“Because you’re tickling me with that brush.”
Her smile curves, wicked and playful. “I didn’t know dragons were ticklish.”
Sienna leans close to Ember’s ear and whispers something that makes her laugh outright.
“Daddy's very ticklish, especially his feet, hmm?” She quirks her lips in challenge.
My toes curl inside my boots at the thought. “You’re not touching my feet.”
She laughs. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I could find other places more sensitive.” More cool paint strokes my skin, cooling down my heated cheeks.
I clear my throat, needing to clear the electrically charged tension before my daughter notices I’m burning up. “So what’s with theyou’ve been tangoedlook?”
Her brows knit. “Tangoed?”
I wave a finger at her painted cheek. “The orange face.”
“Oh.” She lifts the mirror and groans. “The kids insisted. Apparently, pumpkins aren’t festive enough without face paint.”
“I thought you’d have come as a cat.” Another smirk curls my lips. “You know, seeing as you have a dozen of them.”
She shuffles in her seat, adjusting the large padded pumpkin suit as if it’s making her uncomfortably hot, her cheeks flushed under the strokes of orange. “This is the only costume I could get to fit at the store. I wasn’t planning on coming and?—”
“You wanted to see me?”
Her brush stills. She shoots me a look hot enough to ignite. “Flint asked me to help.” She dabs the brush into the orange paint, and I wonder if she’s giving me ayou’ve been tangoedlook too. Her lip twitches as her free hand tugs at the costume around her neck.
“Miss Sparks’ costume is cute, don’t you think, Daddy?”
“Yes, glowbug.” I wink at Ember. “Miss Sparks looks like a very tasty pumpkin.”
Her eyes widen, and she dips the brush harder than necessary into the water, then into the gold glitter pot.
“What’s with the glitter?”
“Dragons breathe fire, don’t they?”
“More glitter,” Sienna says.
The two of them giggle. “Ok. I think we’re done here.” Ember lifts the mirror, she and Sienna smiling at one another.
When I finally glance at my reflection, my face is green, with flared black nostrils drawn over my nose and flames licking up one cheek. Glitter catches the light like sparks and crackles around the blaze.
Sienna giggles, and Ember laughs along with her, her green stalk bobbing on her head.
Sienna claps her hands. “You’re a big, bad, fire-breathing dragon now, Daddy!”
I groan, though I can’t stop smiling. Dropping a couple of notes into the fundraiser tin, I lean down, close enough to catch the mix of cinnamon and paint clinging to Ember’s skin.
“Thanks,” I murmur, just for her. “I’ll be back later… for a slice of that pumpkin pie.”
Her breath hitches, eyes going wide. For the first time tonight, Ember Sparks is speechless. Maybe I am a big bad dragon, because all I want is to sink my teeth into this juicy pumpkin and take her home for supper.
I’m still dusting glitter from my costume when a familiar voice calls my name.
“Drake.”
I turn, and my chest eases instantly. Harold and May, my in-laws. The only family we have now.
