Valentine's Wishes

by Daisy Banks

  “I know, but you’ve been married a month. For me and Keri it’s not quite the same.”

  “Bal, this time next week you’ll be knee-deep in congratulation cards and wedding presents,” Lucy said and her laugh echoed round the garden.

  “Yes, so stop worrying, you’ll be fine. There’s the fabulous honeymoon in India you have booked, think about that and not the ceremony.” Keri leant over to kiss Bal’s pink cheek.

  “And Keri, what about you and Jez?” Lucy asked as she sipped her drink.

  “Most of my things are already at his place, they have been for weeks. There is only the official ‘I’ve moved in’ to say, isn’t there? I mean, let’s face facts, it’s been weeks since I spent a night here.”

  Poppy nodded to herself. Keri’s right. Over the last three months, I’ve seen less and less of each of them. They’ve flitted in and out of the house like early butterflies.

  The FOR SALE sign had come close to breaking her heart. But Cedar had said it was normal, and with luck, they’d get some nice new mortals. The young couple who had bought the house did seem nice enough, though they had only seen them twice.

  “So will you and Jez get married, do you think?” Lucy asked Keri.

  “I don’t know for definite yet. We’re both kind of cautious creatures I suppose. Eventually perhaps.”

  “Well, don’t leave it too long,” Bal said with a smile.

  “So, is Surjan coming to pick you up today?” Keri asked Bal.

  “Oh no, not today. Dad will fetch me this afternoon, from now until Thursday I don’t get to see Surjan at all. Part of the traditional ceremony—the next time I see him will be at the temple, and I’m terrified.”

  “What? Do you think he won’t turn up?” Lucy asked.

  “No, it’s not that, it’s the whole family thing, you know. If I so much as put a toe wrong, the aunties will be talking about it for months. I’m so glad you two are coming, it will be a drop of sanity in the whole proceedings.”

  “I’m glad James and I married quietly, I don’t think I could have borne so much pressure,” Lucy said.

  Keri gave a chuckle. “I wouldn’t say two hundred guests at a Cotswold hotel was so very quiet,” she said.

  “Believe me, darling, in comparison with what my mother wanted, it was quiet.”

  “Oh well, I’ll top you there, won’t I? At the last count, there are about five hundred people coming to the temple ceremony and even more after. Some are flying over especially for the event, and I’m dreading it,” Bal murmured.

  Keri gave her a hug. “You’ll be just like a queen, my love. The outfit you have is the most glorious thing I’ve ever seen, with all the gold work on it. You should be grateful you won’t have to walk too much with the weight of it. They’ll be so bowled over you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  “What does your gran say?” Lucy asked.

  “Oh, she’s thrilled, absolutely thrilled about the whole thing. At the moment, I’m her favorite granddaughter,” Bal said and smiled. “She keeps ringing me to give me tips on how to keep my new husband happy. It’s too embarrassing, believe me. I would never have thought she knew half the stuff she tells me. I daren’t look at Surjan and think about some of the things she says.”

  All the girls laughed and Poppy glanced over beside her at Cedar chuckling too. “What are yer laughing at? Poor little Bal, she’s nervous,” she said.

  “Well, do yer want to send her a wish so she’ll stop fretting about it?” He arched an eyebrow, and she shook her head.

  “No, I don’t and I think we should go take a peek at the shed yer’ve decided we should move to.”

  He helped her up. “Now, my flower, don’t pout. Yer agreed with me when the babe comes we’ll need more room than we have in the nest. I know it’s next door, but ’twill be better. I’ve checked it out well, there’s no cat or anything dangerous in the garden even if it’s so overgrown.”

  “I like the nest,” she said.

  “So do I, for us two, but when the leaves fall, there will be three of us won’t there?” Cedar said with a smile as he stroked over her stomach. “Come autumn there will be our little Poppy to consider, and yer will be glad of the extra space come the winter.”

  “Aye, I’m sure yer right, I’ll be sad to leave here, that’s all. Come on then.”

  They flew over the hedge and fence panels to next door and down to the shed. Poppy sighed. I don’t like it so much next door, but my garden has no shed, and Cedar’s right, the nest is no place for a tiny fairy babe.

  “There’s lots of room. Plenty of space,” Cedar said.

  “Yes, I suppose so,” she murmured as they peered inside through a gap low down by the hedge. She gave another sigh. “I’m going back to say goodbye to the girls.”

  She flew up and back to her garden. No matter what Cedar said, the flowers smelled sweetest here.

  The girls still stood on the decking, the pots of flowers around them. “When are the Davidsons moving in?” Lucy asked as she finished her glass of wine.

