Stay with me, always.

Chapter 71. Sweet Nothing

Four Years Later

I can hear them before I see them. Our girls.

Thinking they're being quiet as they tiptoe into our room, doing their best not to wake us. I can feel the end bed dip slightly under their weight, shushing each other as they slip under the covers, no doubt crawling up to where we're lying. I smile to myself as I hear their giggles. "I don't mean to alarm you," I say to Soarynn who's sound asleep, "but I think some little monsters have snuck into our bed."

A grin spreads across Soarynn's face as she presses her cheek against my chest, "Oh really?"

I can hear the girls gasping, realizing time is running out before they've been caught. "Oh yes," I say, turning on the dramatics, "whatever shall we do?" Soarynn slowly opens her eyes, looking up at me through her long lashes, "I think there's only one thing we can do," she whispers. I smile, brushing her hair out of her face, "And what's that?"

I watch out of the corner of my eye as the girls finally reach our legs. Soarynn smiles, sitting up and throwing the covers off our legs, "We need to call the Peacekeepers!" She says, grabbing Ceraphina and tickling her. I waste no time in following suit, grabbing hold of Celeste and tickling her stomach, listening to her laughs and squeals, "Daddy! Daddy, it's us!" She shrieks, trying to wiggle away.

I look down at her, taking in her blonde curls falling around her face, her blue eyes staring into mine, "No, it can't be," I say, shaking my head, and continuing my tickling. I look over at Soarynn who has Ceraphina laughing just as hard as Celeste, "What do you think, my love? Are these little monsters our daughters?" I ask, watching as Ceraphina nods, "Yes! It's us!" She says, laughing as Soarynn tickles under her chin.

Soarynn shakes her head, "It couldn't possibly be them, these two must be wearing disguises."

Both girls gasped, fervently shaking their heads, "It's us!" They cry, still trapped in our tickling grasp. I raise my eyebrows, "Tell me something only our girls would know," I say, watching as they look at each other, trying to figure out what to say.

Ceraphina's face lights up, "Oh! Mommy and Daddy were kissing in the greenhouse last week at Grandmother's party! And Daddy told us not to tell anyone!"

Soarynn shot me an amused look as my face turned red, "Alright, it's you, but we'll keep a sharp eye out for those monsters," I decided, letting go of Celeste who flopped onto the bed. Ceraphina did the same thing, both of them catching their breath from the tickle torture. I'm a strong believer that they sound just like Soarynn when they're being tickled.

A playful smile spread across my lips as I turned to look at Soarynn who was smiling down at the girls. "In fact, I think the tickle monster is in this bed with us," I said slowly, reaching out to grab Soarynn.

Her eyes widened as she realized what I meant, but it was too late for her as I grabbed her waist, tickling her until she shrieked with laughter, "Coryo! Oh my...girls! Girls save me! Daddy is the monster! He's the tickle monster!" She cried, gasping for air as she laughed. I held her tight against me as the girls came to her rescue, climbing on top of me, trying to loosen my grip.

"Daddy! Let go of Mommy!" Ceraphina demanded, trying to pull Soarynn from my grasp with a rather determined look on her face. Celeste nodded, mirroring her sister's face of determination. I smiled, watching as Soarynn laughed so hard she had tears falling down her face, "Well I'm in need of some sort of payment," I told them.

Watching their faces contort into confused ones. "Kisses!" Soarynn said, trying to wiggle free, "Daddy needs lots of kisses!"

The girls gasped, immediately peppering my cheeks with kisses. I smiled, letting Soarynn go as the girls cheered. "We did it!" Celeste said, jumping up and down. Soarynn smiled, carding her fingers through her hair, "You two saved me, I am forever grateful for my monster hunters," she said, placing her hand over her heart.