by Avery Kloss
“I’m considering selling the property. I need to get a real estate agent in there. We might have to fix a few things.” He smiled at us, and waved. “Yeah, look, I gotta go, but let me know what you find out. Thanks, Steven. I appreciate it. I’ll be in town in a month more or less. See you then. Bye.”
He leaned back in the chair, a lazy smile appearing. “You’re exactly the person I wanted to see.”
“Wow, he looks … a little different,” murmured Maven. “He was almost too perfect before.”
I went around the desk and slid onto his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “He is perfect.” I kissed him, tasting the sweetness of his lips, not caring that my friend was in the room.
“You feel really nice, Brie.”
“So do you.”
“Good God,” she muttered. “Get a room.”
“How’s your sister, Maven?”
“She’s fine. She’s back to being her old self.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Hanging out with losers and stealing mom’s money.” She shrugged. “The usual. Her vampire, near-death experience didn’t change her one bit.”
“It affects us physically,” said Gabe. “However, it doesn’t change our character or belief system in any way. If a person was a lousy human being, then he or she will be the same in their immortal life. Bad apples don’t change.” He squeezed me, and smiled. “I need to marry you like … immediately.”
I laughed, feeling slightly dizzy with happiness. “Okay.”
“I’m having the worst time concentrating on anything. All I can think about is … taking you to bed.”
“Gabe,” I giggled, embarrassed that Maven had overheard that.
“This didn’t bother me at all when I was a vampire.” He exhaled a deep breath. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I can toss out those old-fashioned notions and embrace the modern era. I’m marrying you anyway.”
I touched his face, and felt stubble, which I had never before. His skin as a vampire had been cold and baby smooth. “I’ll leave it up to you.”
“If that were the case, I’d shove everything off this desk and …”
A shiver of pleasure drifted down my spine. “Shush, Gabe.” I pressed a finger to his mouth. “Maven doesn’t want to hear that.”
“No, I’m actually about to puke,” she giggled.
“Okay, I need to get a grip.” He gently lifted me from his lap, pushing me away. “A little distance is necessary, I’m afraid.” A grin emerged. “Miller and Serena and the guys are waking in another hour or so. We need to have a discussion. I have to assume they won’t attack me when they find out I’m mortal.”
“God, I hope not.”
“It’s not guaranteed. I just don’t know. I’d hate to end up dead after all the effort it took to be alive again. I have plans. Big plans. I need to be human to make them come true.” His smile lingered on me, the edges of his eyes creasing. “You’re so gorgeous. It’s been a hundred and sixteen years since I’ve … been with a woman.”
“Dude,” chided Maven. “I so don’t need to hear this.”
A prickle of warmth drifted through me, my cheeks coloring. “Well, that’s a problem.”
“You’ve no idea.”
52
Getting ready for the party, I glanced in the mirror, and smiled at myself, while a rush of excitement ran through me. So much had happened over the last few days. My life had altered dramatically. My boyfriend was no longer a vampire. Thorn met his end in a field, burning to ash in the sunlight, and Maven and her sister were human again. Dougray, Felix, and Sean opted to remain vampires, as did Serena. Gabe sold his bar to them, leaving the business behind to pursue other interests.
“You look very nice,” said mom. She stepped into my bedroom.
I applied a little lipstick. “Thanks.” I glanced at her. “It’s not a big deal, you know? It’s just casual.”
She sat on the bed. “You have an awful lot of friends all of a sudden.”
“Yeah, I do.” I turned to face her. “They’re good people too.”
“I’m glad you’re happy.” She seemed to hesitate, a thoughtful look in her eye.
“Something wrong?”
“Not really, but … I know things will be different after you graduate. Change is in the air. I’m preparing myself.”
“For what?”
“Possible empty nest syndrome.”
Gabe wanted to travel and experience everything he had missed in the last century, desiring to see all the sights in daylight. “It’s a summer trip, Mom. I’ll be back.” I giggled, “And we’re still gonna be on the property. The carriage house will be renovated by then. If you want to see me, you just have to walk fifty feet. I won’t be that far away.”
