Fairytale Come Alive (50 page)

“Aye, baby,” he replied softly. “Thank God you and Annie aren’t perusing a litter of border collie puppies for Sally. Or buying her princess dresses. Or arranging five-star accommodation for your trip to London to take Sally to Harrods. Or something equally mad.”

In all that had happened, Elle forgot about the trip to Harrods.

Therefore she breathed, “Oh.” Then went on stupidly, “I’ll have to look into that. Can I use your computer in the study?”

He was chuckling when he replied, “It’s your house now, Elle, you can use anything you want. But don’t you think we should take you back to Chicago to get you packed up before you take Sally to Harrods?”

Elle blinked again before saying, “Chicago?”

“Aye, it’s half-term next week. I reckon we all can go.”

Elle felt her heart contract. Chicago meant Carver Austin. Elle couldn’t imagine her father’s fury when he saw her in photos with Prentice and the children.

No, that wasn’t right, she could. She could
easily
imagine it and it wouldn’t be pretty.

It would be worse if he saw them in Chicago, worse because he could get to them swiftly.

And he would.

And Elle didn’t want her father anywhere near them.

She quickly offered, “I’ll pay someone to deal with it.”

There was silence before Prentice asked, “You want to pay someone to do it?”

Oh no.

She’d sounded like a pampered, spoiled rich girl!

“Um…” she muttered.

Prentice’s voice was low when he said, “He’ll no’ harm you, Elle.”

That thing that had relaxed deep inside her but coiled up tight during their conversation, relaxed again when Prentice read her mind and made his vow.

“Pren.”

“I hope he finds out we’re there.”

Elle saw her own eyes get wide in the mirror. “You do?”

“The
only
good part of those fucking photographers is that there are so many of them, he can’t escape the way it is between you and me. I want that bastard’s nose rubbed in it. I want him to see you happy. And I want him to know I made you that way.”

That thing relaxed further.

But not completely.

“But Pren, what if he confronts you or me and the children are there?”

“Then you and I’ll have a deal. The children are present, you take them away and I’ll handle Carver.”

“He’s not easy to handle,” Elle warned.

Prentice’s voice was gentle when he replied, “No’ for you, baby. For me, it won’t be a problem. Fuck, I’m looking forward to it.”

That didn’t sound good.

“Pren –” Elle started.

“Trust me, Elle.”

“But –”

“Trust me.”

She took in a breath and nodded to herself in the mirror. “Okay.”

“I’ll take care of you, Elle.”

That thing relaxed further and she whispered again, “Okay.”

But he wasn’t done. “That time in your life is over.
Over
. It ended last night. You may burn your hand and Jace may lose a football match and Sally may get the flu and other shit might happen but it’ll be ours and we’ll handle it. You’re no’ taking shit from anyone, no’ ever again. I’ll see to that.”

After his promise that thing inside her was so relaxed Elle had to lean against the mirror to keep standing.

“Pren –” she started but she didn’t know what she was going to say.

She didn’t have the opportunity to say it, Prentice interrupted her, “I’ve got to go.”

“All right,” Elle whispered.

“I’ll see you quarter to.”

“Okay.”

“Love you, baby,” he murmured.

Her breath hitched on his words, words she adored, words she hadn’t heard in a long time, words that settled warmly deep inside her, delaying her reply but he didn’t give her that opportunity either, he rang off.

Two seconds later, Annie threw back the curtain to her changing room.

Elle threw her arms over her body which was clad only in underwear.

Annie ignored Elle’s state of dishabille and demanded to know, “Are you going to become one of those sickly ooey, gooey, lovestruck heroines from a fairytale? Because if you are, Dougal and I are going on vacation until you snap out of it.”

Elle stared at her friend then hissed, “Annie, close the curtain!”

Annie looked to her left then to her right then to Elle. “There’s no one out here.”

“I don’t care, close the curtain.”

“Bella, sickly? Ooey? Gooey? Hello?” Annie replied.

Elle took a step forward, pulled Annie into the changing room with her and snapped the curtain shut.

Then she faced off with her friend. “If I remember when you finally got through to Dougal, you were sickly, ooey, gooey, lovestruck
and
enthusiastically detailed.”

Annie grinned. “It wasn’t me who described my first time doing it with Dougal
against a wall
.”

Elle just
knew
she’d shared too much.

“That’s because you did it in the front seat of his truck,
twenty years ago,
” Elle retorted.

Annie’s face grew dreamy. “Oh yeah. That was nice.”

Elle rolled her eyes and informed her friend, “Pren and I were just talking on the phone.”

Annie’s dreamy expression faded and a happy one took its place. “I know. I listened.” She came forward and framed Elle’s face with her hands before she whispered, “Isn’t it fun?”

“What?” Elle whispered back, entranced by her friend’s carefree, happy face, something she saw a lot lately but she hadn’t seen for many a year and she wasn’t quite used to it.

“To talk to them on the phone,” Annie answered.

Elle closed her eyes.

Yes, it was fun.

It wasn’t being whisked away on a jet only to be put in a limousine and taken to a yacht to cruise the Mediterranean in order to eat a cordon bleu dinner (something Laurent had done).

It was just normal stuff like Pren coming home after work, Pren eating sponge in the kitchen after a long day, Pren tickling her in bed while she tickled Sally and Jason grinned on.

And it was the
best
.

When Elle opened her eyes, they sparkled with tears.

She didn’t have to answer, Annie knew.

In the end, Elle didn’t buy a dress as she was in the wilds of Scotland and wearing a dress to the local Indian restaurant was probably not the thing.

