Page 7 of Unicorns Forever
“It means we need to think strategy. It means we need toUnleash the ‘Corn.”
“Did you… did you actually just say that without irony?”
Mason blushed. “I… maybe? You’re a terrible influence.”
I leaned down to breathe in his ear, “I think I came in my pants a little.”
He snorted. “Go get your unicorn costume. We—by which I meanyou—are going toslaythis competition.” He tried to push my hip to get me moving toward the house.
I leaned down to kiss the tip of his nose softly. “I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said distractedly, his mind clearly on unicorn plans as he pushed me along. “I love you, too. We’ve already covered this, Fenn.”
“Hey, Mason?” I paused when we reached in the guest bedroom.
“Hmm?”
“I really, really like your family, even if they are weirdly competitive... or maybebecausethey’re weirdly competitive.”
“Me too. They’re pretty special.” He poked through our suitcase, then lifted my inflatable unicorn costume triumphantly. “Now we’re gonna lube you into this costume, Fenn Reardon, and you’re gonna prance your ass out to that bounce house and shimmy for all you’re worth. Got it? Con and Micah will be insufferable otherwise.”
“I won’t let you down,” I promised solemnly. “And, babe, just to say? If this is boredom, sign me up.”
Mason laughed out loud, a deep, joyful sound, and kissed me thoroughly once again, until I barely remembered my own name, let alone anyone else’s. Then he dropped to his knees and showed me with his lips and his tongue and his talented,talentedmouth, just how wonderful it was to have a unicorn consort who was madly in love with you.
And, uh, the costume wasn’t the only thing that got blown.
Mason
There’snothing quite like seeing the man you love decked out in a blow-up unicorn costume surrounded by a gaggle of children.
After Fenn and I had come back to the party—him wearing the inflatable costume that made him look like an egg with sexy legs, complete with sparkly horn and an, um, air of distinctive unicorn satisfaction I’d maybe helped him achieve in the guest room inside—Fenn had put his plan into motion. This had involved a surprisingly (I mean, surprisingly tome, anyway) well thought-out series of unicorn-based crafts which even the older kids had taken part in, once they saw Con and Fenn getting involved.
Once they were all kitted out in their finery, Fenn had announced that it was time for the Unicorn Olympics, which included such events as the Unicorn Sprint, the Unicorn Jump, and something called the Unicorn Strut… in which both Con and Fenn demonstrated they’d watched a whole lot of Drag Race.
Either my boyfriend had spent a lot more time preparing for this trip than I’d given him credit for, or he just had a natural affinity for this stuff. I wasn’t sure which idea was more appealing.
Since Con and Fenn were both competing in the adult age category—oh, yes, that was a thing—they’d decided that my sisters should be the impartial judges of the competition, which worked out well since Lauren could judge while she fed Cole and my brothers-in-law manned the grill.
Even better, it meant I got a front row seat to watch my boyfriend turn a cartwheel, shake his tail, and do a split… at least as much of a split as anyone could in that costume.
It had all been caught on video and was one hundred percent getting brought out for Beale’s benefit once we got home.
“So, how’s life in Florida?”
I turned my head against the back of the Adirondack chair and smiled at Micah, who’d grabbed the chair next to mine so he could watch Con do his thing.
“It’s pretty great.” I couldn’t help grinning. “Whispering Key is a lot like O’Leary, but without all the festivals. And no snow, obviously.”
“Eh, you’ll miss the snow,” he predicted.
I laughed. “You know, I often hear people up here say that, but I’ve never heard a single Floridian say they miss it. I will say, it’s nice to be able to step outside in the summer and not feel like you’ve stumbled onto an alien planet where people breathe water instead of oxygen,” I conceded.
“You two could move back here.”
I tilted my head to watch him, but Micah kept his eyes on the kids and their show. “Nah. I dunno. Whispering Key is just… It’s where I belong. Kinda like you belong in O’Leary now. I mean, Connie’s not the only reason you’re here, is he?”
“No. I get what you’re saying.” Micah shrugged. “It’s nice having you here, that’s all.”
