Maxerica

Try Again

I give Lucy a hug before sitting by Maxon.
We're all having tea in the living room.
Kaden, Ahren, and Eadlyn are playing on the floor.
Ostens asleep on my chest with his blanket around him, clinging to my shirt.
"He really is so precious," Lucy coos at Osten.
"He's a sweetheart," I agree. "I love him so much."
"I bet. You're such a good mom."
"Speaking of moms. You'd be a good one too. And I know Aspen wants kids."
She nods. "We've been trying. It's just not going so well."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...we got pregnant once and it was miscarried. We haven't been able to get pregnant since."
"Oh I'm so sorry."
"It's ok. We'll keep trying and it'll happen eventually."
"Have you ever thought of having a surrogate?"
"No actually. But I don't know of anyone I'd trust to do it. Or if that's what we want."
"I'd do it."
"Really?"
"No," Maxon interrupts.
I look at him.
He's looking at me. "I'm sorry but we can't do that. Any baby she gives birth to has to be mine and hers. It can't be anyone else's."
"But Maxon-"
"No. You can't. Sorry. You have a duty as queen."
I frown at him and look away.
"I hate being Queen," I state.
"I'm well aware," he replies.
I roll my eyes.
We sit in silence for a few minutes.
Aspen clears his throat. "Thank you for having us back," he appreciates.
"You're always welcome here," Maxon tells him.
"We've missed our home."
Osten wakes up and starts whining.
I get up, taking advantage of this chance to escape.
"Excuse me," I say before walking out.
I look down at my little man as I walk down the hall.
"What is it?" I ask in my mommy voice.
He watches me with a pout.
I give him a soft kiss on the forehead and he makes the smallest noise.
I smile at him.
I find my way to our room and sit on the bed.
I look back at Osten as he yawns.
"My handsome little man," I whisper. "Go to sleep."
I keep watching him as he tries to fight off sleep, his eye lids fluttering open and closed.
He falls asleep and I stay with him until I have to face Maxon.

"Mommy!" Kaden yells excited as I walk into the dining room.
I smile at him. "Hi sweetheart."
He runs over and hugs my leg.
Maxon brought all of the kids and the Legers in for dinner already. I was the last to arrive. Well, Osten and I.
I have Kaden sit back down and sit by Maxon a bit timidly.
Sitting through dinner is pretty painful, and midway through Maxon whispers to me that we need to talk. I don't reply.
After dinner we make our way to our room in silence.
The kids are going with Lucy and Aspen to play in the living room.
I sit on the bed with Osten.
He sits in front of me. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"You were being way too aggressive."
"I needed you to understand that that's not an option before you started getting your hopes up."
"Ok. Well I'm still upset."
"I'm sorry. I guess there's another part of why i overreacted."
I look at him.
"I just," he hesitates. "I wanted to see if maybe you wanted to try again."
"What do you mean?"
"Like, for another baby."
"Another baby?"
"Yeah."
I feel my heart lighten.
He watches me.
"Oh Maxon. That's why you wanted me to not do it? So that we could have a baby instead?"
"That's part of it."
I can't help but smile at him. "Of course we can try Maxon."
"Really?"
"Really."
I smile at him.
He kisses me, earningC a kiss back.
I move back and grin at him. "Let me put Osten in bed and we'll start trying."
"Deal."