Fairytale Come Alive

Chapter Twenty Princess Castle

Elle

It was ten thirty Christmas Eve, the kids were upstairs in bed (hopefully sleeping) and Prentice and Mikey were in the television room assembling Santa’s present for Sally, a four story, mini-princess castle.

Elle was rushing around in the great room stuffing stockings, unearthing presents from Santa she’d hidden that she’d bought and wrapped while the kids were at school, arranging them under the tree and pulling together her potato, cheese, sausage casserole that she would pour the scrambled egg over and toss in the oven first thing in the morning for breakfast.

Fergus, Annie and Dougal had been over for dinner that night and tomorrow they were to have Christmas morning at the house but head to Fiona’s parents’ for Christmas dinner before leaving there and going to Prentice’s parents’ house to spend the evening with them.

This was Elle’s idea and she’d been hesitant in suggesting it to Prentice, not wanting to mention Fiona and her family in his mood but feeling the need to do so, at least for the kids (as well as Fiona’s family). But she wasn’t hesitant after she’d actually suggested it.

The minute it came out of her mouth, he stared at her a moment then both his hands shot out, grasped her at the hips and then he pulled her so forcefully into his arms that her breath left her on a wheeze. He shoved his face in her neck and held on tight.

Her arms slid around him too and she whispered in his ear, “Pren.”

“I want them to have their grandchildren, I want my children to have their grandparents and, on Christmas especially, I want them to have something of their mother,” he whispered into the skin of her neck. “What I didn’t want to do was upset you your first Christmas with us by asking that of you.”

Well, there it was, the reason Prentice was on edge.

Elle had closed her eyes and she held on tighter too.

Then she said softly, “Honey, Fiona is our family.”

Her words made his arms get tighter, Elle pulled in breath then she felt him kiss her neck, his arms loosened and his head came up so he could say in his sweet voice, “Fuck, but I love you.”

Then, before she could return the sentiment, he’d kissed her and after he was done kissing her she was too dazed to remember to return it.

After their short conversation, Prentice had relaxed and so did Elle and they finally started enjoying the holiday full force without his tenseness invading.

Now she was covering the casserole with foil before she slid it in the fridge which would herald the end of her chores so she could go in and help Prentice and Mikey then, finally, go to bed and tomorrow… Christmas.

Christmas.

She couldn’t wait.

Prentice had warned her not to spoil the kids, he didn’t want to raise their expectations which could get out-of-control with her efforts to top herself year to year considering they had a woman in their lives who had the means to make even their wildest dreams come true.

But that didn’t mean Santa didn’t bring Sally her princess castle and a princess dress with shoes and a fairy outfit with wings so she could have a choice if she wanted to be a princess or a fairy and use all the fairy things Elle had sent her from Chicago. Jason, who still practiced on Fiona’s guitar daily, sometimes for hours, was getting an electric guitar with amplifier just in case he wanted to branch out. He also was getting a PlayStation.

Prentice had okayed these purchases mostly because he’d also paid for them, not allowing Elle to do it. So Elle was going to add her own gift, a trip to Disneyworld their next holiday and she’d informed Prentice of her intent the day before.

Prentice had, at first, not okayed that. Words were exchanged, they got heated but Elle didn’t give in and eventually, after a fair amount of (annoying, Elle thought) effort, she talked him around.

So Sally and Jason were going to be a wee bit spoiled, it wasn’t the end of the world. And this was how she’d convinced Prentice.

Or she told herself that.

What she had a strong idea was the real reason he gave in was because he saw how excited she was to give his children a special Christmas. Some days before, in bed in the dark, Prentice had shared with her that the last one was, for understandable reasons, really not that great. Princess castles, electric guitars and the promise of Disneyworld was not going to bring back their mother, but it would bring smiles to their faces and happy expectation for months of what was to come and that was something, something good and something good was always better than nothing.

So Elle was looking forward to seeing their faces when they opened their gifts and learned of the upcoming holiday.

She couldn’t wait.

And she couldn’t remember one single Christmas, not in her life, that she couldn’t wait for the morning to come. Even when she was young, before her mother died, the atmosphere in the Austin household was too heavy to be conducive to Christmas cheer.

But the last several days, with Mikey there, Prentice relaxed, Christmas cookies, Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Christmas wrapping, friends and family all around, it had been a blast and Elle could not wait for the big day.

And, incidentally, having shared all this with Prentice, she didn’t know that was the real reason why he gave in on a wee bit of spoiling.

