Chapter 62

Dinner Time Drinks

Tam stared at the table ladened with freshly washed carrots, bok choy, green onions, and celery. Beside the vegetables was some ginger root, and sitting in a pot, freshly caught and plucked, was a chicken.

The physician had only recently left, meaning Tam had just come back from hiding behind the shed, and Luca was apparently fast asleep.

“You know how to cut vegetables?” Sua asked crisply, her hands on her hips.

A wry smile pulled across Tam’s face before he darted a brief look at Jeong and Eli. They pointedly looked elsewhere as they, too, fought back knowing grins.

They were all feeling significantly better knowing that Luca had received medicine, and Jeong had relayed to everyone that the physician believed within a few days Luca would be feeling right as rain, though would most likely have a lingering cough for another week or two.

“Sua, I was planning on making the whole dinner for you and your husband to show my thanks.”

Sua’s gaze narrowed. “You can cook?”

“It’d be incredibly strange if I didn’t.”

The woman’s mouth pursed as she looked at Eli. She clearly wanted to ask about why Tam would say such a thing, but instead said to her, “What about you? Do you cook?”

Eli shook her head. “Not at all.”

Sua fell silent.

“How about you and Hajung sit outside with a glass of rice wine, or whatever liquor you have, and enjoy the evening,” Tam proposed with a tired, yet appreciative half smile.

Sua frowned, but Hajung, who was still drying his neck off after washing it with a damp towel by the back window, interjected. “Come, Sua. It’s not like there is anything to steal,” Hajung called to his wife before a yawn claimed him.

Sua’s finger tapped her upper arm once, then turned toward the door to leave without another word. Though she did reach into a cabinet beside the front door and pull out a stack of cups before following her husband outside where the sun was casting its final moments light over the water; promising a brilliant sunset.

When the door closed both Eli and Jeong turned to Tam who was already picking up the knife on the table.

He looked at Eli. “Did you see where she keeps the garlic?”

She nodded. “It’s in the bowl behind you.”

“Great.” Tam located it quickly, and then laid everything out before himself.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Jeong asked with a faint chuckle.

Tam shook his head. “Oh no, I’ve been trained how to cook since I was seven years old. You two could probably just go join Sua and Hajung outside.”

Both Eli and Jeong looked at each other and shrugged.

Jeong bowed to Eli and gestured toward the exit. “Might as well,”

Hesitating only a moment, Eli proceeded out of the cozy cottage, the rushing waves on the beach a short ways over becoming momentarily louder as she opened the door and stepped over the threshold.

Jeong cast a wink at Tam then followed behind her.

Tam smiled back and started to work on peeling the garlic.

It was a nice, familiar task. Cooking a meal was something Finlay Ashowan had made his children do at least once a week for years. Sometimes they’d all cook as a family—save for the duchess who instead sat nearby with a stiff drink in hand. Tam recalled how his father had always believed cooking to be a rather spiritual experience…

While not quite as reverent about the act as Finlay Ashowan, Tam did find it the perfect way to occupy his mind, and busy his hands… Something more like a meditative act.

And so he lost himself to the task, humming on occasion or uttering things like “Oops, get back in there.” Or, “Get… Off… of… that…” when his chopped green onions felt like sticking stubbornly to the knife’s blade.

The repetitive crash of the waves outside, and the lowering of the sun all played into the helpful atmosphere that allowed Tam to breathe again. While it took a little bit of time, after a while, Tam felt significantly calmer than he had in days, and so he allowed himself to turn over his present situation, as well as how best to plan for the future.

The physician may have alerted someone about a foreign boy being there, and so everyday from then on was a risk. Hell, soldiers could already be on the way.

Tam’s anxiety stirred in his chest with renewed vigor

Until the potent aroma of the broth he was stirring changed, and he was prompted into removing the pot from its place over the fire using two towels that Sua had set out.

He stared at the colorful hearty soup with a satisfied smile before he grabbed a ladle and eased some liquid and vegetables into it. The sweetness of the carrots, the zing of the ginger, the savory of the chicken…

His mouth watered.

