She turned to face him. “Why? What’s the point? People, fairies, parents whoever—just flit in and out of your life, detonate emotional bombs, then leave big holes when they go.”
“Parents.” He closed the door. “Is that what this is about? Your family not being around?”
“Family. You mean my mother. Who has decided to extend her stay in Boca for four months?”
“You don’t have a lot of family, I get it. So make a new family with friends, neighbors, work colleagues.”
She glared at him.
“Isla, you can’t stop getting close to people because you’re afraid they’ll push you away.”
“Do you hear yourself right now?”
He stepped back. “Okay. This is escalating quickly.” He put his hands together. “Come for Christmas. We’ll keep it casual.”
“Just go.”
“Fine. If you’re determined to be alone this Christmas, I won’t stop you. Just so you know, I’m not staying away forever. And you’re just going to have to deal with that.” He stepped to her and connected his mouth to hers before she could react.
“Have you been drinking?”
“Yes, but I’m not drunk if that’s what you’re implying.”
She looked around. “I could offer you the couch, but.”
“I’m fine.”
“We could sleep in my bed like Thanksgiving.”
“That would be a terrible idea.” He stepped back. “Merry Christmas, Isla,” he said, then left.
The sound of the door shutting echoed around the mostly empty room. It was a lonely, hollow noise confirming her mood.
At two in the morning, after many tears, Isla was ready to make some plans. The first thing she needed to do was apologize. She sent Parker a text: I shouldn’t have said that I wish we never met.
He texted back a few moments later: no, you shouldn’t have. But I understand.
I didn’t mean it.
I know.
She tapped again. I hope I didn’t wake you.
You didn’t.
Merry Christmas, Parker.
Merry Christmas, Isla.
A few minutes past before Isla’s cellphone signaled a new text message.
Parker wrote: Did we just make up after our first fight via text?
She punched the keys. Yup.
Damn, no makeup sex then? I could drive over. You did offer to sleep with me earlier.
Good night, Parker.
Good night, Isla.
She stared at her phone, waiting for another text that never came. He promised to stay in her life, and truthfully, she wanted him to stay. His declaration scooped a tiny bit of hope into the fairy-sized hole in her heart. This was the first time since the fairies took Sparkle away that Isla didn’t feel utterly alone.
She wasn’t up for spending Christmas at his parent’s cottage. Still, Isla drifted off thinking of a certain handsome doctor enjoying his nephew’s excitement as they tore open presents beneath one of two Christmas trees in the cottage by the river.
Chapter 7
Isla inhaled a deep breath and stretched to wakefulness. She opened her eyes. Parker’s arm was draped over her middle, reminding her of the Thanksgiving morning a year ago when they slept in this same bed. This year, there were only t-shirts between them.
The year between Thanksgivings had been the best year of her life. Her temporary job with the trucking company did turn into a permanent one, and it was great. Her boss was a patient, big-hearted guy who believed in work-life balance. She had benefits, and her boss had even paid for her bookkeeping courses.
She never had to sleep in her car, though her new apartment was smaller than her previous one. She still didn’t have a couch, but she had a lounge chair and a rocking chair on layaway.
Parker kept his promise to stay in her life. He told her that the council had given him the job to help her adjust, and he thought it would help her chances of getting Sparkle back if he did as they asked.
At first, just thinking about losing her best friend made her sob buckets. There were times when she was angry that saving Sparkle had cost her Sparkle. At other times, she was afraid of life without Sparkle to help her. Parker dried Isla’s tears and sometimes supplied her with pillows to punch or just listened. Over the year, Parker wedged his way into her life and into her heart. It started with small gestures like text messages and flowers, then progressed to picnics in the park and watching chick-flicks on occasion. Now, he kept a toothbrush in her bathroom.
His arm tightened around her. He kissed the space behind her ear. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
She moved to her back. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
“I’m very glad there are not three blankets between us this year.” He slid his hand inside her shirt to caress her breast. “You know what would be better?” He nibbled her earlobe.
Her nipple hardened. “What?”
“Nothing between us.” He pulled the t-shirt over her head then got rid of his own. He kissed first one nipple then the other. “Do you have any idea how many times I have fantasized about this?”
