Epilogue
Aiden’s hands trembled slightly as he turned over the letter from the hospital.
He’d had it sent to Glimmers – not wanting to risk his ma seeing it – but as the crystals started to vibrate on their shelves, he wondered if that was wrong.
But sending it to the store also meant he hadn’t had to worry about it over Christmas or Yule, and had made it all the way to the new year without flinching every time he heard someone walk up the garden path or drop a card through the letter box.
He took a few deep breaths – the way Rayenne had taught him – and forced his energy to calm, even if his mind wasn’t.
Is that it? Mist leaped onto the shop counter.
‘I think so. But I didn’t expect it so soon. Do you think that means something?’
I think it means you’re part of this community and it’s just another of those Hudsbury things.
‘You don’t think it means anything about the results?’
I think it means they are here.
‘Do you know what they are?’
No. But I know how you can find out.
‘I’m scared. Once I open it, I’ll find out if I have a chance at the future I want, or if it’s the nightmare death sentence.’ He wanted to see Mia. To have her by his side. But it would either make things a million per cent better, or unbearably worse.
What do you want to do?
‘Set light to it in one of the smudging bowls.’
What would that achieve? Would it change the result?
‘I wish. But it might delay it. Then I could not think about it, and could have a few more days with Mia.’
It makes me laugh that you humans think you are the smartest species on the planet. You make beautiful things and cook tasty treats, but us fur-kin are much smarter. If knowing the results changes things, then open it and learn the outcome.
‘It’s not that simple. I know the future Mia wants – a family, with children.’
So build her a den and give her lots of kittens.
‘If this letter is bad news, then I can’t.’
Why?
‘It just… I can’t.’ He didn’t know how to explain to a cat that, in all good conscience, he couldn’t have children when he knew there was a high chance he’d pass on a hideous disease.
At best, he’d force them to witness his decline and take on all the stress of trying to look after him, which would be beyond unfair – to any children and Mia.
How did he explain that, if he was positive, he didn’t see any future in which there wasn’t pain for her?
It was one thing for people to promise ‘in sickness and in health’ in a fit of matrimonial optimism when you genuinely believed you might be granted good health – but when you knew what was coming?
It was a painful lie no one should have to face.
Cats didn’t think like that. ‘I have to protect her.’
Even if it hurts you?
‘I’d rather break my heart into pieces than see her hurt once.’
‘That sounds ominous.’ Ophelia joined them from the kitchen. ‘Anything I should worry about? Oh… is that it?’ She pointed to the letter.
‘I think so.’
‘Then why are you still here? Go find Mia!’
‘I can’t, she’ll be working.’
‘She gets breaks. And it’s nearly lunchtime.’
‘I can’t leave Glimmers.’
‘You mean the store I own? Yes, you can. Bother off. And good luck!’
Mia looked up as Aiden walked into reception. ‘Hello.’
‘Hi.’
‘This is a nice surprise.’ She hesitated, realising something was off. ‘Is everything OK?’ When he didn’t immediately answer, she smiled brightly. ‘Do you want to go for a walk?’
‘Yeah, that’d be good, thanks.’
‘Just let me grab my coat.’ She raced back to her office, grabbed her coat and bag, and headed back to meet him before he changed his mind. She didn’t know what was bothering him, but there was definitely something wrong.
He smiled and offered his hand. She took it gratefully, and followed him to the park, making polite chit-chat until they found a quiet bench beneath a tree. She leaned over to kiss him. He kissed her back, just as she’d expected, but seemed distracted. ‘OK, tell me what’s going on.’
From a pocket, he pulled out an envelope that looked like it had been folded, refolded, fidgeted with and folded again.
‘You got your test results.’ Mia felt cold and shaky. If it was good news, surely he’d have told her immediately – and he’d definitely be happier.
‘I did.’
‘Are you going to tell me?’
‘I don’t know… I couldn’t open it.’
‘Are you going to do it here?’
‘I… umm. Would you?’
‘If that’s what you really want, of course I will.’ She took the envelope and carefully opened it, then froze before pulling out the letter.
