Of Beauties And Beasts

Chapter Twenty Four

Ginny cuddled Romeo closer to her chest as she flipped through the pages of her book.  The cat spun around and curled up in her lap.  She bit her finger in anticipation.  The soldier in the book had just been captured and been taken as a prisoner of war.  They were just getting to what would happen to him when Stephen came into the room, snatching the book up from her lap.

"What are you reading?" he asked, teasing her as he held it above his head.

She pushed Romeo off of her lap and reach up on her tip toes for it.  She jumped, trying to snatch it from him. She whined, "Give it back!"

Stephen smiled down at her, taking advantage of their closeness to press a quick kiss to her lips, "I wanted to speak with you."

"About what?" she asked.

He handed the book back to her and gestured for her to join him on the sofa, "About my father."

"Stephen, if you really don't want him here it's okay." she grasped his hands in understanding.

"I definitely don't want him here," he admitted.  He sighed. "But you are right. He is my father. We are family.  We have to move on together or we will never get past this."

Ginny stroked his dark hair affectionately and smiled, "I don't mind him being here."

"He still blames me for all of his troubles after I ran off." Stephen admitted. "But I forgive him.  He's a troubled man. I'm thinking about inviting him back here to live with us for a while."

Ginny nodded, agreeing.  She snuggled up against his side, "I'm glad.  I hope he will change for the better."

"I have high hopes that he will." Stephen kissed the top of her head.  He wrapped his arm around her. "And I'm glad that you're safe with me."

Ginny laughed, "Me too.  You know, you don't seem as mean as I remember."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Stephen leaned away from her, to study her face.

"You used to be...very grumpy and angry all of the time." she teased, placing a kiss on his lips. "But I still love you."

Stephen smiled against her lips, leaning his forehead against hers.  He looked into her eyes, "I think you've changed me for the better, Ginny.   You've helped me see that this world isn't always so terrible."

"And you've shown me how to get through the worst of times." Ginny replied, remembering everything that had happened over the past couple of months. "Even through my parents deaths and Rosamaria...you've always been there, standing strong through the storm with me."

Stephen studied her in silence, brushing back a piece of hair from her face.  So many things had brought them together.  She had been a spark of light in the darkness that he had faced.  And together, he felt they could make it through anything.  To put it simply, it was a tale of love and conquering the demons of life.  A tale as old as time. 

Copyright © 2016 by Rosanna Parker

All Rights Reserved

I know, I ended it with a cheesy saying! It's for all of you Beauty and the Beast lovers out there just like myself.  This was originally supposed to be the end chapter, but read on and you will find a little something at the end of the book to enjoy! Thanks for all of the votes, comments, and support.

-Rosanna