“‘Okay’?” I murmured, “Is that all you’re going to say?”
He shrugged. “I love you; their loss, my gain, and the rest will work itself out.”
“I talked to Callum, he’s a lawyer, and he says all this stuff about trusts and charities, and it’s a lot.”
“Maybe I can help?” he asked but sounded doubtful I’d want him involved.
“God yes,” I said, kind of pathetic in my thanks. “And I’ll helpyouwith building permits.” I huffed a laugh. “I’ll order some books in.”
“A team,” he murmured.
“The best kind of team,” I added, then gripped his hand. “Let’s do this.”
High ceilings stretched overhead, wooden beams dark with age, chandeliers spilling golden light over polished floors. An open fire crackled at the far end of the hall, the scent of woodsmoke curling through the air.
I stuck close to Hunter, my arm still looped through his, trying not to stare at everything like a tourist, still in shock at his casual acceptance of what I hadn’t told him until tonight. He didn’t care. I shouldn’t care. We would talk though… tomorrow. People in suits or dresses moved gracefully around us, voices warm and cultured, laughter ringing out in little groups. I wanted to disappear into the wallpaper. I never quite fit into my parents’ world; I was always poised to run, and I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I tugged him to a stop.
“What if they?—”
“Wes,” Hunter squeezed my hand. “You’re fine. They’re going to love you.”
I wasn’t so sure. My throat tightened, but then a tall, slim man with an impressive silver-fox lookappeared, smiling broadly, and Hunter’s shoulders eased.
“Dr. McCoy, you made it.”
“Dean Halvorsen,” Hunter said, voice strong, “I’m happy to be here.” He nudged me forward. “And, this is my boyfriend, Wesley.”
The word hit me like a drum. Boyfriend. He’d said it again, without hesitation, here in front of his new colleagues. My pulse pounded in my ears. I braced for the polite flicker of judgment, the too-cool smile.
But none of that came. The dean shook my hand warmly, another professor complimented my tie, someone else asked what I did, and she was super emotional about me owning a bookstore and whether it had a café because she’d always wanted to own a bookstore with a café. Everyone spoke happily about Hunter joining the faculty and welcomed me along with him.
And best of all, he introduced me as his boyfriend to everyone.
Epilogue
Wesley
Adrian Trevelyan arriveda little after seven a.m. on the twenty-first and slipped quietly into the back of my shop, where it seemed he was happy to hide until the signing. Brooke was over at the town hall, working her magic, and Ru was upstairs with a notebook—his constant companion these days—trying to work out what came next in his life. As soon as we could, we’d met with Callum, and he’d explained that with the right business plan, Ru could also access his trust. It looked as though our older brother had been bleeding his dry too, which only added another layer of anger and determination in me to do good with the money I received next Christmas Eve.
Hunter spent some time with us, but he’d headed over to man a refreshments station, and I was here, sitting across from my favorite author in the entireworld. Adrian was a quiet man, serious about his writing, but there was a nervous edge to him too—worry about the signing, about living up to expectations. We started talking about his Shadowveil books, and I couldn’t help myself; I was full of questions, theories, and admiration.
In total, I’d ordered over two thousand copies of his latest book and sold them all. The virtual signing we’d recorded a few hours ago had been a success, and now here we were, the real thing about to begin.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this part,” Adrian admitted, voice low, glancing toward the door. “The writing is one thing. Facing people who actually read it—that’s something else.”
“They don’t just read it,” I said, leaning forward, unable to stop my enthusiasm. “They live in it. I mean, Shadowveil? You’ve built a world people disappear into, characters they carry around like friends. You gave me whole winters where I wasn’t alone.”
Color rose in his cheeks, and he ducked his head. “That’s… more than I could hope for. Most days, I’m afraid someone will stand up and say I’m a fraud. Y’know, impostor syndrome is a thing.”
“Then they’d be lying,” I said fiercely. “You’rethe real deal. You’ve got people lining up outside in the cold just to spend five minutes with you. That doesn’t happen for frauds.”
His smile was small and shy, but it reached his eyes. “Thank you. That means more than I can say.”
Ru appeared, already bundled in a coat—he was our line ambassador at the town hall to ensure chaos didn’t occur, and I’d be joining him to do that.
“Hey,” he murmured to us both, shifting from one foot to the other. Ru had been see-sawing between happy and introspective all morning. He glanced at Adrian, fumbled for words, then, scarlet-faced, mumbled a quick, “See you there,” before escaping toward the town hall. Adrian watched him go, a faint, curious smile tugging at his mouth before he ducked his head again as if tucking the moment away. I didn’t know what to make of that, but then I was only just learning about the man my brother had become, and I didn’t know Adrian very well.
We headed out the back way toward Wishing Tree’s Town Hall, slipping into the crisp morning air. The path curved past the square, and Adrian slowed when he saw the great tree strung with ribbons, each one fluttering in the light breeze. He paused, curiosity written across his features.
