Her dad bent and kissed her forehead. “We’ll see you for Sunday dinner, if not before. And you can call us any time.”
“Any time,” Melinda stressed, hugging Clancy. “But Jeremy needs us right now, and you have Mark.”
Clancy smiled. “I do.”
Her mom tucked a strand of Clancy’s hair behind her ear. “You’ll be happy, honey. You have the strength and joy in you.”
And then, her parents were gone, but she didn’t feel abandoned or that they’d chosen Jeremy over her. They were right. He needed them.
“Was that your parents’ car?” Mark entered the kitchen, hands behind his back.
“You have perfect timing.” She got up, smiling, to hug him.
He brought his hands around from behind his back. He held a puppy. A floppy-eared, wriggling, licking golden retriever puppy!
Clancy froze. Her gaze went from the pup—adorable—to Mark’s face.
He smiled, hopeful, happy and just a little bit nervous. Tall, blonde and handsome, Hollywood gorgeous, and hers. He cleared his throat. “You came home, wanting an ordinary life. You got an extraordinary one, instead. But you can still have all the things you dreamed of—a home, a family, a dog. Pup, here, needs a name, but he’s yours.” He handed the dog over to her carefully. A frantically excited puppy licked her throat and whined. “If you’ll have me, I’m yours, too.”
“M-Mark.” She had to gulp back tears of joy, overwhelmed. “I love you. Yes! Yes, to whatever you’re asking, offering—”
He kissed her, the puppy burrowing between them until they broke apart laughing.
“Yes,” Clancy said once more, just to be sure that all of this happiness was hers.
He put his arm around her as they watched the pup scamper around his new home, exploring. Mark tipped his head against hers. “Love you, baby.” She turned her head, and he kissed her. The Earth rumbled approval. “Wanna make the Earth move?”
She burst out laughing.
Note From The Author
The Collegium series is great fun to write, and I hope you’re enjoying the journey with me. Each novel is a stand-alone story. Demon Hunter and Djinn Justice both star Fay and Steve, but after that, the books feature new couples.
Have you read all of The Collegium series? They’re stand-alone novels.
Demon Hunter
Djinn Justice
Dragon Knight
Doctor Wolf
Plague Cult
Hollywood Demon
Alchemy Shift
If you’d like to chat with me about my books, I haunt my Facebook page and I’m on Twitter @Jenny_Schwartz, or you can contact me on my website.
Thank you so much for leaving a review. Those few minutes from your day help other readers find my books, which is an increasingly difficult task on Amazon’s crowded virtual shelves. You’re the best!
Till next time,
Jenny
Hollywood Demon (The Collegium Book 6) Page 19