Page 41 of The Wonder of You

I smile.

“I got this,” he says as he looks up at the sky. There are tears threatening to fall from his eyes again, but this time they don’t. I choose not to respond because I know he’s saying it to himself as much as anyone else.

“Unless you want to swap that ringmaster of yours for a clown?” he jokes. We both laugh and I love seeing his strength. Whether it’s his own or it’s all built around Maudie, I know he will be okay.

The show will go on.

Chapter 29

“I sold a rock,” I tell Phoenix as I settle down beside him in bed. I beam at him and he returns the smile. I always get a small thrill when someone buys one. There is a warmth in my heart knowing that it will live on top of their fireplace or beside their bed, being passed down generation to generation. It’s really the only creativity that I know. I can’t do any of the circus acts and I simply don’t have the confidence to run one of the activity game stalls. Listening to Henry trying to get attention for his stall always baffles me, he does such an amazing job. But if my only gift is to paint rocks, then so be it.

“You know I love them,” Phoenix murmurs. He sounds tired and I don’t blame him. We had a lot of customers tonight. The more time passes, the more customers we get. It used to be a handful of people, but now there are lines of people outside waiting to get in. The tents are full and the money is rolling in. We can put on more shows and everyone gets an opportunity to come along. But it does mean everyone works extra hard, no matter how much they love it, the tiredness of a long day still creeps up.

“Well get some sleep, and then we can do it all over again tomorrow,” I whisper, kissing his forehead.

“I can’t sleep when I’m next to you.” He smiles at me again and before I know it, he is on top of me. I take his face in my hands and admire his beauty.

I watch Phoenix in fascination as he takes my clothes off. His hair falls around his face which makesme smile. His black hair is such a contrast to his pale skin.

“You are beautiful,” he says as he pulls my underwear down. My initial thought is that I am not beautiful. Sometimes I dislike my small height and the extra weight around my waist, but I know Phoenix is telling the truth. I know he truly thinks that about me and when he says it, I believe it. He makes me feel beautiful. It’s almost impossible to stay negative around him.

It doesn’t take him long to throw off his own clothes and before I know it, he’s inside of me. My body tingles as my back arches and I cry out. Phoenix grabs the back of my head to hold me tighter to him as he kisses my lips, my neck. He always rushes his kisses, as if he thinks I am going to disappear. It’s like he’s hungry for me and just the thought of that sends a tingle down my spine, reaching to my toes and making them curl. As Phoenix pushes deeper inside of me, he thrusts harder and I whimper in delight. I grab onto his shoulders as I bite my lip, desperately trying not to scream out in bliss. He thrusts again as he buries his head into my neck and grumbles in his own pleasure. My vision blurs as I’m thrown into what feels very close to heaven.

I quickly pull Phoenix’s hand to my mouth before I scream out. The tingle is just too intense, but I don’t want it to stop. His hand on my mouth is so sexy though, it only makes me want to scream louder. He smiles as my whole body shakes. I make littlemmmnoises through his hand, but he knows not to take it off. The cabin doesn’t have thick walls and I don’t need the embarrassment of the whole circus hearing me scream. Iknow Henry wouldn’t be able to go without making a joke. I can see by the way Phoenix’s eyes slowly close that he is finishing too. I love watching him enjoy himself as much I love feeling it. He drops on top of me and we join each other in being out of breath. I wrap my arm around the back of his head as he buries his head in my hair. I touch his own hair in return, listening to the sound of his rapid heartbeat.

“Please never leave me,” he whispers.

“I’ll always be here,” I say and I mean it. Phoenix should know better than to worry about me leaving him, but Cheri walking out on Lukas has obviously played on his mind. I’m here to stay though, that I know.

Phoenix lays down beside me and I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat return to a normal speed. Moments like this, I feel like I am on cloud nine. My body continues to tremble as Phoenix runs his fingers up and down my back. Eventually, we both fall asleep.

Chapter 30

I watch as Henry and Phoenix attempt to fix one of the circus poles. The storm from last night ripped it out and it hasn’t been so easy to get back into the slot. The tent flaps around in the last of the heavy winds.

“This is a fucking nightmare,” Henry huffs.

“Language!” I say, shaking my head in disapproval. I don’t mind occasional swearing, but not with Maudie nearby. Henry looks at me and rolls his eyes.

“When they’re done, can we paint some rocks?” Maudie begs, running up beside me, taking my hand to watch the drama of the loose circus tent.

“Of course, but perhaps inside the cabin as I think the wind might blow everything away,” I tell her. I continue to watch with a smile on my face as Phoenix holds the pole in place and Henry tries pushing it further into the ground. He starts getting frustrated and results in kicking it. After around ten minutes or so more, they both sigh with relief as everything fixes itself. The moment of joy doesn’t last long. Toni arrives on the scene, her arms wrapped around herself.

“Phoenix, we have some visitors. I’m a bit unsure about them.” Toni looks concerned as she tells him, and that instantly raises concern within me too.

I see the women in the large brown coats and pointy hats. They’re slightly hunched over and carry large sticks with them. Their hoods are not covering their face enough so I can see their old leathery skin, the deep wrinkles around their eyes and lips. These areundoubtedly witches. Henry joins Phoenix, to my relief, as he approaches them. I can hear the conversation as I stand back and hold Maudie’s hand tighter. I do not trust witches, especially around children. There is no logical reasoning to that, maybe it’s just the scary bedtime stories we were told as kids so that we would behave. How the witches were in the forest waiting for someone vulnerable to come close. It’s the first time I think of my sister in a very long time. She knew the stories creeped me out and so she used to tease me more. My father never shut her up.

“What can I help you with, ladies?” Phoenix asks respectfully.

“We need jobs, we want to work here,” the woman at the front says. Her voice is croaky, but loud. She doesn’t sound as if she’s asking a question, but more so making a demand. I have a bad feeling about this.

“I’m sorry, but we don’t have anything available,” Phoenix says calmly.

“Why would they want a job with us?” Maudie whispers, but I can’t respond to her right now. My stomach whirls around in fear of these women.

“We cannot join the freak show?” the woman behind her sniggers as she fixes her large pointy brown hat on her head.

“Hey, we’re not a freak show. I don’t appreciate you saying that moments after asking us for a job.” Henry is quick to chime in. He won’t let anyone offend his circus, his family. The women start scanning the circus. I put my head down and turn Maudie to face me. I don’t wantthem to catch onto my fear, but I don’t want them staring at Maudie either.

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