PAR-TAY WITH BREE

Chapter 9


 

The princesses, all full of cake and now dressed in their pj’s, were wrapped up in matching fluffy pink robes that the party planner had thoughtfully provided. They were sitting in front of the TV monitor watching Shrek II. This was going to be the last film for the night; however, Emmett had contingency plans just in case.

The men of Edna’s Treasures thought it prudent to be a part of the night’s entertainment. They too were watching the movie, albeit from way in the back. Patrick, whose favorite character besides Donkey was Puss-In-Boots, somehow wound up watching, sitting right next to the birthday girl. The men of Edna’s Treasures tactfully said nothing as Patrick meandered through the sea of princess beds to sit next Bree.

At the end of the film, the princesses and the family all cheered.

“My lady, Princess Bree,” the noble knight addressed Bree from atop his horse, “and the princesses of the royal sleepover, I bid you all pleasant dreams and a good night!” As the knight finished speaking, he turned his horse to ride off into the sunset. The princesses clapped with glee then prepared to bed down for the night.

“Goodnight, ladies,” John said with a bow, as he took Bree’s hand to give it a small kiss.

“Have a good night,” Bobby called out by his door.

“Goodnight,” Patrick said then beat it to his room before someone could try to get him to sleep in the way too pink princess palace.

As Brian and Justin were seeing to their guests’ comfort and saying goodnight as well, Emmett was making some announcements.

“Ladies, the agenda for tomorrow will be a lovely breakfast with the family, and then craft time before your parents come to pick you up. I’ll be right down the hall if you need anything and the night light is on in the royal powder room. Sleep well, my lovely princesses!” Emmett said with his best smile. He made sure all the princesses were comfortable then switched off the great chandelier. The sun porch glowed, bathed in bright moonlight making the princess palace even more magical. The twinkling of stars added to the overall effect.

“It’s just like in a fairytale,” one of the girls whispered.

“Yeah,” they all whispered back.

For a few minutes the girls engaged in quiet conversation, talking about the party, the delicious cake and the handsome knight until one by one they each fell asleep.

Beau, who up until now had been hiding safely in the Anderson-Morrison side of the cottages, stepped through his doggy door to patrol the outside perimeter of his cottage and his lane. He peered through the glass walls of the sun porch. The girls were all sleeping soundly.

With the bright moonlight to guide his way, Beau took off through the garden and down the lane. He sniffed around the Brenner cottage but found it quiet and cold. No one was in residence at the moment.

Next Beau made a dash further down the lane, leaping and snapping at imaginary phantoms that only dogs could see. He came to an abrupt halt at the front door of Emmett and Drew’s dream cottage. With his sensitive nose up in the air, Beau sniffed. A dim light was coming from the home and a hushed conversation was in progress. Beau ambled to the window to take a look.

“Hey, Babe, the girls all bedded down for the night?” Drew drawled into his phone.

“All out for the count, honey,” Emmett replied.

“And the boys?”

“Retired for the evening.”

“I wish I was retired for the evening with you.”

“So do I, my sweet Drewsie. But it’s only for one night and the guys need me.”

“I know, Babe. They’re very lucky to have you there.”

“Aw, honey, that’s sweet of you to say but I wouldn’t miss this for all the world,” Emmett said with a sigh.

“Emm, Babe, do you really want children?” Drew asked with some trepidation. They had skirted around the subject for years. He knew deep down that Emmett missed that opportunity. And neither one of them were getting any younger.

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“Sometimes I wish we had our own prince or princess but with our busy lives, it wouldn’t be fair to a baby, and I refuse to allow our child to be raised by a nanny.”

An uneasy silence hung in the air as Emmett turned down the bunk bed that would serve as his bed for the night. Drew got himself a beer before he ventured his next thought. Beau watched through the window, sniffing the air coming from the cottage. This member of his pack was distressed.

“Emm, we really need to discuss this in person, but what if we foster an older child or consider adoption like Raphael and Hector.”

“You would do that for me?”

“For us. I love you; I want you to be happy.” Drew could hear Emmett’s sniffles through the phone.

“Drewsie, I want you to be happy too. Don’t do this just for me.”

“It would be for me too, Emm. I see the way the guys are with the kids. And I have to admit I am very envious of the relationship between Brian and Gus. If I had a son, I’d want a relationship just like theirs. They love and respect each other and they have fun too. Gus is a wonderful young man.”

“I agree,” Emmett said with a yawn.

“Babe, get some sleep. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

“Okay, honey. You coming up here for breakfast?”

“Sure, Babe. Wouldn't miss it.”

“I love you, Drewsie.”

“Love you too, Babe,” Drew said as he flipped his phone shut.

A slight scratching of Beau’s nails at the window caught Drew’s attention. Drew came to the window to open it. The big wolf-like dog looked up at Drew with big brown eyes.

“Hey boy, on patrol?” Drew said as he patted the big dog on the head then gave his ears a little scratch.

Beau’s tongue lolled out of his mouth.

