“I hope so.” Nasha waved. “Enjoy them.”
“We will.” Ginny winked at Easy as he held the door for her. “And so will Seymour.”
The sky was turning slightly pink and purple as twilight approached. It was a beautiful time of night to visit the lake.
Easy parked in the lot by the old pier, and they walked hand in hand down to the end, each holding a shopping bag. The water was so still it glimmered like glass, and overhead, as the sun set, the clouds had begun to clear, letting the first stars shine through.
She stared up at the pastel sky. “I love this time of night.”
“It’s really nice.” He looked over his shoulder at the shoreline. “Those are just fireflies, right?”
She laughed and nodded. “Lightning bugs don’t live anywhere but in the enchanted forest.”
“Good.”
She took one of the pie boxes out and opened it, waving her hand over the top to send the aroma over the water. “Seymour. I have pie.”
“You sure he’ll come?”
“For pie? He pretty much can’t resist it.” She waved more of the scent over the water. “Sey-mour,” she called out.
A few seconds later, the water rippled a ways off.
“There.” She pointed. “He’s coming.”
The ripples drove toward them, stopping a few feet from the end of the pier as Seymour surfaced. He chirped at Ginny. Then he saw Easy and bared his teeth.
“Hey,” Ginny said. “Listen to me. Easy is a friend. I know he scared you, but he thought that I and my aunt were in danger. He didn’t know you and I are friends.”
Seymour tipped his head, staring hard at Easy.
Ginny nudged Easy. “Say you’re sorry.”
Easy smiled and held his hands out. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. I hope I didn’t scare you too bad. That was quite a shock you gave us, though.”
Seymour made a little trilling sound, then stuck his head into the water and blew bubbles.
Ginny laughed. “I’m pretty sure he’s apologizing.”
When he came back up, Ginny held out her hand. “Can we all be friends, Seymour? Because I like you very much, and I like Easy very much, and I don’t want you to be cross at each other.”
Seymour leaned in and touched his head to her hand. She gave him a scratch. His skin was slick and smooth and a little damp.
“Good,” she said. “We’re all friends.”
Seymour leaned in tentatively toward Easy.
Ginny nudged him again. “Scratch his head.”
“What if I shock him?”
“Shouldn’t that be fixed?”
“It should be. But who knows?”
Ginny smiled at Seymour. “Easy is afraid he might accidentally shock you. The way you sometimes do to me when you’re really happy. Don’t freak out if that happens, okay? He doesn’t mean it. He just can’t control it.”
Seymour nodded.
Easy reached his hand out slowly, finally making contact with the creature’s giant skull. “Wow,” he breathed as he scratched. “I am petting a lake monster. This is pretty cool.”
He laughed. “Seymour, you’re pretty cool.”
Seymour barked in agreement, then eyed the pie still in Ginny’s hand.
“Yeah, I know,” she said. “You want pie. Coming up.”
She gave Easy a quick lesson in pie flipping, and between them, they sent the pies sailing into the air one after another.
Seymour caught them all without any trouble, even Easy’s first effort that went a little long. When the pies were gone, Seymour slapped at the water a few times to say his goodbyes, then he disappeared into the water, black from reflecting the night sky.
Ginny started to reach for the empty shopping bags, but Easy caught her hands. “I have a couple presents for you. This seems like a good place and time to give them to you.”
“Presents? For me? I didn’t get you anything.” He didn’t look like he was carrying anything, so she couldn’t imagine what they might be.
“You have given me more than you’ll ever know.” He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and took something out, but it was hidden in his closed fist. “I know the sacrifices we made to have our curses removed were necessary, but the truth is you never would have had to give up anything if not for me. I complicated this whole situation.”
“Easy—”
“No, it’s true. And while I’m not in the least bit sorry for how our lives have intertwined, I am sorry for my part in the pain that giving up your father’s bracelet caused you.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. My father would have understood.”
“I’m sure he would have, because I have no doubt that, to have a daughter like you, he was an incredible man. But I couldn’t let it be.”
He held his hand out and opened it. She sucked in a breath.
