“This would be quite the elaborate joke,” he replied.
I laughed. “I know, I know. I mean…” My hands dropped from my mouth and I looked into those beautiful blue eyes of his. The eyes of my future husband. “Max,” I said lovingly.
“What do you say? Will you marry me?”
Tears streamed down my face. “You know I will. Yes, yes, yes!”
He grinned and slid the ring over my finger, before jumping off of his knee and picking me right off the ground and smothering my face with kisses. I clutched onto him as he spun me, and when he set me back down, I kissed his mouth over and over again. My face drenched with tears, and he had to wipe them away. “I love you,” he gently said from the corner of his mouth, mid-kiss.
“I love you, Maxwell Reid,” I responded as I held his face in between my hands. I could see the diamond shining on my finger, and I realized that Reid would be my last name, too. Cora Reid.
I loved it.
We stood on the city sidewalk forever, kissing and crying under the falling snow and Christmas lights. It was a perfect moment, in a perfect day, with the perfect person.
When we returned to the party, everyone indoors happily greeted us. They threw confetti in our faces as we walked in, as if we had literally just gotten married. It made sense why no one had a reaction to why we’d left during the party, because they already knew the why. It’s probably the only reason everyone agreed to show up. It was also a facepalm for myself, thinking back to what Melanie said to me on the phone, and how it went completely over my head. Just say yes. Of course he would pop the question.
“This makes us practically family,” Brinly beamed as she hugged me.
During our hug, Priscilla grabbed my hand and inspected the ring. “Looks good.”
“Why are you checking it like it’s new to you?” Max asked as he pulled my hand out of Priscilla’s. “You helped pick it out.”
That absolutely blew my mind. “You?!” I shrieked. “You helped?” I couldn’t fathom the two of them shopping together.
Priscilla shrugged. “If you’re gonna wear one piece of jewelry forever, it needs to be fucking top-notch.” She glanced over at Max with a smile. “I think it is.”
“How the heck did you guys keep this from me?”
“Easy. You were left out,” Priscilla answered. “You’re the only one that would blab about it.”
“Hey!”
Max laughed and then quickly stopped himself. “Aw, it’s okay,” he said and kissed the side of my face. “We like your motormouth.”
“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood,” I warned him and then kissed him on the lips.
“You always put me in a good mood,” he whispered into my ear. A chill danced across my skin. I reached my arms up around his neck, kissed him a few times, and then laid my face against his chest.
I stared out at the party with our friends and family around us, and I felt so warm inside. As corny as it sounds, I felt like I was wrapped up in a cocoon of love, and nothing could take me out of my happiness.
After the excitement of our engagement settled down, everyone returned to conversation by the tree. Max and I never left our spot, though. We couldn’t stop holding each other. I needed to be close to him. Still, I watched everyone in the living room. Lincoln talking to Brinly’s stomach, Daggett playfully trying to feed Priscilla a pretzel and her glaring, and Grandma off in the corner sneaking booze into her drink. These silly people were my people, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The months following this night were just as perfect.
Lincoln and Brinly would have a daughter, just as she predicted, and she would be just as beautiful and powerful as they hoped. A little princess to inherit the throne from her mother. A wedding between Lincoln and Brinly followed not long after.
Priscilla and Daggett, to everyone’s surprise—mostly theirs—lasted. A ying to the other’s yang, Daggett humbled Priscilla during her craziness, and she lit a fire under his ass when he became passive. They worked better than any of us expected, and in the following spring, they moved in together.
I kept in contact with Melanie and Dana through phone calls and postcards. They had quite a few adventures of their own—both of the dangerous and not-so-dangerous kind—and Melanie always assured me they were just fine and could handle it. It was the life of a vampire and werewolf on the move, after all. I think she thought if she kept me at a distance and in the dark, nothing could affect me, and I’d be safe. It definitely felt like the tables had turned, but if I was being honest with myself, I really didn’t mind. I experienced enough drama and danger to last a lifetime. It was their turn for a little madness. All I wanted was a quiet, simple life with Max, and that’s exactly what I got.
So, did we live happily ever after?
“Hey!” Brinly suddenly called out. Both Max and I looked over and saw Brinly waving us over with her phone in hand. “You guys didn’t think you were gonna sit the photo op out, did you? Get your butts over here.” We joined Brinly by the tree, and she positioned us so Max was standing behind me with his hands on my waist. It was just us. “Say cheese!” She snapped a photo, viewed it and then made a face. “One more?” We both nodded because we knew it came out bad. “The lights in the tree made a glare in the photo,” she lied. Brinly’s about the only person I know that wouldn’t tell me to
