I whipped around. Dhameer floated in the dark. I could see the sparkles from the ever-present glitter in the light from the lone lamp I’d turned on. The glitter made me think of Xavier’s complaint, and I hid a grin and kept to the matter at hand.
“What do you mean?”
“You finally remembered all the terms of the wish you made, of our agreement. You needed to be open, and welcome others. You have finally done that. Now, you will get what it is you seek.”
“This is it? This is for real?” Hope flared in my chest.
He nodded. “I wasn’t sure you would succeed, Bryant Higgs. But you have. And I am pleased for you. I am pleased that you have made it through this set of challenges.”
“Whoa, what do you mean, this set of challenges?”
He grinned, and it transformed his entire face. “Life is challenge, every single day. Haven’t you learned that? It will be a challenge for the rest of your life. However, you are now equipped for it in a manner you have never been before.”
I felt like he had conferred an honor on me, but I wasn’t sure what it was.
“Thanks for not giving up on me,” I said.
“I have found that I wanted all three of you to succeed,” he said. “Your friend Tabitha is a truly good person, and she has chosen her friends wisely. So I wanted you to be happy. But you and Xavier—you have been a challenge. Even with that, I was interested in your success, and before you achieved it, I was hoping you would reach it. Even though…” He stopped.
“Sorry?” I said. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear, and his words were all over the place.
“It is nothing. You are human, and challenge is part of who you are. But now, Bryant, I must go. Like you, I have completed a goal that was set for me, and my time with you is now up.”
He smiled and I could sense the joy, the happiness from him. That was… weird. But whatever.
“Well, thank you. And good luck,” I added, although I couldn’t say why. It felt appropriate.
Dhameer bowed his head formally. “I thank you, Bryant Higgs. You are most welcome. If I may, I will leave you with one last piece of advice—when in doubt, always take the road of love.” And with that, he disappeared.
The glitter, however, remained. I smiled, thinking about Xavier’s complaints about the glitter. I hadn’t noticed the copious amounts that he’d experienced. I’d have to mention that to him. Knowing Xavier, I rather thought he might have added to his glitter problem, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Who were you talking to?” Declan was at the foot of the stairs.
I smiled again, loving the look of him sleepy. “You told me a pretty amazing story today. Now I have one to tell you. Just be open, okay?”
He made a face, but he sat down at the table. “Okay.”
“So back in college, Tibby was having a bad night…”
Epilogue
One Year Later
I squeezed my mom’s hand as I walked her in. My head whirled as I thought about what an amazing year this had been.
After I’d told Declan about Dhameer, and how he came into the lives of Tibby, X, and then me, he took a little while to believe it. But two weeks after that, we’d had lunch with Seth and Tibby and X and Olivia, and they backed me up. I think seeing that Seth and Olivia totally believed the whole thing helped to tip him into the ‘I believe’ camp.
I’d thought he was already there, but a couple of days after we’d seen my—now our—friends and their spouses, we were sitting out on the back deck.
“That’s why,” Declan said softly.
“What?” I asked, looking up from my laptop.
He looked over, and I realized that he hadn’t been talking to me, not exactly.
“Do you remember the day we met?”
I nodded. “Of course. You threatened to have me sue myself,” I smiled.
“Well, it was weird. I’d gone for a ride, but I didn’t remember coming over to where your office was. I couldn’t understand why I was there when that wasn’t the route I’d planned.”
“So?” I was missing something.
“Do you think your genie, or djinn, did it? Sent me that way, so we’d meet?”
I opened my mouth to say, no, of course not, when I stopped. Dhameer had told me that what I wished for would come once I’d started the work I needed to.
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “Maybe.”
“Well, good,” Declan said. “I’m glad you did what you were supposed to.”
I took his hand. “Me too.”
It was one more thing that showed me that being honest was the best way.
In spite of how fabulous things were between us, I didn’t ask him to move in with me. While I forgave him for lying to me, I decided that I needed to take time for myself, even as he and I were moving forward. We still didn’t live together—well, not yet. I hadn’t forgotten what I’d learned while I was working my way to getting my wish. In order to be someone else’s forever, you had to make your own forever with yourself first.
Declan meeting my parents also happened shortly after we got back together. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. My parents really liked him — even my dad. I think it was playing Buckeye football that won my dad over.
That, and another grandchild.
They immediately adopted Sasha as though she were mine. When I told them about her, and Mari, and all that Declan and Mari had been doing for their daughter, my mom sprang into action.
Six months prior, Mari and Sasha had moved here. Sasha—she’d told me that I could call her Sashi—was still in remission, but it wasn’t a sure thing. Thankfully, the hospitals here were amazing. Declan hadn’t been sure that Mari would want to move, but it turned out that she was ready to move away, to get away from everything in Kokomo (no, we didn’t sing the song, except for Tibby) and start over.
Coming here, with a support system in place, made it easier for Mari, and for Sasha. Between my mom and dad, they found her a job, and we helped her find a place to live. She and Sashi came to dinner with Declan and I a couple of times a week, and whenever we went to my big family dinners.
