Page 63 of Satisfaction Guaranteed

Nana’s hands are cool around Alana’s cheeks, and she smiles as she leans into the touch, bottom lip wobbling. “Thank you, Nana.” She lunges into her and hugs her tight, takes in the scent of her powdery perfume. The same kind that greeted her during holidays and surprise visits.

“I love you. Always will. Nothing will change that, not even this.” When she pulls away, Nana tucks a curl behind Alana’s ear. Her eyes flick to the house. “He is handsome. That boy of yours.

I’ll give you that.”

Alana giggles, following her line of sight. “Right?”

“So…he’s an animal type, hm?” Nana’s brow lifts, gesturing towards the bite mark on Alana’s neck that she’d absolutely forgotten about. Her hand finds the side of her neck, fingers ghosting over the damaged skin.

Alana clears her throat, face warm as she slaps a hand over the mark. One of many, really. “Yeah, um, werewolf, to be precise.”

“Mm.”

“What? What’s that noise for?”

“I didn’t say a thing. Just…please be safe, dear. I do want great-grandkids, but not at the expense of your physical wellbeing.” She eyes the bite once more, then the poorly concealed claw marks up her thighs. “Tell that man—Cyrus—that if I catch wind of him hurting you, well, hurting you in ways you don’t want, then he’ll have to hear from me. Understood? I was a vet technician in my younger years. I’ll have him nipped and stitched before he can so much as blink.”

“Oh my gods. Nana!” The snort that rips from her is involuntary. Something tells her that Nana isn’t kidding either.

“I will be sure to tell him that. I…I love you.”

“I love you too,” Nana says. She pats her shoulder before rounding her car to the driver’s side. Alana follows, opening the door for her.

“Take care of yourself, okay?”

Nana nods and bids her a farewell kiss.

When her car disappears down that old dirt road, footsteps approach Alana from behind. Cyrus tucks her into his side, hugging her close and kissing her temple.

“You alright?” he asks. He must have been in earshot of that conversation, ready to present himself and offer an out if things got too out of hand. He rubs a calloused hand along her waist, and Alana leans further into him.

Her heart feels swollen, heavy with emotions she can’t pinpoint. Relief, guilt, gratitude? She’d gone her whole life under the impression that Nana Darling was just an old woman too devout to her faith to step back and see that the lenses she peers through aren’t black and white, but fragments of color that bleed into one another.

“Yeah,” she whispers. “I think I’ll be just fine.”

EPILOGUE

CYRUS

ONE YEAR AND THREE MONTHS LATER…

“There you are, old-timer. I was wondering where you snuck off to.”

Alana’s voice pulls Cyrus’ attention from his phone. When he looks up, she’s making her way over from the backyard, all smiles in that oversized sweater dress he likes so much. The one that slides off her shoulders, showcasing his claim on the side of her neck. A smirk plays across his mouth, and he turns his phone screen-side down.

“Old timer? Really, is that where we’re at?” He pulls her into him, swims in her laughter when he nips at the apple of her cheek.

“Well, you are thirty-five now,” she teases. She sticks her tongue out at him, her grin wide as she bumps him with her hip. “Might as well start shopping for nursing home packages. Heard those knees of yours poppin’ when you got out of bed this morning.”

Cyrus’ brows arch. He pokes her side, causing her to squeak and bat his chest with the back of her hand. “Easy now,” he murmurs. “My knees still work well enough to bend you over them.”

A charming pink color dusts across Alana’s face. “Your nieces are here, you perv.”

Eve and Jean are running around in the grass, tormenting some poor unsuspecting ducks that made the unfortunate error of landing by the pond. Their baby brother toddles around after them, giggling and clapping his tiny little hands as he tries to keep up. He’s a spitting image of his daddy at the same age, right down to that godforsaken cowlick. Since moving in, the kids had become well accustomed to their public displays of affection by now, much to Alana’s dismay.

“Relax, baby, they can’t hear anything. Especially not over Tommy’s big mouth.” He snickers, then jerks his chin over to where his brother was manning some carne asada on the grill. Fire flares below the marinated steaks, hot embers crackling when he flips them with the hand that isn’t nursing his soda. His laughter bellows, nudging Connor with an elbow before hollering at his horde of children to behave themselves. Which they do…for a solid couple of seconds before running off to bother Jade and their new favorite aunties. Cyrus’ heart warms at the sight of Citlalli, Lilith, and Nakita playing with the kids. Jade scoops up the newest member of the Castillo family while the others drag the girls under the awning, tucking them in under the shade and letting them listen to whatever gossip they were going on about. He can’t begin to describe just how much the sight of everyone here means to him. For the first time in a very long time, it feels like he has a pack again.

“By the way, on the topic of bending you over my knee,” Cyrus continues. He glances around to make sure everyone is preoccupied and pulls Alana close, her body tucked snugly against his. He unlocks his phone with a swipe of his thumb, clicking into a familiar website that has Alana rushing to cover the screen.