She slid the casserole in the fridge, a smile playing at her mouth and was closing the fridge when she heard a knock at the front door.

Her eyes went to it as the smile left her face.

Who could that be at ten thirty at night on Christmas Eve?

Deciding it was likely Annie left something behind, but wondering why she didn’t just call, Elle moved to the door. The outside light wasn’t on therefore, as Elle made it to the door, she switched on the light and then stopped dead when, through the window at the side of the door, she saw who was on her doorstep.

She blinked slowly, hoping he’d go away, so focused on making this happen she didn’t hear Prentice’s boots on the floorboards behind her.

When her eyes opened again, he was still there.

He was looking at the door, probably thinking it would open considering the light had gone on but when it didn’t, he looked to the side and caught her eyes the instant Prentice asked from behind her, “Who is it, baby?”

Elle didn’t answer, she just held the familiar blue eyes holding hers.

“Elle?” Prentice called and he was closer, she knew it, she heard it. She also knew instantly when Prentice saw him because he bit out, “Fucking hell you have to be fucking joking.”

Then she was moved aside, Prentice twisted the locks, opened the door and immediately lifted a hand and planted it in Laurent Evangelista’s chest, shoving him back.

Laurent’s eyes never left Elle until he suddenly found himself flying back and he snapped, “What on –?”

“Get off my land,” Prentice growled, up came the hand again and he shoved Laurent back another step but this time the shove was angrier, more forceful and Laurent didn’t fly back two steps, he flew back six, arms reeling. He controlled his forced retreat, his body tightened and grew alert.

“Do not put your hand on me again,” he warned, straightening, his eyes now glued to Prentice.

“Won’t say it again, mate, get off my fucking land,” Prentice clipped.

“What’s happ… oh my Lord,” Mikey breathed from behind Elle who was standing, silent and stunned to immobility, in the door.

Laurent didn’t tear his eyes from Prentice who’d stopped, blocking the front walk and planting his fists on his hips.

“I wish to speak to Isabella,” he announced.

Elle stared at her ex-husband who she hadn’t seen in person in ages.

Tall, though not as tall as Prentice, very lean to the point of almost being too thin, he carried it off and made it attractively lanky due to broad shoulders and consistent workouts through playing tennis and polo that did not bulk out his body but nevertheless kept it fit and athletic. Dark blond hair. Deep blue eyes. Chiseled features which were almost feminine but not quite, the constant sardonic expression he wore coupled with the world-weary sophistication he emanated adding to his allure.

Women the world over thought he was unbelievably handsome.

Elle, knowing him all too well, absolutely did not.

“I’m afraid that’s no’ a Christmas wish that’ll come true, Evangelista,” Prentice returned, his voice low, vibrating and rough with anger. “Now, again, get the fuck off my land.”

Laurent glared at Prentice then his eyes shifted to Elle and she watched with surprise as he shifted his features to go soft, coaxing, a look she’d seen often however it was one she hadn’t seen in a very long time.

It was the look he’d assume in the early days of their marriage when he’d approach her about moving on from Paris to Gstaad from Gstaad to Rome from Rome to Istanbul from Istanbul to wherever. He knew she didn’t want to go to the next party, the next villa, the next yacht and, in the beginning, he’d take the time to cajole her, to try and convince her it would be fun, to remind her of all their fabulous friends who weren’t her friends but his and they were so vain and superior and surprisingly, with all their money, expensive education and travel, uninteresting that she didn’t miss even one of them when they were gone. And when he tried to coax her, he would assume that look.

In the end, he didn’t bother. He’d simply drop the tickets in her lap and tell her to get packed.

And seeing that look on his face, she knew. She knew everything.

She knew he knew she was with Prentice (he couldn’t not know with all the magazines they’d featured in). She knew he knew who Prentice was. She knew he knew she was happy. She knew he thought she couldn’t ever be happy in the wilds of Scotland with an award-winning architect and his two beautiful children, not when she could have the world laid at her feet. She knew she spent years trying to convince him she didn’t want the world laid at her feet and he’d never, not once, listened. She knew he was competitive and it was eating at him that he was bested by a man like Prentice, so much more of a man than Laurent it wasn’t funny but that was also something Laurent would never understand.

And lastly, she knew that he’d asked her father how to find her and her father had told him. In fact, it was highly likely Carver Austin sent Laurent here.

And instead of feeling beaten, tired or defeated at another indication that life just would not give her her happily ever after, she felt something else.

She felt fury.

“Isabella, darling, please, allow me to –” Laurent started, Prentice’s body shifted as if to advance but Elle spoke.

