by R. E. Butler
She smiled at him. “Hi.”
“Have you been up long?”
“Not really. I woke up hungry. I think it was because there was a really horny guy in bed with me.”
He chuckled. “I’d say we were both equally horny.”
“Um, yeah.” Her nose wrinkled as she smiled at him a second time. “I think that’s the understatement of the century.”
He gathered plates and silverware and set them on the coffee table, then filled mugs with coffee.
“This is pretty cool,” she said.
“What is?”
“Cooking in a fireplace. It’s rustic. Is NPC like this?”
“Yes and no. There’s electricity in some buildings using generators, but the homes don’t have any. Stoves use wood or coal.”
She snorted. “Coal.”
“SC doesn’t really bring coal to bad kids. They just get nothing.”
“Aw.”
She grabbed one of the plates and set the bacon on it, then returned the pan to the fire and cracked eggs into the hot oil.
“Do you like to cook?”
“Yes and no. I used to like it a lot more before I was cooking every night at the bar. Then I kind of got to a place where I didn’t want to cook at all at home, so Ivy does the cooking, or we pick up premade food at the grocery. Since I don’t make breakfast at the bar, it’s a nice change of pace to make it. Do you like to cook?”
“Not hardly. There’s a cafeteria that serves excellent food three times a day. I lived in a room in the barracks, along with the other unmated males. There’s no kitchen anywhere in the barracks, so even if I had liked to cook, I would’ve needed to go to my parents’ home to do so.”
“Where do the unmated girls live if all the guys live in the barracks?”
“With their parents.”
“Is there a college in NPC?”
He shook his head. “Everyone, male and female, trains for a job with those who already hold the jobs. My dad is a builder, so when he was ready to start working, he joined the builders and learned on the job. My mother is a seamstress like her mother, so she learned how to sew as a kid and joined the other seamstresses when she was old enough. She specializes in dresses and skirts, but she can make pretty much anything.”
“What about your sister?”
“She makes toys. She never liked sewing, but she does like to paint, so she works with the toymakers as a painter.”
“That is freaking awesome. I wonder what I would’ve chosen to do if I’d been born in NPC and had so many different trades to choose from.”
“Well, I hope that whatever you would’ve chosen would’ve led us together.”
She smiled brilliantly. “Me, too.”
When the eggs were cooked, she joined him at the coffee table, and they ate and talked about NPC and their families.
“I’d like to go to town,” she said when they’d washed and put away the dishes.
“Okay. For anything in particular?”
“There’s no cell signal here, and I’d like to call Ivy and tell her we won’t be back tonight.”
He couldn’t keep the happy rumble from making his chest vibrate. “Really?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I feel like if we go back today, we’ll be missing out on getting to know each other. I already feel like you’re my best friend, but I want to know you even better.”
“We don’t have to go to town to talk to them.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “There’s a computer in the bedroom closet, and our people have access to a private satellite, so we can contact Jack on his computer and you can video-chat with Ivy.”
“That would be great.”
“I’ll get it set up.” He found the computer and arranged it on the coffee table. “How long would you like to stay?”
“Maybe until Thursday? A few more days here in this wintry paradise seems like a great idea.”
“I agree completely.”
The computer booted up, and within minutes Jack had answered and called for Ivy, who sat next to him with a grin.
“Hey, sis!” Ivy said.
“Hi. I wanted to tell you guys that we’re not going to come back until Thursday before the bar opens.”
Ivy nodded knowingly. “The cabin is magical, right? I didn’t want to leave either.”
Holly hummed in agreement. “It’s really wonderful. Would you mind changing the sign on the door to reflect that it’ll be closed for a few more days?”
“We can open it and run it for you if you don’t want to lose the business,” Jack offered.
“No, it’s okay. You guys can’t run it on your own. Neither of you are bartenders, and it would end up being more stressful than you need to deal with. It won’t hurt things to be closed for a few days, and weeknights aren’t our busiest time anyway.”
“Okay,” Ivy said. “Have you two talked about everything?”
Holly and Vaughn both laughed. “Yes, I shared my shift with Holly last night.”
“Yay!” Ivy clapped. “So you’ll move to NPC with us, right?”
Holly’s breath hitched in her throat. Vaughn spoke before she could, not wanting to put her on the spot.
“Give us a little time, guys.” He chuckled. “We don’t need to rush into any decisions.”
“Right, right, sorry.” Ivy smiled sadly at Holly. “I just felt so bad that I couldn’t tell you the truth about where we were moving, or why it was important to me.”
“I understood why you didn’t want to be pregnant and still singing at the bar. And I get now why you want to live in NPC.” She took Vaughn’s hand and squeezed it, giving him a faint smile. “I’m not ready to say I want to move. Things have just turned around at the bar, and all this is new to me.”
The sisters talked a little while longer and then ended the call.
Holly sat back against the couch and sighed deeply.
“We’ve never lived apart before.”
He closed the laptop and turned to face her. “Don’t feel guilty. This is a normal decision for couples to have to make, and it’s up to us to decide what’s best. You’re my home, and the only thing I need in this world is you.”