After weeks of roasting whatever wild animal Eli had hunted for them, to have such a well seasoned meal was heavenly.

Steam curled off the broth, and so, after blowing on the liquid to cool, Tam took a sip.

“Hm. Needs more salt.”

“Dad?”

Tam nearly leapt out of his skin.

“Luca!” he gasped when he registered his son’s pale face staring up at him in confusion.

“What’re you doing?” Luca asked before reaching up to rub his right eye.

“Making us all dinner, how’re you feeling?” Tam hurriedly put the ladle back in the pot and gave Luca his full attention.

“Better!” Luca smiled up at Tam, and the future duke felt like he could cry again out of pure relief.

Lowering himself down to a crouch, Tam wordlessly pulled Luca into a hug, then kissed the side of his head.

“Thank the Gods,” Tam’s voice hitched.

It took a while, but eventually the father and son were forced to part when the front door stuttered open, and in stumbled Jeong.

“Smells good in here! Is uh… Is dinner… Luca!” Jeong greeted after slurring most of his words with his cheeks pink.

Tam could tell the Zinferan was a tad inebriated.

“Dinner is ready, yes. I take it you all are enjoying the sunset?”

“We *hic* are!” Jeong’s smile suddenly turned devious. “I’ve never seen Eli drunk before either, but Sua keeps making her drink even though we haven’t even been out there that long.”

Tam barely fought off a snort of laughter as he straightened. “She’s drunk?”

“Come see for yourself. Luca, how about you help me bring out bowls for everyone, hm? You look like you’ve got a bit of strength back!”

Sheathing his mouth with his elbow, Luca loosed a terrible and wet cough before nodding, and following Jeong over to the cooking table where Tam had set the pot while he proceeded out the front door.

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As it turned out, the group had not been enjoying their beverages on the front of the house where they could watch the ocean, but were in the backyard sitting on a low table they must have moved over for the occasion.

Upon finding them, Sua waved happily to Tam, which surprised him as the woman had generally been quite standoffish.

“Why don’t you come join us for a drink! Your wife here is holding up quite well!” Hajung chortled as he tossed a handful of raspberries into his mouth.

Tam’s eyes moved to Eli and found that she was incredibly flushed, swayed where she sat, and her hair was sticking up oddly as though she’d been running her hand through it.

“Dinner is ready,” he informed Sua and Hajung as Eli turned to face him, then squinted.

He guessed she was maybe seeing two or three of himself.

“Help yourself to the drink. We usually make too much anyway,” Hajung said with a grunt as he pushed himself to his feet before he shuffled past Tam. Sua followed closely behind him wearing a coy smile.

Tam bobbed his head in thanks, then strode over to Eli who was struggling to uncross her legs and set her feet on the ground. He watched her do this, and, once he was absolutely certain he heard the front door close, signifying that it was only them outside, he drew closer.

“Are you a little drunk?” Tam couldn’t keep the smile from his face.

Eli’s head flopped back so that she could stare up at him, and her eyebrows twitched. “I’mm fiiiiine!”

“Are you now?” Tam casually sidled over and plunked himself down on Eli’s left. “Luca’s awake and feeling a lot better.”

“That’ss so…. So good! I’m so relieeved!” Eli declared exuberantly.

“Mhm. I’m glad for it as well… I’m hoping if no soldiers come for us we can take off still heading east and track down a fishing boat along the way.”

“That’d be good.” Eli reached up and scratched the side of her head clumsily before turning her head to stare at Tam again. “You’re…. Really handsome.”

Tam laughed then met her gaze. “Why do you sound annoyed by that?”

“Because it is annoying.”

Unsure how to handle receiving such a strange compliment Tam awkwardly reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorry about that.”

“You can’t help it. But it’ss… It’s sso annoying.” Eli gave a derisive snort.

“Ah. I’ll try to do better on that front. Is there anything else about me that annoys you?” Tam ventured while planting his palms on the table so that he could lean back and stretch his legs out.