“He told you, didn’t he?” she asked, her voice so cold, icicles formed on each word and Prentice’s body shifted a different way, to look back at her while Elle felt Mikey’s hand settle on the small of her back.

But Elle’s eyes didn’t move from Laurent.

“I don’t know what you –” Laurent began but Elle let him say no more.

“My father, he told you where I was,” she declared, watched Laurent suck in a breath to deny through a lie but she went on before he could speak. “It’s Christmas Eve, tomorrow is a big day, a joyful day, there are children in this house, I’m with my family, it’s late and you show up on the doorstep knowing I hate you, knowing that seeing your face could conceivably ruin my day or even my whole Christmas and thinking that’s a perfectly all right thing to do.” Losing her composure, she leaned in and asked on a hiss, “What’s the matter with you?”

“I needed to be certain you were here. I needed –” Laurent launched into his explanation but Elle interrupted him again.

“You needed? Who cares what you needed, Laurent?” she asked then didn’t wait for him to answer. She crossed her arms on her chest and announced, “I’ll tell you who doesn’t care.” She jerked her thumb to her chest, “Me.”

Laurent winced then tried, “Isabella, my love –”

She cut him off yet again, “Go away.”

He made to take a step forward, Prentice’s body swung toward him, he stopped and said, “Isabella, I’m asking you please.”

But Elle was done.

Because in that instant, seeing Prentice blocking his way, not about to let him get to her; feeling Mikey’s hand warm on the small of her back, his body close; and staring at Laurent’s face, knowing he could be even more of a jerk when he was already a world-class jerk, it came to her.

She was living her happily ever after.

It just came with some trolls along the way.

Therefore, impatiently, as if he was simply an annoying nuisance (which he was), she ordered on a sigh, “Go away and stay away.” She shook her head and went on, “Honestly, I never want to see you again. Not ever.” She began to turn to walk into the house but thought of something else so she turned back. “And, if you speak to my father, tell him the same thing. He does not exist in my world, not anymore and not ever again.”

After delivering that line, she turned and started into the house but turned back when Laurent called after her, speaking swiftly, urgently and almost desperately, “I only ever loved you.”

“Oh my God,” Mikey snapped, his words so heated it was a wonder Elle didn’t get singed by their fire. “Is he insane?”

But Elle’s brows had simply lifted with mild curiosity and she asked, “You only ever loved me?”

He nodded, glanced quickly at Prentice, took a tentative step forward then stopped on a sway as Prentice moved aggressively to block him and growled, “I don’t think so.”

Laurent ignored Prentice, though he made no further advance but lifted a hand toward Elle, saying softly but in a voice that carried, “All of them, all the others, they meant nothing to me, darling. I need to speak to you. To explain. This separation between us, this distance, it’s out of hand. I’ve been living a nightmare these last years, lost without you. Something must be done. I loved you in the beginning; you know that, I know you do. But I also loved you in the end and I need to explain why I did what I did, behaved the way I behaved. You need to know it’s only ever been you. I’ve always only ever loved you.”

“No you haven’t,” Elle retorted so instantly to his ludicrous, heartfelt declaration that Laurent’s body twitched and he blinked.

Then he asked, sounding and looking ridiculously confused, “What?”

“You haven’t,” Elle repeated. “You see, Laurent, I know what love is. I have love, a lot of different kinds of it and you never gave that to me. Not in the beginning and definitely not in the end. So don’t stand there telling me you only ever loved me. I’m not entirely certain you know what love means and if what you feel for me, considering how you treated me, is twisted somehow in that head of yours to mean love then I’ll give you one more thing. I’ll give you the knowledge that you… are… wrong. You don’t treat someone you love the way you treated me. Never. You’d rather die than do something like that. Trust me. I love the man standing in front of you, I would tie myself in knots not to hurt him, I’d throw myself in front of a bus for him, I’m not kidding, and I know he’d do the same for me. That’s love.” She threw her hand out toward Laurent. “You have no idea and that makes me sad for you because, honestly, if you think what you feel for me is love then you’ll never get it and that’s not only sad, at your age, it’s pathetic.”

Then she again turned, this time with determination, skirted Mikey and walked into the house without looking back.

Then she walked to the television room and saw the princess castle was mostly complete. There were some decals left to stick on and the furniture was still in plastic wrap in a pile on the floor but it was assembled and it looked fantastic.

Elle smiled. Sally was going to be in fits of delight.

“Baby?” Prentice called and Elle turned to see him and Mikey coming through the door, both of their eyes on her, both of their faces carrying a mixture of concern and residual anger.

