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We shocked everyone by eloping, but no one was mad. It was a crazy romantic thing to do, and even though Ellis and Ash aren’t married yet, and Toren and Luna have their date set, no one was jealous, put out, or miffed that we did it first.
We wanted to do something private, just us, and I’ve always wanted to go to Spain. We didn’t want anything grand, any fuss, any stress, a dress or a ceremony or any of that. The money we saved on the wedding, we’ll put into the company, which is doing amazing. The new security system is super popular since we made sure it’s virtually hacker-proof (ha!!) and because it’s so easy to use. True to his word, Kirian has given away several software, equipment, and installation packages for free to anyone who can’t afford his system but wants to have one.
Oh, but the one thing we did have? Cake. Of course, we had cake. After we were married, we went to one of Spain’s best bakeries, and Kirian had a surprise for me. Yes, it was cake, and no, he didn’t fool me one bit. We took it back to our hotel room, and yes, we ate it. We might have even eaten it off each other. I don’t eat cake and tell, though, so those details won’t leave me.
While we were away in Spain for two weeks, my sister, Lisa, came to New Orleans and cat-sat at our house, which is Kirian’s house, although technically now mine too. I reached out to her again shortly after the trip to the hospital to get the love glove removed. While I was sitting there in the ER, knowing full well I’d be fine but also thinking about how things can happen to any of us at any time, I typed Lisa an email and sent it.
I told her I didn’t blame her for anything, that I was sorry, that she’d always be my sister, she’d always been my sister, and that I loved her more than anything. We started texting back and forth after that, and while I still won’t go back to Seattle, I respect that it’s her home, and her decisions are her own to make. She loves Seattle, and she’s still close with Joan. I now know that Lisa told Joan what happened right after I sent her the email. Joan and Phil are actually currently in the process of getting a divorce. Not over what he did, but because Joan hasn’t been happy for a long time.
Maybe one day I’ll go back to Seattle. But in a few months, Lisa is coming back to New Orleans with Joan. They’ve already booked a week-long trip since Lisa loved the French Quarter. They’re going to be staying in a hotel, but I know they’ll visit us lots, and we’ll take them out and introduce them to all the fun things the city offers that aren’t listed in the guidebooks.
“What are you thinking about, standing so close to the window, staring out at nothing?” Kirian comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. I sink back into him, letting him nuzzle my neck with his chin. He has his usual shadow going on since it’s long past five, and I love the way his stubble scratches softly at my skin.
“I was thinking that maybe it’s time to teach you how to parkour.”
Kirian goes still, and he lets out a sound that is a close approximation of a rooster being strangled. “Oh?” he chokes. “You think that’s a good idea, do you?”
I laugh and turn to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “No. No, I’m perfectly happy not jumping off any more rooftops, and I’m glad it’s a skill you never had to learn.”
“It was pretty impressive, though. That night, I decided you were more amazing than cotton candy. And cake.”
“Oh really? That night? That moment? That’s when you decided?”
He doesn’t fall for the eyebrow waggle I’m doing or take the bait. “That’s when I knew. Right then. And then I realized the necklace was missing, and I had a bit of a meltdown.”
“That was a crazy time.”
“When is it not a crazy time in this family?”
I have something else that’s crazy that I’ve been waiting to tell him for the past few days. “I…Kirian, if I told you something that was kind of off the walls unexpected, would you be happy?”
He gets serious fast, scanning my face. He’s immediately worried, going into protective mode, but then he realizes it’s not necessary because I’m smiling, and he relaxes.
“You want to open up a place that bakes cakes?”
“Uh, no.”
“You’ve bought shares in a place that bakes cakes?”
“That’s not it.”
He eyes me carefully. “I don’t know. Does it have anything to do with cake?” He eyes me up so hard that I nearly squirm. He always knows how to get my secrets out, but then again, he does have the advantage of some really dirty tactics. “Good lord, are you pregnant?”
