Epilogue
Ria
Six(ish) Months Later
“Hurry up or we’re gonna be late,” Ria called as she dug around in the couch for Lissa’s keys. She thought they’d been tossed somewhere in this general direction last night when they got home from dinner, but she’d been too busy tearing Lissa’s clothes off to see where they landed.
“I’m coming. I’m coming,” Lissa muttered, emerging from their bedroom, yanking up her jeans as she bobbled down the hallway.
Grinning, Ria danced over and gave Lissa a quick kiss. “Not yet you aren’t, but if you play your cards right, that can be arranged for later.”
Laughing, Lissa wrapped her arms around Ria’s neck. “I so do not deserve you.”
“Yeah, you do,” Ria replied, slipping out of Lissa’s embrace. “But I still love hearing it. Now help me find your keys.”
“Oh, I found them this morning and put them in the box of potions,” Lissa said, pulling up the zipper on her pants. “At least I think it was the right box. You put the moonlight ritual potions in the green bottles, right? The purple bottles are the libido enhancer?”
“Correct,” Ria replied, laughing. “Definitely do not want to get those mixed up tonight. The last thing we need is a bunch of horny witches dancing under the full moon. These gatherings already get wild enough as is.”
Lissa dropped onto the couch to lace up her boots. “Which is why I’m glad you invited me, even if I still have no idea what I’m doing. I hate to say it, babe, but I don’t think I’m ever going to have magic powers.”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” Ria said, digging the keys out of the potion box. “You’ve definitely got me under your spell.”
Lissa glanced up and arched an eyebrow seductively. “Do I now?”
Pulling on her jacket, Ria grinned at Lissa. “Absolutely. And later tonight I’ll let you do something about that, but right now we’re late.”
“Fair enough,” Lissa replied, pushing to her feet. “I can just hear your mom already. ‘Hecate’s black brassiere, ladies, can’t you ever make it on time?’” Lissa chuckled. “I still want to know where she comes up with those sayings.”
“You really don’t want to know,” Ria said, slipping her white puffy coat on. “And if you ever ask her, you’ll be subjected to an hour-long lecture about Hecate and the events of the supposed first ever naked moonlight ritual.”
“Oof. In that case, let’s get moving.”
“Yes, let’s,” Ria agreed, slinging her purse over her shoulder and cradling the box of potions in her arms. As she waited for Lissa to grab her winter coat, Ria ran her fingers over a few of the bottles.
They were exquisite creations without a single bubble marring their smooth perfection.
“I think these are your best batch yet,” she said.
“Thanks,” Lissa replied, shrugging on her black, faux-leather jacket. “I’ve been playing around with some new tools lately. I can’t thank Daria enough for finding money in the budget to expand our selection.”
Ria studied her girlfriend’s face, searching for any hint of sadness. “And you don’t ever miss the managerial side? Getting to boss people around?”
Lissa shuddered. “Not even a little bit. Daria’s doing a much better job, anyway.
Who knew she had a secret head for numbers buried under that wild-child exterior?
She’s even been talking about getting all the employees to chip in so we can buy the studio from Art, Inc.
and turn it into a proper artist-owned collective.
” Lissa pressed a quick kiss to Ria’s cheek.
“Besides, I’d much rather be in the back creating beautiful bottles for my beautiful witch. ”
Warmth filled Ria’s cheeks. It didn’t matter how many times Lissa called her beautiful, she never fully believed it.
She could hardly believe anything about their life these days.
Ria had given up on destiny love spells and instead focused on growing her potion business.
As soon as she started selling her creations inside Lissa’s hand-blown glass bottles, her business took off like wildfire.
She didn’t even care if most people bought them for aesthetic purposes.
She even went so far as to add edible glitter to a few recipes to make them really attractive.
In the end, she had a loyal following of customers who sang her praises, and coupled with the buyers who just wanted to put a pretty bottle on their shelves, she was making more than a good living.
And each night she got to come home to the most amazing woman ever. Balancing the box on her hip with one arm, she slid a hand up into Lissa’s forest-green hair, marveling at how well the rich color was holding weeks later. “I can’t believe you dyed your hair green for Christmas.”
“What can I say?” Lissa replied, laughing. “The pink clashed with my girl. I do think I’m going to keep it for a while. I love how well we match now. It’s like we’re a walking Christmas vibe.”
“You know,” Ria remarked, letting the green strands slip free of her fingers. “I think I might be coming around on the holidays.”
“Oh, you’ll definitely be coming around the holidays, all right,” Lissa said with a wicked smirk.
“Hey,” she protested, smacking Lissa playfully on the arm. “That was my joke!”
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Lissa apologized. “I want my naughty little witch making all the sexy puns her heart desires.” She leaned in and nipped at Ria’s ear before caressing the spot with her tongue.
Ria let out a frustrated little moan when Lissa started nuzzling down her neck and a hand slipped inside Ria’s coat and up under her shirt. If she didn’t stop Lissa soon, her panties would end up soaked, and she’d have to go change.
“As much as I love where this is going,” she said, her voice huskier than usual, “we’re moving way past fashionably late at this point.
” Ria pulled herself away from Lissa, took a brief second to shake off the arousal that was threatening to ruin her lacy red thong, and dragged her love out of the cottage that had become not only a home but also a sanctuary the past few months.
Sliding her hand over the fur of the squirrel sleeping on the railing, she whispered, “Don’t wait up, Nibbles.”
He lifted his head, smiled at Ria, then curled his tail around his face to fall back asleep.
“Did that strange, white squirrel just smile at you?” Lissa asked, glancing over Ria’s shoulder at the napping critter. “Can squirrels even smile in the first place?”
“Of course he did. That’s Nibbles,” Ria replied. “Though I’m pretty sure he’s more than just a squirrel.”
Lissa chuckled and wrapped her arms around Ria’s waist. “This is my life now, isn’t it? Random unexpected witchy things constantly happening?”
“Probably,” Ria replied, angling her head to look at Lissa. “Are you okay with that?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Lissa murmured, pressing her lips to Ria’s.
Almost dropping the box of potions, Ria accepted they were going to be late once again and sank into the kiss, briefly wondering if things could even get better than this.
She had her dream job making potions, a coven of witches that felt more like a family, and the love of the most amazing woman she’d ever met, all wrapped up in one idyllic little seaside town.
Ria might be the witch, but Lissa was the one who had truly brought magic back into her life.
And she wasn’t letting either of them go ever again.