“This looks great!” she cried, throwing her hand out to the castle.

Mikey rocked to a halt and blinked. Prentice stopped too and stared closely at her.

“Sally is going to love that!” Elle kept exclaiming. “It’s even better than the pictures on the box. I cannot wait for the morning.”

Both Prentice and Mikey stared at her. Then they looked at each other. Then their gazes came back to her.

That was when Mikey asked, “Uh… girlie-girl, are you okay?”

“Yes,” Elle answered. “Tired but it’s late and it’s been a hectic day. But I’ll help you with the furniture once we get this out to the great room and then we can go to bed and tomorrow…” she smiled, “Christmas!” Then she clapped, her face wreathed in smiles.

Prentice and Mikey again stared at her before looking to each other then Prentice looked back at Elle and walked to her.

Once he arrived, he pulled her loosely in his arms and informed her cautiously, “He’s gone.”

“Good,” Elle replied then asked, “Should we take this in the other room now? I can unwrap the furniture while you and Mikey finish the decals.”

Prentice’s arms gave her a little squeeze and both his head and voice dipped low when he said, “Elle, baby, what happened outside –”

“Is over,” Elle interrupted him. “It’s Christmas Eve and he’s had five minutes of it, he doesn’t get anymore.”

“So you’re okay with what happened out there?” Prentice asked.

“No,” Elle answered. “But I didn’t show up on my ex-husband who hates me’s doorstep to act like a selfish jerk then be sent packing, he did. He has to deal with that. I don’t. And you said he’s gone so it’s over, I’m moving onto princess castles then to bed then Christmas.”

After making her declaration, she held Prentice’s beautiful every-colored eyes as they held hers. Then she watched his eyes smile. Then she lost sight of them when his head dropped and her eyes closed when he touched his mouth to hers.

When his head came up, he muttered, “Right, let’s get this done.”

“Yes,” she smiled and gave him her own squeeze, “let’s get this done.”

“We’ve got a plan,” Mikey cut in, moving toward the sheet of sticker decals that would adorn the princess castle with printed stone and abundant flowers. “Sally’s castle then bed. I’m beat. And sleep means waking up to Bella’s breakfast casserole and the moment I taste that high-calorie extravaganza cannot come soon enough. So, chop chop!”

Elle transferred her smile to Mikey, Mikey returned it, she gave Prentice another squeeze, he returned it then he let her go and they chop chopped.

“Baby,” Prentice said softly as Elle wandered out of the bathroom and into their room, ready for bed.

“Yes?” she answered, her eyes going to him then her brows drawing together because he was in his pajama bottoms but he was also wearing a sweatshirt and a thick pair of socks.

She was in a short, silky, lacy nightie and she felt comfortable. The heat was turned down at night; Prentice set the automatic timer on the thermostat to do it so the house could get chill, although she wouldn’t really know because by that time Prentice was using a variety of ways to warm her up. But, considering he knew they’d have a late night, he’d turned off the automatic timer and only turned it back on when they’d finished the castle, said their goodnights to Mikey and headed to bed.

The air hadn’t even gone cool yet.

“Are you cold?” she asked right before he tossed a pair of his thick socks to her.

She bobbled them then caught them.

“On,” he ordered then strode to the closet and disappeared.

Elle stared at the socks in her hand. Then, slowly, her head turned so she could look out the windows to the moonlit sea.

Then her heart started racing.

Prentice took her out there on occasion, not often but it happened. Sometimes he’d take a bottle of wine for her and his whisky, they’d sip and stare at the sea, each in their own thoughts, doing this mostly silently.

She loved it when he did that, she loved the quiet togetherness, the sea their view, comfortable in each other’s company without words.

But something told her tonight, knowing she was tired, Christmas less than an hour away, he wasn’t in the mood to sip whisky and stare at the sea with her back tucked to his front, his arms around her, her head resting on his shoulder.

It was something else.

And tomorrow was Christmas so that something else could be something else.

Prentice exited the closet with one of his thick, wooly sweaters.

“Pren –” she started.

“Socks on, Elle,” he interrupted her.

She stared at him for another moment. Then she bent over and pulled on his socks. When she was done, he was close and he pulled the sweater over her head. It was huge and covered her from neck to thigh, well past her nightgown but it left her legs bare. Even with her legs bare, the minute she shoved her arms through the sleeves, Prentice grabbed her hand and led her out to the balcony.

Heart still racing, Elle didn’t argue or resist.

