Preface
“Mommy!”
Analise rolled over and opened her eyes.
“I’d actually be willing to pay good money if we could find a way to make that child sleep past 6:30 A.M.” Havoc grumbled beside her.
Analise laughed tiredly. “I’d add to whatever you paid.”
“You getting up, or me?” Havoc asked.
“I’m being paged, so I’m getting up.”
“Mommmmy!” Harley shouted as she ran up the stairs and barged into her parents’ bedroom, followed closely by Emmalyn who bounced into the bed between Havoc and Analise, right along with Harley.
“What are you doing here?” Analise asked, hugging her sister happily.
“Yeah, what are you doing here?” Havoc echoed, trying to keep the quilt covering his only-underwear-clad body.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you! Aunt Emmalyn was at the door. But I let her in.”
“Why?” Havoc grumbled, still grasping the covers over his lower body.
“Because the little-Hellen-like child likes me. Maybe even better than she likes you,” Emmalyn said dryly.
“I don’t know, I really, really love my daddy,” Harley said, nodding her head seriously.
Havoc stuck his tongue out at Emmalyn.
Emmalyn wrinkled up her nose. “Ewww.”
“We don’t let strangers in the house, Harley,” Havoc said.
“She’s not a stranger. She’s my Aunt Emmalyn. And she brought donuts!”
“Donuts?” Havoc asked, perking up a bit.
“I brought so many donuts and pastries we could eat them all day and not run out,” Emmalyn said.
“Ohhh, yeah. It’s time to get up,” Analise said.
“Okay, but still, why are you here, in my bed?” Havoc insisted.
“You want donuts or not?” Emmalyn asked.
“Yes.”
“Then be nice.” Emmalyn climbed off their bed, held her arms out for Harley, then walked to the bedroom door. “I have come to help. Let the wedding planning commence.”
“I already have a lot of it planned,” Analise said.
“But it’s probably not right. Besides, how much could you really have planned? You just got home from Boston last night. You need me.”
“Speaking of getting home last night, I think I have jet lag,” Havoc said. “Can you come back in a couple of hours? Or maybe, next week?”
“You don’t get jet lag flying from Massachusetts to Louisiana.”
“No, but the flight from Turkey the week before, coupled with the red-eye last night, could have given me jet lag.”
