Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
AKIRA
Night five of the Cherry Moon, the lunar rays on their way to ruby land.
Let the baking commence.
Activate pop tune playlist.
Get the ingredients going for a bangin’ cherry bakewell wedding cake.
Butter.
Golden caster sugar.
Ground almonds and a dash of almond extract.
Gotta have the self-rising flour, and the eggs.
That’s it for the sponge.
Mixy, mixy, while I twerky, twerky to some Beyoncé. Fill those tins, bake those three tiers.
I was in heaven, popping glacé cherries like they were going out of style.
Once the sponges were baked and cooled, I added my homemade cherry jam, made with the fruit from our tree.
Next, I worked on the topping. Busted out the icing sugar, lemon juice, and flaky almonds. Got it thick and glossy and awesome.
And the jewel in the crown were the cherries. Sparkly gemstones fresh from the tree, really giving it that glorious finishing touch.
“So damn pretty,” I said, stepping back to admire it.
“Remember who you are.”
I’d been thinking about that and had to thank the tenshi for it. Yeah, they meant in the warrior context, but it helped me in a different way.
This is who I was. A baker who’d played his part in one apocalyptic drama, the current me was different. A brother, a lover, no longer a recluse, and giving none of his life up.
“Ain’t that right, my bakewell babe?” I told the cake.
G was in the bedroom, dealing with those bidders. He thought they’d be furious with him for leaving them on hold, but it only upped their activity.
Six grand for those two books in the end. Each.
Whoa.
“Right, then. Let the countdown begin.”
Cake done.
Only two more sleeps until we ate it.
I glanced at the closed bedroom door.
Only two more sleeps until we declared our love louder than ever before.
Such a lucky baking wizard.
To calm my nerves, I finally made those cookies.
Perfection, of course. Elevated by a big cup of tea.
I had devoured three by the time G joined me.
He had five of the ten remaining, singing my praises.
“Ah, stop it. You’ll make me blush.”
“You’re adorable when you blush.”
I rewarded him with a make out session on the sofa for that.
The seventh night of the Cherry Moon, everything was bathed in the most incredible ruby light. I watched it from my bedroom window, the whole house still smelling of our wedding cake.
I’d baked a cherry pie this morning just because I wanted to, and to celebrate there being no rain.
Yay!
I leant on my cane for some support, my leg and ankle better but not quite there yet. Never mind. Neither would sully this perfect night.
It was good to have a head full of wedding stuff again. Don’t get me wrong, everything else waited on the fringes, but for these past few days, things settled down into a happier beat away from the bullshit.
This was really happening.
Sakura twirled in the sky above our cottage, making cute rings of blossoms, really putting on show for us.
The tenshi’s blessing in full flow.
As much as I was still mad at them, I wouldn’t allow anger to win. Not anymore. It would be too exhausting, too much of a distraction. Their actions aside, the new threat did have to be met head-on.
What about the greater tide?
Later. Not now.
And anti-magic failing to keep Bony Hag’s mitts off you?
I said later!
How funny that I’d still have a hand in helping the tenshi out, though. Through Zach, but still with my fingers in the pie.
Always a fucking pleasure to shake hands with irony.
Tearing my gaze away from the window, I checked myself over once more in the bedroom mirror.
I had on a royal blue suit with a white shirt and a baby-blue tie, stylish black shoes on my feet.
I’d let my hair be free, freshly trimmed and straightened, pinned at the back with a cupcake-shaped hairgrip Riku gave me.
A mega rarity for me to have sleek locks, for sure, but I liked it.
“Looking sharp,” I told my reflection.
“I’ll say.”
Mrs. Dawson stood in the doorway.
“Oh, hi.”
“My son is looking just as good.”
I hadn’t seen him yet. “Nothing new there.”
She appreciated the praise of her spawn. “How are you, honey? May I come in?”
“Absolutely. And I’m fine. Nervous. Might need another pee.”
She chuckled as she entered the room, stylishly dressed in a mint-green dress and heels, her fascinator tilted at the perfect angle on her short, blow-dried auburn hair.
“It’s so nice to be here again,” she said. “I’m proud of you both for building this place, for always sticking together.”
My cheeks heated a little. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”
She swapped her matching clutch purse to her opposite hand. “I’m sorry things aren’t going as smoothly as they should.”
I hesitated to answer.
“If only we could convince you to move to Crispin Grove. It’s perfect for a quiet life.”
G’s mum opened a doorway for a new thought. There was me banging on about being with my family, but what about his? He lived thousands of miles away from his parents.
Man, what a selfish prick I was.
“But that’s not the world we live in,” she added. “And I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. In fact, Sam and I were thinking about moving to the UK.” She hesitated. “But after being at the safehouse. We…we’re so worried, Akira.”
Fuck. What should I do?
“We won’t be moving here,” she added. “We just can’t.”
I watched her shoulders sag—the last thing I wanted to see on my wedding day from the mother of the groom.
But Esther Dawson quickly straightened her spine and puffed out her chest. “Enough of this. I, we, just want you both to be in touch more. Not every day, but every other would suffice.”
I beamed at her. “Deal.”
“And more visits, which isn’t as easy, I know.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
We had a quick hug.
“I want to keep you boys in steaks as much as possible.”
My tummy grumbled. “All hail Queen Esther of the Steaks.”
She giggled, touching the side of my face with the back of her hand. “Have a fabulous day.”
Man, did I have the ultimate warm and fuzzies.
She paused at the door, turning to blow me a kiss. “See you out there.”