CHAPTER 21
A knock on the door announced their arrival. Regina took Emma's hand on hers and quietly asked if she was sure about this. Of course, the blonde was far from sure, but she nodded anyway. Letting Regina know about her insecurities would not help, not right now.
Henry, on the other hand, was purely excited. Upon seeing the mansion, he was flabbergasted. Emma knew he had never been in a place like this before, and the whole experience was close to the movies to her little boy. Of course, she wouldn't mention that either. The last thing she wanted is to look like she didn't belong there, and even though she felt like she didn't, her kid didn't need to grow up thinking like her. He was far from unwanted, or inadequate.
Her thoughts were quickly dismissed with the loud crack of the door opening. In front of them, stood a lady, very well dressed and with a certain poise that would immediately separate her from the common crowd. "Oh, Regina, I am glad you could make it after all." Her shrewd eyes scanned both Emma and Henry, and after a moment, her tense frame seemed to relax a little. "Please, come in." She gestured them inside, while Regina was occupied being kissed on both cheeks by her mother.
"Hello, mother. Thank you for having us. This is Emma Swan, and her son, Henry."
xxx
Enrique was calmly reading a book while nursing a single malt scotch in the library when he heard the guests approaching. Regina, accompanied by a young woman and a little boy. He smiled fondly at the sight, but decided not to comment. Yet. He gestured them to have a sit while introducing himself.
"I'm Henry!" The young boy almost shouted, clearly overly excited. He offered his hand and Enrique took it, shaking animatedly. "Hello Henry, very nice to meet you. Do you know my name is also Henry, but in Spanish?"
"Do you speak Spanish?" Henry was in absolute awe.
"Yes, I do, and Regina was well." The boy looked at her in absolute adoration. Emma chuckled at the scene but decided not to intrude. Kathryn made her appearance in the room just them, hugging both the blonde and the brunette. "Nice to see you guys!" She looked between Regina and Emma, and the mirth in her eyes was completely telling, which made Regina fidget. I do not fidget!
Cora was back again, after a few minutes telling the housekeeper what to do. During Sundays, her staff of employees was diminished by only the security guard, the gardener, and Theresa, the housekeeper of the family for years now, the one currently helping with preparing the meal and setting the table. "Regina, would you mind helping me in the kitchen?" Upon seeing the hesitation in her daughter's eyes, she added: "It would be only for a second, dear, I am sure Kathryn and your father would not mind keeping our guests entertained."
For a brief second, she looked at Emma searching for any sign of disturbance, but the blonde easily smiled back and mouthed something that surely looked like "It's okay." Regina smiled back and all the way to the kitchen she tried not to overthink the fact that she was nervous about the whole thing. She knew her family would never treat Emma and Henry badly but, she wanted them to like them. It was important to her, and it bothered the fact that she couldn't do much rather than just let things happen naturally. Sighing, she decided to just go on with it.
xxx
"Theresa, would you mind finishing the table arrangements, please?" Cora spoke, in an overly sweet voice, that let to no doubts about where this was going. After Theresa had left, somewhat knowing Cora wanted some privacy with her daughter, the latter started immediately. "So, this is your company for the day? I never pegged you for liking children very much."
Regina knew she would have to have this talk eventually. She just wished that it wasn't so soon, especially because she still didn't know where she stood with Emma. However, knowing her mother well, it couldn't wait. "Yes, mother, Henry is new to New York, and we wanted to take him to the museum-"
"Oh?" Cora was savvy enough to understand what was going on, but she wanted to make Regina squirm just a little longer. "And since when do you worry about little boys interests and activities? Since when do you bother to partake in these activities, dear, because truthfully, it is difficult enough to make you come over to brunch, let alone spend the day with other people's children-"
"Mother! Please stop. Stop!" She knew better. She shouldn't get all riled up by her mother, but the thing is, this was difficult enough as it was, no need to add some more pressure and annoyance. "I don't care about other people's children, as you nicely put, but I do care about Henry. And if you could just-"
"I see. Well, that explains a lot. I assume that you also care about his mother, Miss Swan?"
"Yes." The architect answered, through gritted teeth. Sharing did not come easily to Regina, and sharing with her mother, especially, was even harder. Sensing the tension, the older woman positioned both hands on her shoulders and squeezed lightly.
