off the water is almost magical, like a sea of sparkling stars, a kaleidoscope of colors.
My stomach turns when End pours me a glass of wine. For the past few days, I’ve been feeling off. At first, I chalked it up to sadness, the after-effects of dealing with my father’s death, but this morning, I wondered if it could be something different. I’m still not sure how to broach the subject with End. He’s mentioned he wants more kids, but now? So soon? Especially after dealing with such a tragedy. I’m not sure if that’s the case anymore.
I took one of those home tests earlier. Julia wasn’t ashamed to walk into the pharmacy and throw a handful onto the counter, saying they were all for her. Mrs. Weithers, the woman who’s worked behind the counter for years, just shook her head at her as though she wasn’t even surprised.
Back at home, while End was out with Luna doing all this, I presume, I took the tests. All four of them were positive. It explains everything. The emotions. The queasy sensation in my stomach.
We are going to have another baby.
I fork around my food on my plate, and End’s brow crinkles. A sheepish look passes over his features.
“It’s shit, isn’t it?” His gaze darts down to the food, a knowing gleam in his eyes. My own widen, and I shake my head frantically.
“No, God, no! It’s not that at all. I’ve actually been meaning to tell you…” It’s on the tip of my tongue to say it, but instead, I tell him my other news, figuring I’ll start there first. “I got a call back earlier, regarding the space downtown. It’s…” I clear my throat, a sudden sadness building in my chest. “They already have a buyer. They’re drawing up the paperwork already.”
End’s brows pull in, and he searches my gaze. “You really wanted that place, didn’t you?”
I suck in a breath. “At first, I didn’t, but now…now I do. I’ll just have to look somewhere else.”
“You’ll find something.” He seems certain of this. It eases the tightness in my chest and draws a smile out of me. I play with the words on my tongue, the words that will let him know he’s going to be a father again, but before I can spit them out, he cuts through my train of thought.
“Want to go down for a better view?”
“There’s a better view than this?” I ask, my eyes growing wide. “I feel like I can see everything from up here.” He laughs. The sound is husky, and it hits me right in the core.
“You’ll see.” End takes my hand in his and leads me down the staircase. He’s not wrong. As soon as we step out of Mr. Jackson’s back doors, my breath catches in my throat. The view was spectacular up there, but here? It’s otherworldly.
Endymion leads the way down the hill near the waterfall. I think this is the closest I’ve ever been. I knew Mr. Jackson and his wife had an incredible view of the waterfall, but it’s even better than I realized. Splashes of water mist my face. We’re close enough to touch the body of water. Close enough that I feel like I’m somehow closer to heaven.
Out of habit, I reach for the chain around my neck, rubbing my fingers over the moon resting there lovingly.
I can feel his gaze on me. It sends heat swarming through my body from head to toe. “You look beautiful.”
A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. “You flatter me.”
I hear End shift behind me, and when I glance over my shoulder, my heart jumps into my throat, my pulse pounding erratically. Warm tingles erupt in my belly, the force of the sensation takes my breath away. There behind me is Endymion, down on one knee. I turn to face him with my heart lodged in my throat.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Selene. The biggest being the fact that I almost let you slip through my fingers. I never knew what true happiness was until you came back into my life. You’re a light I never want to part with. Your beauty is breathtaking, but your heart, it’s fucking gold, babe. It’s where I want to live forever. You’ve given me a beautiful daughter I’ll love until my dying breath, just like I will you.
“I want to give you the world, Selene. I want to stand by your side and help make your