“What about shifting? Do you have to do that regularly?”
“Just when I feel the urge. We can come up here for a night or two when I need to shift.”
“You promise you won’t be disappointed if I don’t want to move?”
He leaned forward and kissed her. “I promise.”
“We have time, though, right?”
He nodded. “Until Christmas Eve morning of this year.”
“You’ll lose your job.”
He shrugged. “I get you.”
“I’m really lucky. I’m just sorry I waited so long to let down my guard.”
“Three weeks isn’t that long in the whole scheme of life, you know. A blip on the radar. We’re together now, and our future is wide open. For the next few days, though, let’s not worry about anything but getting to know each other better and enjoying our mini-vacation. Deal?”
“Seal it with a kiss?” she asked, her eyes darkening with promise.
“At the very least.”
Chapter 7
*Five Months Later*
Holly’s mind strayed from the spreadsheet on her computer to the calendar on the desk she used to keep track of the weekly events. Friday nights were live music, and that night was the last time Ivy was going to sing.
It seemed impossible that things had moved so fast, but once Holly and Vaughn came back from the cabin, she dove right into the bar with both feet and things had continued on the upswing. Vaughn had completed the patio in time for a special wine tasting on Valentine’s Day, using space heaters to make the room comfortable and inviting local wineries to bring their wares to the event. It had spawned a monthly wine tasting, with wineries calling her to get on the schedule.
The wine tastings had elevated her bar from a lo
cal dive to a place where people came for one of the specialty cocktails that Vaughn enjoyed crafting, or to play a round of trivia or darts, or to listen to music courtesy of a few community college DJs who wanted the experience and were happy to play music for drinks and food.
The bar had changed by leaps and bounds in a short time. She’d been able to hire two waitresses and another bartender, freeing up her time to focus on the business side. Now she enjoyed coming to work instead of dreading it.
A ringing from her computer brought her attention back to the present, and she straightened in the chair to see that Violet, Vaughn’s sister, was video-calling. Holly smiled and clicked the button to answer.
“Hey, girl.”
“Hi!” Violet had the same hazel eyes as Vaughn, but hers were rimmed with thick lashes that the best mascara Holly had ever tried couldn’t match. “Are you busy?”
“Nope. I was just reminiscing over the last few months. It’s Ivy’s last night singing, so I’m feeling nostalgic.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Holly waved her hand dismissively. Although a part of her heart ached at knowing that not only was Ivy going to stop working at the bar but also move to the cabin, she didn’t begrudge her sister moving on with her life. “I’m happy for her.”
“I talked to Mrs. C.”
Vaughn had explained the mate-matching process to Holly. It surprised her that the elves and shifters in NPC didn’t date and choose their own mates, but instead relied on Mrs. C’s magic to put them together with the right person. Violet had already talked to Mrs. C in January, but she hadn’t had a match for her.
In the spring, Violet had called Holly out of the blue to talk, because a friend had gone to Mrs. C and been mate-matched immediately. She’d needed someone to vent to, and Holly had been happy to listen, even if she didn’t quite understand things. Violet called her once a week for a chat, and Holly looked forward to the calls.
“What did she say?”
“That the magic didn’t have a time stamp on it, and it couldn’t be rushed.” She blew out an annoyed breath, her wispy bangs fluffing with the motion. “She said I needed to be patient. Meanwhile, I’m going to a mating ceremony for my friend Aria, who asked Mrs. C for a mate-match three days ago!”
“I’m sorry, hon,” she said. “I wish I could make things easier for you. I’m nearly thirty, you know.”
“And?” Violet quirked a brow.
“You’re only eighteen. I waited thirty years to find the right guy, and I can tell you with the utter honest truth that there is nothing better than finding your happily ever after with the right guy. I dated a lot of frogs before I found Vaughn.”
Violet snorted and then giggled. “Please don’t tell me I have to wait twelve years to get mated!”
“I’m sure you won’t.” Holly sighed. “I wish we were there in NPC so we could talk.”
“Or I was there.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Your parents would be really ticked if you came to live here with me and Vaughn.”
“Maybe my mate is there, though.”
“If he were, Mrs. C would send you here, the way she sent Jack and Vaughn.”
Violet hummed. “I guess you’re right.”
“I don’t really understand all the magic stuff, but I do know everything that happens up in NPC happens at the right time. I’m sure Vaughn would’ve rather found me sooner, too.”
“So I guess you’re saying I should just be happy and wait.”
“Or find something to keep yourself busy.”
“I could learn how to mix drinks. Then I can come to your bar and get a job.”
“No!” Holly practically yelled, then joined in as Violet dissolved into a fit of giggles.
“I was just kidding,” Violet said.
“Good. Vaughn would be mad if he thought I was trying to sway you to come here. It’s safe where you are.”
“What about you?” Violet’s eyes went wide as her tone turned serious.
“What about me?”
“You’re going to have a baby eventually, right?”
