Every Picture Tells A Story
Wyatt looked up a few clips online to help him get into character. His parents hadn’t watched a lot of TV, so he hadn’t grown up watching it much either. But he knew these iconic characters.
He wasn’t surprised when the pin-striped suit fit him perfectly. After her years modeling, Esme knew clothes, and she’d figured out his size. There was even a pocket watch with a chain in the prop box. He checked the video to ensure he set it up correctly.
Watching Esme slither into the dress was his favorite part of the day so far. He couldn’t wait to help her slither out of it later.
The dress’s sleeves and hem had long, floaty pieces drifting, and she was as sexy as anything he’d ever seen. She’d fixed her hair so it hung in loose waves over her shoulders.
He knew exactly how Gomez Addams felt, and it was easy to drop into the role of a man over the moon in love with his woman. “Querida.”
Esme’s face lit up at his words. “Darling.”
He lifted her hand to kiss it, then followed with kisses up her arm until he found her smiling mouth. “I like the costume choices.”
“Me too, my sexy Gomez. I figured our other Gomez wouldn’t mind sharing the name for the evening.”
“It’s perfect.”
Grinning, Esme pulled a hairy something out of a box.
At his confused look, she grinned. “Gomez will be Cousin It for the evening. As long as he doesn’t mind the costume.
” Gomez rose from his nap and went through his stretching routine.
When they slipped the costume onto him, he looked at them as if they’d lost their minds, but he didn’t protest.
Esme slipped on flat black shoes while Wyatt donned shiny ones. She helped him with the moustache and talked him into letting her use makeup to make his eyebrows more in line with the character.
When they reached the stairs, he realized Esme’s dress was tighter at the ankles, making the steps awkward. As she started to hitch it up to make descending easier, he took her hand and kissed it. “Hang on, Tish.” Then he scooped her up and carried her down.
Esme grinned. “I didn’t think about stairs; I should have dressed down here.”
“This is more fun, and it’s totally in character. We’ll do it again down the porch stairs.”
In the kitchen, they found Seth and Mara in jeans and leather jackets. With Seth’s hair slicked back and Mara’s big and fluffy, it was easy to identify them even with his limited movie experience—Danny and Sandy from Grease. Mara was a huge fan of musicals, so the choice didn’t surprise him.
Jolie and Ford arrived as fishermen, with Jolie wearing bright pink chest waders covered in yellow ducks. Lumberjacks Knox and Thea showed up next.
Outside, they found Nash and his family dressed as the Flintstones, with Oggie and Flupps wearing dinosaur costumes. Charlie and his buddy Owen, both dressed as cavemen, raced over to rave over all the costumes.
Dani and Lawson appeared from the direction of the equipment barn, and everyone laughed. Dani and Bibi had dressed as bees while Lawson wore the beekeeper outfit.
Amber, Gray, and Boomer arrived last, and everyone applauded. Boomer and Gray wore treasure hunter costumes while Amber was mostly wrapped in white bandages. Her baby bump sported cartoon eyes and a smile, with “Mummy” written on one of the wraps.
Wyatt laughed. “If we had a contest, you’d win first prize.”
Within moments, the guests poured out of the inn. None of them repeated costumes from the previous night. Farid and his family were baseball players tonight. There were scarecrows, goblins, fairies, hockey players, and cartoon characters.
Thankfully, there were no grim reapers. He imagined if anyone had brought that for a costume, they’d have changed their mind for tonight.
Charlie announced it was time for the pumpkin pinatas. They’d made enough for every family to have their own.
While laughter and squeals of delight filled the orchard, Wyatt and Esme helped Seth and Mara string apple-cider donuts from a line they’d hung between two trees.
Families moved between the donuts, the jack-o’-lantern carving station, the ring-toss, and the checkers games. The photo booth was a hit, as was the guessing game for the Sunflower Heights.
Every so often, Charlie blew a whistle and announced random games of eyeballs on spoons and zombie tag.
When the full moon shone, Nash approached Wyatt and Esme. “Charlie wants to start the photo scavenger hunt soon. Are you okay with that? If not, we can skip it.”
He slung his arm around Esme. “What do you think, Morticia?”
She smiled at them. “I’m fine. I don’t want Lacy and her goon to ruin the night or take away my love of the orchard.”
