Epilogue
OPHELIA—A FEW MONTHS LATER
"Don't start acting like a businessman," I warned Dante, as he rolled my new, fancy wagon toward our stall at the farmer's market. "I don't want you trying to sell people things. We just let them look. If they want something, they'll buy it."
"So we're not trying to sell things?" he checked.
"Right. The pottery sells itself."
His forehead creased.
"Don't start telling me how to run my business," I warned, seeing that look in his eyes. "This isn't even a business. It's me, getting rid of my pottery so I have more space on my shelves to make more."
"Alright. So we're… observers?"
"Correct. We're observing the pottery while it sells itself. There's a donation bowl on the table."
"Okay." He paused. "This isn't how you always sold your pottery, right?"
"Of course it is." I started unloading the dishes onto my table, gesturing him toward the shelves we needed to assemble. I'd taught him how to do it the day before.
"For the record, this isn't a sound business plan, Angel." He sounded amused, and was fighting a grin when I glanced at him again. He hadn't started assembling the shelves yet, but I knew he'd get to it.
"Good thing I married rich, huh?"
He laughed, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. "Good thing."
The phone in his jeans' pocket vibrated against my ass. It could've been mine, or his. He carried both, most of the time.
He kissed my forehead before releasing me and pulling it out. "Everyone wants to know if we're still in for family dinner tonight, at five."
I nodded. "We're in."
It had taken time, but things had continued getting easier between River and I. Moving on felt surprisingly nice.
Having a family did, too.
Having a mate I loved, who also loved me, felt better. But that kind of went without saying.
"River wants to know if you're in for a flying lesson afterward," Dante added, already tucking his phone away again and picking up the pieces of the temporary shelving unit.
I groaned. "My back is still sore from the last one."
"I can rub it better."
I smiled, and when I looked at him, Dante winked.
"Tell River I can do it tomorrow or the next day. I'll have to rub you better after you spend half the day sitting here, watching my pottery sell."
"God knows I'll never say no to that."
We unpacked together smoothly. We'd never done it together before, but we'd gotten pretty used to working as a team.
I'd expected the time we spent together to start fading, after things between us settled, but it hadn't changed at all. Dante still wanted to be around me all the time, and I still wanted that with him, too.
He'd attempted making pottery with me, which had been absolutely hilarious to watch, and a ton of fun.
I'd attempted to understand several detailed business plans and situations. I was pretty sure I'd gotten half of what I learned wrong, but I loved the passion Dante had when he told me about them.
We watched movies together.
We painted and glazed dishes together, too.
He taught me about his shadows, and I explained what the threads of my magic looked like.
Somehow in the craziness of everything that had happened with the prison, I'd picked a mate, fallen in love with him, and become best friends with him, too.
I'd never minded being alone… but my life was even better with Dante in it.