“Yes, please go ring the bells,” Phillip implored.
Once the godmothers had gone, Phillip pounced on Zuri, pinning her to the ground, and she giggled when he dived for that place on her neck that they both liked so much when he kissed it.
“So this is really real, right?” he murmured against her skin.
“Would imaginary me tell you it was real even if it wasn’t? I think I would.”
“Is this really ours?” he asked her. “Do we really get Happily Ever After?”
Zuri considered. “I think doubting it after all this time and insulting it to its face, we should just take the win, honestly.” She looked up into his green, green eyes. “This belongs to us. Let’s take it and make it everything we want.”
“Would it be anticlimactic if I begged you to marry me now? Petty sort of stole my thunder.”
“No. This is perfect. When we look back on this moment, we’re going to tell our children that even after their godmother burst in on us and demanded we fulfill her HEA expectations, we still took our future by the horns and made it everything we wanted.”
“Is that what we’re doing? It would serve her right if we went on a long vacation to a Tibetan monastery where she couldn’t find us.”
“But would it serve us right?” Zuri asked. “I’m ready to plan this wedding with you, and our life. I want to wear that lavender dress and meet you in front of Grammy and my sister and vow to make you my family, and my forever.”
“That sounds like a proposal. Did you just propose to me? Because I like it.”
“I did. Marry me,” Zuri said. “Be my Prince Charming forever.”
“When you put it like that, what’s a guy going to say besides hell yes?”
“I could think of a few things, but they involve doing other things with your mouth besides talking.”
She arched a brow and flashed him a naughty grin.
“Good God, yes.”
He had her naked before she realized what was happening, but Zuri was more than happy to surrender.
He worshipped at the altar of her womanhood, bringing her body to life in the way only he could, and it occurred to her that she’d gotten everything she ever wanted.
Zuri Davis, who’d thought she’d failed at everything, had built a solid business, a new home, and a new self.
No, not a new self. She’d found her true self. Her true strength. Her true passion.
After persevering through the darkest night, after believing when it seemed all was lost, she won her heart’s desire.
She got to spend her days and her nights with Prince Charming himself.
This was her Happily Ever After.
Just as her husband-to-be’s ever-talented tongue pushed her beyond the limits of desire and bliss, the castle bells rang, resonating throughout the kingdom with all the echoes of her joy.
Maybe there was something to be said for those wish coins after all.
THE FAIRY GODMOTHER ROUNDUP
Petty, Jonquil, and Bluebonnet were on their way to the office when Jonquil stopped and handed a tiny jar of cherry jelly to a chipmunk. “Don’t eat that all at once, and do not, under any circumstances, give it to the squirrels.”
“You’re just breeding more rivalry, Jonquil.” Bluebonnet crossed her arms.
“I think after this rather elegant heist that I deserve more credit,” Jonquil said. “Do you know how many different threads I had to pull, tug, tighten, and even trip over to get here? But I did it. We always look to Petty to be the master matchmaker, but I did this mostly on my own.” She looked between her sisters. “Well, getting all of the players into place anyway. I was the one who recommended closure. I was the one who got the Markhoff wedding. I was the one who suggested we hire Zuri.”
“All true,” Bluebonnet agreed.
Petty considered. “You’re correct, Jonquil. We don’t give you enough credit. I think mostly because you’ve always been the grumpy one. I’m sorry. I’m more than happy to let either one of you take the reins whenever you’re feeling motivated. I guess I always do it because I’ve always done it. But we don’t have to do it that way.”
“Thank you,” Jonquil said, and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her smock. “I do see now why you drink so many more ice cream sodas than Bluebonnet or me. This is stressful.”
“Why thank you, sister.” Petty sighed. “I think this all turned out perfectly. It was a bumpy ride, but we got there. And thank you both so much for helping me right that wrong.”
“We just have to keep remembering that we don’t teach lessons. We hand out the keys to Happily Ever After,” Bluebonnet said.
“And we try to get the clods to use them,” Jonquil added.
“Hey. Hey. FGI?” a voice yelled at them.
