"Divorced?" he asked in shock. "But why?"
Shaking her head, Hermione leaned back against the dresser behind her. "Separated," she amended. "Um, there were a lot of reasons, but things seemed like they were starting to get better recently."
"Reasons like what?" he wondered.
She seemed hesitant to say, but he continued to push. "The drinking mostly," she finally told him. "You would stay out all hours of the night and come home drunk. There were times you admitted to it, and others when you would lie. Then, one night after you'd missed a dinner with your parents, we got into a fight and you threw a lamp at the wall. We separated the next day, and you've been staying at your parents' house ever since. Well, until last night."
He had so many questions, and he knew he needed answers to them. But the first thing he said was, "I'm sorry."
"I know," she replied.
"How long?" he wondered. "Do the kids know? Why was I here last night? Did I hurt you?"
Hermione took a deep breath. "Six months," she told him. "It was your idea, you know. After that night, you said you didn't think you should live here anymore because you were afraid of hurting the kids. Ayla knows, but Leo doesn't understand."
"You said things were getting better though," he replied.
Hermione nodded. They had been progressing toward better. He stopped drinking on weeknights, he showed up for family dinners, he visited Ayla and Leo daily. But he had given no hints that he wanted to move back in.
Until last night.
"We sort of...kind of...slept together last night," she said sheepishly. He had come over after dinner, surprisingly sober despite a couple of drinks with Blaise. Leo was already in bed, but Ayla still laid on the sofa with her mother. Draco had offered to put her to bed, which in turn had put a smile on the little girl's face. When he came back downstairs to the living room, Hermione had kissed him.
"And then I wake up and tell you I don't remember any of it," he concluded. "So, that's why Ayla asked what I was doing here this morning?"
She nodded. "You're not usually here in the morning," she shared. "Even when you lived here, you were never home for breakfast."
Glancing behind him to the clock on the nightstand, his eyes widened. "Shouldn't I be at work now?" he asked in a panic, getting to his feet to find something clean to wear.
As he passed her, she grabbed his arm to stop him. "You took a leave of absence about a month ago," she informed him. "The kids don't know about that part though."
Draco was sure he didn't need her to tell him why. Moving back to the bed, he sat down and resumed his earlier posture. Beside him, the mattress dipped and a warm hand touched his back. "The last thing I remember is sitting in my office, getting drunk with Blaise, and toasting to the lives we wanted," he told her. "What you just told me...that's not the life I want to lead. Drunk, abusive. Do I sleep around too? Merlin, I think I became my father."
"As far as I know, you haven't slept with anyone else," she said softly, hoping to ease at least one concern. "And the kids aren't afraid of you. Leo only talks to you. You saw Ay's reaction to seeing you this morning. The two of them love you so much. You're not your father, Draco."
He bit his lower lip as his emotions flooded through him. "You said we fought because of my parents. Do they get along with you?" he asked.
"They do now," she replied. "It wasn't until I had Ayla that they started to like me. And it wasn't until Leo that your father started telling people that I was a member of the family. You should see him with the kids. He's happier when they're around."
"That's good, I guess," he muttered. "At least he's nice to his grandkids."
Hermione nodded, then rose from the bed. "I should get the kids ready for the day," she said uncertainly. "I planned to take them to the park. Maybe you'd like to come?"
"Um, there's something I have to do first," he replied. "Can I help though? I mean, I have no idea what I'm doing, but can I anyway?"
She smiled and crossed to the door. "Sure, come on," she replied. "You take the boy, I'll take the girl. Leo likes you better anyway."
Draco smirked as she led him to their son's room. "Jealous?" he asked.
Hermione stopped walking and turned to face him. "You always say that," she told him.
Smiling, he entered Leo's room and closed the door behind himself. His heart began to race as he realized he had no idea what to do. Leo sat on his small bed and looked up at him with no emotion on his face. He had inherited his mother's dark hair and eyes, but the angles of his face were all Draco. Ayla was the opposite. Blonde hair and gray eyes, but she had Hermione's smile and soft features.
"Okay, buddy, what do I do first?" he asked.
The little boy cocked his head to the side. "Where Mummy?" he asked.
"Helping your sister," he replied, moving to the dresser. "So, um, we need pants and a shirt and socks?" Leo nodded, but made no attempt to help him find what he needed. After opening all of the dresser drawers, Draco finally found an outfit he thought suitable enough for a day outside.
When he laid it on the bed, Leo shook his head. "No," he said defiantly.
"Why?" Draco asked.
Leo tossed the blue polo shirt onto the floor. "No," he said again, crossing his arms over his chest.
Draco bent down to retrieve the shirt, and soon found the pants beside it. Glancing up, he eyed the toddler and asked, "Why do you keep doing that?"
"Want Mama," the little boy demanded.
Draco picked up the clothes and placed them back on the bed. "Your mother is busy with your sister," he stated. "You're stuck with me, kiddo."
Sliding off of the bed, Leo ran to the door, threw it open, and made his way across the hall to Ayla's room. Without a word, he wrapped his arms tightly around his shocked mother's leg. Ayla, who had just finished dressing, turned to look at her father as he entered her room. Draco ignored the questioning raise of her eyebrows; a raise so similar to Hermione's.
"What's going on?" Hermione inquired, reaching down to pick up the pajama-clad boy.
"I thought you said he liked me," Draco groused.
Hermione groaned. "Help her with her shoes," she instructed. "I'll get him dressed."
When they were in the safety of the toddler's bedroom, Hermione managed to get him dressed with no fuss. It wasn't until they were done and ready to leave that he stopped her from opening the door. Leo wore a worried expression as he looked his mother in the eye. "That's not Daddy," he told her.
