𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐄𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐬 (Book Two)

7. Ice Cream

Isabella

She was grateful Rhys had magiced away the sand coating her but Isabella could swear she would still be finding piles of sand for days to come. Her bag certainly felt full of it. Though she couldn't tell anymore since Azriel hadn't let her carry it from the beach.

"Are we getting ice cream?" Oliver tugged at Isabella's hand, staring up at her with pleading eyes. "You promised."

"You did promise." Rhys supplies unhelpfully.

"Well I don't know where we can get ice cream so you'll have to ask–"

"Cassian! Cas-cian! Ca-si-ian!"

Ask the male most likely to cave on demands for sugar. Hilariously, that wasn't Cassian. He was a health nut, Isabella had learned, determined to get the most out of every meal. To live longer, stay in better shape, remain healthier.

Azriel on the other hand took three to four cubes of sugar in his tea.

"I know a nice parlour a few streets over." Azriel answered as Isabella had predicted. "They have lots and lots of flavours."

Oliver scrunched up his nose. "I don't want flay-ors."

Azriel arched a brow, "You don't want ice cream?"

"I want ice cream." Ol nods firmly, then shakes his head. "Not flay-ors."

Isabella smiled, enjoying the innocence of her son. It had certainly been a learning curve having a child. They learnt something new every day and so did she. If not an actual fact then a new level of happiness she never thought possible. And if she wasn't learning new depths to her adoration of Oliver, then she was learning the extent of her strength.

And also learning the depths of her anxieties and doubts.

There was nothing like motherhood to create doubt and fear. Starting with the fact a baby is literally defenceless in everything. Their defence mechanism was to scream when scared. scream. As in that super loud noise that attracts a lot of attention.

She still remembers those earlier days. Of having a newborn. Isabella doesn't remember the birth, Nesta might have been there, maybe Mrs Mandray. Tomas certainly wasn't. He was outside, away from the dirty blood.

Oliver had come early. It was no surprise after all the complications she had during the pregnancy. The dizziness and exhaustion. The weight loss and seizures. Still, the bedridden weeks after had been awful. She had been locked in a room with a newborn for over a month.

Nesta had visited, along with Elain every now and then, but it still wasn't enough.

It had certainly been a rough start to motherhood. A good way to make her face reality, and grieve Sol. She hadn't expected the birth of her son to mean the death of his father. But for Isabella it had. Every ounce of love she had felt for that male had been devoted to her son.

A part of her would always love Sol through Oliver.

But Sol was lost to her now.

A soft nudge against her shoulder, "What are you thinking of?" Rhy queries, looking down at her with thinly veiled worry. "It can just be the flavour debate." He gestured towards the two illyrians arguing with each other over which ice cream flavour was better.

"... mint choc ranks way higher than ambrosia." Cassian exclaimed dramatically to Oliver's amusement.

"You're being unreasonable." Azriel folds his arms. "What is wrong with salted caramel."

Cassian groans, "Because it's pure sugar."

"All ice cream is pure sugar." Isabella's voice comes out a fraction quieter than it should have, but the males take it in their stride, continuing with their bickering and eagerly looping her in.