  “Nine o’clock tomorrow morning. The van for our things will be here about two this afternoon. Whatever is left none of us want will go to the charity shop,” Keri said. “You’re both still certain you don’t mind the furniture going to my cousin Rachel and her friend?”

  “Of course, don’t you remember when we first moved in?” Lucy said with a grin.

  Bal gave a chuckle. “Oh, yes. I remember only too well, it was a month before we had anything to cook on. I can’t believe we ate so many take away meals. I’m glad we found somewhere for the furniture to go and it will do someone some good.”

  “It’s a bit strange seeing everything in boxes, hey?” Keri put her glass down on the tray. “But I suppose this is how things should be. Right, let’s tidy these away and get on with moving the boxes.”

  * * * *

  Poppy and Cedar lounged in the blossoms as the afternoon passed and watched the girls hurry around. Once the removal van arrived, they flew over to the front garden where they perched amongst heavy heads of delicious lilac blooms. Furniture and boxes were all packed onto the van by two men and the girls.

  Poppy’s throat grew tight as the wooden shelves were loaded into the back of the van. “Ahh,” she whispered. “That’s where I stood when the Valentine’s wish went wrong.”

  “Ah, wonderful. If yer’d got it right, my sweet, then perhaps I’d have flown on somewhere else.” Cedar squeezed her hand.

  “What a thing to say! Are yer telling me ’twas only because of the wish yer stayed?” She turned open mouthed to stare at him.

  He wrapped his arms tight about her. “My most precious little star, I loved yer before I found ye, but ’twas something I had to find out. The wish helped a little, but shall I tell ye what?”

  “What?” she asked as she burrowed against him and he caressed over her hair.

  “I would have stayed without it,” he whispered.

  A sigh broke from her, as warm and sweet he caressed her cheek with his lips.

  The sound of the van moving off caught her attention. “Oh, there it all goes.”

  A bright yellow car drew up and Bal got into it, teary as both Keri and Lucy waved her goodbye.

  “James will be here for me in a few minutes I would think,” Lucy said as the yellow car drove off while they waved.

  “Well, this is it, I’ll call you tomorrow and I’d better be going myself. I said I’d drop the keys off at the agent’s before five.” Keri checked her watch.

  “All right, darling. Oh, here’s James now. We’ll talk tomorrow, and I’ll see you at the pre-wedding festivities at Bal’s parents’ house. I can’t wait. The sari Bal gave me is going to be fabulous.” Lucy hurried away to the waiting Land Rover.

  “Don’t forget to pin it or you’ll have the thing round your knees half way through the evening,” Keri called.

  “See you there, darling,” Lucy called back with a wave as she got into the car.

  Keri bo
unced the keys in her hand and closed the front door. She got into the small blue car and drove off down the street.

  Poppy wiped tears away. “Goodbye, girls,” she whispered with a gulp.

  “Don’t weep, please, my flower. ’Tis only mortals they are, there’ll be others.” Cedar cuddled her to him and together they flew up into the nest.

  “I know but I’ll miss them, we had so much fun,” she whimpered onto his tunic.

  “Yer will feel better tomorrow when the new ones arrive.”

  * * * *

  She woke late the following morning, and before she’d a chance to nudge Cedar awake or they had dressed and taken a sip of nectar, the sound of a van reversing blasted up to the nest.

  “’Tis the new mortals,” she said, excitement running through her.

  “Aye and there’s our peaceful morning done.” Cedar lay back and gave her a wink. “Now, while they are busy moving in, will yer not spend some time to keep yer partner happy, my flower?”

  “As if I don’t?” she said, but his eyes full of love and desire stopped her teasing.

  “Ah, yer do, all of the time.” He held her to him and she could only sigh. Together they dragged his cloak over their heads to burrow beneath and shut out the noise from outside.

  * * * *

  “Angela, will you put that bloody box down!”

  Poppy threw back the cloak. “Oh no.”

  Cedar raised his eyebrows at the loud masculine shout from the front garden. “’Tis a male after my own heart from the sound of it.”

  “He sounds like a brute, if yer ask me. Come on, I think we might need to grant a few wishes.” She dragged on her short summer gown and stood to peer over the top of the nest as he hooked the gown up for her. “Come on,” she said, tapping her foot while Cedar slid a green tunic over his head.

  “I’m ready, don’t fret.”

  They both checked no mortals were directly beneath them and flew down into the front garden. Her hand caught in Cedar’s, she nudged him, for there at the end of the garden, a mortal girl with brown curls and freckles waited. The girl, who stood by the removal van, drummed her fingers against the van’s side and pursed her lips. The male, who Poppy remembered to be the girl’s partner, stood just a short way from them by the front door. She glanced at Cedar. “Something’s wrong, the male didn’t seem this way when the couple visited the house before.”