I didn’t know what happened, but Melissa had come around. I was glad for Casey’s sake. He loved his wife. He’d told me that it was as though someone flipped a switch. I resisted the urge to ask him if he’d noticed glitter in funny places at home. It didn’t matter—I was delighted to see Casey Jr and Hannah again. I didn’t think I’d ever have the relationship with Melissa I’d once had, but she was pleasant, and Sashi loved being around the kids. Melissa seemed to like Mari, which surprised me. Maybe that was it. I didn’t know. But I didn’t worry about it. It wasn’t my concern.
The best part was that I’d never been happier. I loved Declan, and I’d told him shortly after we’d gotten back together. The amazing part, to me anyway, was that I didn’t have any expectations of hearing it back, but he’d said, “I love you, too,” with no hesitation.
I had a family. A family of my own. Me, Declan, Sashi, and Mari. It wasn’t your typical family, but it was mine.
All because I’d finally let down my walls and come out of the closet in every way. I was open and welcoming. And now, the most darling girl in the world was walking towards me. She stepped carefully, aware of the importance of the event.
When she got close to me, I reached out a hand for her, which she took.
“How did I do, Brydad?” Sashi asked.
She’d started calling me Brydad, since she said she got to have another dad. I still couldn’t hear it without getting choked up.
“You did great, sweets,” I said. “Now let’s watch for Daddy.”
Declan came in, arm in arm with his mom. I didn’t know what had happened there, either, but he and his mom had mended fences. He wore a tux, and he beamed at me. His mom looked more happy and relaxed than I’d ever seen her.
He finally got up to where I stood, hand in hand with his daughter, surrounded by the people who loved us. Xavier an
d Tibby stood next to me, and on the other side of Declan stood Mari. She held out a hand, and after Sashi handed me the rings, she hurried over to her mom.
“We ready?” Granddad boomed.
Declan and I turned to face him. I could feel the joy from Declan. It matched mine. I nodded at Granddad.
“Well, then, since the District of Columbia still allows me to do this, let’s get this show on the road. Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here to marry these two.” He smiled at Declan and I.
I felt a sprinkle on my head, and I looked up. We were inside. There was no chance at rain.
Then I felt Declan pluck at the arm of my tux.
Glitter.
I looked up again and sent up a thank you. Words weren’t enough, but they were all I had. I also sent my own wish to Dhameer, that he was happy, as happy as he’d made me, and Tib, and X.
“You with us, son?” Granddad asked.
“Yes,” I said enthusiastically.
Granddad leaned forward, and in the worst stage whisper ever, said, “It’s not quite time for that.”
Declan and I looked at one another and smiled as the people with us laughed.
“So now that the grooms are paying attention, Bryant, you ready?”
I nodded, squeezing Declan’s hand.
“All right. Here we go,” Granddad said.
And the whole world opened up for us.
The End
Afterword
I hope you’ve enjoyed the Djinn Everlasting series. I have so enjoyed writing it! And if you’ve been with me since Three Wishes, you know that Dhameer had a challenge before he ever met Tibby.
Click the link below, and you’ll see how things end for him.
Acknowledgments
How can I explain the excitement that comes from finishing a series? Particularly a series that is two years in the making? Three Wishes initially released in December 2015, and I’ve had the subsequence stories in my head ever since.
I have so many people that are part of this, so I apologize if I miss anyone!
Judy and Richard Crane, Shannon and Mike Scanlon, Linden and Liz Price, Corinne O’Flynn, Rachel Millar, and my darling husband and children. You all support me through all the stages of writing, and I do not have the words.
My tribe of writer friends. I wouldn’t make it without you.
And my readers. You make every bit of this worthwhile.
About the Author
Lisa Manifold is a USA Today Bestselling Author of fantasy, paranormal, and romance stories. She moved to Colorado as an adult and has no plans of living anywhere else. She is a consummate reader, often running late because "Just one more page!" Lisa writes the things she does because she really, really wants to live in a world where these kinds of stories happen.
She is a fan of all things Con, and has an entire room devoted to the costumes created for Cons. She served on the board of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers for four years, and in 2016, was named the 2016-2017 RMFW Independent Writer of the Year.
Lisa is the author of the fae paranormal romance series The Realm, the Grimm fairy tale retelling Sisters of the Curse series, the Djinn Everlasting series which follows a free-lance djinn, the Aumahnee Prophecy urban fantasy series, and the forthcoming urban fantasy series The Dragon Thief.
She lives as close to the mountains as possible with her husband, sons, and three attentive dogs.
Connect with Lisa online:
www.lisamanifold.com
[email protected]
Titles by Lisa Manifold
The Realm Series
Heart of the Goblin King
To Wed the Goblin King
Realms of the Goblin King
Rise of the Dragon King
The Companion Tales, Volume I
The Companion Tales, Volume II (2018)
The Aumahnee Prophecy
with Corinne O’Flynn
Marigold’s Tale (Prequel)
Eamonn’s Tale (Prequel)
The Gim Crackers (Aumahnee World Novella)
The Portal Keepers (Aumahnee World Novella)
Watchers of the Veil
Djinn Everlasting
Three Wishes
Forgotten Wishes
Hidden Wishes
Sisters of the Curse
Thea’s Tale
One Night at the Ball
Casimir’s Journey
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Hidden Wishes Page 18