She sighed. “Yeah.”
The doorbell rang, which startled us. “I’ll get it.”
“Well, everything’s ready downstairs.”
“The house looks really pretty, Mom. We did a good job.”
“It sure is generous of Gabe to pay for the carriage house remodel. I didn’t want to tackle it, because it’s almost a total rebuild.”
“He wants to do it.” She followed me down the stairs. The chandelier in the foyer glittered overhead. I opened the door to find Maven. “Hey! Come on in.” She held a covered platter. “Just put that on the table in the dining room.”
She smiled. “You look nice. Hi, Mrs. Thompson.”
“Hello, Maven.”
A car came in behind her, Gabe’s black Land Rover that parked next to mom’s Subaru. My grin grew bigger, watching as he exited the vehicle. Wearing sunglasses, he strode towards the house, a bottle of wine in one hand.
“You look beautiful,” he intoned. He removed the glasses and slipped them into the pocket of his jacket. “But, you always look beautiful.” Mom and Maven stood behind us, as he drew me to him, and kissed me. “And you smell … so good.”
“So do you.”
“Oh, for goodness sake,” murmured my mother. “You two.”
I giggled at that, inviting him in. We gathered in the dining room, the table filled with drinks and food. The doorbell rang again, mom answering it, while Gabe opened a bottle of wine.
He poured fluid into a glass. “I should let this breathe, but I’ve wasted enough time waiting to drink again. The heck with it.” He took a sip. “Um … good.”
I patted his belly, feeling the hard planes of his stomach. “Still flat.”
“I’m working on it, honey. I’m gonna eat my way across America soon enough.” We planned to leave directly after graduation on an epic trip. “Are you ready for this?”
“Totally.” I kissed him. His lips tasted of red wine.
Maven rolled her eyes, and dunked a potato chip into a sour cream and onion dip.
Hearing voices, I glanced into the foyer, seeing Anna and her mother. “Who else is coming?”
“Miller.” His arm around my back, he whispered, “I’m crazy happy, Brie.”
“You are?”
He nodded. “More so than I can ever remember. I feel free.”
“But you’ll get old now.”
“I’m ready for it. I’m ready to experience it all, the good, the bad, the amazing.” His eyes drifted over me. “What about you?”
I still possessed my powers, although the extent of them puzzled me. I could come back from death, but did that mean I could not age? Those questions remained a mystery. Would I be able to have children? I would let time sort it out, and, if needed, Anna and her mother could devise a spell to return me to the old Brie, but I did not want to feel the weight of depression again. I preferred to be the new Brie, with all my powers intact.
“What are you thinking?” He appeared concerned for a moment.
“My goddess status. I’m wondering if I can have children and grow old.”
“We’ll find out.”
“I want us to be like normal people.”
“We are.” A crooked grin emerged. “I
like the idea of being married to a goddess. It has a nice ring to it.”
I laughed, “Oh, boy.”
Anna and her mother came in, followed by my mother, mom saying, “Please help yourselves.” She beamed, and reached for a wineglass.
We filled our plates, and then drifted over to the parlor, where we sat on sofas and chatted, music playing in the background. The doorbell sounded again, which mom answered. She returned with Miller, the man dressed casually in jeans and a black shirt, his face sporting a beard. Not being able to grow facial hair in their vampire years, he and Gabe relished it now, both men bearded, although Gabe’s was shorter.
I sat with him on the sofa, our thighs touching. As mom offered Miller a drink, I gazed at Gabe, and admired his high, broad cheekbones. He sensed my appraisal, an eyebrow lifting.
“Yes?”
“You’re so damn good-looking.”
He chuckled, “So are you.”
“This rule you have.” I sucked in a slightly frustrated breath. “This no sex before marriage thing.”
“Ah, that.” A mischievous glimmer shone in his eye.
“I … can we let that go?”
“Absolutely.”
I blinked. “We can?”
“Sure.” He nodded. “All you need to do is marry me. Problem solved.” He seemed amused by my expression, the frustration remaining. Reaching into a pocket, he withdrew a black velvet box. “I’ve something for you. I’d like you to wear it.”