“You’re a good boy, Beau. You keep an eye on that cottage of yours,” Drew said then bent lower to whisper in a furry ear. “Keep an eye on my man, okay boy?”

Beau gave Drew’s face a little lick then pushed himself off the windowsill. He made a quick circle around the property then barked a good night as he trotted past the window toward the lane.

“Night boy!” Drew called out just before he shut the window then went to bed.

Beau ran fast toward the stream which was flowing strong with winter melt and run off. He followed the path until it took him close to the newest cottage. Lindsay and Mel were spending the night. They too would attend breakfast at Edna’s Treasures in the morning.

Lindsay let out a frightened squeal when she turned off the light in her sun porch.

“What?” Mel said as she ran into the porch from her office.

“I thought I saw something out there,” Lindsay said with a tremble. Mel came closer then boldly walked to the door. “Don’t go out there.”

Ignoring her mate, Mel slid open the door. “Who’s out there?” Mel demanded.

A small woof was her answer.

“Beau?” the girls said at the same time as the big dog walked up to the door.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” Lindsay asked as she crouched down to give the dog a hug.

“I know,” Mel said.

“What?”

“He’s on patrol. Aren’t you, boy?” Mel patted the dog on the head. “John once told me that Beau patrols the lane and what he considers his territory.”

“But we’re so far away?”

“Not for him. Brian said our little brook comes from the stream in the back of his property. I bet Beau follows the stream to our cottage. It must be only a ten minute run from Edna’s Treasures for Beau,” Mel correctly surmised.

“Thank you, Beau,” Lindsay said to the dog as she gave him another hug then sent him on his way. Beau took off back toward the stream and on to home.

The girls locked up then went to bed.

As Beau made one last round of the lane including Rachel and George’s house, Brian and Justin were making their own rounds....of each other’s body.

“Mmm, I like this dessert,” Justin said as he sucked on Brian’s dick. Brian kept very quiet as Justin did sinful things with his tongue.

“More,” Justin quietly demanded. Brian obliged him with a spoonful of chocolate ice cream. Justin took the ice cream off the spoon, allowing it to melt in his mouth then he quickly descended back onto Brian’s dick. The combination of the cold confection and Justin’s hot mouth was driving Brian crazy.

“Have some,” Justin purred. Brian slipped a small amount of ice cream into his mouth.

The lovers shared some ice cream kisses.

Placing the carton down on the bedside table, Brian reversed himself on the bed. Quietly, the lovers sucked each other off until they came.

“That was great,” Justin murmured as he pillowed himself against Brian’s legs.

“A-maazing,” came the standard response. The lovers chuckled, righted themselves in the bed then went to sleep.

 

*****
 

Beau slipped through the doggy door into the screen porch. He glanced over at all the little girls sleeping on the futons. Everything seemed to be all right, so he stopped and lapped up half the bowl of water that stood beside his door.

As he was about to head back to the Morrison-Anderson side of Edna’s Treasures, he heard some whimpering sounds from one of the beds. His ears flipped up on full alert. One of his charges was in trouble. Silently Beau walked towards the futons and the pink fabric draped around them. In the closest bed one of his princesses was thrashing around in her bed and letting out little sounds that could be noises of distress. Beau walked over to the futon and looked down at the girl who was making the sounds. She continued to whimper. Beau placed his nose on her cheek and then gave her a little lick of reassurance.

Suddenly the eyes flew open and a stifled gasp was heard as the girl saw a wolf or a bear or a monster standing over her. She couldn’t make any sound as fear gripped her. Her hand touched the arm of the girl sleeping next to her. She gripped it hard.

“Ow!” JR cried as she woke up. “What is it, Winona?” she asked rubbing at her eyes.

“Look,” Winona managed to croak out.

JR opened her eyes and looked at Beau standing over them. “That’s just Beau. He’s a good dog. He lives here,” JR informed Winona. “You don’t need to be afraid of him.” She reached over and patted Beau’s head. “Hold out your hand to him, and he’ll make friends.”

“I … I don’t like dogs,” Winona said softly, making sure her hand was under the covers.

“Beau’s not a dog,” JR whispered. “He’s our guardian angel.” She scratched behind Beau’s ears, causing the big dog to lie down beside the futon so JR could have better access to the back of his ears. If dogs purred that’s what Beau would be doing.

“He won’t hurt me?” Winona asked as she watched Beau and JR.

“Nope, he’s never hurt anyone as long as I’ve known him. Except when he knocks Bree on her butt,” JR giggled.

“Bree? He knocks her down?” Winona asked, drawing back the hand that had almost come out from under the covers to pat the big dog.

JR chuckled quietly. She didn’t want to wake the other girls. “Yeah, when Bree was younger, she would try to go to the stream at the back of the property when she didn’t have permission. Beau would knock her down so she couldn’t get past him.”

Winona laughed silently, keeping her mouth closed so no sound escaped. She could just imagine the perfect Bree being knocked flat by the big dog. “I think I’m starting to like this dog,” Winona said when her silent giggles subsided.

