Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Cryptids United in Delightful Dating and Love Encouragement (CUDDLE) Forum
SuperShySasquatch: Once again, my boyfriend beat me to the punch. He told me he loves me first! I’m over the moon right now. He’s my penguin and I’m his. I’m so happy I can’t stop smiling.
LoungeSingerLizardMan: Walking on sunshine, eh? The musical greats always know what they’re singing about when it comes to love.
IPutTheBrahInChupacabra: Not gonna lie, I’m having some serious envy vibes right now. Congrats, man.
YetiOrNotHereICome: I’m getting a little romantic high off the energy you’re bringing to the forum, my friend! Love it!
MerMagicMan: It brings a tear to my jaded eye. Maybe true love does still exist… you’re starting to make me a believer.
NessieNeedsLoveToo: I think we need to start asking you for romantic advice pretty soon!
Harvest Festival Opening Day…
Hal
My lips are still tingling from Skylar’s morning kiss and I’m practically floating when I finish cleaning up the kitchen and head out with an excited Elvira at my side.
To my surprise, she has adapted to a leash like a natural and seems content to follow me everywhere I go so long as she can sniff and pee on interesting things along the way.
In that respect, she doesn’t appear to be all that different from a regular dog.
Considering how Waffles tends to enjoy pulling Max through town, I’m grateful we’ve been able to make this transition relatively painlessly.
I spend most of the morning checking in with folks around town, particularly the business owners participating in the Harvest Festival, and ensuring all last-minute preparations are finalized.
But I find I have trouble concentrating on what I’m doing because my mind keeps wandering back to last night—and this morning.
Kisses. My mind is full of sweet, loving kisses.
Ever since we confessed our mutual love, I’ve been so blissed out I can think of nothing but Skylar.
That night in his salon is something I’ll never forget.
Skylar gave me the most decadent haircut of my life and topped it off with a long, leisurely make-out session with him in my lap.
When he told me he loved me and then laid a mind-numbingly breathtaking lip-lock on me, it was the kind of swoony-sweet experience I’ve only read about in romance novels until now.
It was like turning on a light inside me that hasn’t stopped glowing ever since.
Skylar’s lips are downright magical. I keep reaching a hand up to touch my own, still marveling at how bold Skylar was then, and continues to be.
There’s no hesitation at all. He wants to kiss me, and that makes me happier than anything.
Shortly after lunch, I make my way to the orchard with a few hours to spare before the Harvest Festival opening performance—courtesy of Jayden’s class—that will kick off the festivities. As I wander the rows of trees, I’m relieved to see that Laurelis seems to have everything well in hand.
I know that the magic protecting Mystic Hollow has gone a little wonky of late, but I’m convinced the true magic of the town is in the ways it brings folks together.
I never could have imagined my favorite romance author would move to town, let alone that he and I would become fast friends.
Mystic Hollow also brought Skylar to me, and I’m eternally grateful.
I don’t think there’s any other way he and I would have crossed paths in this life.
To me, that’s the kind of magic that makes me love and want to safeguard this town.
What I dream of might be considered small and mundane to some, but to me, it means everything.
In my fantasies, I see us continuing to share a daily routine like the one we have now, where we enjoy breakfast together every morning and talk before Skylar goes off to work.
In the evenings, we spend time cuddling, telling each other about our days, and just coexisting in a kind of loving harmony that I’ve always longed for.
I imagine us going on dates together in Mystic Hollow.
Brunch at the diner, clothes shopping at the Emporium, exploring the used bookshop, and wandering the apple orchard together.
Winter will be here before we know it, and I dare to dream that we might share a bed by then.
I really want to be able to sleep beside the man I love, to cuddle through the night and keep him warm.
I fantasize about what it will be like to hold him and have his presence at my side, steady and loving.
It’s more than I ever thought I’d be able to find in this life.
When I’m done with safety checks on the portable stage for the children’s performance, Astraea appears with Rowan and his familiar. They both look like they haven’t slept. Astraea’s wearing the same clothes from yesterday and Rowan’s in a rumpled T-shirt and jeans.
I reach into my apron and pull out some wrapped homemade granola bars.
“You two look like you could use an energy boost. Would you like one?”
They each accept my offering, and I smile. Elvira whines at my feet.
“Feeling left out, sweetie?” I reach into another pocket and pull out a homemade dog biscuit that I break into three pieces. “Here you go.”
