Forever (Book #3 in the Fateful Series) (34 page)

Ethan held his ear gently against Danielle’s stomach as he tried to listen, but he couldn’t hear anything, so instead, he talked to his child, telling her of stories about his life and about how he adored her mother. Danielle’s fingers made their usual path of furrows through his hair as he talked in a low crooning tone. “We’ve heard this one. Do you have anything more exciting, like with ninjas and pirates?” she asked, clearly teasing him.

“How about the one about the guy who reluctantly becomes a vampire, only to discover it was the best thing that ever happened to him?”

A frown overtook her previously joyous expression. “That’s the best thing? Do you still want that?”

Ethan swore, his head came up. “I didn’t mean it like that at all.”

“But do you still want that?”

“Absolutely not! I meant that becoming a vampire brought him to the love of his existence.” He kissed her nose right before tapping it gently with his finger. “And that was the best thing that ever happened to him, but it never would have happened had he not first become a cursed man. We know that from our dreams.”

Danielle licked her lips and leaned forward to collect her teacup, her eyebrows drawn low in thought. She took a sip, watching for that little rosebud painted inside the rim. He’d found a replacement for her and was probably as pleased about it as she was, because he adored watching her do that. After swallowing, she asked, “You don’t miss the super powers you’d had, and the way your intense magic knocked me senseless?”

It was never wise to challenge an overly-possessive male, and that was how Ethan took her query. A query she’d come back to more times than he cared to recall. How could he drive this point home? When an idea came to him, he confiscated the teacup, set it safely upon its saucer, captured her face between his palms, and began snogging her with an intensity that wrung a gasp from her. After a few consuming moments of that, he pulled back and perused how her gaze had narrowed to an almost drunken state.  Ethan didn’t stop there. Releasing her just long enough to shift their positions, Ethan pulled her onto his lap, holding her gaze captive with his. Letting her see through to his soul, Ethan studied the different flecks of brown and gold making up the iris, and the way her dark lashes made it appear as though she wore eyeliner even though he knew her face was naked today. He let his thumbs brush over her cheekbones as a pretty blush rose to the upper ridge. Next, his thumbs glided over the plump pillows of her lips before taking them against his again. He caressed her shoulders, her body and he allowed his breath to enter her lungs with each sweep of his mouth over hers. His hand traveled from her shoulder, to her ribs and along her hip where he continued on to her bare feet. Once there, he gently pressed his thumb into the arches of her feet, massaging her as he’d done in the beginning of their courtship, and many times since. Ethan made certain he administered to each one equally. Any and all tension left in her muscles melted beneath his fingers. A triumphant smile lifted the corners of his mouth. He may not have the magic of a curse within him anymore, but Ethan believed he’d managed well enough at bewitching her.

Feeding another breath into her lungs, he heard the sound she always made when she’d been overcome by his touch. It was something he heard a lot of and he knew he’d probably accomplished his goal. His mortal life was just too good, and Ethan no longer wanted to be a vampire. Without the magic that curse had given him, he could still easily enchant his wife as a man, instead of a vampire. Without an ounce of shame for the pride it brought to him, Ethan finally pulled back enough to measure his success.

A fringe of dark, thick lashes lifted lazily to reveal a pair of mesmerized brown eyes that were darkened with passion. “What was it you were saying about knocking you senseless?” he asked with his eyebrow lifting.

Danielle blinked. Her eyebrows dipped down in bewilderment. “Huh?”

“I do not need the magic of vampirism to–”

She blinked a few more times, coming out of it. “To manipulate me?” she asked, a smirk tugging at her lips.

That saucy comment earned her a scowl. “I bed your pardon?”

This time her eyebrows lifted. “You
bed
my pardon?”

“I had meant to say that ‘I beg your pardon,’ but if you’d like me to bed you, I’d be more than willing.”

“Smooth hedge,” she said, his joke drawing half of her mouth upward. “You’re getting a little too good at manipulating me.”

Ethan came back with, “Like you’re innocent.”

Laughing, Danielle slung her arm around his neck, lifted his fingers into her other hand and placed them back over her stomach. Dropping his chin against her brown hair, Ethan resumed what he’d been doing beforehand as the color of her hair reminded him of things like chocolate, and that he needed to make another cake for dessert.

Epilogue

Four Years Later

Ethan touched his finger to the tiny, but chubby palm of his son’s hand. Five perfect little digits curled around his finger so tightly they held even as he wiggled his finger back and forth. His breath snagged in his throat as an intense sense of wonder seized his soul. He couldn’t stop himself from pressing a volley of gentle kisses to each of his plump cheeks, as well as his tiny nose, his dimpled chin, and the curl of fine hair upon his forehead. Each time Ethan’s mouth brushed the buttery soft skin of his two-month-old infant, those small feet bumped against his chest with a happy kick.

Something else seized his heart and squeezed. Vaguely, Ethan recognized the emotion as joy. It wasn’t just contentment, but an intense blending of that and pure happiness. When Danielle had first placed this baby into his arms, he’d let the tears of happiness fall. Again those tears burned in his eyes as he locked his gaze with his wife’s. She smiled, her eyes glittering as she too was moved. Sitting sideways upon the sofa beside him, she leaned her shoulder into the back cushion and touched Brendon’s wriggling toes.

Ethan returned her smile with a wobbly one. A drop of moisture welled just before it made a wet path down his face. Danielle captured the tear on the edge of her finger, sniffing back her emotional reaction to his and then gave him a kiss. “That’s payment for letting me see how you feel.”