“I’ve never been addressed so,” Petty said.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear it.” Jonquil shrugged.
“He’s not going to stop. It’s that Alec guy,” Bluebonnet said.
“Oh no. This isn’t going to end well for any of us, is it?” Petty asked.
“FGs! Hey, FGs!”
“Lord help me not to turn that man into a frog,” Petty grumbled.
“He’s already a frog. A slug, really.” Jonquil sniffed with disdain.
“What?” Bluebonnet snapped. “Couldn’t you come into the office like a normal person instead of yelling at us from across the square?”
“I wanted to ask you if you provide matchmaking services along with wedding planning,” he asked, as he approached them out of breath and wheezing from running across the square.
It had obviously taken him more effort than he was used to expending, but Petty rather thought anything he tried to do in Ever After would yield him that sort of result because he was anathema to Happily Ever After.
The town itself didn’t like him.
Petty was fine with that.
“No, we hadn’t thought of it.”
“I’d like to be your first client. I can pay,” he said.
“It’s not about money, dear.” Petty took a step toward their offices.
“Look, I know you might be miffed with me but, I’ll do anything,” Alec said.
“Anything?” Bluebonnet cocked her head to the side.
“Whyever would you make that kind of offer?” Jonquil asked.
“I want what Phillip has,” he said.
And just like that, without any of the godmothers so much as lifting a pinkie, Alec Marsh was a frog.
“Petty!” Bluebonnet gasped. “What did you do?”
“I did absolutely nothing,” Petty swore. Then looked at their other sister. “Jonquil?”
“It wasn’t me!” Jonquil looked around. “Is Zeva here?”
“Not that I know of.” Petty did a quick scan. “It looks like Ever After gave him his wish. He wanted what Phillip had. That’s what Phillip had.” She shrugged.
“Mm-hm. Pays to be specific,” Bluebonnet said, and scooped him up to put the blorping frog in her pocket.
“Put that down. You don’t know where it’s been,” Petty said.
“I have my own plans. You just wait and see,” Bluebonnet replied.
“Now, let’s see. We still have to plan three more weddings. We have to finalize the spring carnival, and figure out where Lucky and Ransom are going stay. Maybe the castle, they’ll definitely be here for the carnival.”
“Oh, I’m so excited to see them!” Bluebonnet squealed.
“Guess who else? Juniper said she can definitely make it for Samhain!” Jonquil added.
“Really? I can’t wait to see her. I’ve missed our little boo so much,” Petty said.
“Me too,” Bluebonnet said. “Everything is coming up roses.”
Petty would’ve agreed with her until they rounded the corner and saw that everything was not, in fact, coming up roses.
It was coming up frogs.
There was a line of frogs that started outside the door to Fairy Godmothers, Inc., and wrapped around the
block.
They were single file, as if they were waiting to come inside.
As soon as one of them saw the trio, they all turned and began to ribbit incessantly.
“Well, it looks like the frog-kissing booth is back on for the carnival,” Jonquil said.
“A fairy godmother’s work is never done,” Petty said. “We might as well get started.”
“Who knew there were so many cursed frogs?” Bluebonnet asked. “I was sure we only did the one.”
“Me too,” Petty replied.
“Looks like it’s another adventure.” Jonquil shrugged.
Indeed, another adventure.
Petty cast one last look over her shoulder, and she saw Gwen and what she so loving referred to her as her little monsters walking toward the grassy center of the park in the town square. She winked at the boy child, and he nodded and promptly tripped his mom so she fell right into Roderick’s arms.
Petty cackled as bits of pink fairy dust filled the air.
Unfortunately for her, she didn’t see the new FG in town who took particular offense to Petty’s particular form of meddling with her charge.
New adventures, indeed.
Keep reading for more
wild adventures in matchmaking with
Petunia, Jonquil, and Bluebonnet
in
IT HAPPENED ONE MIDNIGHT.
Coming soon from
Saranna DeWylde
and
Zebra Books.
Petunia Blossom had almost reached peak fairy godmother.
She and her sisters, Bluebonnet and Jonquil, were so close to the pinnacle of greatness.
