The Returned Read Free Page A

the dishes were put away, he set to wiping down the counters, the stove top, the microwave, and the table. Caitlin just watched him work, smiling as she drank the last of her glass of wine.
    When he finally finished, she stepped close. “Have I said how sexy it is when a man cleans?”
    â€œSexy!” Fiona said from the living room, decked out in her favorite dinosaur pajamas. Paddy Bear was dressed in a miniature version of them.
    â€œDon’t you dare laugh,” Caitlin whispered. “She’ll never stop saying it.”
    Edward stifled a laugh. “Well, I can’t hide this kind of—”
    Caitlin elbowed him in the ribs lovingly, then turned to Fiona. “Come on, Miss Fiona-saurus-rex, I’ll tuck you in and read you a story.”
    â€œ Goodnight Moon ?” Fiona asked.
    â€œAgain?” Caitlin asked in mock exasperation.
    â€œI know,” Fiona said, matching her mother’s tone. “But it’s Paddy’s favorite.”
    â€œWell, okay then.”
    Caitlin led Fiona up to her room and got her settled into bed. She hadn’t made it halfway through the book before Fiona was asleep, Paddy Bear held in a tight embrace.
    â€œGoodnight,” Caitlin whispered and kissed Fiona’s forehead. Then she turned off the light and closed the door, leaving it open just a crack, and went silently back downstairs.
    â€œShe out?” Edward asked when Caitlin returned, handing her a fresh glass of wine.
    â€œShe is.”
    Together they moved to the couch and settled in, Caitlin curling up close under his arm. It didn’t happen as often anymore, but sometimes Caitlin couldn’t help but think how much she liked this house. All the magical eccentricities had taken some getting used to—Edward still hadn’t figured out how to get the fire in the study to go out. Others, though, were comforting. It being larger on the inside than out was fantastic, and nothing brought a sense of security like magical wards on every door and window. Edward had been studying and beefing them up even more. The fact he did it without being asked or saying a word about it just made Caitlin love him all the more. It had been more than two years since Fiona had been kidnapped by the fae, and although it didn’t haunt Caitlin’s every thought like it once had, she never really stopped thinking about Fiona’s safety. True, the queen of the Dawn Court fae had said Fiona would be hidden from all but Dawn Court fae until she was an adult, but Caitlin liked the extra insurance.
    â€œSo,” Edward said. “About that surprise.”
    â€œOh, I’d almost forgotten,” Caitlin said and sat up a little more.
    Edward pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
    Caitlin took it and read it over. It was confirmation information for two first-class tickets to New Orleans and five days in a honeymoon suite at a hotel in the French Quarter.
    Caitlin just stared at the paper for a long moment.
    â€œSurprise?” Edward said. “We can go somewhere else, but Henry and Hannah really wanted us to come and visit—”
    Caitlin put her fingertips over his lips. “It’s not the destination.” She let out a long sigh. “I just don’t know if the timing is right.”
    Edward took her hand. “If we wait for the timing to be right, we’ll never go. You deserve this.” He squeezed her hand. “We deserve this. It’s not even for a full week. Heather said she and Harry would be happy to—”
    â€œThat’s what she was on about,” Caitlin said. “Wait, you told them?”
    â€œI wanted to make sure they’d be okay watching Fiona for a few days. I didn’t tell them anything specifically.”
    Caitlin leaned her head against Edward’s shoulder and loved that he drew her a little closer. She looked over the paper again. It did sound nice—better than nice, actually. The