, getting to her feet taking Maddie with her. "I'm going to go see if our other two are awake and tell them to get ready."
He took a deep breath when she left the room and looked down at Charlie, placing a hand on her belly. Her dark eyes looked up at him, waiting patiently for his attention, and he smiled despite his mood.
"You're the lucky one, you know. Nothing but love and attention, and cuddling close with your mum all day... I'll trade you." Charlie grinned up at him and then softly cooed, though it sounded almost serious like she wasn't about to take such a deal. "No?" he said, then leaned his head down and kissed her cheek. "I wouldn't want to either, darling."
"Olivia, we're about to leave without you," Robin called up from the bottom of the stairs.
When she went to see if Olivia and Roland were up, Regina was surprised to discover both were dressed and anxious to start the day. Only just when they were getting ready to leave, Olivia ran back up the stairs saying she'd be right back down.
That had been twenty minutes ago now.
Regina just finished strapping Charlotte into her car seat when she heard the footsteps of her oldest daughter bounding down the stairs, asking, "Dad, can we take Mom to the tea room?"
Placing a light blanket over Charlotte's legs, Regina looked up and narrowed her eyes at the sight of Olivia. She couldn't be sure but was her daughter wearing more makeup than she was before?
"Sure, wherever you'd like," Robin replied to Olivia, then started over toward Regina, offering to take Charlotte for her.
Thanking him, Regina kissed him on the cheek, then called for Roland and Maddie down in the den where they were watching cartoons and told them. "Okay you two, let's go."
Maddie called back with a swift, Hooray! and ran down the hall toward her at a run with a still tired Roland slowly trudging behind her. Regina frowned at him. She was really going to have to make sure he got to bed earlier if he was this tired in the mornings. As much as she approved of his reading, he would only have a couples days to adjust back to his normal schedule when he went back to school.
"You all off?" came Jack's voice as he stepped into the room.
Regina smiled at him, while Robin gave him a nod and a brisk, "We are."
"Have a good time," his father offered, and to Regina, he sounded like he was trying to put years worth of sincerity into a small sentiment.
Robin, however, made a noise in the back of his throat, more of an acknowledged grunt without meeting Jack's eyes and took Maddie's hand, walking out the door without another word.
Jack watched his son's retreating back, as did Roland and Olivia. Softly, she said, "Come on," to the children, and walking by Robin's father, put a hand on his arm before following after him.
The look on her mom's face when they walked into the Tea Shop for breakfast was one Olivia was likely never to forget anytime soon. Did she know there was a possibility Sebastian may be working that morning? Maybe, okay, sure. There was a chance. Did she really expect him to be there? No. Her eyes widened as she stepped inside, seeing him standing by the espresso machine in jeans and a white shirt, smiling and talking with a group of customers.
Her stomach flipped, and she looked over at her mother so quickly, as if her mother would be able to read her expression that she had no idea… But her mother just smiled. She smiled at her like it was planned, like Olivia knew and she just wanted to turn around and have her dad bring her breakfast to her in the car.
She would have too probably, if her mother didn't link her arm around hers and pull her along further inside where they were shown to a table. As they passed the counter, her mother nudged her with her elbow and then called, "Good morning, Sebastian."
Mortified, she looked over just in time to see his eyes on them as they passed. He grinned, and she felt her cheeks flame. "Good morning, Mrs. Locksley. Olivia."
To make things worse, her dad looked back. His eyes narrowed slightly at Sebastian for a second before her mom gave him a gentle push forward. Olivia wanted to groan. Her dad knew. Now she really wanted to die. Would they let her fly home alone? Her Aunt Emma could pick her up. Imagining having to be around him at her party now that her dad knew that she liked him… she'd rather hide upstairs for the whole thing.
Before anyone could take it, Olivia plopped down into the chair facing away from the counter. From him. She ignored the look between her mom and dad, too.
Breakfast was delicious, and between her biscuits with jam and talking with her parents about the hall they were going to, she was able to mostly forget about the boy behind her.
Her brother finished the last of his orange juice, then got to his feet. "Dad, where's the bathroom?"
Her dad wiped his mouth with his napkin, just finishing up the last of his breakfast, and looked around. "The loo? It's back… you know what, I'll just take you." Getting up, his eyes met her mother's before saying, "We'll be back."
