Epilogue #2
“Of course not,” Diana said, playfully swatting at his arm. “I’m glad you were fibbing. Even if it was painfully obvious.”
She looked up at him, her love for him clear in her sparkling eyes, and he leaned down to give her a quick, chaste kiss on the forehead… though even that was apparently not fast enough, if the ooohs from a couple of nearby kids were anything to go by.
“Okay, enough of that,” Diana laughed.
They were saved from further embarrassment by a call of “Hey, Mom. Hey, Calvin,” accompanied by a wuff that could only have come from Bella.
Calvin turned to see Ash and Bella coming from the direction of the food table, Bella’s nose dappled with highly incriminating cheese crumbs. Ash seemed to have shot up at least a couple of inches in the two months that Calvin had known him – it was kind of boggling, what kids could do.
And his capacity for riddles and mind games hadn’t gone away – if anything, it had only increased.
Calvin and Diana had been delivering puzzles back and forth between Ash and Betula, and Calvin didn’t think he would ever stop being amused by the sight of Betula bent over a cryptic crossword clue that Ash had devised, her forehead scrunched into a petulant scowl.
Calvin was pretty sure at this point that she wouldn’t curse Ash if she met him in person, but seeing how annoyed she’d gotten at the crossword had given him reason to wonder!
“Hey, Ash,” Diana said, giving him a quick hug. “Thank you so much for helping with all of this – I know that you weren’t off visiting friends every single day like you claimed to be!”
Ash ducked his head shyly. “They are my friends.”
Diana’s eyes shone briefly with happy tears, and Calvin’s heart melted just a little.
He clapped Ash lightly on the shoulder. “This guy right here was an absolute lifesaver around the worksite, especially when it came to showing us how to set up a raised vegetable patch. Seriously, we couldn’t have done it without him.”
Bella barked, and Calvin quickly added, “Or without our trusty supervisor here. She kept us all in line.”
“You’re all fantastic,” Diana declared, pulling both of them into a hug, with Bella worming her way in. “I couldn’t ask for a better family.”
Family.
The word warmed Calvin’s heart. It was still hard to believe that in such a short time, he’d found the family he’d thought would only ever be a dream. Even the wyvern had mellowed a little since he’d found Diana.
I have not ‘mellowed’, the wyvern said prissily. I merely find that she is captivating company and of high intelligence, and thus I do not have to incessantly explain to her the error of her ways as I must do with you.
Whatever, Calvin thought, not even bothered. Diana was smart and good company, so he wasn’t about to start arguing the matter.
Everything really was going better than he could’ve ever imagined.
Being able to touch everyday items again without having to worry about them immediately breaking down meant that he felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he had resolved never to take simple things for granted again.
And even the situation with Diana’s ex was going well – he’d met James briefly when he’d been bringing Ash back from his beach vacation, and he’d seemed like a decent guy who clearly had a good relationship with his son.
Knowing that Ash’s dad was still in the picture and being a positive influence in his life made things so much easier than they could’ve otherwise been.
Calvin looked around the playground. His heart felt like it was glowing inside him.
Everyone was having a wonderful time, the kids alternating between climbing over the new equipment and stuffing their faces with all the wonderful food the people of the town had provided.
Gale and Sylvie’s little girl, Lily, was taking wobbly, precarious steps toward her parents, who were cheering her on.
The sky was a clear, endless blue, the sun warm on his skin, and everything felt perfect.
He caught Natasha’s eye where she stood with Kieran, and she nodded, tapping her nose.
She’d helped him plan it all out – later, Ash would take Bella and go to a friend’s house for the night, and Natasha would distract Diana so that Calvin could slip away and head back home in his thankfully once-again functional car.
Once he was back home, he would prepare a meal for her. He’d been wanting to give her a truly romantic evening since they’d first met, but hadn’t had time for it because of all the work he’d been doing on the playground.
Everything was ready to go, hidden away strategically in cupboards and fridge compartments: all the ingredients for a fancy charcuterie board with all her favorite cheeses and meats and other accompaniments, as well as homemade focaccia, and a salad made with vegetables fresh from the garden, including the carrots and radishes they’d planted together.
And then there would be the blackberry cobbler that he was going to make – or attempt to make – with berries from her garden, and the champagne that he’d bought.
He'd bring out the candles he’d stashed away, decorate the table with flowers, dust off the record player he’d been surprised to find out she owned, and serve her up each course and clean up afterwards, not allowing her to lift a finger. Then, there was a massage planned.
After that… well, he had some ideas, but it was all down to Diana. Whatever she wanted to do, he would do. She deserved it – a million times over.
He turned back to look at her – and caught her staring at him. Her gorgeous eyes were shining with happiness, and he felt his face breaking out into a smile.
My mate, he thought, as he took her hand and then pulled her in close against him and rested his cheek against the top of her head, not caring if the world saw them. My Diana.
They had so many blissful years together in front of them, and he couldn’t wait to get started.
I’ve never been happier in my life, he thought – and one look in Diana’s eyes told him that she felt the same.
Together, they watched Ash and Bella gamboling with the other kids, laughing and playing as they explored, their fingers sticky with cake and frosting, and surrounded by his new friends – some of whom were even shifters, so he had plenty of people to share his secret with.
I can’t believe that all my life, this is what I wanted. And I just never really knew it, Calvin thought, swallowing. I never imagined finding my mate would make me feel this… complete.
But he did. Diana, Ash and Bella were everything he knew he’d ever want.
Home, he thought. I’m home.