She bought a pair of tailored, tweed trousers with a wide, cuffed hem and a ribbed, blond, slim-fitting turtleneck (not to mention, she bought a bunch of other stuff). She paired these with black, spike-heeled sandal pumps with a notch opened at the toe and a thin, saucy ankle strap. She’d got the kids ready and then did her hair and makeup while Sally sat on the bathroom’s long counter, watched and babbled.

Now Prentice was home, asking if she was ready.

Which she was
not
.

“Can I talk to you a second?” she blurted.

“We don’t want to be late for the booking,” Prentice replied, his eyes guarded.

“A second,” Elle repeated and didn’t wait for his response. She turned and walked straight to the study.

She was staring at the drinks cabinet wondering if she should belt back some whisky when Prentice arrived and closed the doors behind him.

He didn’t delay in approaching her and before she knew it, he had her in his arms and his head was descending.

Elle jerked hers back, exclaiming, “No!” When Prentice froze, Elle went on, “No kissing. We need to talk, not kiss.”

He grinned and asked, “Why no’?”

She couldn’t exactly tell him he was such a good kisser, anytime he did it, she lost track of pretty much everything.

Heck, just standing in his arms, his warmth beating into her, their bodies brushing, was running interference with her thoughts.

“We just… can’t,” she answered lamely.

His eyes grew warm (or, more accurately,
warmer
). “All right, baby, what did you want to say?”

She didn’t waste any time and launched right in, “I think you should tell the kids here, at the house, where it’s safe and I think that I shouldn’t –”

She didn’t finish, he agreed instantly, “All right.”

She stared at him in shock. She didn’t think he’d agree!

Her mind was telling her there was more to say, like the fact that he should do it without her present but Prentice also instantly let her go, turned and, taking her hand, strode from the room, dragging her behind them.

“Pren –” she started but it was too late.

They were in the great room, Prentice had wrapped an arm strong around her waist and he glued her to his side.

Then, without further ado, he announced, “Jace, Sally, Elle and I have something to say.”

“Pren –” Elle began again but it was Jason who interrupted her this time.

“Is Elle staying?” Jason asked and Elle looked at him.

He was studying his father and, Elle peered closer, not sure she believed her eyes, but she could swear he looked
hopeful
.

“Aye, Jace,” Prentice answered.

“For good?” Jason asked.

“Aye,” Prentice replied.

Elle watched in fascination as Jason’s ten year old boy’s body visibly relaxed and those beautiful eyes, his father’s eyes, warmed with something Elle couldn’t decipher, but was striking nonetheless (in a good way) and they came to her.

She had no time to process this.

“Hurrah!” Sally shouted and ran to them, throwing her arms around both Prentice and Elle’s legs but even attached to them, she was jumping up and down.

Elle thought that outside of Prentice’s kisses, his lovemaking, waking up in his arms (even when he was grumpy), seeing his devilish grin, watching him come home and talking to him on the phone, Sally’s hugs were the best thing she’d ever experienced in her life.

But she’d been wrong.

Sally hugging
both
her and Prentice while jumping up and down excitedly at the thought that Elle was moving in while Jason gazed at her with that look in his eyes was the best thing she’d ever experienced in her life.

And it was so much the best thing, the feeling overwhelmed her and she burst into tears.

She was moved fully into Prentice’s arms; she wrapped her own around him and held on while shoving her face in his neck.

She heard Sally ask worriedly, “Why is Elle crying?”

Sally’s worry made Elle cry harder.

“She’s happy, baby,” Prentice answered, his hand running soothingly up and down Elle’s back.

“Happy?” Sally asked, now sounding confused.

“More like mental,” Jason muttered, sounding amused.

At Jason’s mutter, Elle giggled through her sobs.

“Is Elle laughing too?” Sally asked, now sounding
really
confused.

“Yes, baby,” Prentice answered, sounding like his son.

“Girls,” Jason mumbled, “totally mental.”

Elle’s tears subsided but her laughter didn’t and she held onto Prentice but twisted her neck to look at the children.

She wished she was the kind of person who knew how to say the right thing, something strong, something momentous, something that would mark this occasion in a happy way for them all forever.

But Elle wasn’t that kind of person.

So she just smiled.

Jason smiled back.

Sally rushed forward again and hugged Elle’s legs.

The little girl tipped her head back and asked, “Can you make a chocolate cake so we can celebrate?”

“No, lass, we’re going to dinner to celebrate,” Prentice replied as he shifted Elle to his side.

Jason was now smirking. “Elle might want to do something with her face.”

Elle’s hands flew to her cheeks, exclaiming in feminine horror, “My mascara!”

Prentice tipped his head down to look at her and Elle saw he was grinning.

“Just wipe it all off, baby, we’re going to be late,” he ordered.

“I’ll do a touch up. It won’t take a second,” Elle replied, swiping at her cheeks, hoping she wasn’t making it worse.

“Just wipe it off,” Prentice repeated.

“It won’t take a second,” Elle repeated too.

“Elle –” Prentice started.

“Pren, it won’t take a second.”

“Can I come?” Sally asked excitedly.

Elle extricated herself from Prentice’s arm and caught Sally’s hand, answering, “Of course, sweetheart.”

They walked to the stairs as Prentice called, “Do it in a hurry.”

Elle looked down from her ascent of the stairs and repeated, yet again, “Pren, it won’t take a second.”

As she and Sally turned out of sight, she heard Jason say, “I don’t get it. She looks prettier without all that gunk.”