The Secrets Her Heart Keeps

Chapter Six

"Good morning, Henry," Regina cheerfully greets him as his feet sluggishly pad across the hotel floors.

"Morning, kid."

"Good morning, moms. A-are you two making breakfast together?"

She and Emma quickly share a knowing look with one another, all too aware that this feels a little domesticated and they have never done anything even remotely close to this before. Honestly, she was about to make a snide remark about the situation when Emma had slipped next to her to help with the bacon while she prepared the omelettes, but she decided to hold her tongue instead.

"Yes. Can you set the table?" She delegates, breezing right passed the unfamiliar territory that was about to be scrutinized beneath her son's inquisitive eyes.

"Sure." Henry waltzes right up to his mothers, in search of the drawer containing silverware, before he peeks over Regina's shoulder. "Omelettes?"

"And bacon," Emma adds on, licking her lips for emphasis.

"Nice," he laughs before proceeding with his task.

"So honey, what would you like to do today? I have a few museums picked out if you'd like or maybe just a day at the beach?" Regina lists just before she flips over Henry's omelette.

"About that..." he mumbles, forcing she and Emma to freeze momentarily before they find the courage to turn around and face their son. "While we are here, I want to do things that I've never done before. I want to experience a life that is so different from the world we have at home that I'll never forget."

"Kid, you're going away to college next year, not dying."

"I know that," he mutters, focusing on aligning the utensils properly with the napkin, informing Regina that there is something bothering him.

"Henry, if you come to school out here then you will have every opportunity to do the things that we never do," she gently explains, sliding his breakfast onto his plate and passing the dish to Emma, so she can add a few pieces of bacon.

"I know," he mumbles under his breath, avoiding their curious eyes. "Can we just make this week about really living it up? To its fullest potential? Things we never do?"

Brown eyes crawl toward her partner in raising Henry, seeking her thoughts on the subject, but Regina finds a set of stunning green irises staring right back at her already. Emma seems just as concerned, a little thrown off by Henry's request, but she simply shrugs her shoulders, clearly waiting for Regina's two cents on the matter.

She offers a half smile before turning back toward their son. "Of course, Henry. It's your graduation trip, whatever you want."

"Great." She and Emma spin back around to finish cooking, but then their son is speaking again. "I want to go to Dodger Stadium."

Regina's fingers slip as she's just about to crack an egg into a dish, smashing the shell a little too aggressively against the rim, and splattering the gooey mess all over.

"Jeez," Emma gasps, fumbling for a wet paper towel to clean up the mess, but Regina ignores the egg completely and spins around on her heels.

"Henry, you don't even like baseball," she protests.

"You know what Dodger Stadium is?" Emma muses from behind her.

"Shut up, Swan," she growls before softening her voice for her son. "Henry, you really want to see a baseball game?"

"Yes, there's a game today. I already checked. I've been to museums before when I lived with Emma, and Neal even took me the first time I met him. I want to see a real live game. I want to eat a hot dog and buy peanuts and chant along with the crowd."