“Fine, that gives me enough room for some ideas. Oh, goodie! This is gonna be great.”
“Not that any of you bothered to ask, but I’ll be going as a sexy pirate, ready to fight anyone who comes near my sea witch,” Guard announced as he wrapped his arm around Cece, looking pleased when he saw the smiles fall off both my and Charlie’s faces.
When Fiona’s laugh rang out, though, we soon all joined in. My father never hesitated to go out of his way to make Mom happy, and they had gotten into the Halloween spirit more and more over the years.
Dessert and coffee were brought out, and I sat back in my seat, watching my family around the table. Charlie, Fiona, and Ma were clustered together as Charlie showed Fiona pictures from previous Halloweens. Guard sat beside me, eating his third slice of cheesecake, eyeing the rest like he was trying to see if it would fit in his pocket.
Watching Fee interact with my family brought me a deep sense of contentment. Even though I had felt that way for a while, the moment hammered home how much I wanted Fiona to be my Old Lady. As soon as things calmed down, once we made sure Trish and Ginger were out of the picture, we could move forward.
Flashes of our future together flitted through my mind.My cut on her back, her walking down the aisle toward me in a white dress, a chubby baby with wild red hair.The breath was knocked out of me at those thoughts, and I dropped back in my seat. Rubbing a hand over my heart, unsure if it was even there anymore, since I was sure Fiona held it.
“So, now that you got your girl under the same roof as you, what’s your next move?” Dad said from my side. I turned to him, gauging his seriousness. Before I could reply, he continued.
“Saw it from the beginning. She was the one for you. I know you got some shit to sort out, but once that’s done, I expect you to make her a proper member of this family. You working on her cut yet?” I shook my head, and he scowled. Holding my hands up, I leaned over, not wanting to draw the attention of the women.
“I have Match working on a specific design. I want it to be special, perfect for her. Once he’s finished, it’ll be done in no time.”
“Thats my boy. I expect some grandbabies, too, but I’ll let your mother bug you about that.” I just shook my head at Dad’s antics. He patted me on the back, and we both returned to watching the girls as they chatted excitedly. Growing up, I saw how special my parents’ relationship was. The way they looked at each other, the casual touches that were so natural to them. I didn’t know at the time that not every family or every relationship was like that.
Once I was old enough to understand how lucky they were—wewere—to have such a loving family, I knew I wouldn’t ever settle for less. Finally, I knew how they felt, since I had found the person I was meant to be with. I would do anything, go anywhere, fight anyone to keep Fiona safe, to preserve the precious love we had for each other.
Chapter 24
Bash
The week leading up to the Halloween party was crazier than usual. It was all hands on deck when it came to setting up the clubhouse exactly to Seph’s specifications. After a long day spent obeying the woman’s orders, Fiona and I crashed into bed, exhausted. As she lay on top of me, I twirled one of her red curls around my finger, and she sighed.
“Sorry about all the work, baby. I know Ma and Seph go a little overboard with Halloween. If you’re feeling burned out, just tell me. There are plenty of people to help them out.” Moving my hand from her hair, I cupped her chin, tilting her face up so I could see her expression.
“Don’t you dare! I’m having so much fun. We never got to do anything like this growing up,” Fee replied as a sadness flitted over her eyes.
We spent the evening like that, with Fiona telling me about what her Halloween experiences were like growing up. She wasn’t complaining. There was a fond look on her face as she recalled the amount of candy she and Atlas managed to con out of people. How they always offered to help work the school party so they could get first dibs on the best prizes and snacks. I was glad she had him, that they had those happy memories, but I wanted her to have more now.
She fell asleep on top of me, but sleep eluded me. My mind kept turning over everything she had told me. I want Fiona to have everything. I want to give her anything she had ever wanted or could want.With that thought in mind, I gently slid Fiona off of me, and made sure she was still sleeping soundly next to me in bed. Sitting upright, I grabbed my phone and thought of an idea. Growing up, there was a nearby farm my parents always took Charlie and me to for pumpkin picking.
A quick Google search showed that, not only was it still up and running, but it had expanded to include a corn maze and other Halloween-themed events. I only had vague memories from childhood, and hadn’t been back in years. The idea of seeing it through Fiona’s eyes was exciting, and soon, I had a Halloween day planned just for her and me. All that was left to do was call Charlie in the morning to negotiate a new time for her and Fee to meet to get party-ready.
I set my alarm to vibrate and deliberately slipped out of the house before Fiona was awake. Stopping by Sugar & Spice, I bought several different pastries as well as a pumpkin spice latte for Fiona and a regular coffee for myself. When I got back, she was just stepping off the staircase that led to the main floor. It was obvious she had just woken up and looked adorably rumpled. She stopped short as she saw the logo from her favorite bakery on the pastry box sitting on the kitchen island.
“Happy Halloween, darlin’,” I said, pulling her to me for a kiss. She was still warm and soft from sleep, and melted into me as soon as she was in my arms.
“What’s all this?” she murmured, leaning around me to try to see what goodies I brought home.
“I spoke to Charlie. She said you don’t need to go to her place until six to get ready. So I thought we could spend the day together celebrating Halloween. I have a few places I’d like totake you to, if you’re up for it,” I told her, watching Fee’s eyes get big with excitement.
“That—wow. I mean, yes, of course I want to. Wait, did you say 6 p.m.? Every time I asked, Charlie told me I had to be there by three. No exceptions.” Fee frowned, and I laughed.
“Charlie plays dirty. She wants more girl time. I spoke to her this morning, and she said six was a good time,” I said as I passed her the coffee cup. “Here, I got you a latte. There’s an apple fritter, some pumpkin loaf, and a cranberry scone in there. Take your pick.”
Fee took a sip and closed her eyes on a sigh. With care, she placed the cup down on the counter next to the box of pastries before launching herself at me. I caught her mid jump, her arms going around my neck as I lifted her off her feet until her toes were dangling.
“Thank you, Cal. This is… It’s perfect. Today is already the best Halloween I’ve ever had. I love you,” she whispered in my ear before pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.
“I love you, baby girl, but the day hasn’t even started yet.” I lifted her up and placed her down next to, but still a safe distance from, the food and coffee cups. We stood like that, her seated while I wedged myself between her legs, feeding each other bites of the different pastries between sips of coffee.
We got dressed, and I hustled Fee into the car, ignoring all her questions and attempts to figure out where we were going. “What is all of this? This is adorable! Fresh Cider? Can we get some?” she asked as I pulled into the parking lot. I laughed at her eagerness.
“We can do whatever you want. We’ve got all afternoon.” I pressed a kiss to her mouth before hopping out of the car to walk around and open her door. There was a chill in the air, but the sun was high above us as we walked in together, taking everything in.
