Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 81930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
He really wanted to find out. But he was also afraid to.
“So, you scared away all your other housekeepers and then along came Isla?”
“Yeah, when she saw Marcus Junior for the first time, she just looked at me and asked me to put some boxers on. I knew then we were destined to be together. Of course, it took some time to convince her. Her stupid parents had convinced her that she wasn’t worth much when she’s a total queen.”
“A Little princess. And a Little prince,” Eliot murmured. “They don’t sound like good people.”
“They weren’t. They were addicts. She never had enough to eat. And they used to tell her constantly how she was the cause of all their problems. I tracked them down once, wanted to make them pay for all they did to her… but their lives were already so miserable there wasn’t much I could do to make them worse.”
“It’s good the way you look after her.”
“She looks after me, too. She really liked your story last night. You’re good at doing all the voices. Will you read us a story tonight? Maybe we could go to the library and pick one?”
“One of the Little friendly ones, you mean. Not the psychological thrillers.”
“Yeah. I don’t think La-la could handle those.” Actually, it was him. He couldn’t handle them.
“Perhaps we could. Or I’ll make one up.”
He stopped the car and turned to look up at Eliot. “Where do you live?”
Please let it be close to LA.
“Connecticut.”
Shoot. Nowhere close.
“You have a cabin in the woods, don’t you? All secluded and mysterious?”
“Sort of. And you?”
“I live with Cullen in LA. I have the whole upper level to work and stuff. I moved in with him after my dad died.”
“I’m sorry, little boy.” Eliot brushed his hair behind his ears. “It’s so hard to lose someone.”
“I’m sorry you lost your wife.”
Eliot’s face closed down as he stepped back. “Yes, it is. Should we go inside? It’s getting colder out.”
“Sure. Good idea.”
Damn it. Seemed like his wife was a trigger he shouldn’t mention. Why’d he go and say something about her?
He wondered if Eliot would ever be ready to take on another permanent Little or two?
Chapter 21
Marcus woke up with butterflies in his tummy.
And it wasn’t because today was the day of the Easter egg hunt.
It was because was the last day before they had to leave. Tomorrow, they’d be heading back to LA.
And Eliot would go home to his log cabin in Connecticut. Where he’d live the rest of his days, chopping logs half-naked with no one to watch him.
Such a crime.
He breathed in slow and deep.
He was being silly. He’d known that this wasn’t forever. And Eliot hadn’t promised them anything. In fact, he’d always kept parts of himself back. Even though he was always attentive and gave them nearly everything they wanted, there were definite lines he hadn’t crossed.
He’d never kissed them. And Marcus had put out plenty of kiss-me vibes.
He’d never taken them to the library to see those Little books he’d written.
And you’ve held yourself back too. You’ve never called him Daddy.
“You’re sighing a lot.”
He glanced over to look at Isla. She’d thrived under Eliot’s care. He’d given her things that Marcus never could. She’d been exploring her Little side. And Eliot was so good at looking after her, making sure she had naps and plenty to eat. He enjoyed dressing her and carrying her around.
He played with Marcus. They’d gone swimming a few times and to the arcade. Where he’d kicked ass at all the games. They’d all play games together at night. And once, he’d even taken them riding. Eliot loved the horses here. Cullen had nearly had a conniption.
It had been awesome.
“Just thinking about leaving.”
Her face grew sad. She’d been sleeping better because of Eliot. Except for last night when she’d woken up four times. Her lack of sleep was evident on her face this morning.
“You look tired.” He ran a finger over the dark smudge under her eye.
“I feel tired.”
“Eliot won’t be happy,” he chided. “You might get your butt spanked.”
“For not sleeping?”
“For not calling him.”
“But after tomorrow, that won’t be a possibility, will it? Might as well get used to not having him around.” She closed her eyes with a sigh. “Forget I said that. I want to make the most of it. Today is meant to be fun. I will not get all sad about saying goodbye.”
“It’s going to be hard, though,” he said.
“Really hard. But you’ve been looking forward to this Easter egg hunt for ages. We should do our best to push everything else to one side. And we always have each other, right?”
“Always,” he said fiercely. Reaching for her, he drew her close and kissed her.
“Yum. I love the way you taste,” she told him.
“Like sugar and spice and all things nice?”