The rest was history. Jessica was happy and Kasen was happy for her. Phineas was good to her, good for her, and on occasion, he mentioned he’d love nothing more than to find her ex-husband and reenact Fried Green Tomatoes. Rowan hadn’t understood the reference until Kasen set him down for some movie education, but after watching it, Rowan seemed to like Phineas a little bit more.
Kasen bid farewell to Jessica, her father, and Phineas before heading back into the operating room. Rowan had already put Diana into a big, comfortable doggy bed in the corner with her six suckling puppies surrounding her. He was attempting to wash his hands.
Kasen leaned against the doorway, smiling broadly as he took a moment to just enjoy the sight. Rowan must’ve felt his eyes on him though, because he glanced up at him and chuckled.
“What is it?” He asked.
“Nothing,” Kasen shrugged. “Just admiring the view, really.”
“Oh yeah?” Rowan chewed at his inner cheek, turning off the faucet and reaching for a towel. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“I am, as a matter of fact,” Kasen stepped into the room, closing the distance between them as his arms wrapped around Rowan’s neck. “You did a great job with those puppies.”
“Well, it is my job,” Rowan leaned down to press a kiss against his lips. “Has Jessica already left?”
“Yeah, Mister Perkins was in a hurry and Phineas seemed just as eager. I thought she would’ve stayed to see the puppies….”
“She’ll come back later,” Rowan promised, sliding his hand down Kasen’s back as he pulled him a little closer. “Besides, we’ve got some plans, don’t we? Something about…food?”
“Yes,” Kasen’s tone became more serious. “And I’m starving.”
It wasn’t long before the happy couple found themselves in Rowan’s car, making their way towards the heart of town where hot food and fun entertainment awaited them. Things were different now-in the best way possible. Kasen was more confident and had crawled out of his shell to become a more social person, and when everyone discovered he was ‘Cool Kasey’, he struck more popularity points than he could’ve ever imagined.
Everyone was nicer it seemed. That fateful New Year’s Day celebration had changed everything. Toby was never seen again, and Glenn Brooks ‘resigned’ from his position at the police department. Though rumor had it that his father ‘ripped him a new one’, and Glenn was trying to save himself from further humiliation. It didn’t matter what the small details were in Rowan and Kasen’s mind. The fact of the matter was that the harassment stopped and the tiny town of Chartreuse had embraced them as two of their own. It was more than they could’ve ever asked for.
“All right, let’s see here…” Rowan said thoughtfully as he glanced over the menu. “What are we going to have today?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m eyeing this steak pretty hard,” Kasen chuckled, glancing over the top of his menu to gaze at Rowan.
“That sounds great. I’ll have that, too,” Rowan motioned the waitress over and smiled broadly. “We’re ready to order.”
“Sure thing, hot stuff,” Nikki pulled out her guest check pad and tugged the pen out of her bun. “What are we having, fellas?”
It was nice having Nikki in town as well. Phineas had practically offered her a job on the spot. She and her girlfriend, Marissa, moved to Chartreuse shortly afterwards and no one gave them any grief over it. Nikki had once stated that Chartreuse was the most welcoming town she’d ever been to, and that made Kasen feel proud. He knew that not everyone agreed with his lifestyle, but they respected it. That’s all he’d ever wanted.
After ordering their food, Rowan leaned over the table a bit and reached for Kasen’s hand, “Thank you for allowing me to take you to dinner tonight,” He whispered.
“You don’t have to thank me for that,” Kasen blushed. “I mean, I should be thanking you. You’ve had a long day, you know, delivering puppies and all that.”
They shared a laugh as the double doors swung open. Jessica and Phineas entered the elegant establishment, along with Mister Perkins, Mrs. Perkins, Chief Brooks, the fire chief, and much to Kasen’s surprise, Mrs. Reed. His curiosity got the better of him as he lifted a brow and eyed Rowan suspiciously.
“What are they doing here?” He asked nervously.
“Because some really great news came out today,” Rowan explained as his eyes sparkled.
“What do you mean?” Kasen shifted in his seat, no longer worried about eating as his stomach twisted into anxious knots.
“You’ll see,” Rowan nodded to Nikki then, and she turned on the television. The news was on and the video footage playing currently showed thousands of people celebrating in Times Square. Big bold letters blinked at the bottom of the screen and it took a moment for those words to register in Kasen’s mind.
MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR AMERICA.
It was a fight they’d been fighting together for two years. One by one, each state followed in suit of giving everyone the right to marry the person of their choice, and Alabama was the state everyone had been waiting for. Chartreuse, though small, had become a strong voice for the state in allowing two men or two women to marry one another; and Kasen knew that his town was fighting for him and Rowan.
The tingles shooting through his veins made him feel faint, suddenly, and Kasen was certain he would’ve fallen out of his seat had Jessica’s arms not been wrapping around him in celebration.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” She asked happily, planting a kiss against his cheek. “Marriage equality has finally happened in the United States!”
“That’s great…” Kasen whispered in disbelief. It was like winning the lottery, or being accepted into a really, really distinguished Ivy League school. Kasen had never done either, but he imagined the level of shock felt the same. Hoots and hollers and applause erupted in the restaurant as Kasen tried to grasp what was happening. His eyes flitted towards his mother and the huge smile she was giving him. She seemed to be happy, too.
Their relationship had taken a lot of mending and several different prescriptions from Doctor Smith, the local psychiatrist. Mrs. Reed finally admitted she needed help and after a few months, she and Kasen had the heart to heart he’d been deprived of his entire life. She apologized for being a bad mother and he apologized for yelling at her over the Christmas turkey. Mrs. Reed was making an effort to become acquainted with Rowan, too, and again, Kasen couldn’t ask for more.
More and more kept happening though, and in this very moment, his townspeople were celebrating something that didn’t even benefit them….yet here they were, rejoicing at the news of people like Kasen being able to wed without anyone telling them they couldn’t. No one could say no to them now.
“Kasen.”
Kasen slowly turned his head to see Rowan offering a hand to him. When did he even stand up? So much was happening all at once….it was nearly too much. He took Rowan’s hand anyway, allowing the older male to pull him up from his seat before leading him to the middle of the room.
“What’s going on?” Kasen asked as he gazed around, taking in each and every smiling face that stared back at him. Everyone seemed so happy. He felt like he was stuck in a slow motion applause scene that only happened in movies. Maybe he needed to pinch himself to see if he’d wake up.
“Kasen,” Rowan repeated as he gazed at him with tenderness in his eyes. Kasen knew that look. He’d seen it a thousand times and it never ceased to give him butterflies. Kasen swallowed hard, licking his lips before smiling nervously.
“Yes?”
And then it happened. Rowan was getting down on one knee and Kasen could’ve sworn he heard Jessica’s excited squeal over the commotion happening in the restaurant. His mouth fell open as he realized what Rowan was about to do.
“Today is a day of celebration for people like you and me all over America,” Rowan started in a trembling voice. Were his hands shaking? Kasen thought his hands were shaking as Rowan gripped his fingers gently. Go
d, was he shaking? Yes. His knees were trying to knock together as he kept his eyes on the handsome creature speaking. Oh wait. What was he saying? His lips were moving. Kasen really needed to pay attention.
“No one can tell me I can’t do this now,” Rowan declared as he released one of Kasen’s hands to reach into his pocket. He fished out a little black box and flipped it open, revealing the simple, yet eloquent silver band within. His smile grew bigger as he stared lovingly into Kasen’s eyes. “Kasen Michael Reed, will you-”
“Yes,” Kasen said without hesitation. “Yes, I will marry you, Rowan Kelly.”
Thank you for reading Chartreuse!
Other books by T.E. Ridener:
The Blood Betrayal Series
Blood Betrayal (Book #1)
Mirela and Her Vampire (Book #1.5)
Blood Revelations (Book #2)
Blood Resurrection (Book #3) COMING SOON
The Descendants Series
The Fire King’s Daughter (Book #1)
The Water King’s Bride (Book #2)
The Ice King’s Heart (Book #3) COMING SOON
The Kadenburg Shifters Series
The Truth about Kadenburg (Book #1)
Return to Kadenburg (Book #2)
The Siege of Kadenburg (Book #3) COMING SOON
Keep reading for a sneak peek at Guarding Abigail.
Guarding Abigail
By T.E. Ridener
Prologue
“As your friend, Cillian, I am asking you not to do this,” Rolfius stated sadly. “No good ever comes from such decisions.”
