When Yueqin reached the seat and lifted her arms for him, Yueyao's voice slipped out before she could stop it, soft but sharp around the edges.
"Seems like Daddy doesn't belong to me alone."
Jin Shuren turned his head slightly, the faintest flicker in his eyes, stern to the world, but warmer than steel when fixed on her.
His arm tightened around her waist as if to lock her against him. Only then did he reach out his other hand, drawing Yueqin up into his lap.
Now he held them both, the woman whose voice trembled with jealousy, and the child who leaned against him trustingly.
His tone when he spoke to Yueyao was quiet, meant only for her, "You forget too easily," he murmured, his thumb brushing the back of her hand, "that I am yours first."
Yueyao's lips pressed together, the sting of his reassurance both soothing and aching. His words wrapped around her like silk, but the warmth of Yueqin's small body against his chest only deepened the knot twisting in her stomach.
