Ava could hear Caden grounding his teeth, but she bravely continued. “The bunny was ashamed of his purple ears, so he would go out into the fields every day before everyone in the burrow would wake and roll in the dandelions to make his ears white.”
“Why?” Nathan asked curiously.
Every word that he gave her was a gift, and she would not squander it. She would cherish each one.
“Well, he wanted to hide who he was and fit in with everyone else, but he would never say that out loud. He was too shy.”
Nathan nodded his understanding.
“Then, one day, a wee bunny came and saw him putting on the dandelions. The wee bunny had never seen purple ears before, but he didnae mind them. The purple-eared bunny was so ashamed of the wee bunny seeing him, but the wee bunny just went up and gave him a carrot without saying a word.”
Nathan smiled widely.
Ava wondered if he was grasping her meaning. She still did not dare not look at her husband, though. Caden was surely displeased by her scheming.
“The purple-eared bunny accepted the carrot quietly and shared it with the wee bunny. Each day, the purple-eared bunny and wee bunny would share a carrot before the purple-eared bunny put on his dandelions. They would repeat this ritual until one day, the purple-eared bunny was brave enough to show his purple ears.
“The wee bunny was so proud of him that he showed off the gorgeous color to the whole burrow. Everyone was hesitant at first because the purple-eared bunny had kept to himself most of the time, but they all became friends. And they lived happily ever after. The end.”
Nathan clapped with excitement, clearly loving the crazy tale.
Ava chuckled and tickled him under the chin. He squealed and hid his face in her shoulder, a wide smile lifting his chubby cheeks.
She could no longer ignore the daggers stabbing at her skin, so she turned to look at her husband. His expression was inscrutable, but she could see the reflection of the flames in his eyes.
“What a story!” Finlay pressed his lips together to hide a mischievous smile.
Ava allowed herself to smile back before turning her attention to her husband again.
“Did ye enjoy it, me Laird?”
He narrowed his eyes. “It was good, me Lady. But I’ve heard better. In fact, I’m sure Nathan’s story will beat yers,” he said with a mock smile.
Point taken. This had not been his absolute favorite story in the whole world then. She could live with that, as long as he understood what she wanted to say. She turned to the little bundle of smiles and clapping.
“What about ye, me darling boy? Do ye want to tell us a crazy story?” Ava asked warmly.
Nathan hid his head under the blanket he ‘wore’.
Unsure what to do, they all waited. But soon enough, his tiny voice sounded through the fabric.
“Once up… a ‘ime…” the boy stuttered.
Ava placed a gentle hand on his back and pulled the blanket down over his head. She gave him a warm and encouraging smile. “We’d like to hear yer story, dearie, and we cannae do that through the blanket,” she gave him a wink.
He lifted his shoulders to his ears, which were turning pink, and began to fiddle with his fingers. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, before speaking again, very slowly, to his fingers. Avarubbed his back to let him know they would wait as long as it took.
To their credit, Caden and Finlay said nothing. They just waited patiently.
“Once upon a ‘ime,” Nathan started again, very shyly, “‘ere was a ve-very bonny lady. She was singing a song… A song dat she sang every n-n-night…” He took a deep breath and looked up at Ava for approval.
She smiled softly and nodded, urging him to continue.
“She was da ma of da b-b-bairn, and he was v-v-very hap-p-py. Uh… End.” He hid his face in her chest and gripped the tartan for dear life.
Ava stroked his hair gently. “Well done, darling.That was a beautiful story. It looks like yer uncle was right. Ye do win!”
She squeezed him reassuringly and looked at Caden and Finlay. Their faces were filled with shock and awe.