The two males stood unnoticed in the hallway of a busy hospital, peering in at one of life’s most difficult scenarios; death. Rolfius’ dark eyes moved to his colleague’s, a frown twitching at the corners of his lips as he shook his head.
Cillian was silent as his ocean blue eyes drank in the sight before him. She was crying so freely; allowing her heart to bleed through the hot tears cascading down her pale cheeks. Her shoulders shook with grief as she clasped the ailing woman’s hand more tightly.
“She will not survive this,” Cillian whispered as he pressed his nose against the glass. “She needs me, Rolf.”
“Yes, but you can focus on that task from a distance. We must always keep our distance from them- you know that,” Rolfius argued in a gentle tone. He was not angry or delighted over his friend’s decision. He could not stop Cillian if he decided to carry through with it. It was a decision that most made during great times of tragedy; a decision Rolfius would not allow himself to make no matter how grave the circumstances were.
“No,” Cillian shook his head slowly. “She doesn’t have anyone now. I must be there for her. Her heart will not survive.”
“Her heart is not your concern,” Rolfius reached out to touch his arm gently. “It is her soul that you must protect, Cillian. Allow a human the opportunity to heal her, with time. That is how it must be.”
Cillian turned his head to stare at his friend. A thousand questions were written in his eyes. It didn’t matter if he had seen Centuries pass; all that mattered right now was that she was crying. She needed him.
“I beg of you, Cillian….” Rolfius whispered. “Do not do this.”
“I have to,” Cillian swallowed hard, his brows knitting together as the hairs on his arms stood. He quickly turned his head to see the tall, dark man standing only a few feet away. He knew that face all too well, and he understood it meant he was running out of time.
“Gentlemen,” Kol bowed his head in greeting before taking a step forward. The temperature surrounding them dropped several degrees as the angel of death approached the window, peering inside. “She is almost ready to make her leave, I see.”
“Yes,” Rolfius nodded. “But I fear I am not worried about her departure at this time.”
Kol laughed lowly. It was a deep rumble that could be mistaken for thunder if a human could actually hear it. His thin lips curled into a grin as he cast a glance in Cillian’s direction, “Will you really give up what He has given you for one of them?”
Cillian’s jawline tightened as his eyes returned to the grieving female seated near the bed. She was gripping her mother’s hand as tightly as possible. If only her strength could keep the woman grounded to earth.
“She needs me,” He repeated softly.
“You say that now,” Kol sighed. “But time heals all wounds, Guardian. You know that better than any of us.”
Cillian and Rolfius watched as Kol stepped towards the window, sliding through it without interference as he appeared on the other side. Cillian watched as the young woman shivered and he knew she could feel it; she could feel death coming for her mother.
Kol leaned over the bed, his dark eyes sweeping over the dying woman’s face before snapping up to study her daughter. The young girl released a sob of despair as she heard the heart monitor slowing down. Frantic green eyes stayed glued to the illuminated numbers as they dropped.
“Please reconsider,” Rolfius pleaded as his grip tightened on Cillian’s arm. “We are not meant to enter their world, Cillian.”
As Kol touched the dying woman’s hand and beckoned her soul forward, Cillian’s gaze connected with Rolfius’ once more.
“I must do this,” He stated in a soft voice. “She doesn’t have anyone else.”
“Cillian, please…”
But it was too late. Cillian pulled his shirt over his head, exposing the muscular torso he possessed. The large wings expanded from his shoulder blades, unseen by the human eyes of nurses rushing past them. He held his hand out in front of himself, a large silver blade materializing in his palm as his eyes stayed on Rolfius.
Rolfius tore his gaze from Cillian, unable to witness the act he was so willing to commit. Cillian took in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he plunged the blade into his abdomen. Time stood still as bright red crimson leaked from the self-inflicted wound. The doctor that had been running down the hallway was frozen in place; the nurses pulling open the door that led into the dying woman’s room were nothing more than fleshy statues as Kol helped another soul cross over; and Cillian’s wings disintegrated as his screams of pain echoed throughout the second floor of Bartholomew Medical Center.
When time finally started again, Rolfius gazed at the very mortal version of his long-time friend. He looked the same, but he most certainly was different.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” He whispered before vanishing into thin air.
Releasing on May 23rd, 2014
I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek at Guarding Abigail!
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