Page 18 of Wicked Wishes
“Halloween the way my girls want it. Popcorn balls, sweet treats, and you and me, together. Hope decided not to go trick-or-treating tonight, honey. We talked about it, didn’t we monster,” he asks, grinning at her in his mirror when she makes a“yep”that pops loudly, “we want to watch scary movies and make Halloween sweets with you. Hope thinks we ought to to hand out treats to the kids for a little while, so I got us costumes to do that. She decided the creepy doll was for school, but at home, she wants to be Wednesday Adams,” he says as if it will all make sense to me, but I am still so lost, even though I can’t say I’m not excited.
“What are youup to?” I repeat it my question, finding it hard to breathe.
Father and daughter share a look and the same smile, and I just sit back and watch. My chest is so full, my heart, with the two of them that I don’t know how it could get any better. After we pull up to their place, Hope gets a stern look from her daddy when she rips off her buckles and starts to leap from the truck. After she apologizes, I pick her up and he grabs her ribbons along with her plastic pumpkin full of treats.
Looking up at their house, I gasp. When did he do this? My head swivels between my house and his and the waterworks are back again. My place is white and light with a wide porch and cute fence. His place is dark and rigid but boasts the same porch. Somehow without me noticing, these two monsters went all out. I told him I wanted to wow the neighborhood kids and he did not disappoint.
Our houses look like the other half of one another. White wispy cobwebs connect the two with a huge black and neon colored spider sitting between them. Colorful headstones and monsters litter the front yards, and you cannot tell where his house stops and mine begins. The white pumpkins we carved together last week are on my porch but others in bright colors adorn both our porches. It is beautiful and chaotic, and I love it.
“Going to blow those kids away, yeah?” Harley laughs when a fog machine suddenly kicks out plumes of smoke, accentuating his words.
I am blown away. Not just that they did this—and knowing he tolerates the spooky, creepy stuff for his daughter and now for me. But it is so perfect—it is just what I would want it to be without me having ever told him. Or maybe I really told him a lot more about what I want than I ever thought.
“We want to share houses!” Hope shouts with a clap of her hands.
My eyes swing between the two of them, him a beautiful and badass daddy, and her an adorable little creepy doll. They have the same eyes and right now, they are lit up with hope as I let her words sink in. Only they don’t go far because I don’t know just what she means. And even if I suspect I do, I don’t want to let myself think it means what Iwantit to.
“One day, we want to shareone house. You and us together,” he clarifies, picking up an ecstatic and creepy little doll, “right now, we want to share this way. How it makes sense for us both because this is scary. Wicked scary, Hanna. But I want it, and so does my little monster. I want you to walk into our place like you walked in my life. Like you knew you belonged there. And I don’t want to stay in the shadows. I want to come to your house and know my little girl is there, laughing and watching scary movies or baking with you. You let her be weird, and you let me be scared and we want you to be all of that with us. Be as happy with us as we are with you.”
“Holy hell,” I cover my mouth and rush out an apology, “sorry, sorry. Bad words, I know better. Uh...yes. Yes, to all the above. All the yes to all the things,” I stammer as they grin at the same time before he sets her down to take a few steps towards me.
“I love you, Hanna. I am in love with you. As in love with you as my little girl is. You scared the shit out of me, but you let me get over it and let me stay in the darkness, hide in the shadows, until I was ready to have some of your light. You are it for me and I want to be it for you, sweets.”
Knowing there is no way I can top that perfect profession of love, I throw myself at him and he laughs, lifting me against him. I kiss him hard on the mouth, tasting his spicy and sweet flavor that I want to drown in. Feeling a tug at my skirt, I pull back, giggling when I see Hope wiggling her hands. I know what that means so I bend, hanging of his broad shoulders, scooping her up. I kiss her face too and then laugh with her when Harley presses loud, smacking kisses over both of our faces.
He carries us inside and I stop when I see he meant what he said. Bowls of candies wait inside, ready to hand out to trick or treaters. I see everything we need for popcorn balls spread out on his kitchen counter, and tray lined with our favorite movie snacks, a few sodas, and a bowl of popcorn—with Raisinets already poured right in. Oh, I do love this man.
We get dressed up together, taking a hundred photos and even a video of Hope rattling off some Wednesday Adams one-liners. Together we make delicious and colorful popcorn balls, laughing when Harley makes a bigger mess than Hope. Until dusk, we hand out candy to the neighbor kids, and they are truly blown away by Harley’s amazing display. Once darkness falls, we settle in for our Halloween night in.
Snuggled up next to the man I love, and his little girl I might love even more, I am so content I let out a happy little sigh. I guess we are on the same path—one that leads us down the road together. Hope passes out halfway through Child’s Play, so my sweet man puts her to bed. Coming back, he waggles his brows at me, but I am smiling at him like a cornball, and he cocks his head, asking what the smile is about.
“You know you doomed yourself, honey,” I say with a sigh, as if this is a bad thing.
“How so?” he wonders, sitting beside me and pulling my legs over his lap. Costumes gone, we are in comfy pajamas and his hands start pushing at them right away.
“You outdid yourself. Best houses on the block, sick costumes, perfect night in. You will have to work harder every single Halloween now, my love,” I coo, brushing his hair back from his face before he kisses me soft and slow.
“Oh, I hope so. Need to set the bar high for whoever thinks they can handle my little monster. And when you give me more little monsters,” he husks as he smooths his big hand over my belly, “I want them to know Halloween is when I fell in love with their mother,” he whispers, kissing me softly before he lifts me to carry me down the hall to his bedroom.
“Nothing I won’t do for my monsters. I love you, Hanna. No more hiding in the shadows,” he breathes the words against my cheek as he lies me back and pulls gently at my clothes.
“I mean...you can still do that, honey. It is kind of hot,” I tease.
“Wicked girl. Don’t you fear, sweets, I will always obsess over you in the dark.... but now, whether you ever learn to lock your door or not, I am coming in and taking what keeps me so obsessed. Now tell me what I want to hear,” he murmurs against my mouth as we move together in darkness.
“I love you, Harley. Shadows or sunshine, I love you.”
The End
Epilogue
Hanna
Halloween, one year later....
“No, honey, not tonight,” I tell Hope, waiting for her meltdown.
Halloween is her—well, all of ours now—favorite holiday and last year was one to remember. We might have spoiled our little monster a bit. I told Hope when I met her that she should embrace her weirdness. Like what she wants to like, like it hard and true, and not worry what other people think.
