Page 86 of Secret Heir

“‘Prepare to be boarded, ye scurvy dogs!’” Maksim reads in an exaggerated pirate voice that’s nothing like his usual deep rumble. “‘Captain Blackheart raises his cutlass high⁠—’”

Daniel giggles, the sound bright and free. “Do the parrot! Do the parrot voice!”

Maksim doesn’t miss a beat, switching to a high-pitched squawk. “‘Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Walk the plank, ye landlubbers!’”

Daniel dissolves into laughter, clutching his stomach, and Maksim’s grin is so wide and genuine that it makes me do a double take. It’s so different from the cold, controlled expression he wears. His hand is resting on Daniel’s back, thumb moving in absent circles, and Daniel is completely relaxed against him. Trusting. Safe.

My chest tightens painfully.

This is what I wanted to give my son. A father who reads to him and does silly voices. A father who makes him laugh. A father who holds him like he’s the most important thing in the world.

But I took that away from him. Even if I was right to run—and God, I still think I was right—I can’t deny what I stole from Daniel. From both of them.

My mind goes back to the other night, sitting in bed with Maksim and showing him photos and videos of Daniel’s early years. The way Maksim’s face looked watching Daniel take his first steps in that cramped Philadelphia apartment made me want to cry. I could see the way his jaw clenched when he saw Daniel’s third birthday party, just me and Daniel and a single cupcake with a candle because I couldn’t afford more. The way his eyes went bright with unshed tears when I played the video of Daniel’s first day of kindergarten, wearing clothes from the thrift store and a backpack I’d found at a garage sale.

“You should have been there,” I’d whispered, and Maksim had just pulled me closer, his face buried in my hair, his whole body trembling.

“Show me more,” he’d said, his voice rough. “Please. Show me everything.”

And I had. Every photo, every video, every memory I could share, trying to give him back what I’d taken, knowing it would never be enough.

“Mama!” Daniel spots me in the doorway and sits up. “We’re reading about pirates! Captain Blackheart just found the treasure island!”

“I can hear that.” I force a smile, pushing down the guilt. “Sounds exciting.”

“Want to join us?” Maksim’s eyes meet mine over Daniel’s head, and there’s something soft in them. An olive branch from earlier when I refused to tell him about my flashback to when I saw him murder someone.

I shake my head. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Don’t be silly, Mama.” Daniel pats the arm of the chair. “There’s room. Maks is really good at voices.”

There isn’t actually room. But Maksim shifts, making space, and before I can overthink it I’m crossing the library and perching on the arm of the chair.

Maksim’s large hand finds the small of my back immediately, steadying me, and Daniel leans back against both of us, creating a little cocoon of warmth.

“Where were we?” Maksim looks down at the book. “Ah yes. ‘Captain Blackheart’s crew trembled in fear as the storm approached⁠—’”

He continues reading, switching between the narrator’s voice and ridiculous character voices that make Daniel laugh. His hand stays on my back, thumb tracing small circles through my shirt, and I let myself lean into it. Into him. Into this moment that feels almost normal.

Almost like a real family.

That night, after Daniel is tucked into bed after falling asleep halfway through a chapter, I’m back in the library, curled in the same chair where they were reading, staring at nothing.

The book is still on the side table, a bookmark holding their place. The room smells like the cedar logs burning in the fireplace and the faint scent of Maksim’s cologne.

I’m thinking about Daniel’s face when Maksim did that parrot voice. The way he laughed, completely uninhibited. He fit so perfectly against his father’s side.

My stomach clenches. I’ve never been able to give him that kind of security. That kind of joy.

“You’re still here.”

I don’t startle at Maksim’s voice. I heard his footsteps in the hall and knew he was coming.

“Couldn’t sleep.” I don’t look at him. “Too much on my mind.”

He crosses to the fireplace, adding another log even though the fire doesn’t need it. He’s clearly giving himself something to do with his hands. “Want to talk about it?”

“I see you with him,” I whisper, still staring at nothing. “With Daniel, I mean. I see how he trusts you. He’s so happy with you. He lights up when you walk into a room.” I finally look at Maksim, who is watching me carefully, his eyes hooded. “And I want to believe that you’re not what I thought you were and I didn’t make a terrible mistake running.”