Then she squeezed Wyatt’s hand. “But I won’t be letting go of you anytime soon.”
He kissed her hand and up her arm, making Nash laugh as he gave Charlie the signal.
Charlie and Owen used a phone to make a loud trumpeting sound, drawing everyone’s attention their way.
Wyatt turned to Esme. “Are you sure? You’ve got nothing to prove to anyone, least of all me. We can clean up the stations here instead.”
She shook her head, eyes serious. “I’m okay.
Knowing they’re all in jail makes it easier.
Knowing I never have to look over my shoulder again makes it even better.
Even if more paparazzi show up trying for pictures, they’re not dangerous.
I’m not living my life in fear. Not when I have so much to live for. ”
He couldn’t keep his lips off her any longer. When he raised his head, he cupped her nape. “You’re incredible. Let’s go have some fun.”
They spent the next hour walking the orchard and helping guests find the trickier clues. Charlie and Owen had spent part of the afternoon moving the positions of the ghosts and clues in the trees, so even the repeated clues required a search.
Gomez’s Cousin It costume was a hit as all the kids wanted to take pictures with him, or with them, too. After Farid’s boys had taken their photos, Wyatt laughed. “If I added up all the photos I’ve been in during the rest of my life, the total wouldn’t match how many have been taken tonight.”
Esme laughed. “Everyone wants to capture a sexy Gomez for themselves. But I’m keeping the original.”
He held back the words. Tonight wasn’t the time, and he wasn’t fully prepared.
Soon, though. Soon.
Esme was relieved when fear didn’t consume her.
She’d been determined to be brave and tough it out, even if she was scared, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
Because she was surrounded by love and fun, the terror didn’t have a chance to return.
Still, she didn’t stray far from Wyatt, who remained on alert the entire evening.
Her costume wasn’t made for long hikes, but they walked far enough into the trees to ensure the space hadn’t been ruined for her. Romantic evening walks in the orchard weren’t something she wanted to give up.
As memories of the previous night flashed, she reminded herself she was safe and that the worst she had to fear from now on was a photograph or two.
She could live with that, but she suspected Tristan Downey wouldn’t be interested in her once he’d done his time. That triggered a reminder of the idea she had had earlier. A way to take back control of the paparazzi situation, maybe forever.
Wyatt squeezed her hand. “Deep thoughts?”
She smiled. “Sort of. Thinking that with Lacy in jail, I don’t have to be scared anymore. Knowing that the paparazzi weren’t behind the attack helps. If they’re only after photos, I can live with that.”
“Do you think this incident will bring them out again?”
She sighed. “Maybe for a bit, but I don’t imagine it’ll be news for long.
When they find out Lacy was behind the attack, it’ll be gossip in certain circles until something else comes along.
This time, they’ll be digging into her life looking for dirt.
They’ll probably rehash the LA attack, but I can’t imagine many wasting their time coming to Vermont. ”
“We’ll handle it if they do.”
Her heart melted. His easy confidence in her and in them filled her with warmth and love. “We will. I have an idea that I want to think about a bit more, but it might help.”
Back at Halloween Central, they handed out popcorn bags decorated with witches and ghosts to everyone who participated in the photo challenge. Knox set up a screen and projector for everyone to show their favorite photos from the hunt.
She and Wyatt were featured in a few, making her grin.
The crowd favorite was of Amber lying on a few hay bales while Boomer and Gray discovered her.
Boomer’s quizzical head tilt at their antics made the photo perfect.
The dog looked as if he could have jumped onto a movie set with his wide-brimmed hat and camouflage kerchief.
Charlie and Owen declared a game of brucans versus dragons for the kids, and soon they were burning off energy in an energetic tag game that no adults could follow.
Mara set up some music and declared the dance floor open. Wyatt held Esme close as they swayed to the music, and the kids burned off some of their sugar highs in games led by Charlie and Owen.
After playing a few soft and romantic pieces, Mara changed the music to “Time Warp”, “Thriller”, and “Ghostbusters” before calling out that “Monster Mash” would be the final song to finish up the party.
The dancing and the games had worn out the kids, and the guests headed to the inn amid a round of thanks for the great evening. She smiled as the group of costumes trudged up to the inn, imagining the littlest ones would be asleep in minutes.