“He’ll like you too, if you give him a pat. Hold out your hand and let him sniff it,” JR advised. Winona did as instructed.

Beau gave the hand a cursory sniff, and then allowed Winona to pat the top of his head. Clearly this human girl needed some practice in how to satisfy a dog’s needs for petting.

Winona was very tentative with her first strokes, but as Beau laid his head back down and didn’t move, she got bolder. She pressed the soft fur a little harder and felt Beau’s skin ripple under her touch. She liked that sensation.

“You’re doing great,” JR encouraged her. The two older girls had been assigned a bed together. JR hadn’t liked the idea much to begin with, but she wanted Bree’s party to go well, so she didn’t make a fuss. Besides Winona seemed to need a friend.

Winona smiled at JR. Bree’s sister was really nice … and kind. Winona knew somewhere inside that no one wanted to share a bed with her, and she had wondered if she would get Bree as her companion in bed. However, that spot was Ashley’s, as always. JR hadn’t made any nasty comments when they were assigned this futon together. For that, Winona was very grateful. She wasn’t sure how she would be able to face the others, if one of them had refused to sleep in the same bed as her.

“He is a nice dog,” Winona said softly. “My mother doesn’t like dogs and I’m kind of afraid of them.”

“You should be afraid of strange dogs, but now that you know Beau, you’ll be fine with him, and he’ll be fine with you.”

Winona smiled again as she continued to pet the hair on Beau’s head and down his thick neck. Even though it had been a bad dream that had awakened her, this was turning out pretty good.

“You go to high school, don’t you?” Winona asked after a minute. Her hand continued to rub the dog’s fur. She found that very relaxing.

“Yeah.”

“Is … is it hard?” Winona asked uncertainly.

“Some of the subjects are, but other than math I do really well.”

“You’re smart.”

“Thanks,” JR said with a smile. “I like to think I am.”

“You are … and nice too.”

“Thanks again.”

“Is … is it hard … making friends … and things … in high school?”

JR frowned. “You’re a little young to be worrying about that,” she said gently. “You’ve got years before high school.”

“I know, but I … think about it.”

“Just be yourself, and treat other people the way you’d like to be treated,” JR said sagely.

“I … guess I could do that,” Winona said uncertainly.

“Of course you can,” JR told her. “Time for you to go home, Beau. I need my beauty sleep and so do you.”

The big dog stood up and shook his fur out. He gave JR a nuzzle and then Winona who froze at his first touch, but then relaxed when she realized he was merely thanking her for the petting. “Night, Beau,” she said.

“We better get back to sleep,” JR said laying down and curling around her pillow.

“Yeah,” Winona agreed, lying back too. But it was a long time before she got to sleep. She had a lot to think about.

 

*****
 

“Look at them,” Justin whispered as he and Brian stood in the doorway of the sun porch. The sun was just rising, and the eastern sky was a glorious pink, adding to the plethora of pink inside the porch.

“They look like little angels,” Brian whispered as he stared at the girls. “Especially our little princess.”

Bree and Ashley slept in the big brass bed. They looked so tiny under the covers with their peaceful, lovely faces turned towards each other. Children had such beautiful faces when they were at rest like this. The only thing better was a smile on their faces or the sound of their laughter.

“I guess they got some sleep after all,” Justin observed.

“Appears that way. I didn’t hear anything during the night, did you?”

“Not a peep.”

“They really are good girls.”

“Even Winona.”

“Even Winona,” Brian agreed. “I was expecting the worst and they turned it into the best.”

“Thanks to Emmett for entertaining them and tiring them out.”

“I have to give it to the big fairy. He does know how to throw a shindig.”

“It is my job,” Emmett said as he came into the kitchen. He immediately flipped the switch on the coffeemaker, needing some of the hot brown brew to start the day off right.

“And a damn fine job you’ve done,” Brian stated.

“My goodness, is that a compliment, Mr. Kinney?”

“It is, and you deserve it.”

Emmett’s toothy grin spread across his face. “I appreciate that mightily, your majesty.”

“You’ve been a godsend, Emmett. Everything has gone so smoothly,” Justin said. “We never could have done this without you.”

“Sure you could,” Emmett protested. “But I do think things have gone extremely well.”

“They have,” Brian agreed. “What’s on the agenda for this morning?”

“You’re cooking the princesses one of your famous breakfasts.”

“I think we should have pancakes and bacon,” Brian stated after a moment’s thought.

“Ooh, carbs and fat, yummy!” Justin chuckled.

Brian glared at him, and then said, “It doesn’t hurt every once in a while, and this is a very special occasion.”

“And birthday cake for dessert,” Emmett chimed in.

“Don’t push your luck, Honeycutt.”

“Certainly not, sire,” Emmett said with a giggle.

“Uh oh,” Justin interrupted. “I think I hear the princesses stirring. Let the games begin.”
 

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