I studied the cookie, noting the little nibbles missing on one part.
“I think a little mouse ate my cookie.”
She giggled and leaned up, her little lips at my ear. “Not a mouse, Daddy. It was me!”
I opened my eyes wide, lifting my eyebrows in fake surprise. “I never would have guessed that.”
She giggled, and I bit into the dense cookie, enjoying the chocolate.
“Where is Mommy?”
“Upstairs. I was waiting for you.” She met my eyes, her green irises so like Fee’s. She had my dark hair, but other than that, she was Fee all over, including her tiny stature. “I missed you!”
I rubbed her nose playfully with mine. “I missed you, baby girl.”
She leaned forward, pressing our foreheads together, her voice low as if she was telling me a secret. “I needs a story, Daddy.”
I tossed the rest of the cookie into my mouth, settled her on my hip, and headed up the stairs. “Then you get one.”
I paused in the door of the nursery, gazing at the sweet sight. Fee was in her rocking chair, our new son nuzzling at her breast.
“Hey, FeeNelly.”
Her luminous eyes were bright as she beamed at me. “Hey yourself, counselor.”
I strolled to the rocking chair and bent, dropping a kiss to her full mouth, then bending farther down to press my lips to my son’s head. Elsie, as usual, had to get in on the action and dropped about a hundred kisses on Brandon’s head.
I stood and cupped Fee’s cheek. “Everything okay? You look tired, love.”
“He was a little fussy today. I think he missed his daddy.”
I ran my finger over his downy cheek. “I missed him.”
I had taken two weeks off when Brandon was born and, for the first time in my life, had dreaded returning to work. I was busy and productive all day, but my thoughts often strayed to where my heart was—back home with my family.
“We’ll figure it out,” she assured me.
“I was thinking of going to a four-day week. Two downtown, two here, and one at home.” I lifted Elsie, settling her head into the crook of my neck as I rubbed her back in long passes, knowing how much she loved it when I did that. She sighed and snuggled closer in contentment.
Fee’s expression turned joyful. I loved seeing her look at me that way.
“I’d like that.”
“I’m also thinking of hiring another lawyer and cutting back more over the next year.”
Fee stroked Brandon’s head as she regarded me. “Don’t make a decision based on one day back at work, Halton. Your emotions are talking right now.”
“And I’m listening. I denied them too long.” I sighed and pressed a kiss to Elsie’s head. “I don’t want to miss their childhood. Rene pointed out that I could start taking more of an advisory approach. Sit in on meetings, help direct the cases, but not work on them. Let the others handle that part and free up a lot of my time. Do three days and be home for the rest.”
“We’d like that. All of us.”
Our gazes locked, and a silent conversation passed between us. My eyes pleaded with her to understand my need to be with her and our kids as much as possible. Her green gaze was gentle and compassionate. She gave me an imperceptible nod, letting me know she would support me no matter what I decided.
Elsie lifted her head, tapping my cheek to get my attention. “Story, Daddy.”
“Right.” I lowered her to Fee’s level. “Kiss Mommy goodnight.”
Once the kiss-fest was done, I carried Elsie across the hall to her room. Pinks, purples, and yellow reigned supreme in there. Lace, frills, and stuffed toys abounded. It was as girly as it could be. I settled into the large chair in the corner after tossing aside a dozen stuffed toys and tucked Elsie onto my lap. Her new “big girl” bed was way too small for me to be comfortable on, and I knew by experience, story time was at least thirty minutes. Elsie had inherited one other thing from me—my restlessness at night. We found keeping her to a routine helped. A warm bath, a story, and being held close helped settle her, and once she fell asleep, she rarely woke up these days. I had to admit it was my favorite time of day.
I glanced at the overflowing bookshelf. “What one, baby girl?”
“A daddy story.”
“Ah.” She liked it when I made up stories and told them to her. She also liked funny voices and lots of princesses. They were often the same basic story, but I always threw in something new. Fee assured me it was the tone of my voice and my closeness that Elsie liked the most.
I pursed my lips.
“Once upon a time, there was a princess named Fee.”
“Like Mommy!”
I kissed her head. “Yep.”
“One day, the princess went for a walk and got lost. She kept walking and looking for a friend to help her. Deep in the forest, she met a mean monster. He lived alone in a cave.”
I heard Fee’s gentle laughter drift across the hall.
“Was she scared?”
“Nope. The princess was brave, and she knew the monster wouldn’t hurt her. She was smart like that.”
Elsie furrowed her little brow, looking so much like Fee, I had to kiss her nose.
“Did he have a name, Daddy?”
“Yes. His name was Smitty.”
Fee laughed again, and I leaned back, peering across the hall. Her head rested against the back of the rocking chair, and she was watching us. She had set up the rooms so she could easily see both children from each chair, and it came in handy at night. I threw her a wink, and she shook her head.
“Why was Smitty alone?”
“He was snarly and growly.”