"Regina, dear, I am just teasing you. I am a knowledgeable person, you know. Modern. I know things." That was enough to change the brunette's mood from utter annoyance to complete embarrassment. Her face flushed bright red imagining what her mother was referring when she said she knew things. "I wasn't always married to your father, you know, I was young, I experimented things as well…"
"Oh, mother, I really don't want to know about that. Ugh." She couldn't even look at her mom's eyes by now, and her cheeks are burning hot. "And I'm not experimenting anything; I am not a teenager, Emma is not a rebel phase of mine or anything like that. I am an adult woman, Mother, and in charge of my relationships and who I choose to love, and that has nothing to do with what you possibly have lived before dad."
"Oh, I see. Excellent then." Cora then smiled smugly, and Regina was utterly confused.
"Excellent? Is that what you have to say about this?"
"Honestly? I thought it would be a lot harder for you to admit it out loud, so, yes, I am proud of you, Mija. You know what you are, and you know where you are so I couldn't be more pleased. As far as it comes to Emma, she seems lovely."
Regina didn't go home that day waiting for her family approval. Hell, she didn't even think about telling them the truth about Emma, at least not yet. It was too fast and too soon, and even though she knew how she felt about the journalist, she didn't want to jinx it. They were taking things slow, as they said. And yet, after blurting it out, she felt immediately relieved. She never had to speak about this particular subject with her parents, so she didn't know how they would react. Of course, she could imagine they wouldn't be completely against it, but she could never be sure. And now she was. Her mother didn't seem to bother, in fact, nothing seemed to change. She then let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, only to say "Thank you, Mamá."
"You're welcome, dear. And, Regina?"
"Yes?"
"A mother always knows." She winked, and rushed to the dining room with a steaming pot, leaving a very surprised Regina behind.
xxx
A few minutes after Regina left, Henry was already seating next to Enrique in a chair that was too big for him alone and being taught the rules of chess. Apparently, Enrique Sir loved to play, and he started to teach Regina around the same age. Both of them were so enthralled with each other that they didn't even hear Kathryn's invitation to a tour of the mansion. Emma wasn't sure about leaving Henry behind, but the boy genuinely seemed to be having fun, and she didn't want to ruin that with something that she knew Henry would find boring.
Kathryn, upon sensing the other blonde's hesitation, decided to speak her mind. "Leave them. They will be fine. Probably won't even notice we are gone." Smiling, Emma nodded. "Yeah, sure."
The older woman guided Emma to every single bit of the Mills Mansion: the yard, which reminded Emma of the Versailles castle, being so big and methodically organized in Cartesian lines and squares. The swimming pool, which could be easily be part of a fancy spa, the total of 8 en-suite bedrooms on the west wing of the house, and additional four on the east. Emma was impressed because even though she knew Regina was well off, she couldn't even begin to imagine how her childhood must have been. And now, she was starting to think what the hell the architect saw in her, a foster kid with trust issues and a tendency of doing the wrong thing all over. Regina didn't know her yet, that is why she was so loving and understanding. If they continue to see each other, the brunette would eventually know the truth, and that would change everything. It always had.
Kathryn, none the wiser, was babbling about all the things she and Regina did together while their time in college, and how they managed to get away with a party in the house once the Mills were out on vacation. They stopped abruptly when Kathryn noticed they arrived where she wanted: Regina's old room. "Ready?"
"What?" Emma squealed, coming back from her reverie. Kathryn gestured towards the room and Emma then readily agreed. For better or for worse, she was curious about Regina's teenage room. Kathryn explained that she hadn't lived there since she went to Harvard.
The room was nothing like the rest of the house. It was much more cozy, and full of life, despite the years it was unoccupied. Posters of bands on the walls, musical instruments – including a piano - and a dressing table with a big mirror. It was clear that Regina spent a lot of time in this room if the pile of books and journals were anything to go by. Next to the bed, a bedside lamp and a few pictures of Regina and her friends. She didn't seem to have many since only two or three were appearing all over the pictures. And they wore a band uniform.
I can't believe it. Regina was a geek. That made Emma's heart swell. She would have imagined the very imposing woman as a head cheerleader, prom queen, but nothing like that. And, to be honest, she liked this version even more.
"So, spill," Kathryn announced, without preamble.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, you know what I mean. You also know what I want to know. You and Regina. Go. Talk."
If it weren't for the fact that Kathryn helped her out in the very beginning and she was positively impossible to hate, Emma would have scoffed at the question. But looking at shiny blue eyes filled with excitement, she knew Kathryn was cheering for them. And it felt good.
"You know how to throw me out of balance, uh? I don't even know what to say… Me and Regina, we haven't figured out anything yet, it's new…"
"Oh, new, my ass! This thing between the two of you has been going for too long now. And frankly, I was worried it wouldn't be solved anytime soon. Imagine my surprise when I realize you are the one she's spending her Sunday with… and now you have a son? Wow!"
