Just when I thought the leak was the worst of it, the following days proved it was merely the tip of the iceberg. With my immobile arm and racing mind, I paced the kitchen while Taylor snapped at me for the thirteenth time tonight. Never mind that Rui was trying to sleep in our bedroom. Never mind that Aki and Benji escaped to the engawa from my wife's distraught energy. Never mind that right now, this was the only logical thing for me to do.
"Make me understand, Karlie," Taylor said from behind the counter, bracing herself on both hands. "Why are you fighting so hard to meet up with someone who has only ever brought you harm? Do you honestly expect me to send my wife off to see her ex without so much as a word about it?"
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. "I already told you, Taylor. This has nothing to do with our past."
"It has everything to do with it!" Taylor raised her voice for the first time in years. And it made me flinch. "Now they're dragging our child into this, and your knee-jerk reaction is to say yes to her?"
"Because she has something important to say." Avoiding her gaze, I stared at our wedding photo on the fridge door. "She wouldn't inconvenience herself for a petty night out with her ex. I know her."
"Oh, you know her?" Taylor let out a dry laugh. "Fine. Okay." She ran a hand through her hair. "Send my love to Toni."
I watched her retreat to our bedroom, then I shrugged. "Tay, c'mon..."
"What, Karlie?" Taylor looked at me. "What else do you want me to say?"
My chest ached seeing her hurting because of me again. "I'll be home soon."
Like usual, Taylor's eyes told me everything I needed to know before she closed the door behind her. Leaving me conflicted and guilty, and a glitching mess. Thinking about what Toni truly wanted from me that she drove all the way from Tokyo at this hour made my stomach turn. But for some twisted reason, it felt like the right thing to do. And I had to trust my gut despite Taylor's disapproval. So I grabbed my black coat, wrapped my black scarf around my neck, and headed out into the chilly night.
Autumn's breeze on my silent walk to the restaurant made my nerve pain flare up. And even I questioned what I was doing the closer I got to the location. What if you just put everyone in danger because of this? When I spotted the place, I shook my head. Of course it was the fanciest in town. Toni wouldn’t dare step inside an authentic local restaurant. From behind, I recognized Taylor had one of our men follow me. And I didn’t mind. If anything, I needed security now more than ever.
It was clear her obsession with luxury was something Toni still possessed. As soon as the host got my name, he led me inside the restaurant. Chandeliers were dim. Soft jazz music filled the room. And the scent of extravagant Japanese cuisine hung in the air. We walked across the carpeted floor and found Toni sitting in the corner with a glass of red wine. The thing that stopped me, however, was the one she was with. I thought she came alone.
"Karlie." Toni got to her feet and waved me over.
I nodded at the host and approached their table, where a candle sat in the middle. Five years had changed her. She still had that lavish ensemble going, but she seemed different. Then I turned my attention to the little girl in a high chair, who wore a matching floral dress and had the same blonde hair as Toni.
"Konbanwa," I said, smiling as I greeted them good evening.
The little girl smiled back. "Karlie-san, konbanwa!"
"Ah, shiteiru?" I grinned. "You know me?"
"I needed to brief her." Toni chuckled and touched the girl's shoulder. "You wanna introduce yourself?"
"I’m Tara. Nice to meet you." She extended her arm.
"Karlie." I shook her tiny hand, which reminded me of Rui's. "Pleasure to meet you, Tara."
Toni smiled and said, "This won’t take long. I know she’s waiting."
Thinking of Taylor made me sigh, and I finally took my place across the table. Looking at her through the candlelight, I asked, "What’s this really about, Toni?"
Before she said anything, she called the staff, and they were about to bring me whisky when I shook my head.
"I can’t tonight. Water will do," I said, pointing at my injured arm. "But thanks."
Toni nodded. "Earthquake?"
"Yeah, I’m sure you’ve heard." I sipped my water.
Toni took a deep breath and sat back into the velvet chair. "Look, this is irrelevant. But for everything that happened… I’m sorry." She studied my face. "I was young."