‘Not so easy, is it?’ Aiden was watching her, his arms folded across his chest protectively.
‘Actually, I think this makes things a lot easier.’ She put the letter down between them. ‘I don’t care what this says. It’s not going to change things for me. I know you think that it will, but it won’t.’
‘That’s an easy thing for you to say, Princess.’
‘Yeah. It really is.’ She twisted to face him, and took his hand in hers.
‘Aiden, you need to know this isn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing for me…
I’ve been thinking about it for a while…
I just hadn’t planned how to do it because nothing seemed quite right, but right now I can’t imagine there being a righter moment.
Except, if I had planned properly, I’d have brought it with me… ’
‘Mia, what are you talking about?’
‘I…’ She was interrupted by a head butting her calf, and a muffled mew as Mist trotted from behind the bench, a very familiar pouch in her mouth.
‘What’s that?’ Aiden reached for it, but Mist danced away, presenting her prize to Mia.
Mia tugged the velvet from her mouth. ‘Can I take it this means I have your approval?’
Mew.
‘We’re going to have to have a chat, you and I, about privacy and you not opening locked doors and drawers,’ Mia chided gently before kissing the cat’s head. ‘Thank you, Madam Mist.’
‘What’s going on?’ Aiden stared between them both.
Mia cupped the bag in her hand. ‘I saw this a while ago, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And you know what Hudsbury is like… I found myself passing the store a dozen times in a week, so I had to buy it.’
‘Mia, what are you doing?’
She took a deep breath and wet her lips.
Her heart was thundering, but she felt completely calm and focussed.
‘I know things won’t always be easy, and there’s a lot we’ll need to talk about, but all that can wait.
We can figure things out later.’ She tipped the contents of the bag into her palm and reached for his hand. ‘Aiden Griffiths, will you marry me?’
His lips parted on a shocked gasp. ‘Mia… I… don’t know what to say.’
‘What do you want to say?’ She uncurled her fingers, dropping the ring into his palm and covering it with her hand.
She could see his throat working as he tried to come up with a reply, and then his jaw clenching for a second before he answered. ‘I really think that you should read the letter before you ask me this.’
‘No. What the letter says won’t change things for me, Aiden.’
‘It should.’
‘It won’t. I’m too selfish to let it.’
‘You’re one of the least selfish people I know.’
‘Nope, I really am being selfish. Because I don’t care if you’ve got seven years or seventy left – I want them.
Every single moment of them that you’re willing to give me.
Days, nights, stolen lunches in shop gardens and doctor’s offices.
I’m going to take every single one of them and still ask for more.
You light me up, Aiden. You make my life make sense.
You showed me what magic is, and opened a whole new world to me, and you held my hand through it all and made me feel safe.
And happy. I’m too selfish to let that go, so tell me you’ll marry me, and I never have to give you up. ’
‘Are you saying you think I’m your Triple D?’
‘No.’ Mia shook her head. ‘I’m saying you made me realise that I am.
I’m my own Dream Disney Dudette, and will make my own happy ever after.
Because I don’t need someone else to change my life and make me happy – I already am.
I never needed to be rescued, because I’m my own plan A, and I have a great life. ’
‘I never thought any differently.’ The smile he gave her filled her with warmth.
‘But for a long time, I did. And you, Aiden, you’re the one who helped me realise all of that was wrong.
You’re the one who made me understand all of this.
Who convinced me to climb on a motorbike and find magic in the woods.
You’re the one who made me look at myself and see that I’m still awesome even without make-up and when I’m wearing my glasses and a ratty jumper. ’
‘Your jumpers aren’t ratty, and you look cute in your glasses.’ He laughed again. ‘And when you do the librarian thing, you’re the sexiest woman on the planet.’
Mia leaned closer to him. ‘And you’re the one who teases me and makes me laugh, and takes the piss out of me when I really need someone to do just that.
And I love you for it. So much. Like I said, I don’t need you Aiden.
And if you say no, I’ll probably cry – a lot – but I’d eventually be fine.
I’d carry on breathing and coping and living the life I love.
But I want you. More than anything. I want to be with you…
to be yours. To see what magic we can create together.
