Prentice’s arms slid around her waist, bending and twisting his head so his lips were resting on her hair nearly at her nape, holding her back.
“Can I tell you something?” she whispered her question into his ear.
“Aye, Elle, anything,” he replied.
She sucked in a breath and then whispered, “There will be no bitterness. Ever. It took you a long time but it had to so you could give me everything I’ve ever wanted. And, Prentice, the only things in my whole, entire life I ever wanted were you…” She pulled back, he lifted his head, she pushed a finger in his chest and then pointed upstairs. “And them. Even though I didn’t know it would be them, in the end it is.”
His voice had grown hoarse with emotion when he started, “Elle –”
Her hands went to the sides of his head, her fingers gliding in his hair and she cut him off by saying, “If you want me then I’m here. And I hope we have fifty years but if we don’t, if we have five weeks or five days, I’ll never be bitter.” She came up on her toes and put her mouth to his, finishing on a whisper, “I’ll only be happy because finally, finally, finally I have everything I’ve ever wanted and you must know that it was you who gave it to me.”
Prentice stared into her tear-stained face but he hesitated only for a moment before he slanted his handsome head and kissed her.
Fiona popped back to the stream.
She stared at her tent.
Then she giggled.
It took Prentice a day.
It took him a day to breathe life into Bella.
He was a genius!
Then again, Bella had been fiercely in love with him for twenty years so, really, it wasn’t that much of a challenge.
Still.
Fiona wandered into the tent, picked up the guitar, sat on the chair, threw her legs over the arm and she played.
Chapter Seventeen
Fairy Godmother
Elle
Elle was nervous.
Therefore, when the door opened heralding Prentice’s arrival home, she didn’t give it a thought when she felt that special feeling that slid through her when he came home.
Instead, she jumped right before her body froze.
Sally jumped too.
Then she screamed, “Daddy!” and ran headlong toward Prentice as he made his way to the great room, throwing herself in his arms as if she hadn’t seen him in one hundred years.
Prentice scooped his daughter up and held her in front of him but his eyes never left Elle.
“We all ready?” he asked.
At his words, Elle’s heart skipped a beat.
No, it was safe to say she wasn’t ready.
That morning, after Prentice woke Elle early and made love to her, he shared with her his fabulous idea that they would all go out to dinner that very evening. At dinner, he would make the announcement to the children that Elle was going to be a permanent fixture in their lives.
It should be noted that Prentice thought this was a fabulous idea.