Oh no.Maggie almost collapsed as a tremble rippled through her knees. All the goodness she had just experienced was about to be ripped out from right underneath her, and she was hardly ready for it. One more disappointment, one more patch of darkness, and Maggie was sure that she’d never be able to rise through it again.
Maggie exhaled. “What is it?”
“We may be seeing the Everything Plant return to normal before the week is up,” Peter finally said, his warm breath fanning her face. “But I haven’t been honest with you. At least, not entirely honest.”
She held herself still.
“I don’t want you to go, Maggie.”
The breath hitched in the back of her throat. “What?”
“I like you,” Peter said. “Ilikeyou. I like spending time with you. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t ache at the idea of being without you.” He pulled back from her forehead to hold her gaze. “I don’t want you to go.”
Maggie wasn’t sure if she wanted to break out in tears or laughter. Overwhelming joy rested in the pit of her stomach, the feeling so sudden and sharp that she mistook it for anxiety at first. But it remained inside her and only grew the longer shestared up at him. Happiness, she realized, could hit her like a ton of bricks.
She tightened her hold around Peter’s neck, feeling the smile forming before she even had the chance to speak. To call herself happy would have been an understatement. Content didn’t even begin to describe it. The world she had once imagined for herself was beginning to change, and Maggie was ready to run with it.
“Peter, would you like to go to my room?”
His eyes grew wide. “Y-Your room?”
Maggie nodded.
Peter did not wait for another breath to pass between them. He kept his grip tight around her hand as he led her out of the balcony, and back onto the winding staircase. Her bedroom was a few flights higher than the balcony they were on, and it seemed as though the distance was beginning to get to Peter after a few quiet moments.
Excitement got to Peter’s head as he rushed up the stairs, beginning to take two at a time. Before Maggie could tell him to ease up, Peter let out a short yelp and fell forward on the staircase. He caught himself at the last second, his hands flattening against the jutting steps.
“Was there any chance youdidn’tjust see that?” Peter asked, his voice slightly muffled against the stairs.
Maggie laughed as she knelt beside him, leaning forward to press a fleeting kiss to the back of his head. He stirred against her touch. “I’ll pretend it never happened.”
He climbed back up, tucking his arm around hers effortlessly. “Perfect.”
The rest of the way to Maggie’s bedroom was as easy as cake. Anything could be that easy, she realized, with Peter at her side. There were no rules, no expectations. They were simply two beings enamoured with each other, and were looking for ways to show it. Maggie let Peter open the bedroom door for her, let himpull her along through the room she could navigate with her eyes closed.
He cupped her face in his hands. “You are perfect, Marigold Hart.”
And as Peter Pan enveloped her in a passionate kiss, Maggie allowed herself to finally melt in the King of Neverland’s arms.
8
Maggie
Maggie nestled her steaming cup of coffee close to her chest as Peter curved around the island counter, making sure to press up behind her. A deeply scarlet blush engulfed her face as she took a gulp of the coffee, quickly blaming the color on the heat of her morning drink. Peter caught her face in a grin as he passed by, flashing an equally charming wink. And even as the blush only tightened its hold across Maggie’s face, she couldn’t help but let her shoulders fall, and a blissfully happy smile took over her lips.
“Youtwo!”
Maggie jerked back in surprise.
Dash flipped a pancake in her face, the perfectly tan flapjack smacking against the flat bottom of the pan. It let out a pleased sizzle as another knob of butter was dropped into it, the steam washing over her face. Maggie waved a hand through the cloud of steam, her glower holding onto Dash for a second longer than usual.
“If you’re gonna gawk at each other,” Dash continued, making sure to pointedly wiggle in between them as he made his way to the stovetop, “at least do it out of my way!”
Maggie laughed. “You’re sounding more and more like a real cook every day.”
To his left, Scamp finished fervently sloshing his whisk through a pale yellow liquid. Freshly collected eggs had been used that morning to make a delightful blend of savory and cheesy scrambled eggs. He poured the mixture into a piping hot pan, watching as the eggs bubbled and baked over the flame. Like an expert, he pinched his fingers into a bowl of salt and sprinkled it across the eggs. He went to the bowl of freshly cracked pepper next, giving an extra dash of it to the breakfast. Scamp finished with a narrow spatula, mixing and removing the eggs from the heat to give them a gentle cook.
“The eggs don’t need to see you guys making eyes at each other,” Scamp added.