"Can't say it didn't cause us trouble, but sure." I breathed out slowly. "What is it then?"
"It's my dad." She looked at Tara, who was quietly eating her spaghetti. "I thought I'd warn you about him."
I clenched my jaw. "How bad is it that you had to drive here tonight?"
Toni met my gaze. "It was obvious our relationship never stood a chance. And I’ve made mistakes I regret to this day." She shook her head. "I know we're past that, but my father hasn’t forgotten the millions in funding and equity we lost when you made that move five years ago."
My pulse raced. "They're backing the worst people on this planet to take us down. What do you want from me?"
"Karlie, for the record, this isn't my battle anymore." Toni sighed before she sipped her drink. "I’m here because an innocent child doesn’t deserve any of this. I can't imagine my kid taking hits from the media. It's cruel."
"You're saying mine is about to take more, then?" I swallowed the lump in my throat. "The whole world's already participating in this sick paternity test game, it's turned Rui's private life into a living hell. My family doesn't deserve this. I need to know what's coming."
"You know what he's capable of." Toni closed her eyes. "Rui is his strongest weapon to back you into a corner." She looked at her daughter again. "Secure your data. Rui's history. Medical records, how you conceived, whatever your journey was. Everything. Protect everything they can buy."
At first, I didn't want to believe it was real. But a threat this dangerous was enough to make my head spin. "Why can't he move on?" I scoffed. "You have. I didn't think he'd be this evil, Toni."
Toni looked away. "Taiyaki Tech has always been a threat to him after losing that corporate war. Now you're building something groundbreaking, and he knows it. Just. Keep your family safe, Karlie. Your wife." When she met my eyes again, they reflected genuine fear. "This is the best I can do. Consider this my apology for all the trouble I've caused you."
"Why now?" It took a moment for me to process what she had just dumped on me. "Wouldn't you be in trouble for leaking his plans?"
"Believe it or not," Toni said before chuckling. "The past years have opened my eyes to a lot of things. Especially my own father."
After gulping the rest of my water, I glanced at Tara. "Will you be alright then?"
"We're never alone," Toni said, nodding at their car outside.
I breathed in and prepared to leave. "Anything else?"
Toni hesitated, but she got up to look straight into my eyes. "You never deserved it, Karlie. The way I treated you." She paused. "But thank you... for sticking with me as long as you did."
"I'm just glad you found your way, Toni. She's adorable." I smiled and touched Tara's shoulder. "You should've ordered their fried chicken," I whispered.
Tara giggled and waved at me. "Mommy says that's junk!"
"Bye, Karlie," Toni said, and the little girl's echoed goodbye followed me out the door.
The moment I stepped outside, whatever fleeting warmth the place offered disappeared into thin air. I crossed my arms over my chest and tightened the scarf around my neck, feeling relieved that my security was still with me for the next five minutes of walking back home. No matter how frustrated Taylor got with me, she loved me just the same. And each time I had to do something that hurt her, it hurt me more. My chest tightened at what was waiting inside our home. But I vowed to keep them safe. And this was part of keeping that vow.
I entered our gate and finally let out a breath I was unknowingly holding. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the faint glimmer of our bedroom lantern still on. Taylor was waiting, and all I wanted was to take her in my arms. As quietly as possible, I stepped onto our genkan and locked the main door. It took several minutes of pacing the house and letting our pets back inside until I finally had the courage to walk into our bedroom. Taylor had her back to me, cuddling Rui as he slept deeply into the night.
Not knowing how to approach her, I untangled the knot around my neck, only to hurt myself even more with my unsteady hand. "Fuck's sake, Karlie," I muttered under my breath.
Taylor finally got out of bed, helping me remove the sling and making me face her. "Your hands are freezing."
"It's cold out there," I said, staring at Rui. "I'm sorry I had to leave tonight."
"I know, baby," Taylor whispered and cupped my cheek. "I didn't mean to yell at you." She went in for a hug. "Make me understand."
With my good arm, I held her closer to me and kissed the top of her head. "I met her daughter, Tara."
