Her neck arched into his lips and she hummed her approval. “Something worth winning is always work, don’t you agree?”
“I’ll work hard, Mistress Mara,” he joked, pulling her hand to his thick shaft.
Giddy with joy, she giggled again then sighed. “I’ll count on it.”
“Uncle Harry!” a small voice cried out in the darkness.
“Mimi,” he whispered down at her. “I’ll be right back. Go nowhere, woman. Got that?” As he rose, his warmth leaving her embrace, his body hard and supple under the moonlight, it was all Mara could do not to shout her joy before rising, too.
She grabbed her bathrobe as Harry pulled his T-shirt over his head. Tightening the belt, she slipped around the side of the bed and grabbed his hand. “I’m coming, too,” she assured.
Harry looked down at her, running his palm under her chin. “I’m a little nuts about you, Mara Flaherty.”
“Yeah? I’m a lot nuts about you. Let’s go be nuts about the kids—together.” She pulled him with her out of the bedroom and across the hall where Mimi sat up, Coconut tightly pressed to her chest.
Her face began to crumble and the tears began to fall. “I had a bad dream, Uncle Harry,” she muttered.
Mara hopped over her where Fletcher stirred, sitting between the children. She pulled Mimi close and hugged her. “Was it about elephants?” she asked, kissing the top of Mimi’s freshly shampooed hair.
Mimi giggled her innocent, sweet giggle. “No, silly.”
“Because you know, I’ve been talking to Uncle Harry, and I think, no promises, but I think we can talk him into an elephant. The only problem is where to put him. You think he could fit in the bed with all of us?”
Fletcher grunted a sleepy giggle of his own. “Elephants don’t belong in beds, Mara.” He shifted a little when Harry nudged him to sit next to him on the bed, tugging the child into his arms and smiling.
Mara reached over and ran her fingers along Fletcher’s exposed belly, making his eyes half-open as he squirmed and laughed. “Said who? Shouldn’t all elephants have beds? If you can have a bed, why can’t an elephant? Are you special or somethin’?”
Harry looked over at Mara, his wide grin as endearing as it had always been, stretching his fingers to meet hers alongside of Mimi’s arm. “I’m the boss and I say no elephants in the bed! They poop on the floor, not to mention they’ll turn the bed into a total pancake.”
Mara gripped his fingertip, smiling back at him. Her heart so full, she had to fight tears. “Okay, partners in elephant crime, on three.” She squeezed Mimi to her, snuggling her close. Grateful. So very, very grateful. “Ready? One, two, three! Oh, Uncle Harry!” they all groaned simultaneously.
The children fell into fits of giggles while Mara and Harry cuddled them near and Carl snored softly on the floor.
As she gazed upon this new adventure beaming at her from beneath the moon shining into the window, full of giggling, happy, healthy children and a hot nerd of a man, her heart welled with gratitude.
And really, Mara thought, what better way to begin her fairy tale than with two small children, a sorta zombie, a cat named Coconut who wore dresses under protest, and a handsome prince named Harry who had two left feet?
It was everything she’d ever dreamed of and more.
So, so much more.