Have you published that story about Leroy and Astrid yet? Or any chance of a snippet?
I have not published it yet! Sorry! I’m still messing around with the ending. Yes, absolutely you can have a snippet! Here’s a bit of the opening scene, with RumBelle and Gideon cuteness :)
oOo
Belle smiled as she watched Rumple with Gideon. The three of them were having lunch at Granny’s and Rumple was feeding Gideon while trying to eat his own lunch at the same time. It made for a very entertaining lunchtime.
‘You’re still too small for a bite of my burger, son, but Mama made some lovely squash just for you,’ Rumple coaxed, as Gideon again ignored the squash and reached for the remains of the tasty burger on his father’s plate, protesting when Rumple moved it away.
Gideon babbled almost indignantly and Belle smiled.
‘He’s arguing with you,’ she said, amused.
Rumple grinned. ‘Probably looking for a loophole.’
Belle laughed heartily and then smiled in answer to Gideon’s beaming smile.
‘He loves your laugh,’ Rumple said fondly.
Belle leaned closer to their six-month-old, still smiling. ‘Your papa makes me laugh,’ she confided.
Gideon babbled again and reached out a hand. Belle took it and kissed his fingers. She took that opportunity to scoop up some of the puréed squash and feed it to their son, who took it without any fuss.
‘Ah, looks like Mama found the loophole,’ Rumple said, pleased.
She smiled and managed to get another spoonful into Gideon, who opened his mouth eagerly.
‘Um,’ Belle said, miming the eating motion by opening and closing her mouth. ‘What a hungry boy!’ she praised.
Gideon babbled again, happily.
‘Really?’ Belle asked, as if he were telling her a story. ‘That’s amazing! What happened next?’
Rumple smiled as his wife and son interacted. Belle was completely oblivious to the fact that they now had an audience. Rumple had become aware of it gradually. At least the looks weren’t ones of animosity or mistrust these days, for the most part anyway. There were still some who would never accept that he was a changed man, or was trying to change, but he couldn’t dwell on that. He was just happy to take each day as it came. Thankfully, the last almost six months had been full of mostly good days.
Belle now noticed that the talk in the diner had died down. She turned her head and saw several curious faces turned towards her and her family. It wasn’t the first time she and Rumple and Gideon had been the objects of scrutiny since the Final Battle. She suspected some people were waiting for their relationship to fall apart again. Well, they’d be waiting forever if that was the case, because she and Rumple were determined not to let that happen. She turned away, resolutely ignoring the scrutiny.
‘Go back to your lunch, folks,’ Leroy’s voice rang out: ‘nothin’ to see here.’
Belle looked up and saw the dwarf sitting at the counter as usual. She smiled her thanks at him and he nodded, smiling faintly in a way that didn’t reach his eyes.