With those words Annabelle looked up at me, her vivid purple eyes almost glowing in the night and I forgot all about the others around us, there was nothing here now but Annabelle and me. I smiled down at her.
“Let’s just give them a wee bit of time to themselves, aye?” Hyacinth said with a slight laugh.
“Aunty, I do believe pigs are now flying somewhere.”
“Oh, shush, you wicked girl.” She harrumphed, but there was no bite behind it.
“They’ll...they’re coming back, right?” Blue asked.
“Eventually. Once they can tear themselves away from each other, I’d imagine,” Zinnia said with a conspirator’s giggle.
I tuned them out after that. I was alive. And I was dead. I couldn’t leave Blue Moon Bay ever again. But I’d found the woman of my life and that didn’t seem like such a bad gig when it was all said and done.
“We’ve got a lot of lost kisses to make up for,” Annabelle panted against my lips when we finally broke away. Her forehead was gently pressed to mine.
I framed her lovely face with my hands and nodded.
“Mmhmm. We do. But, Casper, you do know this is only the beginning for us, right?”
She blinked, looking startled as she stared at me. “What are you saying, Charming?”
I grinned, liking the sound of my pet name. I brushed my knuckles over her petal-soft skin and whispered, “My Dad once told me that no matter how short a time, the second you met the one you’d know. You’d feel it in your heart.”
I grabbed her hand and threaded our fingers together, pressing it against my heart that did not beat in this place, but that still felt wholly alive and full thanks to her. Thanks to the beautiful woman in my arms.
“And I know, Annabelle Lee Black. I want you forever. And not because our souls are twined, but because I fell in love with you that very first day when you braved the uncertainty of the woods to save a schmuck like me.”
A single tear slid in slow motion from the corner of her left eye, rolling down the side of her nose before following its path down her cheek and toward the corner of her mouth.
I kissed her again, tasting the saltiness of it on my tongue. Tonight she and I had sacrificed everything for each other. I wasn’t a reckless, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy, never had been. But for her, there was no other way I could be.
“You’re worth sacrificing everything for. And I’d do it again. And again if I had to.”
She giggled, as the tears flowed freely now. “We’re either the silliest people who ever lived, or...we’re just perfect for each other. Cuz I feel the exact same way. I want forever with you. And Blue. And whatever else might come for us. I thought the Aunts’ magick had cursed me when their love charm pierced me through, but I see now, they weren’t wrong. You are my destiny. My future. And my one true love. So kiss me until I’m dizzy and then promise you’ll kiss me some more.”
I grinned, wrapping my arms as tight around her middle as I possibly could. “Forever and ever and ever, my Casper.”
And that’s exactly what we did.
THERE WILL BE MORE Blue Moon Bay in the future. Book 3, Cupcakes, Curses, and Spirits will see us catching up with Zinnia and Zane’s continuing story. BUT, never fear you’ll learn more about what’s going on with Dante and Annabelle as they still have more future mysteries to help unravel. Plus, there are many more stories to tell. Like, what secrets is Eerie keeping? And what in the world is Time up to? So keep an eye on my FB page for further updates! Want to know when the next Blue Moon Bay book releases? Make sure to sign up for my newsletter!
And while you wait for the next Blue Moon Bay book, if you enjoy fairy tale romances make sure to check out my Kingdom series featuring literary characters we all know and love to hate like The Queen of Hearts, Hades, and the Evil Queen to name a few. The Sea Queen, Book 1, is currently free at all vendors.
Kingdom Series
(Dark Queens Series)
The Sea Queen, Book 1(Featuring Hades)
The Passionate Queen, Book 2 (Queen of Hearts)
The Ice Queen, Book 3 (The Snow Queen)
The Magic Queen, Book 4 (Baba Yaga)
The Dark Queen, Book 5 (The Evil Queen)
The Fairy Queen, Book 6 (The Blue Fairy)
The Centaur Queen, Book 7 (Greek Mythology)
(The Dark Kings)
The Mad King, Book 1 (The Mad Hatter)
The Jaded King, Book 2 (The true story of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast)
The Magic King, Book 3 (Rumpelstiltskin)
The Blue Moon Bay Series
Cookies, Curses, and Kisses, Book 1 (Featuring Zinnia Rose)
Holly, Curses, and Hauntings, Book 2 (Annebelle and Dante’s story)
Cupcakes, Curses, and Spirits, Book 3 (Featuring Zinnia and Zane)
Short Stories
Frosting, Curses, and Snowflakes (Jacqueline Frost’s story, In the Home for the Howlidays Boxed Set!)
Holly, Curses, and Hauntings Page 17