Page 220 of A Courage of the Chosen

Mom leans over me to press a kiss to his cheek, and she whispers, “Thank you for loving my daughter. I know you’ll keep her safe.”

Callahan’s throat works. “I will,” he vows.

“You should’ve seen how stunned Cal was. Man didn’t know his arse from his elbow when he saw her,” Brodie tells the three ladies who missed the most important day of my life, and breaks the heavy emotion that had begun brewing around us.

We’ve only had a short amount of time to process the fact he and Rach are gone, but I’m going to miss his humor and wit, even if it did drive me insane sometimes. Just like I’m going to miss Rach’s sass and sarcasm.

They all incline their heads to something unseen at the cave entrance that brought us here, and Rach is solemn as she turns back to me. “Our time is up, Els.”

Cal scrambles to his feet and bundles her close. “I didn’t tell you enough how much you meant to me, and I’ll regret that for the rest of my life.”

Rach shakes her head against his chest. “Life is too short for regrets, Cal. Even for us.”

She lets him go so that Brodie and Callahan can have their goodbye, and they let everything that needs to be said unfold in their grip on each other.

Then it’s my turn. “I love you,” I mumble, hugging Rach.

Brodie wraps his giant arms around us both, swallowing us as we grip onto each other for the last time. “We love you, too, Queenie.”

“I let the last one slide since you were dying. But fuck you, Broderic,” I quip.

Rach untangles herself, leaving me to have a final goodbye with Brodie. “See you on the other side, when you’re old and wrinkly as shit,” he rumbles into my hair.

“Dhia, you’re insufferable,” I laugh and shove him away.

“You’re telling me. I’ve got to spend eternity with his ass now,” Rach says with no bite and a huge grin. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

They walk to the cave together, Rach tucked beneath Cal’s arm, with Brodie on her other side. They turn to wave over their shoulder at me as they step into the gloom beyond and disappear.

He watches where they vanished as Mom, Granny, and I stand in a circle, holding hands.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this without you both,” I say with a trembling mouth.

“You already are,” Mom beams, her one green eye and one blue eye sparkling.

“You have everything you need. Trust in your heart.” Granny repeats the words from the letter she left for me with Freya, and winks.

“I love you both. So much,” I croak.

“I love you, too,” they echo together.

“Live your life, sweetheart.” Granny kisses me on the forehead.

Mom cups my face in her hands. “And make me lots of grandbabies, okay?”

“A few, not a lot,” I laugh around the tears, and Callahan’s chuckle reaches us from where he waits.

“And definitely not yet,” I add, when she starts to hop from foot to foot.

She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Fine.”

We share one last hug, and I know this gift from the spirits will soothe some of the rugged edges formed by their deaths, after years of grief stalking like a demon on the hunt, pouncing when I least expect it.

We walk hand-in-hand to the cave, where they let me go, and just like Brodie and Rach before them, they disappear into the gloom.

I shudder a breath, and Callahan draws me into his side to lead us back to Ruival.

“That was . . .” he starts, but words fail him.