Melissa shook her head, laughing again while more tears escaped anyway, because every stupid sentence somehow made the happiness worse. Phei had returned from almost a year of violence, cold and impossible growth, carrying new power and an entirely different weight behind his eyes, yet here he was kneeling in front of her stomach and arguing legal definitions with an unborn child.
Then Phei's expression softened once more, and Melissa saw the joy beneath all the jokes.
"You got bigger," he murmured.
Her brows rose immediately. "Do you have a death wish?!"
"The baby," Phei corrected with impressive speed. "I meant the baby. Gods, motherhood has made you dangerous."
"I was dangerous before."
"True."
He rubbed his thumb gently over the curve beneath his palm and smiled. "Also, I brought you a souvenir."
Melissa blinked.
