“It’s alright,” she shrugged playfully. “I don’t let it bother me.”
It was impossible to hide the happiness she brought him—his heart was pounding too fast beneath his chest. With a soft kiss on her forehead, he pulled away. “I’ll check on Lovette first, then meet you downstairs for dinner. Sound good?”
Noemie gave him a gentle push toward Lovette’s room, laughing softly. “Sounds perfect! Now go and try to be as quiet as possible. You don’t want them to wake up. It was a challenge handling the two of them.”
———
Something was clearly amiss during dinner.
Sonia Halest never showed up, and it was only when Ajax took his seat at the table that the maid informed him his mother had asked for dinner to be brought to her room. At first, he thought she might not be feeling well, but his gut to
