Chapter 14 - The First Steps
By autumn, little Leo was running across the grass of the coastal orchard, his bright laughter ringing through the salt-air breeze. He had his father's unruly dark hair and his mother's determined chin, but when he looked at Julian, his eyes shone with pure, untainted curiosity.
Julian knelt down in the golden clover, holding his hands out as the toddler stumbled forward on chubby, uncertain legs. "Come on, Leo. Right here."
Leo giggled, took four wobbly strides, and tumbled face-first into Julian’s chest. Julian scooped the boy up, spinning him into the air while Leo shrieked with delight.
Elena watched from the porch steps, knitting a wool blanket for the approaching winter, a quiet peace resting on her face.
"He's going to need school soon," Elena called out. "The local elementary is small, but the teachers are wonderful."
"The local school is perfect," Julian called back, setting Leo down on a soft patch of grass.
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No private academies guarded by armed details. No trust fund gossip columns tracking his every movement. Leo would grow up knowing the names of the fishermen, the carpenters, and the tides. He would learn that a man’s value was measured by what he gave back to the earth, not what he withheld from others.
As the sun began to sink below the pine ridge, painting the sky in deep shades of amber and rose, Julian walked back toward the porch with Leo riding securely on his shoulders, tiny hands gripping Julian’s dark curls.