Each of her heads happily munches on the pieces of biscuit, and once she’s done, she lies down at my feet again.
Astraea surveys the orchard. “We had a long night, but Rowan managed to finish working his mojo on the node and the apples have stopped singing, thank fuck.”
“What about the demon portal?” I ask.
“Still working on that,” Rowan says around a mouthful of granola bar. “Closing a portal takes time, but it’s still contained for now.”
It doesn’t sound like Akram will be able to open his bar yet.
A bell-like sound rings and we turn to watch as Max rolls up on a bicycle with Princess Peach riding in a front basket. He’s definitely channeling some Wizard of Oz vibes.
“Yoo-hoo, friends!” he calls out gaily as he climbs off.
Today he’s clad in rainbow leopard-print leggings, black sparkly ankle boots, and an oversized purple tunic sweater with the word DIVA spelled out in gold sequins.
He sashays over with Princess Peach in the crook of one arm and the other one flapping in the air. “I’m so excited to see Yara and Harn performing with their classmates. They’ve been practicing their little behinds off for the last few weeks. I’m so proud of them.”
“All the kids in Mr. Bell’s class are going to be phenomenal. I’m pleased as punch we were able to have them open the festival,” I say.
“Brilliant work on the part of the planning committee, if I do say so myself,” Max says with a wink, and then turns a gimlet gaze on Rowan. “Good to see you again, Mr. Mage. You kind of left us hanging earlier this week and I have a boatload of questions to ask you.”
Rowan arches an amused eyebrow. “What about?”
“About your once torrid love affair with the town’s hunkiest minotaur,” Max stage-whispers. “Duh.”
That makes Rowan throw his head back and laugh. “By the Light, you must be hard up for gossip in this small town. I think what you heard covered the basics. Besides, it was ages ago. Ancient history.” He eyes Max up and down. “Probably before you were even born.”
I have to wonder about the ancient history part. The tension in the air between those two felt awfully fresh to me.
Max preens. “I do look amazing for my age, don’t I? Ahem. But more to the point, why does Baxter start looking like a bull ready to charge whenever you’re around? And that’s not a diss on minotaurs, by the way.”
Ryder materializes beside me, and I nearly jump. I didn’t notice him joining us.
“Who’s this?” he asks, pointing at Rowan.
“The mage we hired to get the town’s magic under control,” I say. “Ryder Thomas, this is Rowan Kelly.”
“And we’re supremely grateful Rowan’s here,” Astraea chimes in, then narrows her eyes in warning to us all. “So no one better piss him off or else they’ll have me to talk to. We need his brilliant little behind parked in town for a while.”
Ryder whips out his ever-present notebook and eyes the man with keen interest. “You’re a mage? That’s fascinating. I’ve only met one other mage before, so I have a lot of questions.” He glances at Angelica and his eyes light up. “And ohmyfreakinggods, you have a familiar! This is my lucky day.”
“Get in line, Ryder. My questions are more important,” Max says dismissively. “Inquiring minds want to know more about Rowan’s relationship with Baxter.”
“They dated?” Ryder asks, looking even more intrigued.
“From what we’ve heard.” Max then grins coquettishly. “But the details remain vague.”
“The minotaur and the mage,” Ryder muses, stroking his chin. “That has the makings of a great title for a romance.” He immediately jots this down in his notebook.
Rowan crosses his arms and sighs. “Look, it’s no big secret. Bax and I met in college and dated for about a year. I spent a summer here with him. After graduation, we went our separate ways. He took a job at the police station here in Mystic Hollow, and I joined brOOM.”
Ryder squints at him. “What is brOOM?”
“Bureau of Relics, Omens, Occultism, and Magic,” he replies nonchalantly. “Anyway, my work for the org is interdimensional and takes me all over this and other realms. Bax wanted small-town life, I wanted excitement and adventure.”
“Right, but that was forty years ago,” Max retorts lightly. “What do you want now? Are you still looking for the same thing? Sweetie, the questions are endless.”
Rowan’s expression flickers for an instant but then he plasters on a smile. “Who knows? For now, I’m treating this as a paid vacation with some low-key work on the side.”
I can tell Max wants to press him for more, but he restrains himself.
“Hal!”
I whip around at the sound of Skylar’s voice and see him jogging toward me and panting. When he reaches my side, he holds on to my arm, gasping in air.
“Phew. I barely made it. Things were so busy at the salon that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get here in time.”
I’m full to bursting with pride.