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I take in my quirky little town. My eyes trail over the various games and activities, the table lined with jack-o’-lanterns and the unique mix of characters buzzing around the town square. There’s nothing quite like Halloween in Ashford Falls. And this year—thanks to Kira’s suggestion—we have the bonus of celebrating the Phantom Festival.

After I canceled the festival, I wasn’t sure how I’d ever make it up to the town. This festival means so much to everyone, and after more than one hundred years of hosting it, I was the one to break the streak.

Now, I don’t consider myself to be superstitious, but growing up in Appalachia, I like to think I have a healthy fear of the supernatural.

So while maybe I wasn’t worried about angering the Phantom…I can certainly understand how most of my community was. And okay, maybe I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of being cursed.

So when Kira suggested we move the festival to Halloween, I knew what I had to do.

We kept our plans quiet at first, the two of us working behind the scenes to make sure we could pull it off. Then, two weeks ago, I called a town meeting and brought everyone up to speed.

They were thrilled to have a do-over. Unlike the first time around, we didn’t promote it.

Without ticket sales and tourists, we won’t make even a fraction of what we’ve brought in over the last couple of festivals. The charity aspect matters—not just to this town, but to the organizations that depend on those life-changing donations. That’s why I’ve decided to personally match last year’s proceeds and add another ten percent on top.

It’s the least I can do for taking the real thing away from them. As much as it pains me to feel inferior to my brothers, I’m man enough to admit that when it comes to protecting the woman I love, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t sacrifice.

My ears ring as a pack of sugared-up, squealing children dressed as Minions races past, with Gru hot on their heels. They tear across the cobblestone path and disappear into the haunted house, their screams growing even louder when a masked figure wielding a chainsaw lunges out of nowhere.

“You think Jett’s enjoying that a little too much?” Kira asks from beside me, her tongue stained red from the Ring Pop she’s been sucking on for the last ten minutes. She looks so fucking sexy with her body painted green and her hair tied up in space buns. She’s some kind of sexy retro alien pinup, while Matilda and I wear matching astronaut costumes.

“Let him have his fun,” I say with a chuckle. “It’s not every day the curmudgeon gets to express himself so freely.”

She considers that for a second, then purses her lips with a nod. “True.”

In the past six weeks, I’ve watched Kira transform, the stress melting off her. When she smiles at me, there’s a lightness that wasn’t there before, and I love knowing that she feels so at peace. And more than that, I love knowing that I’m a very big reason for it.

“Keep looking at me like that, and we’ll ruin our chances of winning the costume contest,” she warns.

I have to suppress the urge to kiss that smirk off her face, so instead, I drag my thumb across her sticky red lips and suck the sugar from it. “You think I give a fuck about a costume contest?”

“No,” she says with a giggle. “But Scout will. Do you know how long it took her to paint my entire body green?” She holds up her arm. “She even added scales and contouring to make my tits look bigger.”

I lick my lips, my eyes dropping to her perky green cleavage, and a frustrated groan escapes from my throat. I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to titty-fuck a sexy alien. Looks like I may finally get my chance.

Her blue eyes sparkle as she points her bubble blaster at my crotch. “Don’t make me use this.”

“Whoa.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “No need for extreme measures.”

She eyes me as she slowly lowers her weapon. “Don’t think I won’t use this. We’ve got to make it until after the costume contest and the closing show before you get to take my clothes off.” She gives me a helpless shrug. “Sorry. Rules are rules.”

“Fine,” I concede, giving her shoulder a nudge. “Speaking of the closing show, how are you feeling?”

“Really good, actually,” she says with a nod.

This year’s festival may be a smaller production, but that doesn’t mean we’re skimping on the quality. I’m happy to say that all the volunteering Kira’s been doing with the community theater has given her a new drive. Her acting days may be behind her, but she’s completely fallen back in love with live performance and producing.

With all the newfound free time on her hands, she whipped up a hilarious play inspired by the latest Phantom romance novel. And with the help of my mom and Miss Scarlett, the three have been working tirelessly to pull it off.

It’s been incredible watching her come alive these past few weeks, taking chances and trusting her instincts, and finally letting herself create without worrying about what everyone else thinks.

I’ve only seen bits and pieces, but dare I say, it’s not only hilarious, but really thought-provoking. Not that I’d expect anything less.

The crazy part is that she still doesn’t even realize how incredible she is. I’m in awe of her creativity and the hilarious storylines she seems to draw out of thin air.

“Once Dr. Drizzle gets here, we can start getting ready,” she says, scanning the crowd like she’s searching for him.

“When’s that supposed to be?”