The tears had dried up but a deep sniffle followed as he trailed off.

 

"How about you stop your blubbering and tell me what you thought?"

"What bubberhin?"

"Crying."

"Oh." Ember nodded. Let his head fall against my shoulder. He'd twisted in my lap so that one arm wound around my back, his legs falling into the gap between my crossed legs. "No more cwyering."

"Good. I fucking hate tears."

Rather than chide me, or gasp dramatically at the cuss, as he usually would, he nodded again. "I finked daddy no come back den Emmy have nobudy to love him and den he just be lost in twees again."

Lumen...