So will you please tell me you’ll marry me before we read the damned letter? ’
He dragged Mia against him, the hand with the ring in his fist tight around her waist while the other wrapped around the back of her neck, drawing her into the sweetest, most scorching kiss of her life.
He invaded her senses – soothing and exciting at the same time, the kiss full of promise and hope.
Aiden knew he probably shouldn’t be kissing her like that.
He probably shouldn’t have kissed her the first time back in May, even though that had just been for fun and games.
But weak as it sounded, even in his head, he couldn’t help it.
Being with Mia was as natural to him as breathing – it was literally magical – and if she was selfish then he definitely was.
And probably greedy too, because he didn’t ever feel like he could get enough of her.
So he kissed her again and again, relishing in the taste, scent and feel of her as she relaxed in his arms, moulding herself against him. When he had to draw away to breathe or risk suffocating in her – but what a way to go! – she grinned up at him.
‘Can I assume that’s a yes?’ she asked cheekily.
‘I still think you should read the letter first.’ He felt like the world was holding its breath, and tension buzzed in the air around him.
‘And I think that whether or not you want to marry me shouldn’t be decided by a bit of paper.’ There it was: that oh-so-familiar challenge in her eyes.
‘Yes. If you’re sure, then yes.’
‘I was sure enough to buy you a ring.’ Her smile was huge, and he knew he was probably grinning like an idiot too, but how could he not be when the sweetest, strongest, kindest, prettiest, funniest, sexiest and probably a whole mountain of other -ests woman in the world had basically just demanded that he agreed to be hers for the rest of his life.
He leaned closer to kiss her again, and this time the world exhaled.
The clouds parted and sunlight streamed through in shafts that seemed to seek out the droplets of rain still hanging from the leaves above them and explode from them into rainbows that shimmered around them while Mist purred loudly.
When Mia drew away from him, she gasped and looked around, her eyes wide and bright. ‘Aiden, it’s beautiful.’
‘Magical.’
She laughed, and the rainbow shivered and chimed in response, and he was astounded – once again – that this beautiful woman was a part of his life…
that she’d proposed to him. He looked down at the ring still sitting in his palm.
It was greyish-blue, and far lighter than a ring so substantial-looking had any right to be. ‘Titanium?’
‘Yes.’
He turned it around, and smiled at the three small stones set flush into a band: two deep green emeralds nestled happily against a diamond. ‘Do you know what these represent?’
‘I didn’t, but the Internet did. Diamond for commitment, faithfulness and promise, and emeralds for deep love that’s unconditional. I didn’t learn that until after I’d bought it, but it seems the pretty perfect message to me.’
‘Yeah.’ He wrapped his spare arm around her and kissed the top of her head, unable to believe this was happening.
‘Well, are you going to try it on or do I have to get down on one knee?’
‘You on your knees is always a tempting thought.’ The words were out before he could stop them.
‘Bad Biker Boy.’ She laughed and kissed him, twisting her fingers through his to reclaim her ring. ‘Don’t ever change.’
It slid perfectly into place, looking like it was meant to be there. ‘I love you so much, Princess.’
‘Well that’s good, considering you just agreed to spend the rest of your life with me,’ she teased.
If she could be brave, then he would be too.
He picked up the still folded letter and shook it open, his newly decorated hand still firmly in hers.
The words blurred in front of him and he had to skim it twice before the one word he needed jumped out.
His eyes found Mia’s and he realised she was holding her breath.
‘Princess?’
‘Yes?’
‘I really hope you meant what you said about “seventy years” because you’re going to be stuck with me for a long, long, long time!’
‘You’re negative?’
‘I’m all good. See for yourself?’
She grabbed the paper from him, tears already trickling down her cheeks, then threw her arms tightly around his neck, crushing herself against him in a hot, hungry, relieved kiss. ‘Seventy years doesn’t sound like long enough,’ she told him on staccato gasps. ‘Let’s go for world record breaking.’
‘Works for me.’
Not the end, but it’ll do for now.
(Because we’ll definitely be back soon… especially now we have a wedding to plan!)