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Notreal hugged Scott tightly against him. “Indeed. The icing is the most important part. We must take our time.”
“Well, speaking of time, we can’t put the icing on until the cakes cool down.” Scott wiggled his hips. “I’ve got some great ideas for what to do while we wait. Me, you, and some tasteful adult entertainment?”
“Does tasteful mean eating icing off your beautiful body?” Notreal grinned. “If so, I’m in.”
“Hell yeah, it does.”
“Honestly, whatever you have in mind, I’m very much in.”
Scott beamed, pressing a sweet kiss to Notreal’s lips. “Best birthday ever.”
Day 09
I told her there was no monster in her closet and said she could sleep on the couch. I figured that was the easiest way to get her out of the room without him realizing I saw him too.
Closet
Mac used to hate the weekends he dropped his daughter, Em, off at her mother’s. It had left his house quiet and lonely, serving only as a reminder of the family he didn’t have anymore. While he and his now ex-wife, Erin, had always done their best to keep the worst from Em, their separation had been anything but amicable. That was to be expected after Mac had come home early from work one afternoon to surprise Erin only to be surprised by her in their bed practicing some downward doggy style with her yoga instructor.
Mac had moved out the next day.
He did all right for himself as a high school teacher, and he had been able to find a cozy two-bedroom house only a few miles from Em’s school. The divorce was hard on Em, as it would be for any child, but she was incredibly resilient. She’d made it clear she wanted to stay with her father and only visit her mother for weekends and holidays, and it had delighted Mac when the court awarded him primary custody. The decision was possible thanks to Em’s passionate testimony about what a great father he was, and Mac had been happy to finally have his daughter back.
Em was overjoyed that she could move in with her father, and that she would be getting two birthdays and two Christmases now. She was even more thrilled when Mac had told her that she could decorate her new room however she wanted.
Em had picked out everything herself, including the curtains, the rug, and the bedding. She’d wanted bright shades of blue and purple, and she’d insisted on a rainbow border for her walls. Em had an absolute blast, and Mac had enjoyed the process of setting up his own place without Erin around to change everything to fit her more refined taste.
She would never have stood for the absurd amount of unicorn stuffed animals that Mac had allowed Em to put in the cart or how many sweets Mac grabbed for them to share during movie nights. He and Em watched cartoons every day, ordered out for pizza at least once a week, and he got her signed up for the karate classes she’d been begging for.
After several brutal months of bitter fighting and grueling court proceedings, Mac and Em were happy—unicorn army and all.
Then, just a few months after moving to their new house, Em’s nightmares had started.
She would wake Mac up in the middle of the night screaming about the monster in her closet. No matter how many times Mac had assured her that it was safe, she’d insisted that the monster was there and was most certainly going to eat her. She’d drawn pictures of the monster, and Mac had been impressed by the amount of detail she’d put into each one.
He didn’t know what Em was seeing at night, but it had been hard to believe that it was merely a product of her imagination. To that end, he’d decided to call on his old Boy Scout training and help his daughter catch a monster.
“The most important part to a good trap is the bait,” Mac explained as they built a decoy to place in her bed. They stuffed a set of unicorn footie pajamas with some towels and Em had the brilliant yet somewhat disturbing idea to decapitate a large Ariel doll to provide the accurate red hair.
Much more clever than the soccer ball Mac had planned to use.
Once the closet was thoroughly searched and secured, Mac taught her how to make a monster-sized snare trap using a couple of jump ropes. He tied one of the ropes to the coat rack and made a noose to place outside the closet door. He also added a box of toys carefully balanced on top of the door, ready to topple down on anyone who opened it.
Setting the trap became part of their nightly routine, and Mac would let Em crash on the couch once it was done. After seeing a suspicious shadow out of the corner of his eye one night, Mac would often join her camping out just to be safe. It had seemed a little silly at the time, but it really did make Em feel better and that’s what mattered.
After all, what were the chances of actually catching anything?
It had almost been a year now since the divorce was finalized, and Mac was beginning to appreciate the weekends that he’d once dreaded. Em was doing well in school and she seemed to be happy, which made Mac feel less guilty about getting back to doing all the things he used to enjoy—watching baseball, going to the pub, watching Saturday morning cartoons in his underwear. He’d even started dating again.
Things were actually looking up and feeling, dare he say, normal.
This was Erin’s weekend and as per their agreement, he delivered Em and herFrozenbackpack to Erin’s red minivan in the parking lot of Melvin’s Market. Other than Em, the only thing exchanged between them were a few brief and chilly words, all spoken with bright smiles on their faces.
Mac kissed his daughter goodbye and made sure she had the current favorite unicorn before he sent them on their way. He headed in the store for some quick and blessedly quiet shopping, only getting the items actually on his list. A six-pack of beer topped off the shopping spree and then he headed the three miles home.
He turned on the game as soon as he got in, thrilled that he didn’t have to worry about missing it because a certain someone had to watchPaw Patrolat that exact moment. He listened to the commentators as he put the groceries away, cracked open a beer, and then tidied up the kitchen and living room to get ready.
After all, Mac had a date tonight.