She followed.

He closed the door behind them and guided her to the railing before he stopped them and guided her into his arms.

She tipped her head back to look at his face in the moonlight and the illumination from the soft lamps lit on either side of the bed that were coming through the windows of their room. When she did, she saw he was already looking down at her and she noted he looked serious.

She opened her mouth to speak, knowing he had to feel her heart beating against his chest where it was pressed close but she didn’t utter a peep.

Because he spoke first.

And when he did, it was to ask, “You’d throw yourself in front of a bus for me?”

She bit her lip as she tried to control the beating of her heart. This was an impossibility so she answered, “Well –”

That was all she got out before Prentice spoke again.

And when he did, this time it was a thick, hoarse whisper, “You’d throw yourself in front of a bus for me.”

She would and he knew it. He knew it and she knew that he felt that knowledge burrow deep and he liked it.

Elle felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes, her body melted into his, her arms tightened around him and she whispered back, “Yes, Pren, though I hope I never get the chance.”

A short, sharp laugh escaped his throat but that was it before his head dropped and his forehead came to rest on hers.

Then he said in his soft, low, sweet, beautiful voice, “You know I love you.”

“I know,” she replied just as soft but probably not as sweet and beautiful.

“You love me,” he declared.

“With everything I am,” Elle confirmed, his eyes closed slowly and his arms squeezed her tight.

Then they loosened, his eyes opened to look into hers and that voice kept coming at her. “And you know I want you in my life until my last breath.”

Her heart tripped over itself.

“Pren.” That was all she could get out, she could say no more and Prentice didn’t give her a chance.

He pulled slightly away at the same time he reached behind him to wrap a hand around her left wrist. Then he shifted it between them as his other hand went to the pocket of his pajama bottoms. The next second he was sliding a large diamond ring on her finger, the diamond brilliant, gorgeous and huge but the setting was simple, unadorned, the luster, brilliance and size of the diamond the only thing it needed.

“I’m making that official,” Prentice told her, his voice still sweet but it was again thick as Elle stared at the ring and couldn’t speak at all because her heart was still beating a mile a minute but now it was doing it in her throat. “That is the ring I wanted to give you twenty years ago. That is the ring my Elle deserves to wear on her finger, the ring that lays my claim to her, shows the world she’s mine and shows her how much she means to me. So that is what she’ll have.”

Elle’s eyes, filling with wet as her lips trembled, lifted to his and when they did his hand, warm and strong, curled around hers tight and pressed it to his chest.

“Merry Christmas, baby,” he whispered.

Elle stared at the man she’d loved for forever, the man who breathed life into her, the man who set her free, the man who, again, slid the perfect ring on her finger making all her dreams come true and she knew she was right earlier.

She had her happily ever after.

And it was happy.

So she stuffed her face in Prentice’s sweatshirt, yanked her hand free from his so she could wrap her arm around him again, both her arms spasmed and she burst into tears.

Prentice gathered her closer, pulling her deeper to his warmth and he held on tight as she wept tears of joy into his chest.

When this went on for a good long while, he whispered into her hair, “Baby, we need to get you inside. It’s cold and your legs are exposed.”

Her head jerked back then it jerked side to side.

Then she pulled her arms from around him, lifted her hands and placed them on either side of his head. With wet on her face, tears still spilling over, she got on her tiptoes to get closer.

And in a fierce voice, Elle told him, “When Cinderella is on her balcony with her handsome Prince, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, they don’t feel cold, Pren, they don’t feel anything. They just feel happy.”

She watched his face shift, go soft, his eyes warm and his arms convulsed around her as he murmured, “Elle.”

“I love you,” she whispered, got higher on her toes and touched her mouth to his then moved back half an inch. “I love you.” Her fingers slid into his thick, fantastic hair and she repeated, “I love you.”

“Elle –”

Her fingers clenched in his hair and she pressed her body deep into his.

“I love you, Prentice Cameron.”

Elle stopped talking and stared into his beautiful eyes, eyes she’d look into every day for the rest of her life and for the first time in that life she felt blessed.

Prentice allowed her a moment to experience that added gift then his neck bent and his mouth crushed down on hers.

Some time later, his body bent so he could lift her in his arms and carry her to their bed.

In their bed he gave her another gift and as often as she got it (which was often), it was always special.

But this time, after, sliding to sleep with Prentice’s warm, strong, big body curved into hers, his arm around her, his fingers laced in hers, keeping her safe, holding her close and doing it with his ring on her finger, it was beyond special.

It was magical.