A single year together had sounded so long at the beginning, but now it wasn't enough. Rafaela didn't get much time with Avery, but she was careful to set a bit of her day aside to see him while both he and Brendan were still here.
Her previous anxiety over whether or not it was the right time, over whether or not it was too early, had utterly vanished once her son could meet her eyes. And if she'd had any doubt that she was just an ordinary person, he had banished it.
The Solar System's Cinderella doted on her child as intensely as any Eks Corp King ever had. She treasured him as much as any outer sector mother. She was fighting for his future status with as much determination as any other Corporate Royal parent in Central.
She was amazed by how quickly he changed, and how fast he was growing. From one day to the next, he seemed to be solidifying himself. He physically developed at a nearly visible pace, and spoke and laughed as much as his father did.
