Boxed Set
Page 84
"No, we won't. No one is ever going to know we have this knowledge," Mandy assured her. "I'd like to keep my head, and you know we would never do anything to put you at risk."
"I know," Emma said, but she was still worried about them.
"Don't worry about your parents now. You have a few years to decide."
"You're right," she agreed. She wasn't ready to let the reality of those thoughts intrude on the happiness she'd just found right now anyway.
"I can't believe our vacation is already over," Jill moaned.
"Neither can I," Mandy said.
Emma dropped her suitcase on the ground and sat on the bed beside Mandy. "It's going to be so strange not to be with you guys every day."
"We'll see each other all the time," Jill said cheerfully.
Emma hoped Jill was right, but she also knew how life could go. Though, now that she would be living in Oregon, they would at least all be on the same coast.
"Are you nervous about meeting the rest of his family?" Mandy asked.
"Terrified," she admitted. "It's going to take me forever to learn all their names. I just hope they like me."
"Well it's usually normal to meet the family before forming an eternal bond with someone, but you were never much for normal," Jill said. "And they'll love you."
Emma laughed as she leaned against Jill's side and savored in the warmth of her friend. She could hear the steady beat of Jill's heart, but it didn't spark her hunger. Over the last two weeks, she'd grown accustomed to the flow of human's blood and the enticing aroma they emitted. It didn't mean they didn't tempt her still, but Ethan kept her fed well enough she could keep it under control.
She was anxious about being on a plane, enclosed with so many people around her, but Ethan assured her she would get through it. To prepare, they'd gone into crowded areas over the past week to help her adjust to the influx of people. Last night she was able to stay in a packed bar all night, and she'd been fine. Ethan made sure she fed well this morning, and she was still rather stuffed.
"Are you ready?" Ethan asked.
She was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard him approach, something that hadn't happened since the change. She knew where he was all the time now, could sense him as easily as she sensed her fingertips. His mind brushed against hers constantly. The open stream of consciousness now connecting them was something she was getting used to, but it was so comforting and intense, she relished in the security and love enveloping her because of it.
"We are." Emma rose and grabbed her suitcase from the floor. She didn't make it to the door before Ethan took it from her. He kissed her cheek and took a step away.
She turned back to her friends as they gathered their bags and walked over to join her. Though they'd taken most of their things over to the other house, they'd still had a few things in Mandy's grandparents’ house they'd gathered before leaving. All the damage to both homes was repaired over the past couple of weeks by some handymen who would never remember they'd even been to either house.
She wasn't looking forward to separating from her friends, but at least they would all be flying into Atlanta together. From there their journey together would end. She and Ethan would continue to New York to spend a couple of weeks with her family before going to meet his.
Mandy was returning home to Boston until it was time for her to leave for Stanford, and Jill would return to San Francisco. Ethan's family planned to go back to Oregon and Brian had left the day after Tristan was killed. Even though Brian left without saying goodbye, Emma had a feeling he would be popping into their lives again.
Emma followed Ethan to the front door and paused to take in the home where she'd started this incredible journey. Her eyes lingered on the spot where she and Ethan first made love. There were some bad memories here, but most of them were good, and she wouldn't have changed one thing about this trip.
What started as a simple, fun-filled vacation had brought so many changes to her life and given her the greatest gift ever in Ethan's love. She didn't like leaving the place where it all started, but she was looking forward to starting the next journey of their lives together.
She didn't look back as Mandy closed and locked the door.
Epilogue
Three months later,
Emma laughed as Ethan spun her in a circle around the newly assembled dance floor. The flowing skirt of her wedding dress billowed around her before he pulled her back against his chest. A radiant smile lit his face and caused his eyes to twinkle in a way that warmed and melted her heart. She rested her hand against his chest and leaned closer to him as the music switched from upbeat to slow.
She inhaled his enticing scent as he slid his arms around her waist. Emma turned her head to take in the small crowd gathered around them. It had taken her a good week to get the names of all of Ethan's siblings straight, but they had all welcomed her with open arms. Their exuberance was a little overwhelming at first, but they'd also made her feel at home in a world that was still a bit strange to her.
She glanced over as Sera and Liam danced into view. It was amazing how much Ethan looked like his father and just how young his parents appeared. Thanks to Stefan’s abilities, her parents saw Ethan’s like a middle-aged couple.