“Sure.” She and Vaughn both wanted to have several kids. Although she hadn’t been using birth control since they’d first been together, she still wasn’t pregnant, which she took as a sign that the timing just wasn’t right.
“Will my little nieces or nephews be safe there? If it’s not safe for me, then it’s not safe for them, either.”
“Right now they’re hypothetical.”
“True, but have you thought about it?”
“Yeah. Did you know that you ask me every week to think about moving to NPC?”
“I miss Vaughn, and I want us to be a whole family again. I kind of feel like the reason I haven’t been mate-matched is because you’re not here.”
“Oh, thanks.” Holly rolled her eyes. “That’s not putting any pressure on me.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Violet said, holding up her hands. “Since I’ve been waiting for so long, my brain is trying to figure out the reason why.”
Holly had spoken to SC and Mrs. C by video calls several times since she and Vaughn had been mated. She’d been utterly entranced by the couple, who radiated warmth and sweetness, even through the computer.
Vaughn had been sincere when he told her that the decision of their living arrangements was entirely up to her. She could see he was happy that they were together, and he enjoyed being at the bar with her. But she still felt selfish for all he was walking away from to let her have her dream. She knew by staying here, Vaughn was leaving a lot behind – not only his family and friends, but his job as a sleigh reindeer.
The reindeer, it turned out, was her favorite of his shifts. He preferred the fox because he could run circles around her and make her dizzy, but she liked the reindeer and even called him majestic. Except when he scratched his butt on trees. Then he just looked ridiculous.
“You know,” Holly said, leaning back in the desk chair and swiveling it back and forth with her foot, “Ivy and I used to make Christmas Eve wishes so we’d get our dreams to come true. Vaughn said SC hears those wishes and will answer them if it’s within his abilities, but only for those who still believe in him.”
“That’s true. Did you ask for a bar when you were a kid?”
“No, I always asked for a pony. A white one with long hair that I could braid.”
Violet grinned. “What was its name?”
“Sugar.”
“That’s adorable. You never got one, though?”
“Nope. And eventually my wishes became more mature, until I was wishing for the bar’s success. I didn’t actually believe the wishes worked. It was just a tradition that Ivy and I had.”
“Are you suggesting I wait until Christmas and ask SC for a mate as a wish?”
“I wasn’t actually thinking about that,” Holly said. “I was thinking something worth having is worth waiting for. I didn’t get a pony, but I did get a successful business, and most importantly I got Vaughn, who I didn’t even know I needed but am so happy to have.”
“Will you come to NPC on Christmas Eve to visit, though?”
“Definitely.” She and Vaughn had already decided to do that. She was curious about the city as well as wanting to meet his family and friends in person.
“Good. Maybe by then I’ll have been mate-matched and you can meet my special guy. And if not, then we can both use our Christmas Eve wishes to make that happen.”
“You got it.”
She said goodbye and ended the call, then closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the chair. The door creaked as it opened, and she didn’t have to see him to know it was Vaughn who shut it behind him and sat on the edge of the desk.
“How’s my sister?”
“Good. Anxious that she’s still not been mate-matched.”
“She ask you to move to NPC?”
She opened her eyes and smiled. “You know she did.”
“Sorry. I don’t ask her to do tha
t, you know.”
“I know.”
He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “It’s almost time for Ivy’s set. I know you wanted to announce her.”
“Yeah, I do.” Giving his hand a squeeze, she stood and kissed him, smiling when his beasts made a happy growling sound. “I love that sound.”
“It’s because my beasts love you as much as I do.”
“You’re happy?”
“Do you even have to ask? You’re everything to me, Holly. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere in the world without you by my side.”
“You’re everything to me, too.”
They kissed once more and then reluctantly parted, heading out to the bar so she could announce her sister’s final night singing. As she’d expected, there was a crowd, and the thunderous applause told her how much Ivy’s presence would be missed by the patrons. She sat at a reserved table with Vaughn and Jack and watched her sister’s final performance with tears in her eyes.
It was going to be hard to say goodbye to Ivy, but this wasn’t the end of things, just the beginning. Holly had no idea what the future would bring, but she was certain that happiness was on the horizon for both of them. Ivy with her mate and her baby on the way, heading to NPC to start a new life together. And Holly, snuggling up to Vaughn at night, more content than any one person had a right to be. She was happy, he was happy, and that was all that really mattered. Maybe things would change in the future and she’d want to move to NPC, but for now she wanted to stay right where she was.
“Love you,” Vaughn said into her ear as Ivy’s final song faded.
“Oh, I love you, too,” she promised. “More than anything.”
Chapter 8
Vaughn woke on Christmas Eve morning, two hours before dawn. The night at the bar had gone long, so he was running on only about an hour and a half of sleep, but he couldn’t stay in bed when so much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. He extracted his arm from under Holly’s sleeping form without waking her and climbed slowly out of bed. Stretching, he felt his beasts echoing his need to get the day moving.
He grabbed his jeans and tugged them on, then picked up the NPC communicator from the nightstand as he walked from the room and silently shut the door behind him. He pressed the button to call the security office.