Epilogue
A Little Over a Year Later
Emily walked next to Cam, carrying their son, and willed her heart to slow down.
As if reading her thoughts, Cam squeezed her waist and said, “It’ll be all right, love.”
“You say that, but you know my mother will be there.”
A few months ago, she’d received a letter out of the blue from her mother, saying her father had passed and that she was returning to the UK. She’d also asked to meet with Emily.
It’d taken her days to finally write a reply, clearly stating she’d be willing to meet but that she’d mated a dragon-shifter and had a half-dragon son.
Surprisingly, her mother had said she was happy for Emily and still wanted to see her.
And so now, Emily, Cam, and their son, Luca, were heading to Cam’s parents’ house for dinner.
Emily’s mother, Sandy, had arrived about fifteen minutes ago and been shown to the Alexander household.
She’d taken Cam’s suggestion that his family could win her over first, and so far there hadn’t been any calls or text messages saying her mother had run for the hills.
Luca squirmed a little and scrunched his nose, making her smile. He was an active baby and loved being included in everything. Mary said he must get it from her, as she and Tor were the only ones who thrived with people and crowds.
Even if his personality was more like Mary’s, Luca had dark hair like Emily, as well as blue eyes that were probably going to stay blue, like both her and Cam. Part of her was disappointed that he hadn’t inherited Cam’s ginger hair. But they wanted one more child at some point, so who knew.
She readjusted her son’s blanket and said, “Are you ready to charm your other grandmother, Luca? I can use all the help I can get.”
Cam said, “Aye, he will, but I still think things will be fine.”
She bit her bottom lip a second before replying, “I hope so. I’m just glad she’s free.”
She’d talked on the phone with her mother a few times in recent weeks, to finalize her trip, and she sounded more like the parent Emily remembered, the one who’d taken her side and been proud of her whenever her dad wasn’t around.
But being on the phone didn’t mean a sure thing when meeting in real life, especially since she hadn’t been able to read her mother’s body language.
Cam’s pupils flashed a few times before he said, “My dragon says he’s ready to help charm her, too, because no one can resist him.”
She smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind. He’s right, of course. Especially if he does flight maneuvers that end with diving into the sea.”
Despite what had happened the first time Emily had swam with Cam, he’d never hesitated to accompany her on a dive, or to simply allow her to sit on his dragon’s belly as they floated on the water on a hot day.
Well, hot by Scottish standards, which was still pretty cool. But Emily was used to the cooler weather and sea breezes now, and barely noticed it any longer.
They reached her in-laws’ house, and the door opened when they were a few feet away, meaning Emily couldn’t draw out their walk any longer. At least it was Angus standing in the doorway, so she had a little more time to prepare herself.
Angus grunted and motioned with his head inside. “Come on, they’re waiting for you in the living room. Mary’s given her two cups of tea already, and if you don’t intervene, your mother will be full of caffeine, and that probably won’t make things easier.”
“No, you’re right.”
She was about to enter, but Angus held out his arms. “I want a turn with wee Luca because they’ll take him at the earliest opportunity.”
As she handed her son over to his grandfather, she couldn’t stop smiling. Angus had a soft spot for his grandson, and once Emily had caught him singing to the boy before quickly stopping when she’d shown up.
But that was her father-in-law—gruff and mostly silent to the outside world but caring, loving, and a bit silly in private with his family, when he finally let his guard down.
After kissing her son’s cheek and murmuring for him to behave, she allowed Cam to guide her down the hallway to the living room. Within seconds, they were in the doorway, and her eyes shot to her mother.
Her mam must’ve noticed her presence, because her blue eyes shot to hers, and silence fell.
Sandy Davies looked older, with mostly gray hair, but also somewhat lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Emily tried to keep her emotions in check, but when her mother stood and opened her arms, Emily rushed over and hugged her.
For so many years, she’d tried to convince herself she didn’t miss her mam’s hugs, or presence, or the sense of comfort she always brought.
But tears trickled down her face as she said, “I missed you, Mam.”
Her mother hugged her tighter. “I missed you more. I’m so sorry, Emily. I should’ve tried to leave him sooner.”
After pulling back, she wiped her face. “That is easier said than done, and we both know it. He controlled the money, you had no job, and he watched who you called or texted. I’m just glad you’re free now, Mam, and here now.
” She looked behind her and motioned to Cam.
“And I’d like you to meet my mate, Cam.”
Her dragonman strode over and nodded at her mother. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Davies.”
“Call me Sandy. And nice to meet you, too, Cam.”
Angus then walked over and tilted Luca toward them. “And here’s your wee grandson, Luca.”
Her mother reached a hand toward Luca, but then pulled it back. “May I hold him?”
Angus didn’t wait, but quickly handed the small bundle over to Sandy.
As soon as she did, a tear rolled down her mother’s cheek before she leaned down and kissed Luca’s forehead. “He’s so beautiful, Emily. And he’ll change into a dragon one day, too?”
“Yes,” she stated, waiting to see how her mother reacted in person.
But Sandy merely smiled and nodded. “I’m a bit jealous of them, you know, being able to fly away whenever they want.”
Cam spoke up. “While I can’t give you an inner dragon, I can at least show you my dragon form whenever you like. You’re staying for a while, aye?”
Sandy looked at Emily. “If Emily wants me here.”
“I do, Mam. I really do.”
Tor walked into the living room and said, “Dinner’s ready. I need help setting the table and getting the food out.”
Emily signed—she wasn’t quite fluent in BSL, but was getting close—as she said, “We’ll help you. But first, this is my mother, Sandy. Mam, this is my brother-in-law, Tor.”
Her mam glanced at her, but Tor spoke before she could say anything. “I can’t really hear unless you shout. But if you face me and talk clearly, I’ll mostly understand you.” He motioned. “Come on. The sooner everyone helps, the sooner we can eat.”
Mary, Angus, and Cam all followed Tor, leaving Emily alone with her son and mother. After a second, her mother asked quietly, “Do you really want me to stay? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.”
“Yes, I want you to stay. It took me some time to accept the difficult situation you were in and how you were trying to survive. But he’s gone, he can’t hurt either of us, and Seahaven is pretty welcoming. The clan leader is even single, and not much older than you.”
“Pardon?”
Emily laughed. “I’m teasing, Mam. You met Euan briefly, right?” Her mother nodded. “That’s who I was talking about. But I’ll drop it. Come on. Dinners at the Alexander household are the best, and by the end, I bet you’ll be laughing and smiling more than you have in years.”
And once they joined the others in the dining room, Angus and Mary made her mother feel welcome, and the baby was passed around until Cam finally put him down for a nap.
By the end of the night, joy had returned to her mother’s eyes, giving Emily the last bit of happiness she’d been hoping for. Now she had a family, a clan, and her mother all together, as well as more work than she’d ever imagined.
And it’d all started with a dragonman barking orders at her and her irritating him on purpose.
Thank you for reading Emily and Cam’s story!