"You knucklehead, how could they have William if they're not married?" Nina said, rolling her eyes. "Didn't you see Aunt Aurelia wanted to bring us over to see Uncle Arnold yesterday? Uncle Leopold was a bit miffed, probably because he was green with envy."
"What's green with envy?" Mira asked, puzzled.
"It means you get all upset when you see someone you like hanging out with someone else," Nina explained.
Aurelia was at a loss for words. Nina was too clever by half, understanding far more than she should.
Arnold caught the conversation and a gleam sparked in his eyes. He relished the sight of Leopold stewing in jealousy. Because no matter what, he could never replace the place Leopold held in Aurelia's heart, nor could he stop her from caring about him.
Mira's mind turned to mush, completely baffled by adult complexities.
‘So Uncle Arnold has walked down the aisle twice with two former wives. One was Aunt Lisa, and the other was even Aunt Aurelia.’
Mira slapped her forehead, "Grown-ups are way too complicated."
Aurelia wanted to clarify that she and Arnold had never been married, but she knew Nina would dig deeper to know how they could have William without marriage. And that was an even thornier conversation.
"Anyone up for some soup?" she quickly changed the subject.
"No, thanks," the kids waved off the offer.
"Then let's head out for some fruit, and let Uncle Arnold get some rest."
"Okay." Skyler herded the children out, with Aurelia carrying Nova, leaving Lisa to tend to Arnold.
Skyler tossed a cherry into his mouth, then queried, "William, you planning to hang with your dad and ditch us at the Stirling Mansion for the next few days?"
William nodded, "Yeah, I need to take care of my dad."
"Alright then, we're gonna miss you," Skyler sighed.
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