He approached the other three women gathered at the edge of the sea.
“Mama,” he said to his long-suffering, quiet mouse of a mother, Anika.
She was surrounded by her daughters, Ariana and Cassie, both of whom had matured into beautiful women, the latter of which was noticeably pregnant. So much had changed during their time away, the family growing, changing, he, too, not just physically but emotionally. Knowing he could not be content with the simpler things in life, not after what he’d experienced at sea.
“My son,” Anika said, kissing one cheek, then another, touching his beard. “A man, now.”
Feigning embarrassment but pleased she had noticed how much he had grown, dark eyes darted about and then asked, “And Papa? Is he not here to welcome us home after such a journey? Mikkos and I,