In the last year, they’d recruited a new fairy godmother in training for the academy, they’d helped break a curse (Petty chose to ignore the fact the curse was her fault to start with; she was counting it as a win), and they were working their magic right under the noses of mortals.
Further, they’d managed to not only save their sweet little town of Ever After, filling up all the stores of magic with love, but they were exporting it to the fairy realm and to the rest of the world.
Petunia was quite pleased.
The only thing missing was their granddaughter Juniper’s Happily Ever After.
She sighed over her morning tea and toast in their cottage kitchen.
Jonquil stopped what she was doing with the black lace and bloodred hydrangeas she’d been fiddling with, attempting to create a bouquet that would suit the Dracula-themed wedding. Nothing seemed to be quite right.
“I recognize that sigh, dearest. Tell us what kind of plot you’re hatching?” Jonquil encouraged.
“Me?” Petty feigned innocence.
Bluebonnet snorted. “Obviously, you. Shall I start some ice cream sodas?”
Petunia grinned. “Yes. I think you should.”
“As long as it’s not Gwen and Roderick again. You know they asked us to leave them alone,” Jonquil warned.
Petty waved her off. “No. Fie on them at the moment, anyway. How dare they resist our good intentions?” She laughed. “I do understand, and I’m giving them their space. I’d be upset if someone continued to try to push me to someone I wasn’t ready for.”
Bluebonnet dropped the glasses she held, and they shattered on the ground. “Did you just say you were wrong?”
“Let’s not get hysterical,” Petty said. “Of course not. I wasn’t wrong. We planted the seeds. They just have to take root and are slumbering through the long winter. Just wait. They will work out on their own.”
Bluebonnet used her wand to clean up the mess and reconstitute the glasses. “Mm-hm.” She fixed Petty with a sharp glance. “Your stance wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that Ransom and Lucky are taking them along to Brazil, does it?”
Petty looked around, her eyes wide. “Whatever would I do in Brazil?”
“Aha! Caught you. I didn’t accuse you of going to Brazil.” Bluebonnet crossed her arms over her chest.
Jonquil nodded sagely. “She’s got you there.”
Petty rolled her eyes. “No, she doesn’t. I would assume that to meddle with them in Brazil, I would need to be present in Brazil.”
“Oh, please. You’re a fairy godmother. You can meddle from anywhere.”
Petunia shrugged. “Whatcha gonna do?”
“Not bother those kids. Until it’s time,” Jonquil said. “That’s what you’re going to do.”
“I’m not. But sometimes things happen. Call it fate,” Petunia said.
“I’ll call it Petunia,” Jonquil said with a snort.
“I swear, I’m not going to do anything. I promised. But if, say, their accommodations might have accidentally overbooked, and they have to share a room . . . a very small room on a very hot night . . .”
“We all know that’s your favorite trope.” Bluebonnet began making the ice cream sodas to fortify them with the sugar they needed to plot Happily Ever Afters.
“It works! But actually, I really promise I haven’t done anything. But a godmother can hope.” She grinned. “No, it’s time to switch hats.”
“But, I’ve not gotten a new hat in so long.” Jonquil patted her hair.
“Not like that, dear. We need to work on a project closer to home. Not a godmother hat but a grandmother hat,” Petunia explained.
“I’m still not following. What’s wrong with godmother hats? I mean, we could get some pointy cones of wisdom to wear for the Dracula wedding, but I think they wanted to go with the obsidian and ruby tiaras for the bridesmaids. Plus, we don’t want to offend any witch guests in attendance,” Jonquil said.
“Sister. Darling. Light of my Happily Ever After,” Bluebonnet began. “She means Juniper.”
“Oh!” Jonquil pressed her palm to her forehead. “I swear, it’s like the sprites have run off with the last two brain cells I had to rub together.”
“You need sugar. You’ll feel better in a moment,” Bluebonnet promised.
“Speaking of that, we should definitely take a vacation in November. We deserve it. I was just thinking this morning that we have accomplished so much. We haven’t ventured out of Ever After for anything but work in a long time. Now that we have magic to spare, we should go to Jamaica or something.”
