All Over Again (Sequel to Wanted Man)

Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

McKenna breathed a sigh of relief as she threw open the windows to let in the cool, November air. Much as she loved Asgard, there was nothing quite like coming home. Most of the leaves had come down, crisp and brown now against the lawn, so she made a mental note to call the landscapers in the morning about doing the fall cleanup.

They'd missed Halloween, which was a bit of a disappointment. McKenna loved Halloween, and Selig enjoyed helping her decorate. The spider webs stretched over every last shrub and blue spruce tree were one of his favorite decorations, especially when Loki flicked his fingers and yellow eyes glowed from the depths of the shrubs. No one in the neighborhood could compare with the Laufeysons' decorations, and after their first Halloween there, their house was one of the most popular ones to look at. Whenever anyone would ask how they made everything look so real, Loki would just smile and say, "My wife would kill me if I shared our secret."

It was a nice neighborhood, with plenty of children around Selig's age. His best friend, a little girl named Celia, lived next door, and McKenna always smiled whenever Celia addressed her as Mrs. Laufeyson. Even after almost three years, she still wasn't exactly used to the idea of being Mrs. Anyone. But, since Selig began attending preschool in September, she was quickly adjusting to being Mrs. Laufeyson.

They were home exactly fifteen minutes when the doorbell rang and Loki called, "McKenna? Where are you?"

"I'm in our room." She fought back a sigh as she came out of their room and into the hallway. She crossed to the railing at the landing of the curved staircase. "What is it?"

"Ellen and Celia are here." He peered up at her. "What, do they sit at the window and spy on us?"

McKenna smiled as she came down the stairs and slipped her arm through his. "She spies on you, my love. She'd probably very happily shove me in front of a train."

"She's hardly my type, as you would say."

"Really? I think she's everyone's type-tall, blonde, leggy, beautiful."

"I prefer my Midgardians shorter and at times-" he caught her around the waist and gave her a squeeze-"rounder."

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood, mister," she told him, slipping her arm about his waist to squeeze back. "Selig's in his room, introducing Tony to everyone."

He leaned over to brush her lips with a quick kiss. "I'll be right back."

She sighed again as he went back to the foyer and his voice carried back, "Selig's in his room, Celia. Go on up."

"Thank you, Mr. Laufeyson."

McKenna smiled as the little blonde girl came around the corner and said, "Hi, Mrs. Laufeyson."

"Hi, Celia. Go on upstairs. I'm sure Selig is dying to show you his new stuffed dog."

She bobbed her head and raced up stairs to Selig's room. A few seconds later, they were both shrieking with laughter.

Loki came back around the corner, this time with Ellen, who was still tall, leggy, blonde, and beautiful, and he was saying, "We only came home a while ago, so things are a bit of a mess."

"McKenna, how was your trip?" Ellen asked with a wide smile. "I hadn't even realized you were going away."

"We went to visit Loki's family for Selig's birthday," McKenna replied, glancing up to the landing. The laughter grew louder, so she called, "Keep it to a dull roar, guys!"

"Where did you go?"

McKenna smiled. "Norway." It was a running joke between her and Loki, and early in their marriage they agreed they'd try to keep it to themselves about Loki's true origins. Few people seemed to connect him with what happened in New York and they were both just as happy to keep it that way. "Tonsberg."