There on his palm lay something that looked very much like the bracelet she’d last seen disappearing into the book of curses.
Chapter Thirty-four
Every nerve in Easy’s body was on alert. He watched Ginny’s face, searching for any sign that would tell him what she was thinking or feeling. This had to go well. Because if it didn’t, the second gift was pointless.
She shook her head. “How did you…you had an exact replica made of my father’s ID bracelet. That was so thoughtful. I love it.”
“It’s not a replica. It’s his bracelet.”
Her mouth came open. She looked at him, then the bracelet, then back at him. “How is that possible? I saw it disappear into the book.”
He lifted his palm closer to her. “I just figured in a town like this, nothing was impossible.”
She took the bracelet, turning it over in her hands. “This really is my father’s bracelet. I recognize that scratch on the edge.” She looked at him again. “You have to tell me how you did this.”
“You all kept talking about Amelia Marchand and how she’s the witch in charge of the town’s magic. So I went to see her.”
Ginny’s eyes went wide again. “You did not.”
“I did.” He took the bracelet from Ginny and hooked it around her wrist. “Quite a house she’s got there.”
“You can say that again. So, what, you just asked for the bracelet back, and she gave it to you?”
“Something like that.”
Ginny’s brows lifted in clear skepticism. “Yeah, not buying that. What kind of deal did you make with her?”
“Just a little trade.” A big trade, actually, but he didn’t want to ruin the gift by explaining what it had taken to get it.
“Easy.” She shook her head as she wrapped her hand over the bracelet on her wrist and put it to her heart. “This is the single most amazing thing anyone’s done for me. Outside of my aunt putting her own life on hold to raise me. Saying thank you doesn’t really cover what I’m feeling. You know that, right? I am blown away by this.”
He smiled. Mission accomplished. “Good. I want you to be happy, and getting that back seemed like the thing most likely to do that.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Here,” he said. “Let me see how it looks on your wrist.” He bent his head to see better, and she leaned in, putting her cheek against his.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “With all my heart. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Ginny.” He looked up at her. His beautiful wolf.
Her eyes were narrowed with expectation. “What did you do to get it back? I want to know.”
He took a breath. There would be no living with her until he told her. “I had to make Amelia a promise that I wouldn’t leave Shadowvale for a while. Not sure how that benefits her or the town, but I don’t think she wanted to just give up the bracelet without getting something significant in return.”
Ginny took that in for a moment. “A while? What’s a while? How long are we talking?”
He shrugged, reluctant to tell her. “Some…years.”
“Years?” G
inny blinked. “How many?”
He let a second or two slip by, but there was no easy way to put this. “Ten.”
She stared at him like he’d just sprouted antlers. “Easy. Ten years? What about your movie premiere?”
“It’ll go on just fine without me.”
She put her hand to her mouth, causing the bracelet to slide down her wrist and glint in the moonlight. “Oh, Easy. You did that for me.”
He nodded, putting his hands on her waist. “Hey, it’s not a big deal. No traveling for a while means more time to write. And I can do all the research I need online. Besides…as long as I have you, life will be great.” He grinned hopefully. “I do have you, right?”
She threw her arms around him. “Absolutely. Always. Yes.”
He kissed her. “Good, because without you, the next gift would be kind of meaningless.”
She leaned back. “The next gift?”
“Yep. That was presents. With an S.” He dug into his other pocket, pulled out a small black velvet box, and popped it open.
She took a step back, gasping. “That looks like a diamond ring.”
“It better, or I’m asking for my money back.” He laughed, nerves making the sound tremble. “I was going to do this at the premiere, but now I figured, why wait?”
She was silent, eyes round and liquid with unshed tears, breath held.
He went down on one knee. “Virginia French, would you do me the great honor of making the rest of my life unforgettable by becoming my wife?”
She nodded, then found her voice. “Yes. I would.”
He stood and slipped the ring on her finger. “Then I really have no reason to leave, do I?”
She stared at the rock on her hand, turning it so that it threw sparks into the evening air. Then she looked at him. “Not unless you’re with me, you don’t.”
