Taming the Wicked Wolf (A Date with a Demon #2)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Emilia

Nearly One Year Later

I shouldn’t be as nervous as I am, this isn’t the first time that Silas has met my parents, but it is the first time he is picking them up from the airport. Alone.

It was a sweet gesture, but it also worked out perfectly for what I have planned, the small band burning a hole in my jeans pocket. I never thought I’d get married again, let alone want to, but all these months with Silas. It feels like a foregone conclusion, just the continuation of our story.

“It’s not too late for me to grab some whiskey,” Carly Beth says, slotting the tray of dark chocolate espresso brownies into the display, nudging them until they’re straight.

“Gods no.” I shake my head, looking down at the stack of napkins with the Moon Sugar bakery logo in the corner, a stylized sugar cookie in the shape of a crescent moon with the company name below it in a loose script, “I appreciate the offer, but we open in half an hour.”

I didn’t think Silas was serious when he floated the idea of opening a bakery in Moonstone Ridge, not that I doubted his ability. I knew he was feeling pretty listless the first few months in town, stripped free of his demonic calling and trying out the recipes that he learned about from Bake Off.

It was more that he blurted it out while his head was between my legs, punctuating the fact with a bite to my inner thigh. That origin story isn’t going in the company brochure.

Turns out he’s got a knack for business, makes sense with the wealth he’s accumulated in his trips to the mortal realm. The whole thing happened so fast, it only took a month for him to decide to rent the space, then he hired Mr. Jankowski’s daughter as one of the head bakers and not long after Carly Beth jumped ship at the bar and came to work for us.

I was happy to leave and focus on the bakery’s marketing, putting my degree to good use. All it took was one viral video of Carly Beth icing a sugar cookie while dishing out celebrity gossip to put us on the map.

The bell over the door dings, Silas walking in, his long hair half pulled up, falling well past his shoulders. He’s still gorgeous as ever.

His gold eyes find mine, brows furrowing.

“What is it?” I stand up straight, reaching back and undoing my apron as I walk around the counter to meet him.

“Just a warning, your mom is crying.” He says, putting his hands on my shoulder, leaning in and pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I pinch his side, “What did you say to her?”

“Nothing.” He chuckles, grabbing my hand and pressing it to his lips, “She’s proud of you. Just brace yourself. I know how you two get.”

He’s talking about the first time she saw our new place, three bedrooms with a large backyard for Poppy. We were both in tears the moment she told me how glad she was that I finally found my happily ever after.

That happily ever after in question squeezes my hand.

I had toyed around with the idea of leaving, but I couldn’t. Not when Moonstone Ridge adopted me after the truth came out about Chase. Without the sheriff’s support, he cut his losses and moved to Florida to be closer to his mom.

“Emmy, Silas.” My mother’s voice carries through the empty bakery, “It’s beautiful.”

She looks around at the modest storefront. There’s a half a dozen tables with an old-fashioned glass display counter that stretches across the far wall, with the kitchen tucked in the back, along with our office. The soft pastels of the color scheme make the space look ethereal, like the name. Moon Sugar.

Behind her, my step-father, Dean, whistles, a big smile stretching across his face. With his salt and pepper hair and pale eyes, he’s the ice to my mother’s fiery spirit.

I twist my apron in my hands, “We have coffee and tea,” I gesture towards the counter, “The case is fully stocked, our cookie of the day is a toffee almond crunch, but if you want my recommendation, I’d go for a sugar cookie.”

“We’ll have both.” Dean says, putting his hand on my mother’s shoulder.

Silas draws me close to his side, “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” I chirp out, looking to my parents and Carly Beth, then up at him, “Can I talk to you? Alone?”

I let him guide me back to the office, pacing over towards our desk as he closes the door behind us.

“What is it, my love?”

I reach into my pocket and grab the navy jewelry box, my nerves taking over as I toss it to him, wincing.

Silas looks at it, a long breath escaping his lips, ears standing at attention. It creaks as he opens it, gold eyes finding mine, bright and questioning.

“Emilia?”

“It’s not magic, at least in the traditional sense.” I swallow, trying to force the words out, “I just?—”

“Are you asking me to marry you?” He smiles, teasing, though the quiver in his voice lets his true emotion shine through. It makes my chest feel heavy.

I take a deep breath and walk over to him, “I know we were just playing around with the idea.”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a modest diamond solitaire set in rose gold, holding it out between us, “Were we?”

A laugh bubbles out of my throat, my eyes burning from unshed tears, I cover my mouth, looking up at him, “Are you sure?”

“Never been more sure, my love,” he smiles, grabbing my hand and sliding the ring on my finger before plucking the rhodium plated band and slipping it onto his.

“It’s not quite a collar,” he says, flexing his hand, leaning down and brushing a featherlight kiss to my lips, “But I couldn’t think of a better witch to be bound to for the rest of my life.”