Thanks to Reba-Brockfan for your advice, very much appreciated
Epilogue
"What are you doing, Starr, filling Peanut's head with some fairy tale nonsense again?" Todd said as he walked in to check in on his daughter and granddaughter. Hope was three but had been picking up words at a rapid pace, thanks partially to Starr's regular bedtime stories such as these, and she loved when her mother made things up from the back of her mind.
"Oh, Dad, you don't know what we were talking about. Go back to your den," Starr laughed, causing Hope to join in and even Todd had to crack a smile.
"Careful, Shorty. You're going to make her scared of me, "Todd warned. He could care less what anyone in Llanview thought of him, but he cared-very much- what Hope thought.
"Hope? She could never be scared of you. Just like I never was. I had your number all along," Starr laughed. "Kinda hard to be scared of someone who played with my frog doll."
"I did not play with your frog doll. I just- entertained you."
"Whatever, Dad. I know you better than you think I do. And how long were you listening to my story anyways?"
"For most of it. From where I was about to let loose on Max. Why'd you have to make him a prince anyways? Because let me tell you, in my story, he's anything but a prince. He's a lousy, good for nothing son of a b…"
"Dad, little ears, remember?" Starr placed her finger on her father's lips, and they both smiled.
"Sorry, Shorty. Guess in your eyes your mom is the princess and I'm the beast but in my eyes you're always going to be Shorty. That won't ever change. I don't care how old you are. You can be fifty and I'm still gonna call you that."
"Really Dad? Fifty?"
Todd laughed. "Sure, why not?"
Hope started to rub her eyes. "Sorry, Dad. I gotta lay her down. "
Todd tussled Hope's hair and then Starr's, and then finally satisfied, he left the girls to themselves. Running into Blair, he took her into his arms and then kissed her, apparently to his wife for no reason.
"What was that for?" she smiled.
"Sometimes it's good to be you and me," he smiled as he pulled her in again. This time there was no rhyme or reason; not every fairy tale got their happy ending, but in this case, maybe, just maybe, Todd Manning had everything he needed for his right there in Llanview and for once in his life he realized it.
The end