“How come?”
I stroked Elsie’s downy cheek. “He had a thorn in his paw nobody knew about. It hurt him all the time.”
Her eyes grew round. “Like a boo-boo?”
“Yes.”
“He didn’t have a mommy to kiss it better?”
“Nope. He was a grown-up monster.”
She frowned. “That is sad.”
I chuckled. “The princess told Smitty she was lost and needed his help. He said no, but she asked again and smiled at him. Smitty thought it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, so he said okay. He showed the princess how to get home, but before she could thank him, he walked away. But the princess remembered his kindness. A few days later, the princess was out for a walk again and ran into the monster. She tried to talk to him, but he was rude.”
Fee’s voice floated between the rooms. “He was egotistical too.”
I never raised my voice, although I tried not to laugh. I met her gaze again, trying to look stern. “Enough from the peanut gallery.”
She lifted Brandon to her shoulder, rocking and patting his back. I loved seeing her with our children. It made me warm inside.
Little fingers pulled at my beard. “What happened, Daddy?”
“Princess Fee was a magical princess. She had long silver hair that hid her magic wand, and when Smitty walked away from her, she waved it in the air, and it showed her the thorn that was deep in his skin.”
“And?” she asked anxiously.
“Princess Fee followed Smitty home and used her wand to make the thorn disappear.”
Elsie clapped her hands. “Then he wasn’t grumpy?”
“Nope. In fact, as soon as the thorn disappeared, Smitty turned into the most handsome prince in the world. He was charming and smooth, and Princess Fee fell in love with him. She waved her magic wand again and turned his cave into a palace.”
“Yay!”
Fee’s snicker was louder this time, and I turned to see her leaning against the doorjamb.
“Charming and smooth?” she challenged.
“Very charming. The princess couldn’t resist.”
“Uh-huh.”
Elsie tapped my cheek to get my attention. “What then?”
“The prince married the princess, and they lived happily ever after.”
Elsie sighed,
leaning her head against my shoulder. “Good story, Daddy.”
Fee pushed off the frame. “Well, at least you got that part right.”
I watched her walk away, holding my son.
My daughter snuggled closer, her little body growing heavy as she fell asleep. I always knew when she was out because she made the same noise Fee did when she slept, although Elsie’s was more clicking than purring. I now had two raptors in the house—and I loved every minute of it.
I looked around the room and listened to the sounds of my family settling for the night—my daughter’s little clicking, Fee’s voice gently crooning to Brandon, and his coo as he fell asleep.
Once they were settled, I could spend the rest of the evening with my beautiful wife and catch up on all the things I missed during the day. Catch up with her.
Then I would find the peaceful rest only she could give me.
My Fee.
I had everything I had ever dreamed of and was too afraid to hope for.
A real home, a family I adored—all because of the woman who proved to me that love didn’t always come with pain. Who was strong enough to show me that every day.
She created a whole new world for me, and I gave her the one she deserved.
One filled with unending love.
That was us. Our story—our forever.
Our happily ever after.
~Thank you ~
As always, I have some people to thank. The ones behind the words that encourage and support. The people who make these books possible for so many reasons.
* * *
To my readers—thank you for taking a chance on this series.
Your love of BAM makes me so happy!
* * *
Lisa, thank you for your editing brilliance and patience.
I love reading your comments and knowing I make you laugh.
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Beth, Trina, Melissa—thank you for your feedback and support.
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Carrie, my UN ladies, Ayden, Jeannie, Freya—
I love you and am honored to call you friends. You humble me.
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Peggy and Deb, thank you for your support and keen eyes.
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Melissa—you take my scatterbrained ideas and turn them into covers I adore. Thank you!
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Karen, my dear friend and PA. There are simply not enough words. What you do cannot be described, and the gratitude I feel cannot be expressed. Much love.
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To all the bloggers, readers, and especially my review team. Thank you for everything you do. Shouting your love of books—of my work—posting, sharing—your recommendations keep my TBR list full, and the support you have shown me is so appreciated.
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To my fellow authors who have shown me such kindness, thank you. I will follow your example and pay it forward.
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My reader group, Melanie’s Minions—love you all.
* * *
And My Matthew. Love isn’t a big enough word.
One lifetime isn’t enough. Yours forever. Always.
Vested Interest Series
Bentley (Vested Interest #1)
Aiden (Vested Interest #2)
Maddox (Vested Interest #3)
Reid (Vested Interest #4)
Van (Vested Interest #5)
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Insta-Spark Collection
It Started with a Kiss
Christmas Sugar
An Instant Connection
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The Contract Series
The Contract
The Baby Clause (Contract #2)
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Standalones
Into the Storm
Beneath the Scars
Over the Fence
My Image of You (Random House/Loveswept)
About the Author
New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of thirty plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.
While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.
Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet). She's learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.
Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at [email protected]
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Halton: Vested Interest #6 Page 23