“That is a beautiful thought.” His voice cracked as he spoke, and for a while more they stayed like that, quiet, in reverence. Finally, Oliver stood, helped Clare to her feet. He gazed into her eyes with a question in his, and she smiled sweetly and gave a nod of assent.
Together, they turned to her parents, hands clasped tightly together.
It was time to come clean about their eternal mate bond.
Oliver drew in a deep breath. “Clare and I have some news to share with you…”
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
“How’s it look from here?” the big gargoyle hovering above the door, hammer and nails in hand, called down to them.
“A bit wonky, raise it to the left a bit.”
“To the right more, that will center it above the door.”
“Gods above, you two are fussy!”
“We want to get this right,” Oliver and Clare said in unison, then laughed. They seemed to agree on most things nowadays.
Grayson flapped down and they all stood in the street gazing up at the sign.
“I think it’s straight,” Grayson said, squinting at it. “And I’m not hopping up and down like a fucking cricket, for a whim.”
“Fair enough,” Oliver agreed.
“It looks fantastic.” Clare’s heart sang as she looped her hand through Oliver’s arm. They’d been planning this for a while, but now it was really happening.
Doyle and Hale
Metaphysical Investigations
Oliver had insisted her name go first on the sign, even though secretly she thought “Hale and Doyle” sounded better. But who cared? Oliver liked her to take the lead in many things, though they were pretty equal in bed. Sometimes he dominated, sometimes she did. There were no rules.
Oliver rubbed his beard. “Ahhh, not sure.” He grimaced. Grayson glared at him.
Clare rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a perfectionist, honey. Leave it for now, I have to get the refreshments ready.”
Already she could see folks strolling down the cobbled street, Maisie pushing eight-month-old Isaac in a pram, and Harriet and Saul with their girls, who were growing taller by the day.
Clare bustled inside to make sure the catering was all set. She laid out cups and saucers and mouth-watering Bellamy’s cakes.
“Hey there, Clare.” A familiar voice made her swing around.
“Natalie!” She hugged her old friend. “You made it.”
“Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away.” Natalie looked happy. Clare realized there was a man standing beside her… oh, it was Edward Bradshaw!
“Hi, Edward.” It suddenly dawned on her. “Are you two…?”
Natalie smiled up at Edward. “We met in group therapy. Turned out we had quite a few things in common. And you know, one thing led to another…” Her face sobered. “Clare, I want to apologize for the way I treated you. I didn’t know back then why I felt different and I got angry with you because, well, you were the only person I was close to and I was hurt when you left to live in Motham. But now that I know about my Golden Blood, I understand why I felt different, why we both did. That has led to me accepting myself and finding Edward.”
“I understand one hundred percent,” Clare replied. “I wish you both so much happiness. Now, please, grab a glass of elderflower wine, a plate of food, and if you ever need a private detective…”
“Oh no, I think we’re just going to have a quiet life from here on.” Edward smiled.
Clare grinned back at him. “Very wise.”