Surprised, Taylor looked up to observe me. "She has a daughter."
"Probably Rui's age," I said. "That's why she wanted to warn me..." I swallowed. "About her dad."
Taylor tensed in my arms, and she was quiet for a while. When she was ready to talk, she led me back outside to the living room. We settled on the couch, with Taylor letting my head rest on her lap. "I'm listening."
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. "They're doubling down on Rui. We need to secure our data from every touchpoint. Clinics, medical history, the donor, everything they can buy."
Just by the way Taylor's body reacted, I knew she was wrestling with so much rage. "And she warned you about it?" The shift in her tone sent shivers down my spine. "I struggle to trust the motivations behind this. But I trust you."
"Honestly, I wasn't expecting the meeting to be that decent," I replied.
Taylor gently pulled my hand away from my face. "Are you telling me she's changed?"
When I opened my eyes, Taylor was looking at me. "I guess her new life softened her. She sees the cruelty toward Rui."
"Tara," Taylor said before nodding. "She can't imagine her daughter getting picked apart like this."
"And she apologized," I added. "For everything."
That's when Taylor took longer to respond. "I still see that version of you, and it hurts me to this day." She ran her fingers through my hair. "But if it finally frees you both from that dark time, then I'm glad she found her way."
I looked back into her eyes, reaching up to brush my thumb along her cheek. "You don't deserve all this mess. You've done nothing to deserve this."
Taylor shook her head. "The war was never over. They were just waiting for the perfect time to retaliate." She breathed in. "We're locking everything down first thing tomorrow. This circus around Rui has to stop."
"They're funding every outlet to tarnish his story, Tay." I clenched my jaw. "It's already making me sick. Every spin about his potential father."
"Baby." Taylor made me sit up to take me in her arms. "I'm furious beyond measure. But Rui needs his foundation strong when he starts asking strange questions." She stared at the bedroom door. "And trust me, he will."
"Does my wife have strange questions?" I snuggled into the crook of her neck.
"About my wife running into the cold to see her ex?" Taylor asked, playfully hitting my thigh. "Surely, every wife would have a list of strange questions."
After leaving a kiss on her neck, I chuckled. "But you're not every wife. You're Taylor Swift."
She made me look at her, only to roll her eyes at me. "That doesn't mean I can't feel weird about it, Karlie."
"Say it then." I pushed, the sides of my mouth twitching upwards.
Taylor's eyes stared into mine. "I don't want other women on your radar. Especially not your ex."
Satisfied, I grinned and pecked her lips. "Hm."
"I swear to god," Taylor whispered and looked away. "You're lucky I love you."
"I love you too, baby," I said, pressing my face back into her neck.
The hours that followed had me tossing endlessly in bed. Taylor had to stay between Rui and me to quiet my mind. She knew if there was one thing that could instantly calm me, it was her floral and musk I always looked for. Even in the middle of all this mess, my wife still managed to carve this peaceful bubble for us. A world without her warmth was something I never wanted to exist in. And I took that thought with me as I drifted off to sleep. Taylor and Rui's safety was my only priority. It did not matter what we were dealing with. Nothing would stop me from making sure they stayed unharmed.
When morning came, the rare sound of Rui crying woke me up. It was so unusual that I thought I was actually dreaming. Groggy and heart pounding, I dragged myself out of bed to check how they were. The kitchen smelled of coffee, taiyaki, and our little one's powdered scent. But the mood was heavy with Taylor kneeling in front of him and Rui clinging to her neck.
"Rui-chan, doshita no?" I asked what was wrong as I made my way to them.
Taylor let out a breath of relief, lifting him in her arms. "See? Your mom's up now, sweetheart," she whispered before looking at me. "He doesn't wanna go today."
My brows knit together as I brushed Rui's hair from his face. "What's wrong, honey?" Feeling his forehead, his skin was warm, but not feverish.
Nothing. He continued to cry and hold on to Taylor. "C'mon, honey. Mama's here," Taylor whispered, using her hand to wipe his cheeks dry. "Mama's here."
