“You know, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again,” Millie says. “She may not be the salt of the earth kind of mother, but no one deserves that kind of torment.”
“I wonder if she was possessed when she killed our father,” I say, frowning. “I mean, she doesn’t even sound the same, right? Her accent, the way she phrases things, it’s so different from how she sounded when we saw her just a couple of weeks ago.”
“It honestly could be,” Daphne says. “I’m sure we can ask Miss Sophia more questions later. She went home to rest.”
“Everyone sure supported us,” I say. “The whole thing was just amazing.”
“Witches aren’t always scary,” Millie says with a wink. “And they look after their own.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brielle
“It’s about time we took this day,” Cash says as he passes me a bowl of freshly popped corn and cozies up with me on the couch. “I mean, you’re not naked, but it’s close.”
“I can’t be naked all the livelong day,” I remind him and push a handful of popcorn into my mouth.
“You’re such a lady, darlin’,” he says on a laugh, so I toss a kernel his way, which he eats.
“You can get me naked later.” I haven’t said anything to him yet, but there’s a new shadow in my apartment today. It’s not malicious. On the contrary, actually.
But it’s not my place to say anything.
So, I’ve steered him away from sex and instead suggested that we curl up on the couch with a Marvel movie, while we wait for the call that’s about to come.
We don’t wait long.
“Hello?” he says into the phone. “Hey, Felicia. How are things?”
He sits up and sets the bowl aside before pushing his hand through his hair. I rub his back in big, soothing circles.
“I see. No, I know there’s nothing you could have done, sweetheart. I’m so grateful that you were there, and I know Andy is, too. He’ll be happy to have you home soon, but I’ll talk to him today, and he and I will come to you tonight or tomorrow. No, you don’t have to do all of that by yourself, we’ll be there. Thank you, Felicia. We owe you big time. Love you, too. Okay, bye.”
He hangs up and sighs deeply. “My mom passed away today.”
“Yeah.” I lean in to kiss his shoulder. “I know.”
He frowns down at me. “How do you know?”
“I, uh—”
“Right.” He nods once and scratches the back of his neck. “Is she here now?”
“She is. I can’t see her face, she’s just a shadow. But I can tell it’s her.”
He bites his lip and then stands to pace the living room.
“Mom, I have some things to tell you. First of all, I’m sorry that I wasn’t there these past few weeks. I know you enjoyed having Felicia with you, and she loves you a lot, but it should have been me, and I apologize for that.”
“She’s shaking her head at you.”
Cash laughs. “Yeah, she would.” He turns to me, his green eyes suddenly alight with humor. “Mom, I have to tell you about something else. I met this girl, and you’d like her a lot. She’s funny. She’s close to her family, so that’s nice, and she has some quirks, but hell, who doesn’t, right?
“She has blue eyes that just reach in and grab hold of your heart. I was hoping to introduce you to her in Savannah, but this’ll do, I guess. Because you see, Mom, I love Brielle, and I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
My heart stills in my chest, but I don’t say anything. I just watch him as he tells his mom all about me.
“She doesn’t know yet, of course. I know it means that some things will have to change with my job, and where my home base is, but I like it in New Orleans, and it’ll be nice to be close to Andy most of the time. I think you’d approve of that.”
I clear my throat. “She nodded.”
“I just don’t think I can go through life without her, Mom. She’s incredible. So, I’m going to stay here, marry her, and have some babies. Who would have thought? I certainly didn’t.”
“She just raised her hand.” I can’t help but laugh.
“Of course, you knew.” His eyes fill with sorrow now. “Man, I’m going to miss you, Mom. I wish I’d said these things when you were still here, but I guess this’ll have to do. I’ll take care of Andy and Felicia. And Brielle, too. You don’t have to worry about anything. I love you, Mom.”
I brush at a tear on my cheek. “She blew you a kiss, and she’s gone.”
He nods. “Wow, this is weird. But good. Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I meant it. Every word of it.”
He scoops me into his lap and buries his face in my neck. “You’re my home, Brielle. You have been since the first moment I laid eyes on you. Marry me. Have a family with me.”
“Yeah.” I kiss his cheek. “I think that’s a good idea.”
He grins.
“It’s a damn good idea.”
“I can’t wait to tell my sisters. We get to plan a wedding!”
“Let’s keep it just between us for a little while.”
“For how long?”
“Just an hour.” He grins and lifts me, headed for the bedroom. “Maybe two.”
Epilogue
Millie
“A spring wedding.” I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, grinning like a loon. “Oh, that sounds so lovely.”
“Especially in New Orleans,” Daphne agrees. “Do you have a venue yet?”
