Fairytale Come Alive (Ghosts and Reincarnation #4)(115)

She held her breath waiting for his answer which came at her in a voice filled with relief.

“Thank God.”

Elle blinked.

Then she enquired, “Thank God?”

“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 f**king 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.”