AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"YAY!" Rory cheered, climbing onto one of the outside chairs to watch.
TWENTY-FOUR
With Tacey standing in front of him, damn near vibrating with anger, Wystan almost backed down and changed his mind. In order to fly with her, he'd have to take her in his arms, and hold tight to her, when he hadn't touched a woman since his wife died.
"Come on, Mr Monster, make Mummy fly!" Rory cried.
Wystan closed his eyes. He could not disappoint the child.
"Place your arms around my neck," he instructed.
Despite the cold winter air and the thick sweater she wore, he could still feel the heat of her body as she did as he asked.
He wanted to seize her around the waist, pressing her body tight against his, as he launched high into the air, but he feared such close contact would frighten her more than the flight. So, he lifted her like a new bride about to be carried across the threshold and gave a couple of lazy flaps, before he lifted them off the ground.
Her arms tightened around his neck as he slowly flew the length of the lawn, and back again, his feet almost skimming the grass, he flew so low. He did a second lap of the lawn, before returning to the veranda.
"You can let go now," he said.
Tacey blinked. "Right." A long moment later, she peeled her arms from around his neck and stepped away.
The loss of her warm weight hit him hard, where his heart had once been. He wanted to fly with her again. Higher, further, faster...holding her closer. Maybe even hold her for longer afterwards, if she'd let him. Another time, he promised himself. If she was willing.
Rory jumped up and down. "My turn! My turn!"
Tacey frowned, but she nodded. "All right. As long as you hold on tight, and are very careful, and you don't fly too high."
Wystan held his arms out to the little girl. Fearless Rory leaped into his embrace, hugging him tighter than her mother had.
He'd thought holding Tacey would be the biggest challenge, but Rory...between the way her whole face lit up, the giggles bubbling out of her mouth, and the trusting grip of her arms on him...it was like a dream. Like he was holding his own daughter, alive in his arms, for the very first time. Heaven, surely, and a heaven he did not deserve.
Unless by protecting Rory and Tacey, he might earn a place in heaven beside Effie.
Under Tacey's watchful gaze, he flew back and forth across the lawn, relishing every moment. Tacey could not have given him any greater gift, and he would be eternally grateful for it. He pitied the girl's father, who had never known such joy. Just as Wystan himself hadn't until this moment.
All too soon, Tacey rose from her seat, tucking the empty packaging that had held her dinner into the bag it had arrived in. "All right. Time for bed, Rory," she said gently.
Wystan landed carefully on the deck, leaning over to set Rory down on her own feet again. But she didn't let go until she'd landed two big, smacking kisses on each of his cheeks and thanked him, without any prompting from her mother.
Then she dashed inside, where Wystan knew he could not follow. But Tacey did, and his heart went with them.
TWENTY-FIVE
Rory yawned all the way to the bathroom, drooping as she brushed her teeth, and her eyes were already closing as her head touched the pillow. "Wasn't flying fun, Mummy?" she mumbled.
Tacey kissed her cheek. "It sure was." She wished Rory good night and closed the door behind her.
A sensible mother would go to the kitchen, clean up the remains of their dinner, load the dishwasher, and maybe see if they needed to add anything to the shopping list. Do a load of laundry, so she could pop it in the dryer overnight.
But wasn't feeling sensible tonight. Sure, she'd fulfilled her motherly obligations, making sure Rory was safe and fed and went to bed, so now her time was her own. Well, within limits. She couldn't leave Rory alone in the house, so she could hardly do what the other twentysomethings she knew did, and go to the pub or something.
The pub was out. But there were some bottles of cider in the fridge, so she grabbed two and took them out to the veranda. The lights were still on out there, but Wystan's hulking shadow had disappeared. He'd gone up to the roof to stand watch.
"Want to come down and keep watch here for a minute, while we share a cider or two?" she called on impulse. Not too loud, because she wasn't sure what she'd do if he actually accepted her invitation, so it was probably for the best that he didn't.
Except...a massive shadow swept across the lawn, wheeling around far faster than he'd done with herself or Rory, and there he stood at the bottom of the steps, wings outstretched like Batman's worst nightmare.
But not hers.
