The resort was beautiful in an inexplicable way. You had half-expected it to feel artificial, but as Aiden ran ahead with all the uncontrollable energy of a six-year-old, your heart melted.

“Slow down, Aiden!” you called.

He glanced over his shoulder. "I'm not even running that fast!" he exclaimed, even though his legs were going at full speed.

Beside you, Regulus sighed. “You’d think we’d brought him here to run marathons instead of rest,” he murmured.

You gave a small laugh, adjusting the strap of your beach bag. “That’s because you don’t understand six-year-old logic. Rest isn’t on the agenda.”

He arched a brow, the corner of his mouth twitching. “You sound like an expert.”

“Well, I’ve had practice.”

The words came out sharper than you meant them to, and an awkward pause followed, heavy with all the years of shared history and everything unsaid.

You divorced because things hadn’t worked out... because loving each other wasn’t enough to stop the arguments. And yet here you were, together again, simply because Aiden had asked.

Aiden skidded to a stop by the edge of a fountain near the main path of the resort. “Look, Daddy, Mummy! Fish!”

You hurried forward, half-expecting him to fall right in. At the same time, Regulus’s hand shot out to steady him by the shoulder. Your fingers brushed - an accidental touch, brief, but enough to send a ripple of awareness through you. You pulled your hand back quickly.

“Careful,” Regulus said. “The fish don’t want to be hugged.”

Aiden giggled. “But they’re so small! I could put one in my pocket.”

“Absolutely not,” you replied.

The three of you continued together towards the villa. Aiden skipped ahead again, too impatient to walk at the pace of adults. For a while, it was just you and Regulus walking together, the silence between you filled with the distant sound of waves crashing.

“He’s happy,” Regulus whispered.

“He is,” you agreed.

“It means a lot to him, this… arrangement.” He hesitated on the word. “Us being here. Together.”

You nodded. “That’s the only reason we’re doing this.”

His gaze lingered on you. “Is it really the only reason?”

Your breath caught. For a moment, you considered telling him the truth... the truth that, at times like this, when you weren't arguing or feeling exhausted, you remembered why you'd loved him. The truth that watching him with your son made your chest ache with something dangerously close to longing. But you swallowed it back down. You couldn’t go there. Not again.

“Don’t read into things, Regulus,” you said softly.

He gave the faintest nod, but his expression was unreadable.

Ahead, Aiden spun around. “Come on, come on! The ice cream place is still open!”

You both picked up your pace.

The shop was a cheerful little place and Aiden pressed his nose to the glass. “Can I have… chocolate chip… and strawberry… and lemon… all together?”

“Three scoops?” you asked.

Regulus crouched beside him. “Three scoops will melt before you can finish them,” he said. “Better to master two first.”

Aiden squinted at him, then nodded gravely, choosing chocolate chip and strawberry.

You and Regulus both ordered coffee and sat together at a small table outside. For a few minutes, it almost felt normal, like you were just a family on holiday with no divorce papers and no broken promises.

As the sky deepened into twilight, Aiden leaned heavily against you.

Regulus watched silently, something complicated flickering in his expression. After a moment, he reached out and gently brushed a thumb across the smear of chocolate near Aiden’s mouth. The touch was careful and tender. Then his eyes met yours.

And for a second... you let yourself wonder.

What if?

What if this trip wasn’t just a gift for your son, but a second chance neither of you had dared hope for?

The thought terrified you almost as much as it tempted you.

Aiden stirred sleepily. "Mummy, Daddy, can we all spend the rest of the evening together?"

You hesitated, your gaze darting to Regulus.

“Well, it depends... What do you say, Mummy?” Regulus whispered to you.