Then her voice caught. She cleared her throat, swallowing as a single tear slipped down her cheek. “I never thought there’d be a moment like this in my life. That I’d not only find the perfect man, but that he’d remember me and fall in love with me. I never imagined my life would be anything different than what it was. This is a little hard to believe.”
“Well, believe it.” Easy wiped the tear away, then kissed her again, pulling her close and inhaling her sweet perfume. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, too.” Her stomach rumbled as if agreeing.
He laughed. “Maybe we should go get that pizza.” He looked at his watch. “Yeah, we should definitely head to Fritzi’s. Your aunt and Lucas are waiting.”
Ginny looked at him. “They are?” She held up her hand and the ring. “Do they know about this?”
“Yep. I asked your aunt for her permission.”
“She must have loved that.” Ginny’s smile was enormous. “You’re such a good man.”
He gathered up the empty shopping bags, then put his arm around her as they walked back to the car. “And you’re an incredible woman.”
She glanced at the ring again. “Hey, did you give this to me now because we’re joining the pack in two days? I mean, did you just basically mark me as your territory?”
He laughed. “I have no response to that.” He looked down at the big, gleaming diamond. “But now that you mention it, you do look pretty marked.”
She frowned at him, but her eyes sparked with amusement. “You’re such a wolf. And I love that about you.”
“Good, because that’s never going to change. So long as I have anything to say about it.”
She let out a little chuckle. “I think all of that is in our past.” She held up her hand again. “I can’t get over this ring. You didn’t have to get something so…so enormous.”
“Yes,” he said. “I did. I wanted your ring to be as unforgettable as you are.”
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About the Author
USA Today Best Selling author Kristen Painter is a little obsessed with cats, books, chocolate, and shoes. It’s a healthy mix. She loves to entertain her readers with interesting twists and unforgettable characters. In addition to Shadowvale, she currently writes the best-selling paranormal romance series, Nocturne Falls, and the cozy mystery spin off series, Jayne Frost. The former college English teacher can often be found in her reader group where she loves to interact with readers. You can find her on social media, too!
Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Reader Group
Other Books by Kristen Painter
PARANORMAL ROMANCE:
Shadowvale Series:
The Trouble with Witches
The Vampire’s Cursed Kiss
The Forgettable Miss French
Nocturne Falls series:
The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride
The Werewolf Meets His Match
The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
The Professor Woos the Witch
The Witch’s Halloween Hero – short story
The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish – short story
The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée
The Vampire’s Valentine Surprise – short story
The Shifter Romances the Writer
The Vampire’s True Love Trials – short story
The Dragon Finds Forever
The Vampire’s Accidental Wife
The Reaper Rescues the Genie
For more Nocturne Falls:
Try the Nocturne Falls Universe books.
(http://kristenpainter.com/nocturne-falls-universe/)
New stories, new authors, same Nocturne Falls world!
Sin City Collectors series:
Queen of Hearts
Dead Man’s Hand
Double or Nothing
Box set
Standalone Paranormal Romance:
Dark Kiss of the Reaper
Heart of Fire
Recipe for Magic
Miss Bramble and the Leviathan
COZY PARANORMAL MYSTERY:
Jayne Frost series
Miss Frost Solves A Cold Case – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Ices the Imp – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Saves the Sandman – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Cracks a Caper – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
When Birdie Babysat Spider – A Jayne Frost short
Miss Frost Braves the Blizzard – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Chills the Cheater – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Happily Everlasting series:
Witchful Thinking
URBAN FANTASY
The House of Comarré series:
Forbidden Blood
Blood Rights
Flesh and Blood
Bad Blood
Out for Blood
Last Blood
The Crescent City series:
House of the Rising Sun
City of Eternal Night
Garden of Dreams and Desires
Nothing is completed without an amazing team.
Many thanks to:
Cover design: Design & derivative cover art by Janet Holmes using images under license from Shutterstock.com
Interior formatting: Author E.M.S.
Editor: Joyce Lamb
Copyedits/proofs: Marlene Engel/Lisa Bateman
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The Forgettable Miss French (Shadowvale Book 3) Page 24