Page 106 of Puppy Christmas

Epilogue

“You have to promise me you won’t read it until I’m out of the house.”

Ford held the book just out of Lila’s reach. Such a taunting gesture would compel any other woman to make a dive for it, to wrestle him to the floor with promises of extracting a painful—and pleasurable—torture until he gave in.

Not so withhiswoman.

“I can just go to the bookstore and buy my own copy, you know,” she said, holding herself with a dignified air. “They ordered like five dozen.”

“Yeah, but the bookstore is miles away.”

“I’m sure the woman who does the ordering wouldn’t mind bringing a copy around. I saw what she wrote on your Facebook page.” A slow, careful, smile worked across Lila’s face. She went from a beautiful temptress to a beautiful,eviltemptress in less time than it took him to blink. “In fact, if I promise her you’ll be shirtless when she arrives, I bet she’ll bring all sixty.”

Ford glanced down at himself. He was, for once in his life, fully clothed—andnicelyclothed, if he did say so himself. He still preferred to work in his pajamas, but there were actual buttons and a logo on his shirt today.

“And how, exactly, do you propose to get men-a-k-e-d?” he asked.

Her evil smile didn’t abate any. “Oh, the usual way.”

He was about to follow up on this intriguing piece of information when Lila gave a piercing whistle. “Now, Emily. Release the hounds!”

The hounds in question were only one animal, but Jeeves had been trained well.Toowell, if the way the dog came dashing into the kitchen and sat at his feet was any indication. He was followed not too long after by Emily, who planted herself next to her service animal and looked up at Ford through wide, adoring eyes. Lila, laughing at how well both her protégés performed, stood next to them.

“Please, Daddy?” Emily asked with her hands clasped angelically in front of her. “Pretty please with sugar on top?”

“Please, Ford?” Lila chimed in. “Please will you give us a copy of your book?”

“Rrrrroowww,” Jeeves put in at a quick hand signal from Lila.

It wasn’t fair. Since the day Lila had moved in, bringing with her a parcel of neatly folded clothes, a huge organizational calendar to tack on the wall, and enough dog treats to see them through the next century, Ford had been lost. When it had been just him and Emily, he’d won the occasional battle of wills. Nowadays, it was three against one, and he didn’t stand a chance.

“Don’t make us resort to bribery,” Lila warned. “Helen promised to bring over a batch of cookies later, but I can call her up and tell her to give them to Patrick instead.”

“Cruel fate,” Ford said. He turned to Emily. “You’re really going to side with this dictator? I thought I raised you better than that.”

Emily giggled. “I want to see the pictures, Daddy. I’ve never been in a book a’fore.”

There was nothing more he could do after that but hand over the graphic novel he’d been guarding. It was titled, after much deliberation,The Misadventures of the Lizard Queen, but it would have been just as appropriate to call itEmily’s Tale. OrTail, considering how prominently Jeeves figured in the pages.

“I don’t know why I even bother,” Ford said as he tossed the book down. “Since the day you married me, you’ve had me under your thumb.” He didn’t add that he rather enjoyed his position there—usually because he was also under the rest of her at the time.

Lila softened, her eyes melting into his. “We’re just proud of you, Ford, that’s all. You’ve worked so hard on this book.”

He had. It had taken months to fit it in around his freelancing work, and there’d been a long period of rejection in which he’d been sure nothing would come of it, but the results had been well worth it. He had an actual graphic novel in his hands. And more importantly, Lila and Emily had it in their hands, too.

The contract had hardly turned him into a rich man overnight, but he didn’t mind. Lila’s business was thriving, thanks to a successful partnership with the Auditory Guild, and she showed no signs of discontent in the cozy house they all shared. This was where Emily had grown up—was still growing up—making friends and playing in the street and enjoying the active, busy childhood he’d always wanted for her.

It was home.

“I still don’t see how it’s fair for you three to gang up on me all the time,” he grumbled. He had to dosomething. Lila was peeking over Emily’s shoulder at a particularly sentimental scene in which her lizard twin was teaching the peasant girl how to braid her hair. “You could at least pretend I get a say in how things work.”

“I could,” Lila agreed, “but one of the best pieces of advice Helen gave me was not to run my family like a democracy.”

He turned his head to look at her, struck, as he always was, by how beautiful she was when she laughed. It was dangerous for a lot of reasons, but none so prominent as the fact that these days, she wasalwayslaughing.

Partly because Emily was starting to get to the good part of the book, and partly because he’d never been able to resist Lila’s low, sultry chuckle, he swooped in and wrapped his wife in a tight embrace. He kissed her long and slow, refusing to give in to her mild protests that their daughter was watching. Emily was far too wrapped up in her first literary appearance to care.

“Your family, huh?” he asked, breathless as he held Lila in his arms.

“Yes, Ford,” she replied, her eyes crinkling up at him. “My family.Ourfamily.”