Her mom, brushing crumbs from Maddie's mouth, laughed lightly and replied, "We'll be here." They sat in silence a moment, and she looked down at her phone, swiping at the screen to read more about the different things to do at the hall when her mother said, "Someone certainly hasn't been able to stop looking this way."
Olivia's heart picked up, her mouth dropping open slightly as she sat up. "Stop. Are you serious?"
"Just calm down." Her mother laughed, but her eyes flicked to the counter and back. "Don't look right now."
Olivia dropped her head down into her hands and groaned softly. Why did liking a boy have to feel like this? she thought, then sat up looking at her mom. "Did Daddy ever make you feel this way?"
At that moment, her baby sister started to fuss from where she'd been sleeping in her car seat. Olivia watched her mom as she reached down and took her. Charlie's cries settled as soon as her mom cradled her to her chest. "What way?"
What way? She pursed her lips together trying to think of a way to describe the feeling without sounding too dramatic but found nothing that fit. "Like you want to throw up."
Her mom laughed. "Did he make me nervous?" She paused as if she were remembering back then. A small smile graced her lips before she said, "Yes, he did, but that came a little later. At first, I was too busy thinking about protecting you, I didn't really let myself think about how handsome he was or how he made me feel."
"Really?" Her eyebrows shot up. Olivia chanced a glance over at Sebastian. Thankfully, he was too busy with a customer to notice her eyes on him. Taking him in, she watched him as he laughed at something said, and felt the same butterflies when his laugh was directed at her. She couldn't imagine being able to ignore all those things. Olivia pulled her eyes away and said, "I don't know how you did it. I can't seem to get my brain to operate when he looks at me."
Her mom rolled her eyes but smiled all the same. "I'm not saying I didn't feel anything, but you have to remember your dad wasn't my first crush. It gets easier, I promise."
Olivia opened her mouth, ready to disagree when an accented voice came from behind her. "Hello, ladies. Can I get you a refill?"
Olivia looked around to see him. Standing there looking beautiful. Looking at her. "Umm…"
Her mom's voice said, "We're okay, thank you, Sebastian. We'll be getting ready to go here soon."
"Right then." His eyes fell from her mom to her, and with a smile, said, "I hope you all have a good day."
"You too," her mom said when she said nothing.
As soon as he was gone Olivia turned to face her mother. They shared knowing looks, sad pitiful looks because that's what she was. Sad and pathetic and such a coward. Dropping her head into her hands, she sighed.
She felt her mom's hand on her arm. "Next time, baby girl. Next time."
Would he notice if she crawled under the table?
"Next time what?" Her head shot up at the sound of her dad's voice.
"Next time she can get pancakes. Are we ready?"
Her dad agreed and they all got to their feet. She took Maddie's hand while her mom put Charlotte back in her car seat and her dad went and paid. Olivia was just about to follow her mom outside when Sebastian made his way back toward them.
"I thought you ladies might like a refill for the road."
He handed her mother a cup, who smiled and thanked him, then made her way over her dad, leaving her alone with him.
"Thank you," she said taking the cup, feeling the warmth of the beverage even through the sleeve.
"My gran said you were going out to Renishaw Hall. Make sure you stop and see the stables. A lot of people forget about them, they're so amazed by the house."
"I will, thank you."
"Olivia, come on," her brother called.
"See you around."
"Have a good time."
Giving him a small smile, she hurried to catch up with her family and not until after she got her sister buckled in her seat and put on her own seat belt did she happen to notice the handwriting on her cup hidden beneath the coffee sleeve.
Sliding the collar down, she saw that there, along with his scribbled name, was his phone number.
Hours. It felt like hours they toured the home, and once they'd gotten outside, Roland had cried out Finally! and Regina laughed lightly at his antics. Their son had been a trooper through it all, but the last thirty minutes wore him thin.
The girls just wanted to have a quick walk through the gardens and then Regina promised Roland he could pick dinner and whatever movie he wanted for them all to watch later. It seemed to nullify him enough that they could afford another half an hour before he started to moan again.
Robin's hand pulsed around hers as they stopped by a row of roses. "What do you think if we took a couple of days and went to Liverpool?" Her brows rose up and up as he went on. "We could stay on the coast? Just think of it; home of The Beatles, you love The Beatles."