After cleaning up, the farmhouse group headed inside and set the security behind them. They let the others climb the stairs first, and then Wyatt swung Esme into his arms at the bottom and carried her to their room, Gomez trotting along behind.
Once they were behind the closed door, Wyatt set her on her feet. “Let’s get Cousin It out of his costume, and then we can do the same. I don’t know about you, but I need a shower to wash off the makeup.”
She ran her fingers over his eyebrows. “I think a shower sounds perfect.”
Once Gomez snoozed in the corner, Wyatt tugged her into a soft and slow dance, kissing her lips and moving his mouth down her neck. They undressed each other, trading kisses and soft touches.
Wyatt’s hands smoothed over her skin as he slipped the dress slowly, so slowly, down. When it puddled on the floor and she stepped clear, he groaned and lowered his head to put his mouth on her breast. He kissed and teased until her bones liquefied. His name dripped from her lips like a prayer.
“Morticia’s gorgeous, but my Esme’s even prettier. Let’s find her under the makeup.”
How lucky was she to find a man who wanted the real her? The woman behind the makeup and glamour. The woman who preferred jeans to dresses, making Halloween games to walking runways. Some men might want the image, the pretence. Not Wyatt. He wanted her.
Even without the excuse of the tight dress, Wyatt lifted Esme into his arms and then stepped into the steaming shower with her.
Their touches started soft and slow. Feather-light and sensuous.
They soaped their bodies, washing off makeup, and stirring themselves up. So high.
By the time Wyatt’s hands reached down to tease her, she was barely able to think, barely able to stay upright.
Wyatt grabbed a condom from where he’d set some on a high shower shelf and covered himself. Then he lifted Esme and angled her back against the wall.
He slid into her, and she gasped out her pleasure.
Wyatt put his lips on hers. “I love you, Esme. More than Gomez loves Morticia.”
She laughed at the comment, but that turned to a gasp as he started to move.
She flew over the edge as she gasped out her love.
When they were tucked together in bed, she kissed his chest. “Thank you.”
He chuckled. “Any time. Seriously. For anything and everything.”
She shifted to look at him. “Today could have been so difficult. Memories of last night flashed through my head at times, but they didn’t stay long. I knew I was safe, knew you were there. Just like you were there last night.”
“I’m so damn sorry they got a chance to grab you last night.”
Esme leaned up so that he could see her clearly. “Stop. It wasn’t your fault, and you’re the reason I’m okay. Because of last night, it’s over. We don’t have to keep looking over our shoulders. We can relax into our new lives here.”
He nodded. “I still feel guilty, but I’m working on it.”
“How can I help?”
He smiled. “I think it’ll take time, but seeing you happy helps.”
She grinned. “I’ve never been happier.”
“Your Nans would approve of that.”
“And of you. She would love you.”
“How are you feeling about Lacy? Was she ever a friend?”
“No. Most of the models I worked with were friendly. We saw each other on shoots, but mostly we moved to different places as soon as our contracts were done. Lacy wasn’t well-liked by anyone.
She was difficult to work with, demanding and nasty to anyone she deemed below her.
Despite her gorgeous looks, most companies didn’t offer her contracts a second time. ”
Wyatt frowned. “Sounds like she’s always been a bitch.”
She smiled. “Yes. I considered she was behind it before, but I dismissed it. Who sets up an attack to reduce the competition for a job? That seemed ridiculous. When I suggested it to the police, they dismissed it too. They thought I was making myself out to be more important than I was. A random attack of wrong time, wrong place was easier to believe.”
“I’m sure Marcus and the FBI will enjoy letting them know they were wrong.”
“As long as she stays in jail, I don’t care what they think. I’m out of that world and much happier for it. Modeling allowed me the opportunity to give Nans the very best care, and then it gave me the money to be independent. I don’t regret any of it, but I’m glad I’ve moved on.”
Wyatt kissed her. “Me too.” Then he lifted her so she lay on his chest. His hands moved up and down her torso, making her squirm.
His body reacted in an instant, making her grin.
Wyatt leaned and grabbed something from the floor beside the bed—one of the cowboy hats she’d bought for the gunslinger costumes. He placed it on her head. “How about a ride, cowgirl?”
She laughed. “You got it, cowboy.”
It was the best ride ever.