"Yeah, yeah, a lot has happened in the past few years. Henry is the best of it. The rest, not so much." Emma couldn't help but grimace.
"That bad, huh? Bad break up? Henry's father?" The older blonde was shooting questions uninterruptedly.
"Uh, yeah, I mean, no. I mean- it doesn't matter. I'm back to New York now, and Regina has met Henry, and things are going fine, and I don't want to ruin it. You know?" Green orbs found blue ones in a silent plea.
"Oh, dear, you don't have to worry. Regina is crazy about you. She was completely devastated when you left, and it took months for her just agree to go out with me again. She would just go to work and back home without seeing or talking to anyone, and even her parents started to think she was sick. What I mean is, she really likes you."
"She does?" Wary but hopeful eyes were staring thoughtfully into Kathryns.
"Yes, she does. Now I want to know what are your intentions with my friend since the last time went badly, I want to make sure this time you two will do this right." Despite the slightly threatening tone, Kathryn was smiling proudly.
xxx
"Are you a grandpa?" Henry asked thoughtfully after observing the older Mills in his game of chess. He was mulling over move his queen or not, and even if he was playing with a four-year-old, he was taking this seriously.
"Pardon?"
"I mean, do you have grandsons and granddaughters?" His last words were a little slurred by his effort to pronounce them right, just like his mommy taught him. Enrique found that adorable; his big eyes would look at him with so much hope and naivety.
"Oh, no, I am afraid I am not a grandpa, Henry." He patted the boy's head in a gesture of affection. "Not quite yet."
"Why?" Since his mother wasn't there to scold him for being inappropriate, Henry was simply asking all the things he wanted to know. And he was a very curious little boy.
"Well, to have grandchildren, I would need that my only daughter – Regina – to be a mother. And she isn't yet."
"R'gina will be a good mom," Henry concluded, still in thought.
"Yes, she will. Whenever she is ready, she will be a wonderful mother." Enrique knew his daughter well, and he knew that Regina would be excellent as a mother, as she was in everything she put her heart in.
"I don't have a grandpa," Henry spoke softly. Enrique encouraged him to continue, then. "Mom says she doesn't have parents and I don't know about my dad. I guess I don't have a dad, 'cause I never saw him. So, I don't have a grandpa or a grandma."
"Oh, Henry, I'm sorry to hear that. I tell you what: how do you feel about being my honorary grandson?"
"sHonorawy?"
"It means that even if we are not family, we can be. I still don't have grandchildren, and you don't have a grandpa, so we can practice with each other. Who knows, maybe you'll have a grandpa one day, and it will be good for you to know how to have one. And for me as well."
The boy seemed to absorb all the information and after a few seconds processing it, he finally squealed "Yeah! Awesome!" because that logic made absolute sense to his young brain. He, then, extended his hand to Enrique. A handshake formalized the agreement, and then, they continued to play.
xxx
After a few minutes after Kathryn had returned with Emma, Regina entered the library and informed that dinner was served. Yes, dinner, because the late lunch got so late that it was almost five o'clock.
The meal was pleasant but somewhat uneventful since they all just talk about their latest doings and Henry was too worried burying his face in a large piece of lasagna. Emma had quietly wiped his face off Bologna sauce and asked him to chew with his mouth closed, but other than that, he was surprisingly well behaved. He was a nice kid overall, but a family dinner was not something he was used to, at least not one that fancy. Regina reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it, making Emma smiled at her fondly. They were a good team, and the more time she spent with Regina, more she knew she was the one.
The thing is, she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop since Regina was perfect, and there was no way she would want someone as broken as Emma. That thought made her heart sting and she tried to cough to disguise her pained face. Immediately Regina was making sure she was alright, and she couldn't help the warmth that would invade her every time Regina acted like that. Worrying. Caring. Loving?
After dinner, they moved to the living room to have a cup of coffee or tea, and after a few more moments of chatting, Regina decided it was time to go. She thanked her family, and they said their goodbyes. Emma was also very thankful because all the family made her feel very welcomed.
When they were all outside, waving hands and promises of seeing each other soon, Regina and Emma already opening the car door to accommodate Henry, he turned to the house and yelled: "Bye, Grandpa!"
"Henry!" Emma scolded. Enrique Mills started to laugh, but managed to reply, while both women were left staring at each other in complete confusion, and Cora just smirked. What a Sunday.