Regina shook her head softly. "Nope, not falling for it Locksley." He let out a breath and looked away. Regina rolled her eyes. This was getting out of hand. "The kids are all excited for the Robin Hood festival tomorrow, and Olivia has her concert with your mother the day after that."
"What if we just went to a hotel in town then?" he suggested with a pleading look in his eyes that made her irritation soften somewhat.
"Do you really not want to be there that badly?" she asked, her heart breaking for him but at the same time, steeling herself because she knew she would have to be the one to make any sort of resolve happen.
"As much as I don't want you to suffer through the rest of this week, I honestly think once you all talk, you'll feel better about staying there, and besides, what would we tell the kids?"
A little way away, Madelyn was walking along a row of butter yellow tulips when she gasped. "Mommy look it! A bunny, Mommy! Daddy!"
"That's wonderful, sweetheart," Robin told her, as their daughter marched off into the patch of daisies. Regina watched her, held up a hand to shade the sun from shining in her eyes to see what Maddie was talking about, but then Robin looked over at her and sighed. "We tell them that daddy can't stand the sight of Nan and Pop anymore?"
Dropping her hand, Regina's gaze snapped onto her husband. His lips tipped up into a smirk that was more of a grimace, and she pursed her lips a moment before telling him, "You know, you make me laugh a lot, but that's not funny."
"I agree, it's not. And believe me, babe, you're not the only one disappointed. I can barely stand myself at the moment." His head fell, and thankfully he was holding their daughter because the kiss he dropped to her head as she slept against his chest painted an adorable enough picture that the urge to smack him on the arm disappeared.
"Robin, you had nothing to do with this. You can't blame yourself for feeling the way that you do." She waited for him to meet her gaze before continuing, "but running away from it won't help. When we get back you need to sit down and talk to them." Regina was done with putting this conversation on hold. No good was coming from it; it was just creating more hurt feelings and a deeper resentment. And quite frankly, it was hurting her husband more than he was letting on and that was over. "I know your mother wanted to wait, but no more putting this off. I'll take the kids upstairs tonight when we get back, and you can sit down with them and talk."
He blew out a breath but nodded. "I suppose I'd rather have it over with, to be honest, and I suppose if I have to be the one to begin, so be it."
She stepped over to his side and wrapped her arm around his waist. "I'll be right upstairs when it's over."
Adjusting Charlotte so she was cradled in the crook of his arm, he put the other one around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. "I hate every bit of this."
"I know," she told him, letting her head fall against his chest. They stood like that for a while. She was watching Olivia and Roland off in the distance coming back towards them, and Madelyn….
"What is Madelyn holding?" Robin asked, his voice sounding wry.
"I don't know…" Her head lifted and she squinted, spotting two floppy ears between her daughter's small hands. Her stomach dropped with dread. "Oh no, she didn't find…"
"I think she did… shit." He lifted his arm, and they set off toward her. "We might have more of a problem than my parents."
"I can't believe you came back with a bunny. How did she even find it?" Eleanor asked with something akin to wonderment in her tone as she held their new pet in her hands.
She was a white Mini Lop, with long, red ears and splotches of red all over her body making her look like she'd been splattered with paint. Her fur was fluffy, incredibly soft, and amazingly, she fit in his hand.
"It was the family's pet," he explained. "Their son breeds them. One had gotten outside somehow and of course, she found it. We tried to give it back, but someone had a bit of a little breakdown when she had to give it back, they took pity on us and let us buy her. Apparently, they're as easy to care for as a cat or dog."
That last part was told to him by the man at the pet store they had to stop by where they bought everything from rabbit food to toys and a tiny travel carrier.
"I can't wait to see what Ella thinks of her," Regina mumbled and took the bunny, Lucy, Madelyn and Regina called her, a name they had come up with on the car ride home, from his mum.
Robin snorted while shaking his head. She hadn't exactly put up much of a protest when it came to keeping it. In fact, it was his wife who asked them if they would consider selling it in the first place which had shocked the hell out of him.
"Maddie, sweetheart, let's take her upstairs and make her a bed to stay in, okay?" Regina said, holding out her hand for their daughter.
"Okay, Mommy," Maddie said, willing to go just about anywhere her bunny went.
