Maddy and Ronan

Maddy slept soundly for the first time in days.  Nightmares and a stomach bug had kept her busy with her children.  Eyes still closed, she enjoyed the moment of peace and the heat of the sun on her face while wondering where her wayward children were.  

        A moment later her question was answered by a bounce on the bed and sticky fingers framing her face.  The smell of raspberry jam wafted to her.

        “Momma,” a loud whisper in her face called.  “It’s heart day, and we’s got a surprise for you.”

        Maddy forced her eyes open and gazed at her li’l angel.  Spiral mahogany curls framed a heart shaped face smeared with jam.  Pale ice blue eyes, a perfect copy of her father’s peered much too close as her nose brushed against Maddy’s.

        “Heart Day?” Maddy asked in a sleepy voice.

        “Yessss, Momma.” Her dark head nodded quickly bouncing against Maddy’s forehead.  “Balemtimes day.”

        A smile crossed Maddy’s face as she snuggled the toddler into her arms.  “Are you my balemtime?” she asked while smothering her in kisses and tickling her ribs.

        “No, Daddy’s yer balemtime. I have me own.”

        Maddy’s eyes widened in surprise.  “Who is the lucky boy?”

        “He’s not a boy, Momma.” She wiggled her way down onto the floor.  “I’ll go get him.”

        Peals of laughter drifted in her wake and Maddy shoved herself up to sit against the headboard.  A knock on the door sounded and her son, Landon entered unsteadily carrying a tray to her.

        He carefully set it on her lap as juice sloshed over the edge of a cup and her coffee tipped precariously.  “Happy Valentine’s Day Mom,” he said kissing her cheek.

        Maddy ruffled his hair and gave him a kiss, which he wiped away with the back of his hand.  “Mom,” he said, “I’m too old for that.”

        “You’re never too old for kisses and snuggles,” Maddy said holding him tighter.  “Did you make all of this?” she asked peering at the burnt bacon and the heart shaped pancake smeared with raspberry jam and way too much butter.

        “All by myself,” he said with a smile. “ ‘cept for the jam, that was all Lily’s idea.” He glanced around the room.  “Did she come in and spoil the surprise?” His brow creased as irritation poised on the edge.

        “No she did not.”  She cut a piece of the sugar coma she was about to ingest, and swallowed it down with a smile.  “This is wonderful!”  she said picking up a piece of bacon.

        A wide grin chased the irritation away.  He gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran for the door.

        “Where are you off to?” she called after him.

        “The cliffs.  Alejandro might let me ride on him today.”

“Landon, wait,” she called, setting the tray aside and tossing back the covers in a hurry.

Alejandro was a massive male dragon.  Insanely protective of his mate Alejandra and his brood, Maddy wasn’t sure she trusted the beast with her son on his back.

        Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she found Ronan leaning against the door frame watching her.  Grinning like a fool, he stalked towards her shutting the door behind him.

“There’s no time for that, Ronan.  Your son is about to ride a dragon, which no one has even tried to do.  You need to go stop this madness right now.”

Ronan bent down and kissed her, claiming her lips as he pushed her back on the bed. With a long stemmed midnight blue rose in his right hand, he traced the petals over her cheek, down her neck and across the cleavage he’d exposed when he leaned into her.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Maddy.”

“Happy Valentine's Day to you too,” she purred, forgetting about the dragon for a moment.  Reality returned a moment later when his lips trailed to her neck. “Does it surprise you that this tradition was one of the few that’s carried on? A day for a long dead Saint in a barely remembered religion, yet thousands of years later we still celebrate…” she mused.

Lips claiming hers, he smiled down at her.  “What’s not to love about a day giving us a reason to recognize and appreciate the people in our lives who bring us joy.  Whether it’s romantic love, familial ties, or even the bonds of friends, we don’t always recognize the importance of those bonds as frequently as we should.”

“I disagree,” she said in a whisper as he continued showering her with kisses. “You tell me you love me every day, and more importantly you show me.”

“Like this,” he asked as his hands trailed up her thighs under her cotton gown and… the door clanged open.

Maddy jerked back banging her forehead against his. Deftly, Ronan pulled the covers over her exposed legs, and she scooted back against the headboard waiting to see what her daughter had arrived with.

Ronan coughed to stifle the laughter about trying to escape, while his sweet little Lilibeth led a towering fire haired mage into the room on a leash.

Fergus Emberz trailed behind the toddler in his pink kilt and lime green shirt.  The god awful shirt was downplayed by the dozens of strands of colored beads decorating his chest.  His hair was in 4 pony tails pointing hither and non, and his face…well there was no description for what she had done to make up his face.

“Uncle Fergus is my Balemtime,” she said proudly. “Isn’t he pretty?”

Maddy looked at his eyes shooting daggers at her before responding. “He’s something, honey.  Where did you find the makeup?”

“In Auntie Rhee’s shoppe.”

Fergus paled as her words sank in.