  Cesar put a finger to her lips. “Shhsh, my sweet. Watch.”

  The male strolled down the path to the girl, dumped a large rolled up rug at her feet. “Will you do as I’ve said, and not lift things? That’s why we’ve paid these guys a small fortune to move the boxes.”

  At least the male didn’t shout this time.

  “Kieran, will you stop treating me like I’m a china doll. There is nothing wrong with me carrying a small box of glassware.”

  Poppy nodded at the girl’s words, but Cedar gave a soft laugh. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Ah, I think I know what their problem is,” he said, his wonderful smile broadened.

  “What? He’s bad tempered?” she murmured, casting a glance back at the tall, well-built young man in jeans and a white T-shirt.

  “No, he’s not. Look carefully at her, my love.” He lifted her hand up and kissed it.

  “Oh, how wonderful,” she whispered and caught her lip. Cedar hugged her to him and nodded.

  “Angela, you don’t argue over this. You go inside, find the kettle and put it on to make some tea. And then tell these gentlemen where the boxes go, because if you don’t, I’ll lock you in the car until the whole lot’s finished.”

  “Sometimes you’re a bloody bully!” the small female said. The male lifted her up in his arms so she squeaked.

  “Yes, my perfect wife, I know. But if you think I’m letting you haul boxes about when you’re three months gone, you can think again. The choice is yours, inside and make tea, or in the car with the child locks on?”

  He carried her through into the house.

  “Oh, how sweet,” Poppy murmured to Cedar. “There’ll be a mortal babe at the same time we have ours.”

  “Aye. Come on, let’s go in. I know yer will want to.” Cedar clasped her hand.

  They flew in together and there were plenty of places to hide. Boxes and bags full of things littered the floors.

  The male set the girl on her feet in the kitchen. “Tea please, if you can find the kettle and mugs. After that, we’ll get on with what’s left on the van.”

  “Kieran?”

  “What?”

  “I love you, even when you’re a big bear.”

  “Good.” The male bent down and kissed the girl.

  “Oh, Cedar, I don’t want to move next door. I want to stay here, these two are lovely,” Poppy whispered.

  “Only if these two buy a shed or something, I’m not staying indoors with them, no matter how lovely they seem.”

  She sighed. “Aye, I know. It wouldn’t be safe or right.”

  The small girl made a tray full of mugs of tea and then walking through to the sitting room opened the patio door and stepped out onto the deck. “Oh, Kieran, come and see. They’ve left us all the pots of flowers and herbs,” she called through into the house.

  “Yes, fine. I can’t wait to get my hands on the garden.” Kieran joined her on the decking.

  “I know. It’s going to be beautiful. Will you put the pond in this year?”

  Cedar put a finger to his lips, and Poppy tip toed after him so they could hide behind a large pot of early geraniums and listen.

  “I’m still undecided about the pond, what with the baby coming and all. Kids and ponds don’t mix well,” Kieran said.

  “But the way you described it, the thing wouldn’t be ground level would it?” The girl wrinkled her freckled nose.

  “No, that’s true, and there is so much room here. I’ll think about it again at the end of the week. The shed and the greenhouse will be delivered by then, and I’ve got some wicker screening coming too.” He placed an arm around the girl’s shoulder.

  “I think we should have the pond. I want to see it as you described it to me the night when we first came to see at the place.”

  “We’ll talk about it later, once the bed is up and they’ve brought the sofa in, so we’ve got somewhere to sleep and somewhere to sit,” Kieran said.

  “All right, they can bring the sofa in next. Now, is it okay if I go and start sorting the kitchen things out?” Angela asked with a small grin.

  “Yes, but no lifting or balancing on chairs.” He kissed her again before she went back into the house.

  “Did yer hear?” Poppy said.

  “Aye. I think perhaps we won’t need to move next door, a shed and a pond no less.” Cedar wrapped his arms around her.

  “’Twill be perfect,” she murmured.

  “Aye, Poppy, just like ye.”

  The End

  Publisher’s Note

  Please help this author’s career by posting an honest review wherever you purchased this book.

  About Daisy Banks

  Romance author Daisy Banks writes sensual and spicy novels in the Historical, Paranormal, and Fantasy genres. Daisy uses a fresh and lyrical voice to weave a compelling and magical spell for readers. She has a regular blog daisybanks.wordpress.com.

  If you're reading today, let a Daisy Banks book sweep you away.

  Table of Contents

  Valentine Wishes

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  About Daisy Banks

 

 

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