Page 73 of Stay With Me Forever

She was much better at this than she’d let on, that was for sure.

Wyatt grunted, paused, and then took his turn. “Then the water cats rose to the surface. Instead of fur, they had scales and little spikes. Oh, and their tails had fins on them. Since the kids always fed them treats, they were friends. The kids said they’d give the water cats more treats if they would…”

Avery’s voice became fast, like it did when she was excited. “They’d give them more treats if they went down to the deepest part of the ocean and called on the ruler of the seas, who was…”

I jumped in. “Who was busy decorating the ocean, making sure all the shells and coral and plants were in place. So instead she sent her pet unicorn, who, instead of hair for her tail, had little tentacles with fins. The giant sea unicorn came to the surface…”

Emmy mouthed, “What the hell?” And I bit back a laugh. I could’ve made it easy for her, but nah, that wouldn’t be any fun.

Avery said, “Come on, Emmy! You can do it!”

Emmy laughed. “Okay, okay. Well, the unicorn asked the sea cats to make some really special sails out of the strongest seaweed, a kind that the humans had never discovered. The unicorn helped the sea cats attach the sails to the masts with all her tentacles and then…”

Wyatt jumped in, “And then, as the pirate parents got the ship moving again, the sea unicorn let the kids ride on her back. Soon they caught up to the evil fairy queen and…”

Avery said, “The parents asked the sea cats to attack the evil queen. They did, and once the fairy queen fell off her water horse, she turned into foam and died. The horse’s spell was broken, along with the little dragon, and…”

I decided I wouldn’t be a dick and would help give them the ending they wanted. “They thanked the pirate family for their help and decided to travel with them. And so…”

Emmy smiled at me. “And so the pirate family continued sailing the ocean as a family, stealing from those who were evil and helping those who needed it. They became super famous and beloved. The end.”

I brought Emmy’s hand to my lips and kissed it. I mouthed, “Thank you.”

Avery clapped. “You did amazing, Emmy! You have a great imagination. I hope you can help with our stories again in the future. Maybe Daddy can invite you over for dinner, and you can stay the night, like a sleepover.”

I wanted that so badly—although a very adult sleepover, after the kids were asleep—but Emmy’s expression turned unreadable.

I quickly said, “We’ll see, Avery. Now, we have some stuff to do before bed, and then we have work tomorrow. Listen to what Aunt Lori says and get ready for bed.”

“Love you, Daddy! And you too, Emmy!”

I felt her stiffen beside me.

Wyatt grunted. I decided it was time to end the call. “Love you both, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

Once they murmured goodnight, I clicked End and placed the phone on the nightstand. “Sorry they interrupted our dinner.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I was mostly finished anyway.” She stood. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

I cleaned up our meal and then lay on the bed, waiting to see Emmy’s mood when she came out. However, I fell asleep, and by the time I woke up the next morning, she was gone.

I couldn’t believe I’d slept next to her and never woken up. But her absence made me wonder if last night had pushed her too far, scaring her. After all, we were supposed to have a few days of sex and nothing else. Making up stories with my kids had felt more like we were dating.

With a sigh, I readied myself for the morning and tried to figure out my next move. Because I wasn’t giving up, not even close.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Emilia

Amber:I finally got the ingredients for your special-order cake. Do you want to do a tasting after you get back?

Me:Sure.

Amber:Then in two days?

Me:Okay.

Amber:Is something wrong?

---