"Daijoubu yo, I'm here." I stroked his back with my good hand. "Don't you love school? Tomodachi to asobu?" I asked, trying to remind him of the friends he couldn't wait to see every day.
It only worsened. Rui's tiny body shook as he wailed, "Minna shitsumon!" He wept against Taylor's neck. "Rui-chan... Papa wa?!"
The moment he said it, Taylor's tears escaped her eyes, and I felt my chest ache for them both. Rui had been under constant scrutiny at school the past several days after the media turned his existence into a mysterious puzzle the world wanted to solve. The toll of everyone asking him the same questions, "Who's your Papa? Where's your Papa?" finally caught up. And my heart broke seeing our usual sunshiny Rui this way.
"Oh, sweetheart," Taylor said, rocking him in her arms. "I'm sorry."
"Gakkou suki janai!" he shrieked, saying he no longer loved school. Then he shifted, opening his arms to me instead. "Mama dakko!"
Even with Taylor's concern about my shoulder, I stepped closer to them, leaving a lingering kiss on her forehead first. "Oide, Rui," I whispered, inviting him into my embrace. Carefully, Taylor guided him to wrap his little arms around my neck. "It's okay, honey." I kissed his damp cheek. "You don't have to go today."
Taylor nodded while she wiped her tears. "Taiyaki tabetai?" she asked softly, stroking Rui's back.
"Un." Rui nodded, tightening his arms around my neck. "Ouchi daisuki," he mumbled against my skin. He loved being home.
Because my arm was giving out under his weight, we moved to the couch together. Rui still clung to me, and I watched Taylor set our breakfast on the small table. I knew she was keeping her cool for him while he silently sobbed into my shirt, making me close my eyes for a moment to calm myself. If this was only the beginning, I could not imagine how much more our four-year-old had to stomach out there in the world.
When our meal was ready, I moved beside Taylor on the tatami flooring, finally letting Rui sit on my lap to eat. Taylor retrieved a small warm towel to help Rui freshen up, and she covered his face with soft kisses to comfort him while wiping his tears away.
"We love you, sweetheart," Taylor said, framing his tiny face with her hands. "What else do you want today?"
"Calbee suki," Rui whispered before biting into his taiyaki. He wanted potato chips, pointing at my dedicated shelf down the hall.
Taylor let out a soft laugh and glanced at me. "For breakfast?"
"Un," Rui mumbled. "Please, Mama? Onegai, Mama."
"Ii ne," I said, tousling his hair. "Your mom loves good manners. But I think that's not enough. Ato wa?" I smiled at Taylor, prompting Rui to go on.
Finally, a faint smile formed on Rui's face. "Mama, I love you. Daisuki." He crawled over to hug Taylor and kiss her cheek.
"Aw, you're just like your mom." Taylor and I laughed, then she squeezed him in her arms before carrying him to check the cupboard. "Ii yo, which one?" When he reached for the consommé-flavored bag, Taylor shook her head. "Of course, that's her favorite."
Watching them from where I sat, I sipped my coffee and finally ate the taiyaki Taylor made for us, ready to feed my wife some when they found their place beside me again. Taylor had her share and opened the bag of chips for Rui.
"Have some of your milk first, sweetheart," she said. "And finish your taiyaki."
Rui quietly complied, giving Taylor the chance to tend to my arm. She sat down beside me with a fresh white sling and carefully tied the knot around my neck. For the first time this morning, she kissed my temple and gave me a quick peck on the lips. For the first time this morning, a tear rolled down my cheek. Taylor brushed it away with her thumb, and we watched our little one innocently make himself feel better with a bag of potato chips... and the simple feeling of safety inside our home.
Reality hit when the sun rose over the horizon. Once we informed Rui's school about his absence, they called for an emergency meeting given the gravity of his emotional distress. But before we could even process that, we called an early emergency briefing inside our own compound. The school situation was urgent, but securing our family's life data was infinitely more crucial in the long term.