"Olivia, Roland, you both come too, please." The look his wife gave their children gave no room for argument, and they glanced at him and then his parents for a second before they were on their feet, following Regina silently up the stairs.
Robin sighed and looked over at his parents. His dad simply raised his eyebrows but his mum, she looked slightly betrayed. Her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say something but had no words for it.
He walked over to the staircase and waited until the door to his bedroom closed before turning back to both parents now seated on the couch.
"Right, so. What happened here?" he began and then thought better of it. "No - I know what happened here, I want to know why neither of you bothered to say something."
"To put it bluntly, darling," she said, glancing over at his father, "we were ashamed and didn't think at the time it was anyone's business but our own, really."
Robin was sure his eyebrows rose up into his hairline at that. "Not even your children?"
"We wanted to work through things before we told you both," she clarified.
"Oh, so you were eventually going to tell us…" Robin trailed off and threw a hand up into the air. "Well, that makes up for it all."
"We're trying…" his father started.
"Good for you both," Robin interrupted. "I'm happy to know this now... after my wife had to be the one to tell me... "
"We're sorry for that, Robin," Eleanor said.
"And that may very well be, but the fact is, neither of you took mine, nor Nimue's feelings into consideration when all this was happening." He looked between them. "Does she even know?"
Neither of them needed to answer the question, their guilty looks of exchange told him all he needed to know about that, but his dad cleared his throat and said, "She doesn't."
Robin snorted. "Of course not. Well, that's on you both."
Turning his back to them, Robin folded his arms across his chest and gazed out the window. He could only imagine his sister's reaction and he didn't want to be around for it, and yet, at the same time he wanted to shield her from it. Underneath her brazen exterior, she was still his little sister. The same one who cried with his wife over The Notebook when Regina was pregnant with Maddie and got teary-eyed when they told her about Charlie.
He let out a deep breath through his nose. Christ, perhaps he should be the one to tell her.
"Robin, I - we are very sorry," his mum said, and it was because her voice had softened into something a bit more genuine, a little sincerer, that he turned back. "Looking back now, we see that we should have told you."
"Yeah, you should have," he agreed. And when they offered nothing more, added, "That's it then?"
"Darling, I'm not sure what more you'd have us say?"
He thought about that, and honestly, he didn't know what he would have them say either. "Right, well, I'm going to go help Regina with our new pet," he paused with one last look at them. "Good luck on whatever it is that you're doing."
The last time Robin had seen the stars so clearly was almost three years ago now - in Tahiti, where there were no big cities, nothing around but a few other small cabins for miles. In the evening, he'd take Regina out to lie with him in the small hammock at the end of the deck, where they'd listen to the lap of the waves along the shore and gaze out at the horizon as the sun dipped down and the stars came out to greet them.
They'd looked different in that little part of the world. They seemed to make more sense. Though it wasn't the stars at all but his life. His life made more sense then.
He shook his head and looked away from them. Instead, Robin took his phone from his pocket, and tapping the home button, stared down at the picture of he and Regina. It was taken right before she opened her studio. She was testing the lighting with her new camera and told him to get in front of it. He'd willingly agreed, letting her snap a few shots before she set a timer and joined him. Stepping behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and dropped her chin to his shoulder, causing him to smile. His own hands came up and held hers as the picture was taken. It was perfect and had been his lock screen ever since.
When he looked at her, at them, they made sense.
"Got some room for me?"
Robin smiled at the sound of her voice. Looking up, he held out his arms and told her, "Always."
She settled down in his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her middle, hugging her close. Turning his head, he breathed in the smell of her - of her shampoo, her perfume, the smell locked in his heart. The only smell he ever wanted to smell for the rest of his life.
Her hand came up, and he closed his eyes at the feel of her fingers running through his hair at the back of his neck, her fingernails grazing lightly. "Can't sleep?"
"I just keep thinking about things but can't work it all out. They're so indifferent to it all."
He felt her shrug lightly. "Well it's like you said, they don't like talking about their problems…"
"But this…" he trailed off, brow creasing as he did. "It's like, they say that they're sorry, but I think they're only really sorry they got caught."
"Sadly, I think you're right about that." Regina kissed his forehead and let out a breath, he felt the warmth of it against his brow. "I got the impression the change was really hard on her. Even my own mother suffered from depression there for a while. Sometimes that causes you to pull away from the ones you love."
