Epilogue
Willow
One Year Later
Sunlight reflected softly off the jars in the apothecary shop and the mossmews batted at them playfully.
Thorne smiled, bending to pet a moss kitten fondly.
He used to only do that in secret, but he was far past pretending he didn’t find them adorable.
They even joined us in bed half the time, curled up at the end like our own little guardians.
Thorne finished filling the last bottle of sleeping tonic and handed it to me to label.
I grinned. “You should really work on your handwriting skills.”
“Baby steps, okay?” He glanced back at the bin that used to be full of his failures. “At least I’m not setting anything on fire anymore.”
“True.” I laughed and gave him an honest smile. “You really are doing great, you know. You didn’t have to work so hard to help me out after Gran retired. I could have hired outside help.”
“I know.” He glanced around the shop, from the herbs hanging from the ceiling to the jars of remedies and ingredients, and gave me a soft smile.
“But I like it here. It’s soothing on the mind and so quiet, but the comfortable kind of quiet.
I even like helping the customers. It all feels so simple, but incredibly worthwhile. ”
That’s exactly what I thought too. Taking over the shop had been such a monumental moment, a time when Gran could finally get some rest and experience life without working so hard, but the days hadn’t gotten hectic like I’d thought.
Because of Thorne, the easy partnership Gran and I had had just kind of continued on.
Thorne helped me with the gardens, picked herbs on the mountain, made remedies, and everything else out of the sheer joy of it.
I never thought I’d find somebody who enjoyed being an apothecary as much as I did.
The bell above the door chimed as Professors Ashford and Min walked in, arm in arm like usual.
I glanced at Thorne, but he was already moving to box up their order like he knew what I needed before I asked.
He really was catching on so fast, like he’d been here for years, and hopefully would be for years to come too.
I took the box from him with a smile before turning back to the professors. “Welcome to Bloom and Bramble Apothecary. We’ve got your order ready to go.”
“Oh, thank you,” Min said, nudging her husband to take the box from me before making her way to a new bookshelf in the lobby. “I was hoping to get your newest book too. Signed if you don’t mind.”
Thorne grinned but had the decency not to say I told you so.
It had been his idea to add the small bookshelf to display not only his series, but my own as well.
I’d managed to publish a new trilogy of cozy fantasies, with the last one coming out just a week ago.
I pulled a copy off the shelf and carefully opened the cover to sign my name, wishing Inkheart was here.
The magical pen loved to sign books with me, always adding a little extra flourish to the page.
Inkheart had been spending a lot of time with Dawnbreaker lately though and I suspected there was something more going on there.
They might have started off bickering all the time, but after our little hot springs writing retreat, they’d grown closer.
Most of their bickering sounded like flirting now and I was so happy for them.
I handed the book to Professor Min. “Here you go. I hope you enjoy it.”
“The others have been wonderful, so I’m sure I will.” She showed the book to Professor Ashford with a grin. “Look dear, she even signed it! Ah, my friends will be so jealous. I’ll have to send them over soon.”
A surge of happiness overtook me and my grin was so wide it hurt. “Thank you. That means more than you’ll ever realize.”
All those years I’d spent dreaming about this moment, and all the hard work I’d put in making those dreams a reality, had finally paid off. I was an author now and people were not only reading my books but loving them too. It was more than I’d ever thought possible.
While I finished ringing up their order, Thorne put a hand on my shoulder as if he could tell I was getting a little emotional.
His steady presence was like a balm to my soul.
He’d known this day would come all along.
I was the one who’d kept doubting even after my first book and my second had come out. It just didn’t feel real.
I was a published author, but I was an apothecary too. Both parts of my life melded into beautiful harmony, and I couldn’t be happier.
“Remember to take these once a day.” I pinned Professor Ashford with a stare. “Don’t let the slimes drink them all, okay? We added some extra valerian root again as a treat for them.”
He dipped his head with a bashful look. “Thank you.”
I leaned back against Thorne as they walked out the door, chatting about how excited Min was to read my book.
I put a hand against my chest, enjoying the warm and fuzzy feeling I got whenever a reader enjoyed my stories.
It never got old, no matter how many times it happened.
Writing something that made people happy was one of the best feelings in the world.
“You look happy.” Thorne rested his chin on my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Think we should close a little early? Maybe head back to the castle for the weekend?”
“In a minute.”
I closed my eyes, breathing in the wonderful scents of fresh green herbs in the shop.
All the dreams I’d worked so hard for had finally come true, but the best one was still being written.
I trailed my fingers over Thorne’s arm. I hadn’t been looking for romance, but sometimes the stories you’re not expecting end up being the most satisfying of all.
I opened my eyes, turning to catch his gaze. “Okay, I think I’m ready now.”
He leaned closer, pressing his lips to mine with a promise of more to come when we got to our castle. I smiled against his lips and led him to the front door, flipping the sign from open to closed.
With every new chapter comes a new beginning, and our story was only just getting started.