“I haven’t even started thinking about it,” Brielle replies. “I mean, he just asked me yesterday.”
“I’m sure sorry about his mama,” I say. “That’s so sad. But you gave him an awesome gift of getting to talk to her before she moved on.”
“He seems pretty at peace with it all,” Brielle says. “Sure, he’s sad, but that’s to be expected. I think she was sick for quite a while. That’s why his sister-in-law was out to check on her.”
“That makes sense,” I say. “Still sad, though. I’ll whip them up a soothing potion to help them feel better.”
“You’re sweet,” Brielle says. “Thank you.”
“Well, they’re family now,” I remind her. “What kind of flowers are you going to have? I think you should have some wisteria. And lilacs. Camelia is a must.”
“No roses,” Daphne says, shaking her head. “If I never see a rose again, it’ll be too soon.”
“I always meant to ask and kept forgetting,” Brielle says to our sister. “What did you see when you touched the rose at Mama’s house that day.”
Daphne frowns and swallows hard. “Nothing.”
“Lies,” Brielle and I say in unison.
“We’re talking about your wedding,” Daphne says. “I don’t want to talk about creepy, horrible things. I’ll just confirm that the man who fathered us is buried in that spot. And it was his spirit that haunted the hell out of us for years.”
“Well, we knew that.” I bite my thumbnail the way I always do when I’m deep in thought. “Do you think the evil spirits in that house made him mean? Or do you think he started out that way, and the spirits fed on his cruelty?”
“Maybe both,” Brielle says with a shrug. “I don’t think Mama started out mean, but she was a victim of the evil in the house. As for him? Who knows? It could have been a combination of the two.”
“Have either of you been to see her?” Daphne asks.
“I went,” I say, surprising them both. “She recognized me, and she seems to be doing better. But she has a long road ahead.”
“Okay, enough about that,” Daphne says. “Who’s going to be your maid of honor?”
“What do you mean?” Brielle frowns. “I have two. Both of you will do it. I could never choose between you.”
“That’s sweet.”
“And we accept,” Daphne adds, laughing. “Millie, we should toast with some champagne.”
“I have the perfect bottle,” I say as I st
and and head for the kitchen. “I got it a couple of months ago. And, no, I haven’t put any potions inside it. Yet.”
“Shocker,” Brielle says with a laugh. “I think we can be without a potion just this once. Hey, speaking of, you didn’t give a love potion to Cash, did you?”
“Nope, he loves you all on his own. He didn’t need me for that.”
I open the fridge and reach for the bubbly, then stop cold.
There’s a small cup of blood sitting right in the middle of the center shelf.
“Hey, guys?”
“Yeah?” they say in unison.
“Where did this come from?”
About Kristen Proby
Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years.
During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before the dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.
Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published more than thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion and Romancing Manhattan Series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their adorable pug and two cats.
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Other Books by Kristen Proby
Coming Soon
Shadows: A Bayou Magic Novel
The Big Sky Series
Charming Hannah
Kissing Jenna
Waiting for Willa
Check out the full series here.
Kristen Proby’s Crossover Collection – A Big Sky Novel
Soaring with Fallon
Wicked Force: A Wicked Horse Vegas/Big Sky Novella by Sawyer Bennett
All Stars Fall: A Seaside Pictures/Big Sky Novella by Rachel Van Dyken
Hold On: A Play On/Big Sky Novella by Samantha Young
Worth Fighting For: A Warrior Fight Club/Big Sky Novella by Laura Kaye
Crazy Imperfect Love: A Dirty Dicks/Big Sky Novella by K.L. Grayson
Nothing Without You: A Forever Yours/Big Sky Novella by Monica Murphy
Check out the full series here.
The Fusion Series
Listen To Me
Close To You
Blush For Me
The Beauty of Us
Savor You
Check out the full series here.
The Boudreaux Series
Easy Love
Easy Charm
Easy Melody
Easy Kisses
Easy Magic
Easy Fortune
Easy Nights
Check out the full series here.
The With Me In Seattle Series
Come Away With Me
Under the Mistletoe With Me
Fight With Me
Play With Me
Rock With Me
Safe With Me
Tied With Me
Breathe With Me
Forever With Me
Stay With Me
Indulge With Me
Love With Me
Dance With Me
Check out the full series here.
The Love Under the Big Sky Series
Loving Cara
Seducing Lauren
Falling For Jillian
Saving Grace
Check out the full series here.
From 1001 Dark Nights
Easy With You
Easy For Keeps
No Reservations
Tempting Brooke
Wonder With Me - Coming Soon!
The Romancing Manhattan Series
All the Way
All it Takes
Check out the full series here.
Shadows: A Bayou Magic Novel Page 20