“Oh, I agree. We can use our portal passes, so we’ll still have time for the Christmas weddings,” Bluebonnet said.
“I need you to know, sisters, that I absolutely cannot be asked to put on my youthful body. I am quite comfortable in this one, and I will be on the beach as I am,” Jonquil stated.
“Thank the powers, me too.” Bluebonnet brought them their ice cream sodas. Today, they were butterscotch with chocolate chips.
“As if. I want to rest, not be bothered by some man in a Speedo.”
They all paused, obviously considering.
“I mean, maybe. It’s been a long time. My clock tower has bats in it,” Petunia confessed. “Bats. I mean, they’re very nice but . . .”
“Girl, you and me both,” Bluebonnet said.
“Spiders and webs, I say.” Jonquil nodded. “I was torn, for a moment, between thinking I needed to get out there, so I know what our charges are dealing with, and deciding that this is not going to be a working vacation.”
“Too right. How about this. We should go to Miami, spend a weekend in our younger bodies, then go to Key West with other old folks. Maybe do some diving, swim with the turtles. Read some Dee J. Holmes and Jasmine Silvera. Drink things out of coconuts,” Petunia offered.
“I like this plan. Can we stop on the gulf side of Florida, too? I want to go to Captiva,” Bluebonnet said.
Jonquil snorted long and deep. She sounded like a truffling pig. “You just want to go to Captiva to get some of that ghost pirate booty. That’s what you’re about.”
The three of them stopped, sighed, and were all obviously considering the merits of ghost pirate “booty.”
“Oh, hell yes I do.” Bluebonnet leaned her cheek into the bowl of her hand. “I don’t know
about you two, but Captain Drake Gregorian in those breeches is just the cure for what ails me.”
Petunia thought about calling her one-time friend Jack Frost, but then dismissed it entirely. What would he do in Florida besides be miserable? Anyway, this wasn’t about them. It was about Juniper.
Petty cleared her throat. “Sisters. Back to the task at hand.” “Which is?” Jonquil prompted.
“Um . . . where was I?” Petty asked.
“Hats,” Bluebonnet said.
“Oh! Right. Hats. Not godmother hats but grandmother hats. Juniper, of course!”
“She’s coming to visit, isn’t she?” Bluebonnet asked.
“Yes, I was going to suggest we call her, because I have a plan,” Petty said.
“You always have a plan,” Jonquil replied.
“Well, yes. Do you remember when we used to go visit April and Juniper? The little boy next door who would come over and play?” Petty asked.
“Little Tomas! He was adorable.” Bluebonnet waved her wand, and an image of Tomas shimmered in the air. “He’s not so little anymore. Why, he’s a man.” Bluebonnet sounded as if the fact were a scandal instead of a natural progression. Little boys grew into men. It was just how things worked.
“Neither is our Juniper. She’s a woman grown, and it’s time to give her a story like the ones she writes about. Tomas has always been her one. I can see the threads. Only, they’ve been running parallel for so long, they need a . . . shall we call it, inciting event to knock them together. Then, when they untangle, they’ll discover their threads entwined not in a tangle but a forever plait.”
“That’s very poetic, Petunia. Juniper must get her writing skills from you,” Jonquil said.
“She gets your pragmatism,” Petty said. “And Bluebonnet’s sweetness.”
“Wait, how is she our granddaughter again?” Jonquil asked. “I’m sorry, I forget these things.”
“There are three of us, so I understand why you’re confused,” Bluebonnet said. “And it was so very long ago. Do you remember that time in the Cotswolds when we foiled Rumpled Butt Skin?”
“That guy! I hate that guy,” Jonquil moaned. “I’d blocked it all out.”
“I remember it fondly. Because I hate that guy. And I’ll never say his actual name out loud. Ever.” Petty crossed her arms over her chest. “Anyway, that baby he tried to take, we protected her when we gave her some of our essences, essentially claiming her for fairy. So anyway, Juniper is a descendent of that baby.”
Men Are Frogs Page 27