Rowan rose early the next morning.
After a whole month, he had finally enjoyed a good night's sleep.
Jaina had gotten up bright and early to prepare a lavish breakfast for him.
Soft cheese, cream bread, and soup dumplings.
Rowan had eaten far too many Western-style breakfasts. When he came to the table, the large, soft white dumplings captured all his attention.
Back when Rowan was in Kul Tiras, he had made them at home once. He had never expected Jaina to remember them, let alone recreate them perfectly.
Jaina was becoming more and more wife material. How was he supposed to resist that?
Jaina took off her apron. Seeing the surprise on Rowan's face, her delicate brows curved with quiet delight.
"Try them. I spent all night preparing them." Jaina sat neatly across from Rowan, propping her smooth, rounded chin on her fair hands as she waited eagerly for his answer.
Rowan had wanted to make a wisecrack about how a little vinegar would make them even better.
But when he saw the tenderness and love filling Jaina's beautiful eyes, he promptly abandoned the idea, picked up a dumpling, and took a big bite.
"Careful, it's hot," Jaina cautioned.
Slurp, slurp. It was a little hot, but that did nothing to slow Rowan's ravenous eating.
The rich broth slid over his tongue, swiftly overwhelming every taste bud in his mouth and stirring memories of another world.
The filling was tender and the wrapper thin, leaving a lingering fragrance with every bite.
Rowan could hardly believe Jaina had made these soup dumplings. They genuinely tasted better than any dumplings he had ever eaten.
Food made with love really did taste better.
Eating something so delicious inexplicably made Rowan think of his mother.
*Mom, I'm doing well here. You don't have