We gathered in the office. Like me, everyone just got out of bed. Like me, everyone's anxiety levels were through the roof. Rui stayed beside Taylor, keeping busy with his manga as the adults around him faced the most destructive storm of the year. Tree was up late at night, alarm bells blaring and all. Even Abigail joined the call, wanting to make sure we were okay.
I paced the floor, nerve pain shooting through my anxiety. "Derek, Tree, Abi, you’re on legal hold orders, gag filings, and emergency mandates. Scrub our cloud redundancies immediately." To Este and Cara, I said, "We need every local backup, private communication, and IVF medical record secured on our isolated servers. Cara, deploy automated crawler alerts for any query linking to Rui and our history. Our Poison Pill Protocol goes live today."
Beside them, Jack and Brandon immediately shifted to emergency mode without being told, coordinating with Cara and Este to trace every personal touchpoint before the world could buy it.
Finally, I turned to Austin. "AK, lock down Taiyaki Publishing's distribution nodes and seal the raw manuscript vault. I want every frame of our private video archives, BTS footage, and family documentaries pulled off network shares and locked in cold storage." I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. "We have to be at the school in an hour. Are we good then, guys?"
"Hai!" everyone chanted.
"Hai," I echoed, breathing out and looking at my wife, who was quietly reading to Rui. "Tay?"
Recognizing her cue to speak, Taylor looked up and nodded. "We've drafted zero-tolerance media directives." She kissed the top of Rui's head. "Statements, comments, or interviews are off the table. Anyone who prints stolen data, speculates on his medical history, or comes within a mile of his school gets hit with immediate gag orders and lawsuits." Taylor met my eyes. "Nobody gets to steal any more of Rui's peace. Not on our watch."
My gaze lingered on my wife before I addressed the team once more. "You heard her. Get to work." I paused. "Adjourned—"
"Thank you very much!" they acknowledged.
Despite needing each other's positive energy, the atmosphere remained tense as soon as everyone locked in on our mission. Before we knew it, we were in the car to Rui's school, while he stayed behind with Austin at the office. Luckily, our driver and security handled everything with ease and allowed us a bit of breathing room on the road.
Taylor scooted closer to me, gripping my hand. "Thank you for being the CEO that you are."
"I'm only this CEO because of you," I said before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Being a parent is more complicated, don't you think?"
"Only when your wife is Taylor Swift, and the media is obsessed with her personal life," she said, sighing at our reality. "I'm sorry it had to come to this."
I draped my arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. "You don't mean that. You know this isn't your fault." Looking at her, I smiled. "I love being married to Taylor Swift. She's a wonderful mom to Rui. The best there is."
Taylor looked at me, and she was holding back a smile. "Only because I say yes to Calbee for breakfast."
"Precisely, only because of that," I said, grinning as I looked away.
Taylor's laughter lifted the weight off my shoulders. And despite my system crashing yet again the moment we got out of the car, having my wife beside me as we entered the campus helped me keep myself together for what was about to come. The school's red and white motif blending with its wooden framings and sunlit open glass hubs reminded us of why we chose this place for Rui. Walking down the halls to the Early Learning Center gave us that comfortable vibe that we knew he loved. But looking at the playground and thinking it could be where other kids interrogated him made my stomach drop.
Typical of Japanese schools, the welcome inside the Principal's Office was polite, warm, and formal. Typical of international schools in Japan, most of the faculty members were foreign, like us. Typical of Japanese custom, they offered us green tea before we began. Rui's homeroom teacher and the principal joined us, and they were very apologetic about what happened.
"We understand the nature of a chaotic schoolyard," Taylor said, addressing their concerns. "We also acknowledge Rui is one child in a sea of hundreds. All we're asking is assurance that our son's well-being be met with empathy given the media scrutiny we're currently under." She paused to compose herself. "In return, we can assure you we're doing everything in our power to cover our bases. Global, legal, and domestic, to preserve his sense of security at home."