“What’s that?” My heart picked up a few beats.
Mom’s laughter rang out, her conversation with Miller amusing her. The pair stood together on the other side of the room.
“A trinket I’ve had for a very long time.” He pulled out a ring of yellow gold, with a large, square-shaped diamond, flanked by smaller diamonds. “I love you, Brie.” The humor vanished, replaced by an earnest look. “Will you marry me?”
I stifled a gasp, and held a hand to my mouth. “Wow.”
All conversations ceased, everyone staring at us.
“Is that a yes?”
I nodded, biting my lip. “Yes.” Tears of happiness flooded, the feeling of elation stronger than any wine. “Yes, of course.” He slid the ring on my finger, the diamond impossibly large. It caught the light and glinted. “Oh, my God.” The ring being a bit too big would have to be sized. “It’s … crazy.”
“It’s an old diamond. I found it with some other jewels once in a vault.” He shrugged, appearing sheepish. “I was pretty shameless in my younger … years.”
“You mean you stole it?”
“Maybe. Whoever it belonged to is long gone now.”
“It’s beautiful, Gabe.” I glanced at mom, who did not look surprised by this turn of events.
“Congratulations,” she said, lifting the wineglass.
“Did she know you were gonna do this?”
“She did. I spoke to her about it yesterday.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Congratulations,” said Anna. “I wish you both much happiness.”
Her mother chimed in too. “A new beginning.”
Miller said, “Congrats, Boss. She’s a beauty.” He smiled at mom. “Now I know where she gets her looks.”
My mouth fell open, because the man flirted with my mother. “What’s going on there?”
“I don’t know,” murmured Gabe. “They just met, like three minutes ago.”
Mom grinned, giggling, “Well, this really is a celebration now, isn’t it?” Pride gleamed in her eyes, as she glanced at me. “You seem very happy together. If only your dad was here, but … ” she sighed, “he’s watching from heaven, honey. He’d be really happy to see you so happy. I know he would.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I grasped Gabe’s hand, feeling the warmth of his skin. “I’m so glad we moved here. I’ve never felt more connected to a place or its people. This really is home.” I smiled. “We’re gonna travel a little, but we’ll be back. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“When’s the wedding?” asked Maven.
Gabe squeezed my hand, whispering, “I’d marry you right now.”
“Can we do it soon?” I glanced at mom. “I don’t need anything big or complicated.”
“How … soon are you thinking?”
“Like, right after graduation.”
“That’s three days from now.”
I shrugged. “Yeah.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Gabe had a sip of wine.
“Three days?” Mom sounded slightly panicked. “You don’t have a dress.”
“I can buy one in twenty minutes. It doesn’t really matter.”
“We can iron out the details later,” said Gabe, his grin infectious.
“We’re gonna need more than a few days, honey. There’s the church, flowers, invitations and things.”
I had my own ideas on the matter. “What about … doing the justice of the peace thing first, then we go on our vacation. When we come back, we can do the whole ceremony and reception. How does that sound?”
Gabe nodded enthusiastically. “Really good.”
“It’s one of my better ideas.”
Laughter filled the room, although mom appeared frazzled, her expression almost comical. She glanced at Miller, who shrugged.
“Gabe’s a standup guy, Mrs. Thompson. I can certainly vouch for him.”
“It’s Hila. You don’t have to call me Mrs. Thompson.”
A mischievous gleam danced in his eyes. “Hila.”
Even from where I sat across the room I could feel the weight of their attraction, finding it an interesting development. Someone would have to keep a close eye on those two …
Gabe leaned in, whispering, “I like your idea a lot.” The husky tenor of his voice skimmed down my spine. “Do you think they’re open on Saturday?”
“I don’t know.” I poked him in the chest, laughing, “You’re the one who’s imposing moral restrictions on us. Don’t look at me like that.”
His smile fell. “I’ve never wanted anything more than this.”
“Me either.”
“I love you, Brieanna.”
“I love you.”
Also by Avery Kloss
A Time Travel Romance
Caveman
Caveman 2
Caveman 3
Standalone
Remembrance