It was true, and he couldn’t easily blame this show of emotion on having a bit of dust in his eye. He’d tried that in the past—it never worked with Danielle who could see right through him without difficulty. Ethan normally tried to hide the less-manly emotions fighting to escape him out of habit. His cheeks heated, but he ignored that and again redirected his gaze upon his precious son. Taking in the small round face of the boy, Ethan was so incredibly happy with this miracle that he couldn’t help how he felt, nor could he mask it.

“Parenthood becomes you,” she said, a tear-soaked quiver in her voice.

“You find this human weakness appealing, do you?” Ethan flicked away his next tear a tad aggressively. “What about when I have wrinkles crinkling up the corners of my eyes, and gray hair streaking through the blond you seem to fancy? Will you still think of me as your dashing Mr. Darcy then?”

Danielle sniffed again. “Even more so, you dork.” The modern insult, spoken in a loving tone, kicked his eyebrow up. She went on. “You’ll just look distinguished, and there’s something sexy about that.”

Opening his mouth to respond, Ethan paused when he heard a query spoken in a beautifully youthful high voice, “Papa?”

His blurry-eyed gaze swung to his three-year-old daughter’s innocent face. Faith. Ethan pushed his glasses up his nose and tired to focus through his tears. Smooth curls of brown hair framed her face and bounced as she impatiently waited for his response. A small hand landed on his knee as a pair of big blue eyes peered up at him with open curiosity. Instinctively, his fingers went to hers. Protective, fatherly.... He felt the corners of his mouth lift as the clarity of his vision worsened. Ethan knew how she felt. Even after sixty days, the newness of having Brendon around hadn’t worn off, just as it hadn’t when she’d been born. Faith was the first miracle they’d been blessed with. Brendon was the second, and neither one was more special than the other in his eyes. “Yes, princess.”

When he called her that, amusement twinkled in her eyes like the tiara she wore for playing dress-up, and that dimple in her left cheek flashed at him. Thick black lashes swept down when she blinked and then looked first at Brendon, then back at him, an innocent kind of suspicion snatching the twinkle away. “May I hold him?”

It was pure reflex when Ethan snuggled Brendon’s small body closer to his chest for a moment. Her sharp little eyes noticed the action, and narrowed. When Faith’s bottom lip popped out into an adorable pout that she’d inherited from her mother, he sighed, resigned to her wishes because he couldn’t deny her anything in the world. Certainly, little Faith was spoiled with an abundance of sugary treats, girly toys, and frilly, ruffled fashions to wear. He had no one to blame for that but himself. Certainly, Danielle shared some of the blame, but a great deal of it rested on his shoulders alone. Ethan was the one who baked for her, who set the table for teatime with her dolls, who frequently purchased the abundance of fancy dresses to fill her wardrobe.  Between him and her mother, she wanted for nothing. “Of course you may, darling.”

Helping Faith climb onto the sofa next to him, Ethan propped a pillow up next to her side so that when she held the baby, she would have aid supporting his head. Next he settled Brendon into her outstretched arms and watched as she drew laughter out of him with the silly little faces she pulled. Faith released full-bellied giggles in response.

It didn’t take long for Danielle to retake her place in his arms, the heat of his son replaced by that of his wife’s. “You’re not forgetting about me, are you?” Danielle’s mouth twitched into a pout very similar to the one he’d just seen his daughter showcase, and she thought
he
manipulated
her
. Hah! He now had two females steering him to their wishes, and he loved every moment of it. Faith had definitely inherited the talent from her mother, along with his wife’s impatience, and her love for sweets and pretty things.

“If it weren’t for you, I never would have become a parent in the first place.” His eyes landed on the young brother and sister. “I’m eternally grateful to you for that gift. And, I’m sad to say it, but they’ll grow up and leave us eventually. But you and I are stuck together. For that, I am immensely pleased.”

“
Stuck
together?” she asked, her eyebrow notching up a bit.

“Indeed. Forever.”

“No escape, huh?”

“Nope.” Curling one arm around her hips to bring her closer, Ethan balanced her chin on the edge of his finger and watched her eyes lower in preparation for his kiss. A brush of his mouth, his lips parted, he touched her with the heat of his tongue. Danielle’s fingers clutched at his clothes like it was the first time he’d ever kissed her. “You don’t wish to escape, do you, darling?” he whispered against the corner of her mouth before pulling back. Ethan’s eyes touched on the children who still giggled beside him—a parental instinct to check on them. The delightful sounds sweetening the spirit of bliss dwelling within their home caused his heart to squeeze inside his chest. He adjusted the pillow to help Faith support her little brother a tad better. She noticed the caring action and shot a look of child-like trust his way that reached inside and touched his soul in a way nothing else could. His heart gave another squeeze.

When his gaze returned to Danielle, she wasn’t paying any attention to him, but their adorable children as well. “I suppose I’ll accept this forever thing.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Unable to stop himself, Ethan kissed her again and administered a dose of his vampire-tainted breath into her lungs. Watching her drugged reaction, he was glad he was mortal now, but was also glad he’d maintained that one wicked trait.

The doorbell rang. Faith squealed in delight at the intrusive noise that obliterated the peaceful quiet of their home. “It’s Max, and Nadie, and little Max!”

Ethan found it interesting that she’d call Max Jr. “little” when he was more than a head taller than she was, even though he was the same age.

Brendon stared at his big sister like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry at her loud and eager reaction to the bell.

Danielle lifted him from Faith’s arms so she could dash toward the front door.... And they lived happily forever after.