The principal nodded. "We've already briefed our staff on tighter campus security, vigilance, and playground supervision following the incident. Know for certain we recognize how grave the situation is, and the school vows to cooperate in securing official data surrounding Rui's records." She turned to me then. "Directives will be handled with necessary urgency."
"We appreciate your commitment to providing a safe environment for him," I said with a slight bow of my head. "We'll have our team assist your IT department in auditing access logs for Rui's files. Our encrypted channels ensure your local servers and data are protected from any threat end-to-end."
After discussing legal and official matters, Rui's homeroom teacher stepped in to address his apprehension about coming back to school. "I'm sorry to hear he feels that way at the moment, and we understand it may take time for him to warm up again." She offered a deep bow. "I can guarantee the class has gone through appropriate processing, and everyone promised to behave better moving forward."
Taylor's expression softened, smiling at the teacher. "We can't thank you enough for making Rui's school life so vibrant and worthwhile. Until today, he's only had wonderful stories to share with us." Taylor glanced at me and touched my arm. "Rui loves it here, and we're hopeful with enough conversations at home, he'll come around."
Following my wife's lead, I gave the teacher an appreciative smile. "We'll let him know it's more than safe to come back. Teachers are the heartbeat of this community, so thank you for everything that you do."
Typical of Japanese custom, the meeting ended with agreed-upon contingency plans, more apologies for what happened, and endless expressions of thanks. Typical of my wife, she had our driver leave boxes of freshly baked seasonal pastries from a premium neighborhood patisserie for the entire ELC faculty to share. Typical of my glitching brain, I had no words for Taylor's traps everywhere she went. I loved them just the same.
Because we successfully handled things from the school's end, coming home meant handling the difficult conversation with Rui. While simultaneously handling the media storm and cyber war that had just begun. Whatever relief I felt on the drive back disappeared, promptly replaced by looping worries for our small family. When we got back and the glass doors opened, Rui jumped off Austin's lap and ran to Taylor. My wife took him in her arms, instinctively leaving a soft kiss on his cheek and letting me do the same.
"Mama, Okaeri." Rui smiled at Taylor and touched her cheeks with his hands. "I miss you."
"Aw." Taylor studied his face. "What did Uncle Austin say no to?"
From his spot, Austin watched us, chuckling with the team at Rui's plotting. Even Tree and Abigail knew what he was up to.
My heart softened when we heard Rui giggling again before he snuggled into Taylor's neck. "Pizza suki," he mumbled, requesting pizza. "Mama, onegai. My favorite restaurant." He pointed at the door.
Taylor laughed and looked at me. "After having Calbee for breakfast, I can't possibly say yes to fast-food for lunch."
"That's true." I grinned and peeked at Rui, who still had a smile on his face. "But today's a special day. Ne, Rui-chan?"
"Un!" He pointed at the door again. "Date with Mama!"
Realizing what he actually wanted, Taylor's eyes darted to the screen. Tree hesitated before she said, "It's your call, Tay. Maybe you'll get away with a quiet place."
"Baby," Taylor whispered. "I don't think so. Not today."
Just like that, my heart ached for Rui again. But I nodded. "How about a fun date with everyone, Rui-chan?"
"Hm," Rui replied, hiding in the crook of Taylor's neck. "My favorite restaurant, nande dame?" he asked why we couldn't go.
Taylor breathed out. "We can't hide from the cameras when we go there, sweetheart." She tried to look at him, but he kept his face hidden. "They'll bring your favorite pizza here. A date in the garden. What do you say?"
"Picnic?" he asked in his soft voice. "Hm. Picnic date with Mama."
I chuckled and stroked his back. "Isn't that better, honey? Aki no iro suki da yo ne? Kirei." I said, telling him the colors of autumn looked pretty outside, and reminded him how much he admired them.
"Hm. Pizza and fried chicken suki," Rui finally said, and we all laughed at his bargaining.
Taylor shook her head. "You're lucky I love you, Rui."
"Mama, daisuki," Rui replied and kissed her cheek.