“Um, we made love here last night. When you said the same thing.”
He slipped his hand down her knit pants. “Since last night, then.”
He found the place that skyrocketed her to sublime madness. She bucked against his touch, releasing a desperate, frantic gasp.
He yanked her pants off as she urgently pulled down his boxers. With one thrust of his hips, they were one. Their ever-growing dance of giving, taking, sighing, laughing exploded into glorious ecstasy.
They stayed joined, catching their breath, whispering I love yous, and nibbling shoulders.
“That,” she panted, “is the way to start Thanksgiving.”
He propped on his forearms to see her face. “I have something better.”
“Better than that? I doubt it.”
He reached over to his toiletry bag on the nightstand, pulling out a small satin box. “As good then.”
Remaining on top of her, their bodies joined, Parker flipped open the box. A round diamond set in a white gold ring stood in the folds of blue silk.
“Parker.” She pushed on him, breaking the connection, and sitting up. “What is?”
“It’s an engagement ring.”
“I see that.”
“Marry me.”
“Says the guy who isn’t the marrying kind?”
“That was then, this is now.”
She scowled. “What changed?”
“I did. You did it. We did it.”
“Parker.”
“I know what I want. I want you. I want us. Marry me. Would you prefer that I get on one knee?”
“Yes.”
“To marrying me or getting on one knee?”
Isla stared at the ring. “Both.”
Parker slipped the ring from the box then moved to get out of bed. Isla stopped him. He laughed then slid the ring into place on Isla’s left ring finger.
“It’s about time!” A tiny shock of red hair and purple wings appeared between them.
“Sparkle? Sparkle!”
Sparkle glowered at Parker. “Took you long enough.”
The fairy flitted to Isla and touched her forehead to Isla’s forehead.
Sparkle hovered between Parker and Isla.
“It turns out all that had to happen was, he asks, you say yes, and I’m back.” She spread her arms.
Isla squealed. “Are you okay? How have you been? I missed you so much.”
Sparkle hovered between them. She looked from Isla to Parker. “We will have plenty of time to catch up—” Sparkle turned to face Parker. “—provided you believe in me and are okay with me being in your lives from now on.”
He smiled and winked. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, short-stuff.”
“I’m not short, I’m fun-sized.”
“Ahem.” Isla cleared her throat. “It’s great that my returning fairy and my new fiancé are being cute.” Isla got on h
er knees. “But, this man just asked me to marry him. I think he and I need to celebrate. Really celebrate.”
Parker’s eyes widened. “I’m with her, say goodbye, fairy.” He got on his knees facing Isla. “I’m about to make love to my fiancée.” He glanced over at Sparkle. “And that is the one thing I insist we do without an audience.”
Sparkle fluttered toward the door. “As if I would watch.” She turned to them. “One of you will have to open the door.”
He jumped out of bed to open the door. “Don’t get caught.”
“Back at ya, big guy.”
Isla waved. “Goodbye, Sparkle.”
“Goodbye, short-stuff.” Parker closed the door then turned to Isla. “Now, where were we? Oh yeah, celebrating.” He stripped off his briefs.
Seeing his hard, ready body, Isla growled. “Let the celebration begin.”
A Note From Patricia Otto
Thank you for spending time with Isla and Parker. I hope that you were entertained. Please take a moment to leave a review at your favorite online retail site. The fastest easiest way to find my other books is to visit my website. Click on the link below to read about my other books, to contact me, sign up for my newsletter or find me on social media.
www.patriciaotto.com
DEDICATION: To the mask-wearers, the social-distancers, and the believers of science. You all rock.
About the Author
A few decades ago, I found out that most people don't make up stories about the people they watch while sipping ice tea at a cafe. They do not take a cast of characters from a book or movie and give them a whole new story. Who knew? I thought everyone did that. Then there were the out-of-the-blue-characters. The ones conjured up in my head, telling me their tales, pushing me to write their stories. Sharing them only seemed fair.
Read more at Patricia Otto’s site.
A Fairy Crazy Thanksgiving Page 8
