Page 52 of Heaven Leigh’s Little Halloween

There was still grief. That didn’t just magically go away because she’d fallen in love and acquired the Daddy of her dreams, but it had moved back to allow for other feelings, happier feelings. Barbara probably would be thrilled to know that Heaven Leigh was finally, finally starting to move on.

She could imagine what her parents would say if they could see her now, and the customary flash of guilt was just absent. So maybe it hadn’t just been the grief she’d been holding onto. Maybe… losing Barbara had just stirred up all the older painful emotions she’d never dealt with, and the combo had been the reason for the overwhelming sadness.

Getting a Daddy wasn’t a magical fix. Having Angel in her life didn’t make everything all better, but doors worked both ways. When she’d opened it to let him in, she’d been able to let some of the suppressed pain out and now there was hope in its place.

Hope, she decided, was a very good thing to be filled with. Definitely better than the alternative.

There was a banging and she jumped.

“How long does it take to put on a costume, Heaven Leigh! We’re going to miss the fun,” Sadie called through the door.

Heaven yanked it open, one hand on her hip. “I wasn’t taking that long and there’s going to be fun all afternoon and night. We can’t possibly miss much.”

Sadie ignored all that. She looked Heaven up and down and grinned. “I knew it would be perfect on you.” She pursed her lips, considering. “We should do your hair in pigtails. It will be adorable for that costume.”

“I thought you were in a hurry?”

“I am, but some things take priority.” Despite her impatience, they took the time to fix Heaven’s hair and then anchored the headband back in place. “There! Now, move your butt because we’re missing everything.”

Heaven rolled her eyes but laughed and followed Sadie down to the first floor. They merged with a group of Littles carrying treat buckets and she got to add trick-or-treating to her list of firsts. Her initial reluctance was left by the wayside as she let go and joined in on the fun.

As hard as it was to believe, before long she was starting to think Halloween might just end up being one of her favorite holidays—or at least one she looked forward to.

She didn’t see her new Daddy until later, when the party officially started, and when she arrived at the event room, she could see he was still fussing with the chocolate display, but it had come together nicely and sprawled across the center of the table.

The mock-up hadn’t done it justice. And seeing the smaller pieces really hadn’t prepared her for seeing the entire thing in its glory. She’d already known he had skills, but this… this was something else.

There were even parts that moved. At one end, a chocolate fountain had been set up to look like a waterfall and fat white marshmallows at the base took the place of foam.

The witch was working exactly as designed and did appear to be flying high overhead. She was pleased to note that you could barely tell the tree was supporting her. It was beautiful and people were clustered around the table complimenting him on his work.

She stayed back, letting him soak up the praise with a half-smile on her face. That man was her Daddy now and his talented hands were all hers too. It was a pleasure just to look at him and the way his dark curls spilled over the back of his shirt collar.

Maybe he felt the weight of her gaze on him because he turned suddenly to see her there. His eyes widened as he looked her up and down and then burst into laughter. “Okay, I wasn’t expecting that,” he admitted.

She grinned and lifted her arms so he could take in the full affect of the red spangles and the plastic pitchfork. “No? It was Sadie’s idea, but you have to admit it’s perfect.” She even turned so he could see the tail dangling from the back. It ended with a heart-shaped tip that was also covered in spangles and didn’t quite touch the ground.

He crooked a finger to call her over and she went willingly. As soon as she was within reach, his arms slid around her, pulling her up tight against his body. “So, I’m an angel and you’re my little demon?”

She grinned. “For tonight anyway. I’m not much of a hellraiser in general, but for tonight I could probably manage some trouble if you like.”

One eyebrow went up. “Someone forgot they are already in trouble.”

“Well, I thought you might change your mind since I’m cooperating with the holiday stuff.” The hopeful note in her voice was exaggerated on purpose.

“You wish. Nope, you get one day of mercy and tomorrow we take care of those pranks. I can’t have Master Derek thinking I’m a soft Daddy, now can I?” He leaned in so his lips brushed her earlobe. “Besides, I’m looking forward to turning your bottom bright red again. Maybe I’ll even add a few lines this time, for decoration.”

A shiver rolled down her back and she made a muffled whimpering sound. “Mean Daddy. You’re supposed to be nice on holidays.” Not that she didn’t love this stricter side of him, because it was scary hot.

He chuckled. “Too bad I’m the one who makes the rules, I guess.” He released his grip and turned to gesture at the table. “So, what do you think?”

“I think it’s freaking amazing and I’m so proud that you’re my Daddy,” Heaven said firmly. “I honestly can’t even believe you did all of this in that tiny space. I mean, I saw you working on it, but seeing it all in one piece is just… incredible.”

She shook her head. The longer she looked the more intricate detail work she saw. She wasn’t the only one who was impressed, but she might have been the only one who fully understood the amount of work that went into planning something so elaborate.

“You were a big help, mi corazón, and I enjoyed working with you. In fact, I’d like to plan some projects with you, using both of our skill sets. I think we could really do some amazing things together.”

“Really?” She threw her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest to muffle the happy squeal that couldn’t be restrained. It was probably the best suggestion she’d ever heard. Not only did she get to be with this man, in his arms, in his bed, but they got to keep working together? There couldn’t be a happier ending than that, as far as she was concerned.

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