“A loooot of stuff, but I shouldn’t… Shouldn’t tell you that, because people who… Who love each other don’t… Don’t do that!”

Tam’s humored expression froze as he looked in surprise at Eli. “Eli… Are you saying you love me while being wildly intoxicated?”

“There you go… Being annoying! Can’t just let me… Let me sssay stuff… You have to… To be the kind of… Kind of guy that listens to women. Puh.” Eli tossed her head derisively.

Tam blinked and pressed his lips together in another effort not to laugh again. “I’ll work on that flaw as well. Anything else?”

“You’re juss’ so…. So… Respectful! Don’t you want to… To have sex?!”

Tam was instantly grateful that he wasn’t drinking anything as he was certain he would’ve spit it out when Eli launched that question at him like an arrow straight for his heart… Or maybe it was an arrow directed elsewhere…

“Uh. Yes. Yes, I do want to do that. With you. A lot. But you asked me to go slow. We are going slow.”

“YOU want a thousand babies! So why won’t you–”

“Oh… Oh, no. No, no. I do not want a thousand babies. I was teasing you before with Luca!” Tam leaned forward and tried lowering his voice in the hopes that Eli would maybe to do the same, though as he did this he could feel heat warming his cheeks.

“Nooo! You want that! Admit it! You looove having Luca, an’ you want more. You’re the type!”

“There’s a type?”

“Yeah. The good dad type. The happiest being a father… type.”

“Eli? Look at me.”

The Zinferan princess took her time, but eventually she did manage to roll her head in Tam’s direction and stared at him.

Well… kind of stared.

It looked like she was about to go cross eyed.

Tam decided to help her and so he lowered his face to hers and cupped her cheeks in his hands gently.

“I will have as many children as you want. And yes, I want you in my bed one day, and not with Luca between us. But we are on the run from an empire’s army, a coven of witches, and we have only just started this relationship. So I am not rushing you. Especially when we have no… contraceptive measures.”

Eli leaned her face a little more heavily in Tam’s left hand as she tilted her face to the right.

“What if I want a bunch of children?”

“Then Gods help you, you'll get them very quickly,” Tam assured, though he was starting to feel his struggle with reason and desire resurface as the conversation progressed.

“Well. I do. I want five.”

Tam’s mind went blank. “You want five children? Even though you are wildly particular and a bit of a perfectionist?”

“Mmm. Yeah. Yeah I do. Though Luca counts as one.”

Tam sighed. “I’m going to have to ask you about this when you’re sober.”

“Go ahead! It’s what I want!” Eli straightened herself up and lifted her nose into the air indignantly.

Tam couldn’t help it, he chuckled.

“You think that it’s funny?!” she accused.

“A little! Not that I won’t be happy to oblige you, but… Can I ask why specifically four more?”

Eli stared up at the darkening sky and didn’t answer straight away.

Tam wondered if she had maybe forgotten the question and was about to suggest they go grab some dinner, when she finally responded.

“I… Didn’t think… I could be a good mother…. ‘Cause of my mother bein’ awful. An’ then… Then I spent time with Luca, and I think I could. And my… my parentsss had four kids, an’ I just think… I could have the… The right family. Finally.”

Tam listened, his heart aching as he recognized the longing, and wistfulness in Eli’s voice.

But then she decided to utterly undo him by saying.

“Besides… There should be more… more people like you in the world.”

Feeling both uncomfortable, but also incredibly appreciative of the compliment, Tam reached over and gently rubbed Eli’s back.

“You are an amazing woman.”

“Tam?”

“Yeah?”

“I think… I might… vomit.”

“Ah.” It was all Tam had time to say before Eli bent down at her waist, and was sick on the ground.

“Aaah…” Tam kept rubbing her back as she retched. “When you're finished we’ll get you some water and soup and I’ll put you to bed with Luca. Sound good?”

She vomited some more.

“Yeah… Yeah I think that’s the best idea for now.”