Madam Mayor

Chapter Twenty

The warm sun is  beating down through the window, instantly warming her body from the cool morning air. She stretches her stiff muscles, blindly reaching for her son but she is greeted with an empty bed, forcing her eyes to finally flutter open.

"Henry," she croaks through a harsh morning voice but receives no response.

She glances at the old alarm clock that rests on the nightstand on Henry's side. Noon?

She instantly springs out of bed and scrambles to her feet. She has never slept this late in her life but she relaxes the moment she hears her mother and son laughing from downstairs. Relief washes over her body when she hears her son's bubbly giggle. And she knows he is going to be just fine. They are going to be just fine.

She tosses on a sweatshirt and makes her way downstairs. When she enters the kitchen, she discovers her mother and son baking chocolate chip cookies. She smiles softly at the loving interaction between the two but mostly because her son is grinning from ear to ear.

"Regina, good morning," Cora greets her with a hint of sarcasm.

She rolls her eyes playfully and heads straight for the coffee pot.

"I've never slept that late in my life," she defends, pouring a cup of coffee for herself. Cora never drinks coffee, so she knows her mother made this just for her. She drifts closer to the older woman and gifts her a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you for the coffee."

Cora smiles just as brightly and then turns her attention back to Henry.

"Mom, we are making chocolate chip cookies right now but snicker doodle is next," Henry exclaims while licking his lips dramatically.

She leans down into him as well and places a small kiss on top of his head.

"That's great, Henry. I was going to take my old horse for a walk later, would you like to come out riding?" She offers in hopes she can spend sometime alone with her son and maybe talk about everything.

"Sure mom, sounds great," he happily squeals but remains focused on mixing the batter in the bowl.

~~~~

After Henry finished baking with her mother, they walked hand in hand out to the barn.

Her heart is fluttering with so much love and she swears she can feel that broken organ mending. He is going to be just fine so long as she continues to love him through it all.

"I'm just going to walk Rocinante but you can pick a horse to ride next to us," she announces as they enter the barn.

"I know who I want to ride," he beams with excitement, flashing a playful smile that reminds her so much of her younger self. Arlo."

"A-are you sure, honey? Arlo is rather big..." she trails off but Henry is already dashing excitedly toward the horse.

"He's fine, mom. Grandma let me ride him last time I was here," he casually mentions, hoping she won't be mad at him if his grandmother allowed it.

"Alright, sweetie," she concedes, trusting her mother's expert opinion and teaching skills.

Henry helps her saddle up the black steed and once he's ready, she helps her son climb on top. She grabs some reins for Rocinante and then they all make their way to the trails.

She peers up at her son, blocking the blinding sun from her view. Despite the cold temperatures today, it's awfully sunny.

"Henry?" She hesitates, unsure how to broach the subject. "Do you have any questions about what's happening between me and your father?"