dreams come true. I want to give you all the kids you could ever dream of having, because I’m an asshole like that, and I imagine you pregnant is one of the great wonders of the world. So, marry me, Selene. Spend your life with me and let me show you every day how much I love you and just how much you mean to me.”
A gasp tears past my lips when he cracks open the velvet box he’s been holding to reveal a ring. It’s a white gold emerald cut, but the band it’s attached to is what has my heart melting for this man. The white gold band has small crescent moons filled with diamonds that wrap around. It’s absolutely stunning.
I don’t know when it happened, but I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. I press my hand over my sternum, feeling my heart pounding like a steel drum in my chest. Everything about this moment is so right. So perfect. There will never be anyone like this man. No one who owns my heart the way he does.
A wide grin splits across my face, and I nod vigorously, as if the tears rolling down my cheeks aren’t answer enough. “Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes!”
End rises to his feet and crushes me in his arms, taking my lips in a rough kiss that I feel all the way down to the marrow of my bones. He’s no longer just under my skin. He’s a part of me now. He’s the blood in my veins, the breath in my lungs, and the muscles that keep my heart pumping. He’s my everything.
Once he slides the ring onto my finger, I stare down at it and then back up at him. I slide my hand around the back of his neck, relishing in his warm skin.
He’s perfect.
And mine.
“Those babies you were talking about? We might be getting them sooner than later.”
He chuckles but then pauses, his eyes widening as he processes my words. “Wait, are you saying…?”
A fresh wave of tears coats my eyes, and I nod my head. “I’m pregnant.”
Endymion laughs, and the sound is so carefree, so filled with joy, that my heart bursts. He lifts me into his arms and kisses me. It’s filled with heat and love—filled with everything I’ve searched my entire life for.
As we walk back to the cabin, I glance up at the sky as the moon slowly makes its appearance against the setting sun. The crescent shape in the sky draws a smile out of me.
When you wish hard enough, even the most unrealistic dreams come true.
Four Months Later
“What is going on?” I ask beneath the blindfold that is covering my eyes. The grip around my hand tightens in reassurance, keeping me moving. I can tell we’re on a street. I’ve heard enough cars pass by to know that much. I can hear snickering and the sound of someone whispering. There’s a slight crunch whenever I walk, the telltale sign I’m walking through snow or sludge.
“Just a little bit farther, then you can take it off.”
“Is it dark under there, Mommy?” I hear Luna ask from somewhere beside me, her little hand gripping my free one.
“Very. Want to tell me what’s happening?” I try to squeeze the truth out of her, but my daughter laughs as if I should know better.
“I can’t do that, silly. It’ll ruin your surprise.”
I huff out a breath.
Once we jerk to a halt, I wait for the blindfold to be removed. And once it’s gone, my eyes water at the sight before me. There, just as I envisioned it, is a sign that reads Moonchild Apothecary. The black steel industrial letters stand out against the rustic white brick. My bottom lip trembles, and I whirl around, searching for End, surprise and emotion written all over my face.
“How is this possible? Someone bought it already.”
End shrugs a conspiratorial grin on his face. “I made an offer they couldn’t refuse a while back. Been working on it ever since.”
“But you’ve been helping me search for new places. How is this even possible?”
He smirks, clearly proud of himself. “All to throw you off.”
“This is the important job you’ve been finishing with the guys?” My voice trembles slightly, my throat thick with emotion.
He nods, his greens searching mine. “Want to see the inside?”
I laugh, but it comes out as more of a sob. “Please.”
End opens the front doors for us, and the second I step over the threshold and the