Even still, her parents had thought she was marrying into some cult when they first saw all the homes on the property. After meeting everyone though, they decided Ethan's family weren't religious fanatics, doomsday preppers, or trying to kidnap her.
"Can I step in?"
Emma broke into a radiant smile as Ethan handed her over to her father and stepped away. She watched her husband as he weaved his way through the small crowd to where Ian and Mandy stood next to the dance floor. Mandy wore a pretty, yellow bridesmaid dress that emphasized her dark coloring and brought out her brown eyes. She sipped on a drink as she watched the dancing.
It was the first time Mandy was able to visit them, but Emma spoke to her every day through Skype or texting. Plus, she'd made it down to visit Mandy a couple of times when she was too swamped with classes and studying to travel.
Emma was also fortunate enough to have found a job at the historical society in town. The pay wasn't much, but she loved diving into the old documents, homes, and events they worked to preserve. Even if she didn't like lying to her family, and her job wouldn't last forever, she was the happiest she'd ever been in her life.
Ethan sipped at his champagne and smiled as he watched Emma and her father dance around the floor he'd built with Ian and Aiden last week. "It is beautiful up here," Mandy said.
"It is," Ethan agreed as he turned away to look over the lake.
The setting sun shimmered across the surface of the water and reflected the oranges and reds of the changing leaves in the trees surrounding it. The gazebo he'd built was ten feet away from the shore, and they were married beneath it. This place was his home, and by the middle of next month, the house they were building for him and Emma would be completed. Stefan and Isabelle's new home was being built next to theirs; Aiden and Ian were thrilled to finally have the house they built last year to themselves, even if they weren't there for most of the year.
"So are you planning to have the same kind of brood as your parents?" Jack asked as he stopped before them.
"Not right away," Ethan told him. "And I think we'd both be okay with only two or three."
"Thank God, I'm tired of building houses," Jack told him.
Mandy laughed and turned back to her conversation with Ian. His family had been a little hesitant about the fact they'd allowed Mandy and Jill to keep their memories, but as the months slipped by, and nothing went wrong, they accepted the decision. They also liked Jill, a lot, especially The Stooges as she fit in well with their carefree and party going demeanor. She'd been to visit numerous times since they'd returned home.
His focus returned to Emma. She looked stunning in her off the shoulder, white dress, with that smile on her face and a vibrant light shimmering in her eyes. Love warmed h
is heart, and he couldn't tear his gaze away from her as she moved elegantly around the floor with her father.
Across the way, he spotted Jill in her bridesmaid dress with Mike and Doug. They were gathered around the bar set up on the patio, talking with each other as they waited for the bartender to refill their drinks. His younger siblings squealed as they darted in and out of the dancing people. David yelled at them to stop running, but they'd already disappeared around the side of the house toward the woods.
"It was a beautiful ceremony." Ethan turned at the sound of his mother's voice and smiled at her. Tears shimmered in her eyes when she hugged him. "You're so grown."
"We'll still be here, mom. Your birds keep returning to the nest," he told her.
She laughed and stepped away from him. "That's just fine by me, but you're all starting to find your way, and it's wonderful."
He smiled at her and turned away as his father approached. "Congratulations, son," he said as he shook Ethan's hand. "She's a great addition to the family."
"She is," Ethan agreed as he turned back to where Emma and her father were stepping away from each other. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to reclaim my bride."
"Ugh, I give them three more months before they're adding onto this already extremely extended family," Jack muttered.
Ethan laughed, but he wasn't about to disagree with Jack as he walked away to reclaim his bride. She grinned up at him and returned eagerly to his arms. Tilting her chin up, he kissed her tenderly as the comfort she always gave to him stole through his soul. Her love had helped tame the savage monster residing within him his whole life and brought him a peace he'd never dreamed of experiencing. She’d given him a gift he'd never expected to receive, and because of that, he would spend an eternity showing her how loved and cherished she was.
The End.
Book 4 in the series, Enraptured, is now available!
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About the Author
Brenda K. Davies is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Vampire Awakening Series, Alliance Series, Road to Hell Series, Hell on Earth Series, and historical romantic fiction. She also writes under the pen name, Erica Stevens. When not out with friends and family, she can be found at home with her husband, dog, and horse.