7. Epilogue
Epilogue
Cody
I tapped the stylus against my tablet, squinting at the illustrated panda doing a perfect tai chi form on my screen. Something was still off. Maybe the belly needed to be rounder? I tweaked the design, adding a bit more curve, then watched the animation cycle through again.
Marissa leaned over my shoulder. Three months into living at Harmony Springs, and I still couldn’t get over how naturally I’d slipped into the Wei family, how easily they’d welcomed me as one of their own.
“The arms need to move more slowly,” Marissa suggested, pointing at the screen.
“Like this?” I adjusted the animation timing, making the panda’s movements smoother.
“Yes! Perfect!”
I grinned, pleased with her approval. When I’d first started doodling these animated pandas doing tai chi forms, it had been just for fun. I’d never expected Marissa to take such an interest.
“Show me the other poses,” Marissa said, settling beside me on the couch, her flowing scarves arranging themselves around her like colorful clouds. “The ones for the beginner’s sequence.”
I swiped through my tablet, bringing up the series of animations I’d completed. I’d spent hours getting the movements just right, studying videos of Marissa’s classes and occasionally convincing Jian to shift so I could sketch his panda form, everything.
“These are wonderful, Cody!” Marissa’s eyes lit up as she watched the sequence. “So charming! This is just what we need for our new social media presence.”
I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “It’s just something I was playing with. I thought maybe you could use them for the kids’ classes, you know? Make it more fun.”
“Not just for the children,” she insisted, tapping the screen with excitement. “For everyone! Many adults are intimidated by tai chi, thinking it’s too serious or difficult to learn. But who could be intimidated by a cute panda showing them the way? You’re hired! When can you start?”
“Hired?” I asked. “Marissa, I’m already living here rent-free with your son. And you feed me! I did this as a gift. For fun.”
Her expression turned serious, though her eyes remained kind. “Cody, your talent is valuable. No one works for free at Harmony Springs. Besides, we need to keep you close, or Jian gets cranky. And no one likes a cranky Jian.”
I snorted. “He does get pretty grouchy.” Though I secretly found cranky Jian just as adorable.
“He loves you and wants you near.” Her eyes flicked past me toward the door. “Speaking of which...”
I turned to follow her gaze, and my heart did that ridiculous flip it still did every time I saw him.
Jian stood in the doorway, his long hair damp with sweat from the wushu class he’d been teaching, his dark eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made heat pool low in my belly.
He was breathing a bit heavily, and there was something wild about him—something that told me he’d shifted recently.
Had he tracked me here in his panda form? The thought sent a pleasant shiver down my spine. These days, Jian was more and more comfortable presenting as his panda, at least where he felt safe and loved.
“Look who’s here,” Marissa said, gesturing toward her son. “Just in time to see your mate’s wonderful work.”
Jian’s eyes flicked from me to the tablet, then back to my face. I could read the question in his gaze, but there was no jealousy or suspicion, just curiosity.
“Okay, fine. I accept!”
“Accept what?” Jian asked.
“Your mother just offered me a job,” I explained, setting the tablet aside and standing up. “Which means I can finally quit my crappy job in Reno.”
“You should have quit that weeks ago.”
“Not with my student loan payments, I couldn’t. But not to worry, now I get to earn an income and stay within the radius your panda prefers.”
Something possessive and pleased flashed across Jian’s face.
In three long strides, he crossed the room, and I flung myself at him without hesitation, my arms wrapping around his neck as his locked around my waist. His mouth found mine in a hungry kiss, and I lost myself in it until Marissa cleared her throat pointedly.
“I was worried when you weren’t at the cabin,” Jian murmured against my lips. “My panda wanted to find you.”
“And your panda always gets what it wants,” I teased, pressing another quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Something shifted in his expression—a softness breaking through the intensity. “I love you,” he said, the words simple and direct in a way that made them all the more powerful.
“I love you too,” I replied, meaning it down to my bones. “Even when your panda sheds all over my side of the bed.”
“My panda doesn’t shed.”
“Liar.” I found black and white fur on everything I owned these days.
“If you two are quite finished,” Marissa said, amusement clear in her voice, “I’d like to discuss the details of Cody’s new position. Salary, benefits, that sort of thing.”
Jian kept one arm wrapped possessively around my waist as we turned to face his mother. “You’re serious about hiring him?”
“Dead serious. His designs are exactly what we need to move to online classes. A little panda mascot to welcome people in. Plus,” she added with a sly smile, “it gives him a reason to stay beyond just being madly in love with my impossible son.”
“I’m not impossible,” Jian muttered.
“You’re completely impossible,” I countered, leaning into his solid warmth. “But I love you just how you are.”
Guo peeked in from the kitchen, letting us know he’d been eavesdropping. “When’s the wedding?”
Jian stiffened beside me. “Fuck off, Dad.”
“We’re thinking a May wedding would be nice,” I said.
“What?” Jian choked out, turning to stare at me.
I met his shocked gaze steadily. “Cherry blossoms would make beautiful decorations, don’t you think? And the hot springs area would be perfect for an outdoor ceremony.”
For a moment, Jian just gaped at me. Then something heated and possessive blazed in his eyes. In one fluid motion, he bent and tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. My world inverted, blood rushing to my head as I found myself staring at his magnificent ass through his jeans.
“If you’ll excuse us,” he said. “I need to have a private conversation with my mate.”
“Jian!” I wasn’t upset. Technically, I enjoyed his occasional caveman tendencies, but it was fun to fight back. “Put me down!”
His response was to land a stinging slap on my ass that made me yelp. From my upside-down position, I could see Marissa laughing.
Jian carried me out of his parents’ house and started down the path toward our cabin with me still over his shoulder.
“A May wedding?” he said after a moment. He delivered another slap to my rear that made me squirm against his shoulder. “Were you going to discuss this with me first?”
“No, because you’ll do anything I want. Besides, your dad gave me the perfect opening.”
“I will not do anything you want.” He was silent for several paces. Then, as our cabin came into view through the trees, he said, “A May wedding would be nice, but it’s not nearly soon enough.”
“Oh?”
“I was thinking we could do it next month.” His voice was casual, even as his hand squeezed my ass possessively. “Why wait?”
I giggled. “Are you proposing to me while carrying me like a sack of potatoes?”
“I’m proposing we make this official before you change your mind about being stuck with a moody panda shifter for life.” There was a hint of vulnerability beneath the gruffness in his voice that made my heart melt.
“Never gonna happen,” I assured him. “I could never give you up. I’m addicted to your magical dick, remember?”
He snorted. “Romantic as always, Cody.”
“You love it,” I shot back.
His grip on my thighs tightened as he pushed open our cabin door. “Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “I really fucking do. And I really fucking love you.”