“Why don’t you shower and I’ll order food for us?” Cass suggested. “You can tell me everything about Elysia and your family.”
“You’re my family,” she said fiercely.
“You know what I mean.”
“You haven’t even told me why you’re here,” Quentin replied, wiping her face. I shared a look with Cass, and Quen tensed again. “What’s happened?” she asked.
“I wanted to keep it as a surprise, so Gray helped. Sophie and I decided to move home. I’m here to sign off on the last bits. Start getting the house in shape.”
“Are you being serious?”
“As a critical medical condition.”
“You sound like Dad.” She laughed.
“Go and I’ll tell you everything once you’re comfortable.”
Quen broke free again and kissed her brother’s cheek before turning on me. “We need words about this. I feel you love him more than me.”
I shrugged, and she kissed me before leaving the room.
“She’s always been destined for great things. Everyone said it when we were growing up,” Cass said, collapsing in his chair.
“And now she gets to fulfil that destiny.”
He took in a deep breath and shook his head. “If Mum and Dad could see her now, they wouldn’t believe it.”
The mention of her parents spurred an idea in me. In record time, the seed flourished into a full picture and there was no stopping it.
“Cassidy, if I could have a moment of your time.” I crossed the room and closed the door with a soft click, trapping us both in the space. “I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“Sure. And thanks again for helping with everything. Not just the move, but everything that has been going on with Quen. She clearly trusts you.”
“I’d do anything to see her happy.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “What can I do for you?”
For a moment, it was easy to see how Cassidy Scott grew up in a home with a loving father. How often had Alexander Scott sat in that chair and waited patiently for his children to finish their stories?
If Quentin wanted me to ask for her hand properly, then fine. I’d do what she wanted in hopes she’d agree to marry me.
“I—" This suddenly felt more difficult. Clearing my throat, I said, “I love your sister, Cass.”
“I know you do.”
“I’d like to ask her to marry me.” There was no need to tell him I’d asked her multiple times already. Not with the way his eyebrows disappeared into his hair. “And I would have asked her father, but given the circumstances, I thought you were the next person to ask.”
Cassidy stood there, looking at me with narrowed eyes. “You want to marry her?”
“Yes. I would like to make Quentin my wife.”
Fuck me. I’d never felt this nervous in front of a mortal, but I suddenly wasn’t sure if this was a great idea.
“How would it work?” he asked curiously. “If she agreed, would you both live in the heavens?”
It was a question I asked myself a lot—what would life be like when this project was complete? How would Quentin and I live our lives when they weren’t plagued by stress and threats?
I’d been alive for millennia, and Elysia was my home. Her home. But Quentin had been raised on Earth and, most importantly, had a family she loved here. Cassidy and Sophie did not have an eternity like we did. There would be a time when Quentin no longer had the family she’d grown up with, and that was what cemented my decision. I would sacrifice the comfort of Elysia for her to spend as much time as she could with the people she adored.