"That's true, I suppose," he mused, taking her hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of it.
"I hate to say this, but I think you need to accept the fact that for right now they want things to be this way." He started to shake his head, but she continued on, her voice lowering as she did, "And I'm sorry, but you need to stop being so hard on him in front of the kids. Roland asked me today if Jack had done something to make you mad."
His hand went slack in hers. Guilt flooded through him making him feel like a complete and utter ass. "Shit, I didn't mean for that to happen."
"I know you didn't, but they're noticing." Another soft press of her lips to his forehead. "Olivia, Roland, even Maddie picked up on the tension this morning."
"I'll make it up to them," he paused and tilted his head up to meet her eyes. "And to you. I'm sorry, I've been a real prat, haven't I?"
"You've been a bit infuriating today, I'll give you that, but I understand why and it's nothing you can't make up for with a few kisses." Her lips pulled up making him smile in return. With his hand against her back, he eased her forward, and she met him for a light brush of lips.
"Still, I snapped at you, and I didn't mean it." He leaned back only enough to look up into the warm eyes he loved so much. After he had the chat with his parents, he'd gone for a walk. Left without telling anyone and when she called his phone to see where he went, he answered the phone with more attitude than he meant to. "You had every right and then some to put me in my place."
She had, of course, snapped back in the same tone that had him apologizing immediately after.
"I may have, but, babe, I can put up with that. What I hate is seeing you like this." His eyes fell away, but her finger under her chin pulled his eyes back to her. She wasn't letting him hide from her. "You're not talking about what's really bothering you. And if you can't talk to your parents about it, talk to me, Robin."
"I always thought they had the perfect marriage. I looked up to my dad all my life, and it's all been lies."
"Not all of it has been."
"When you think about it though, it has. It takes a certain kind of man to do something like that, to cheat on his wife, and I never thought he was that man."
"You're disappointed in him," she said, and yeah, he realized then that was exactly what he was.
Disappointed and angry.
Blowing out a noisy breath, he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, babe, I am, and there isn't anything to be done for it."
"I think that there is."
"What do you mean?"
"You could try to understand him more…" she began, and his eyes widened. "If you look at it more from her side than his you'll see where they're coming from."
"Because my mum wanted my father to cheat on her that makes this better?" The exasperation was back in his tone, and there wasn't a thing he could do to keep it from it.
Luckily, she chose to ignore it, or she really was serious when she said she could handle his bits of temper because she gave him a look, one that clearly told him he was being ridiculous, and said, "It wasn't like that exactly."
"Then what?"
"She wanted him to find companionship because she no longer felt the desire for things he wanted."
Rolling his eyes, he replied with a muttered, "Love, I know you're trying to help me understand but this isn't helping…"
"Robin, your mother loves your father. She wanted him to be happy, and she thought if someone else could provide what she couldn't she wouldn't feel so guilty." She said the next few words slowly, as if speaking to Madelyn, "But when he relented and agreed, she didn't realize how much she'd regret it. Your father isn't completely at fault."
"Whether she encouraged him or not, he still went out and did it though. She may be able to forgive him, but I can't get over it so easily."
She pressed her lips to his temple and murmured, "I didn't think that you would."
They sat there in the dark under the stars for a while. Neither spoke and she didn't press him to talk to them again or even forgive him which he was thankful for. He'd get over this all eventually. He just needed to blow off some steam. "Just so you know," he whispered between them, "I'd never ever do something like that to you."
She smiled, softly. "I'd never, ever believe that you would."
For a moment, he just looked at her. Drunk in her dark eyes and creamy skin so lovingly caressed by the moonlight. Her hair slightly mussed up from lying in bed, his fingers itching to get lost in those dark, curly locks. "Have I told you how lucky I am to have you?"
She hummed quietly while she pretended to think on it. "Not in the last few hours."
"Far too long then…" He drew forward and kissed her, lingering long enough to feel her bring her hand up and rest softly against his cheek. Her thumb trailed back and forth over his stubble until they came apart with a light pop of lips. "I'm the luckiest bastard on the planet to have you."
She let out a breathy laugh and then arching a teasing brow, agreed. "Yes, you are."
He threw his head back and laughed, and it earned him another kiss right after she told him it was the best sound she heard all day.