by Lola Gabriel
“Hi, you,” she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. “Is it done?”
“Yes,” he said. “Listen, Laila, I know you’re at work, but is there any chance you can sneak out while you’re on your lunch break?”
“Well, that’s now, but yeah, I can,” Laila said. “What’s wrong?”
“I went to the castle as you know, and I found a woman there. She doesn’t even know how long she’s been there. Longer than five years, a lot longer by what she’s said. She’s nervous around me, and her clothes are rags. I wondered if you could come over with something for her to wear?” Cedric explained.
“Sure,” Laila said. “God, that poor woman. I tell you what, I’ll bring my mom as well because I won’t be able to stay long, and she might feel a bit more comfortable if there’s another woman there.”
“Good idea,” Cedric said. “Thanks, Laila.”
Cedric paced around the living room as he waited for Laila and Polly to arrive at his place. He could hear the water running above him, so he figured Catherine was still busy trying to get who knew how many years’ worth of dirt off of herself.
He relaxed a little when Laila’s car pulled up outside of his house and Laila and Polly got out of it. He went and opened the door and brought the women into the living room. They all looked up as one as they heard soft footsteps on the stairs. The living room door opened and Catherine came into the room, wrapped in the robe Cedric had given her, looking clean and much better than she had half an hour ago. Cedric felt his stomach roll when he looked at Catherine. She was the absolute double of Laila.
“Catherine?” Polly said, her eyes wide.
“Polly. Oh my God, Polly!” Catherine cried.
The two women hugged, tears streaming down both of their faces.
“Fabian told me you were dead,” Polly said through her tears.
“I always thought I might as well have been,” Catherine said, giving a half-laugh. “Until now. Is that…?”
She trailed off and Polly stepped to one side, nodding her head.
“Laila,” she said. “This is Catherine. Your mom.”
Epilogue
Laila’s Journal
November 9, 2019
My mom suggested I start keeping a journal. My biological mom, Catherine. She said it was something she had always done and it helped her to get her feelings out. I decided to give it a go, and what better day to start it than today, a day I am so full of feelings I think I might burst?
My feelings are all happy feelings. I am the luckiest girl in the world, and I like the idea of starting a journal on a day like this. A happy day, a momentous day. The first day of the rest of my life, to quote a cliché.
So where do I start? I guess with my moms. I feel like I have two of them now. It’s been almost three months since Cedric found my biological mom in Fabian’s castle and we’ve really started to bond. But I will always think of Polly as my mom too. She raised me, loved me, gave up so much for me. I love her so much I think I might pop. But it was Polly who told me that with so much love to give, I could love my biological mom as well, and I think I’m starting to, because for all she wasn’t there for my childhood, she, too, gave up so much for me, and she did the only thing she could do to make sure I had a happy life where I was loved.
Catherine (I’m going to use my moms’ first names from now on. It’s too confusing calling them both “Mom’, and because of how young they both look, I can’t call either of them ‘Mom’ in public anyway) decided to stay in Greer. She said without Fabian here, the town is really perfect for her, and she added that she wanted to be near me. In the end, Polly decided to move here too. Polly and Catherine have opened a little bakery in the town and they’re doing really well with it. And I get to have them both in my life. What could be better than that?
Well, only the fact that I’m getting married. Today. To the love of my life, my soulmate. My Cedric. I really should stop writing this and get on with getting ready or I’m going to be late for my own wedding. But first, I have one more thing I simply must get down.
I am deliriously happy. My family is all here now. My two moms, my soulmate, and the extended family I have gained in Cedric’s pack. But the best news? I have a secret. One I’m going to tell Cedric tonight.
I’m pregnant. I’m going to have the baby I have always longed for. I can’t wait to be a wife, a mom. I love my life, and I think every page of this journal is going to be just as happy as this one (except maybe for the part that covers the labor pains; I’ve heard they can be a right bitch), and maybe when our children—I say children because this one is the first of many—are old enough, I’ll let them read this journal and see how happy they made me every day of my life.
* * *
READ MORE ABOUT SANMERE SHIFTERS IN THIS NEW SERIES BY LOLA GABRIEL!
Shifting Fates: Sanmere Shifters 1
Fae Loyalty: Sanmere Shifters 2
Dragon’s Clutch: Sanmere Shifters 3
Shifting Truths: Sanmere Shifters 4
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Thank You
Thank you for reading my book. Readers like you make an author’s world shine. If you’ve enjoyed this book, or any other books by Lola Gabriel or another author, please don’t hesitate to review them on Amazon or Goodreads.
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Lola Gabriel
About the Author
Lola Gabriel loves reading and writing paranormal romances. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she has fond memories of retreating to the woods for long hikes. The towering evergreens, natural waterfalls, and soothing rain often set the scenery for her characters’ romantic encounters.
Find out more about Lola Gabriel at SecretWoodsBooks.com