Epilogue
Twenty years later
‘We’re going to be late.’
‘We’re not going to be late.’ Elliot’s calm voice came from behind her as she applied mascara at the mirror above their bathroom sink.
Daisy took a deep breath. ‘I’m feeling emotional.’
‘I know.’
She could feel Elliot’s smile as he lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck. She was in just her bra and panties, the dress she planned on wearing today was still laid out on their bed. His hand splayed across her bare stomach.
‘Our first baby is graduating high school today,’ she said, already getting weepy. ‘I really don’t know why I’m bothering with mascara. It’s going to be a mess in a matter of minutes.’
‘Who do you think is going to be worse, you because it’s our first baby graduating or Iris because it’s her last?’
They both thought about it for a minute before saying in unison. ‘Archer.’ Iris and Archer had already watched Olive and Owen graduate and Archer had been a mess each time, so Daisy could only imagine how he would be today when their youngest, Ophelia, would leave the nest.
Daisy laughed, shaking her head. Poor guy.
She relaxed into Elliot’s body behind her. ‘We definitely don’t have time for this.’
‘We always have time for this,’ he said, kissing along her neck and down to her shoulder.
Daisy studied their reflection in the mirror. Elliot still looked good, handsome as ever with his salt and pepper hair and glasses. Aging had just made him look even more like a sexy professor.
She ran her fingers through her own hair. ‘I should probably get these grays dyed.’
Elliot spun her around. ‘They’re not gray, they’re silver,’ he said, nuzzling further into the crook of her neck, pressing her back into the bathroom counter. ‘I like them. They make you look perfect. Like a sexy witch.’
Daisy hummed her approval as Elliot kissed and licked along her collar bones, forgetting that they absolutely didn’t have time for this until pounding at the door interrupted them. ‘Mom!’
Daisy sighed. ‘What?’
‘Where are my shoes?’
‘What shoes?’
Elliot just kept kissing right through this conversation, eighteen years of parenting desensitizing him to insistent knocking and yelling through closed doors.
‘My open-toe platform ones.’
‘Probably in your closet.’
‘They’re not there!’
‘Margaret Daisy Parker, just find some damn shoes to wear! We’re leaving in fifteen minutes for your brother’s graduation whether you are barefoot or not.’
A loud noise that could only be described as a growl came from the other side of the door, followed by stomping and a door slamming somewhere else in the house. In the meantime, Elliot had unhooked her bra and tossed it aside.
‘We really don’t…’
He cut her off with a kiss, hoisting her onto the counter. ‘Shh … this will take five minutes tops,’ he said, dropping to his knees in front of her.
She could argue. She probably should argue. But she was so tense and emotional about today, maybe this would help take the edge off.
Her head dropped back against the mirror as Elliot pulled her panties aside and got right to work. Another perk of being together for so long, he knew exactly what to do. And he was right, it wouldn’t take long.
She hissed his name, her fingers tugging at his hair as he licked and sucked. He reached up and rolled her nipple between thumb and forefinger until she whimpered. She rocked her hips and he hummed with encouragement.
‘That’s right, sweet Daisy. Come on my tongue,’ he rasped, nipping at the inside of her thigh.
And then it was heat and pressure and pleasure building until it broke with this man she loved more than anything between her thighs.
As soon as she came down, before she could catch her breath, he pulled her off the counter, turned her around and dove into her.
His mouth was on her neck, one hand between her legs, thrusting, thrusting until they both came again.
He buried his groans in her shoulder, and she bit down on her hand, trying to keep quiet, until they were giggling at the absurdity of it all.
‘How’d we do?’ he asked, still panting.
Daisy glanced at her phone. ‘Seven minutes. We’re going to be late.’
Elliot smirked. ‘We’re not going to be late.’ He kissed her shoulder one more time before turning around to clean up and get dressed.
And he was right.
At exactly nine o’clock her little family was dressed in their finest and waiting at the door. Maggie had found her shoes, apparently. James was in his graduation gown looking so much like his father that Daisy was fighting back tears already, and Elliot was there to shuffle them all out the door.
For twenty years, he’d been there. A steady and patient presence.
Today was just another reminder of how happy she was that she ran to his house one stormy night and broke the curse.
She was pretty sure Great-Aunt Daisy would be very proud.