While they arranged their orders and waited for our food to arrive, I got sucked into another work sprint with Cara. The past days of shadowing her had been a complicated shift in how we usually worked. But I found that fighting the urge to hover was more useful than anything else I had tried. By the second hour after coming back, our team confirmed we were fine across safeguarding data, our company situation, and overall media concerns.
At least for the rest of the day, Taylor and I could focus on Rui's immediate needs. Family time. Everyone walked to gather in the garden for lunch, where Taylor and Rui sat on a comfortable blanket and waited under the autumn trees. From afar, I knew my wife was easing him into the talk we agreed to have over pizza and fried chicken.
"It sucks, KK," Austin said beside me. "He's too young to be dealing with this."
Letting out a slow exhale, I shook my head. "It was bound to happen, anyway. And Taylor's gently breaking the truth to him."
Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm so skeptical about rich-daddy-ensemble. What is she now? An insider spy?"
"Looks like it," Austin said before chuckling. "It's strange."
"And what were you thinking meeting up with her like that, K?" Derek glared at me. "Have you lost your mind?!"
"Fuck's sake, Derek," I mumbled, running away from his impending lecture to be with Taylor and Rui. "Not today."
"Mama!" Rui saved me right when I needed him most. He was holding up a slice of pizza, asking me to hurry. "Hayaku!"
I grinned and sat down beside Taylor. "Sorry it took a while."
"He's got questions," Taylor said, taking the slice from Rui and placing it on the plate she was assembling for me. "You wanna ask your mom, sweetheart?"
Rui's innocent eyes looked back into mine, showing both confusion and curiosity. "Rui-chan no... Papa wa?" he asked, repeating the exact words the kids at school had been asking him all week.
The team quietly retreated toward the far edge of the garden to give us privacy. And Taylor's hand found mine as I thought about how to tell our four-year-old the truth. That he did not have one. That he only had two mothers and everyone around us who loved him beyond words.
I cleared my throat and glanced at Taylor. "Inai yo, Rui-chan," I said, going straight to the point. "It's just your mom and me." Taylor squeezed my hand, but she remained quiet while Rui processed what it meant.
Rui took a small bite of his pizza, chewing slowly. "Hm... nande?" he asked softly. Why?
Taylor cupped his cheek. "Every family is different, sweetheart," she finally said. "Some have a papa and a mama. Some have two papas. And some, like us, have two mamas."
"Hm. Only papa? Only mama?" He looked up at her. A specific spark lit up his blue eyes. "Like Mama's manga?"
"Yes, honey." Taylor brushed his hair from his face. "Don't you love that story?"
"Un!" While holding a slice of pizza in one hand, he grabbed a piece of fried chicken in the other, getting distracted as he ate. "No papa, daijoubu," he said, purely accepting the truth as okay. To my surprise, he fed me the pizza. "Mama and Mama, daisuki."
"Ah, Rui-chan, arigatou." I bit into it and grinned. "You're just like your mom."
Taylor watched us, but she turned away to hide her tears from Rui. I put my good arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. When she faced Rui again, he crawled onto her lap to feed her the pizza this time.
After taking a bite, Taylor laughed softly and gently pinched his cheek. "You're the best thing that ever happened to us, Rui."
Nodding, I kissed his forehead. "No papa daijoubu. Your mom and I love you so much."
We glanced around to find the team gathered under one of the Ginkgo trees. Eating and laughing despite the serious threats looming over us. The yellow leaves reminded me so much of Taylor's Roppongi penthouse in Tokyo. Thinking back on the first time I had to be with her outside the office made me smile. Walking under the vibrant autumn leaves to see her felt so remarkable then. Now, sitting under the same leaves five years later with Rui in her arms, felt just as much. When I looked at Taylor, she was looking at me. And the smile on her face told me she had the same thoughts running through her mind.
"That day brought us back together," I said and shook my head. "And it brought us here."
Taylor brushed her knuckles against my cheek. "Don't you just love Derek's bright ideas?"
I laughed and kissed her on the lips. "The brightest of them all."