The scent of breakfast and fresh tea leaves still lingered in the dining room when Vera returned. She stepped through the archway with her usual easy grace, the faintest smile on her lips—as if nothing at all had changed during her brief absence.
"Everything alright, Mom?"
Callen asked around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. He tried to sound casual, but Vera caught the quick flick of his gaze toward Yu and the baby in Yu's arms before he looked down at his plate again.
"All is fine, Cal…"
She replied lightly, sliding back into her chair beside Philip.
"Just a call from my old colleague at the hospital."
Her tone was smooth, but as she stirred her tea she let her eyes wander—first to Cain, cooing happily as Yu adjusted the bottle, then to Callen watching the little scene from across the table. His expression was soft in a way she rarely saw in her grown son, a tenderness that didn't quite fit the lazy, aloof mask he liked to wear.
'So that's how it is…'
She thought.
