Two days is more than enough time…

“Well, Gabriel?” I ask, looking over at him. “What do you think of it so far?”

“Hmmm.” He taps his chin. “I’m honestly not sure what to say.”

“We should send for the doctor, then. Something must be wrong.”

“I have several thoughts, actually.” He smiles. “I’m just uncertain which one to say first.”

“I’ll listen to them all.”

“Okay.” He shuts the book and places it on a table, moving our son to his other hand. “I thought you wanted your first published book to be a fairytale romance.”

“It is,” I say. “Hence, the words ‘princes,’ ‘princesses,’ and ‘all the subjects lived happily ever after.’”

“In that case, I think the story could benefit from a few changes.”

“Like what?”

“You only need one princess and one beast,” he says. “You’ll have to cut the younger sister, even though she’s my favorite character.”

“That’s me.” I narrow my eyes. “You want me to cut myself from my own story?”

“This isn’t a biography, Belle.” He smiles. “It probably would help if you took yourself out of it anyway.”

“In that case, I’ll take out your character, too. Maybe I’ll make you the villain.”

“I would prefer that, honestly.” He stands and walks over to me. “Leaves more room for interpretation.”

“Why does Izzie get to stay as the main lead? How is that even fair?”

“Because it’s the only way she’ll ever become a real princess…between the pages of your book. And she still deserves every ounce of pettiness you have to serve.”

I can’t argue with that…“If I make all those changes, no one will ever know the truth about our love story.”

“It’s none of their business anyway.” He tilts my chin up with his fingers, kissing me. “But you don’t have to take any of my advice. It’s not like I’m your favorite book friend who devours books every day and knows what the hell he’s talking about.”

I immediately pull a scroll from a drawer and wet a fresh pen. “What else do you suggest I add?”

“Enchanted castle, talking objects, a different take on the rose.” He kisses me. “And a dedication page for your beloved husband.”

“Does my beloved husband want to help me retitle the book from The Other Belle, then?”

“He does.” He nods. “Call it Beauty & the Beast…”

THE END, AGAIN

Note from the Author

Thank You for Reading

Dear Awesome Reader,

Years ago, I went to see Wicked in New York City with my little brother, and I fell head over heels in love with the story. (If you’ve never heard of it, it’s an inversion/retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, giving the audience a more human side of the Wicked Witch of the West.)

As the curtains closed, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to see the villain as the hero in my favorite fairy tale of all time—Beauty & the Beast—and if the “Belle”/Beast” that we knew weren’t who we thought they were at all…