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My Lois.
Mine.
Extended Epilogue
Halloween
Lois
It’s Halloween night… and as we hoped wouldn’t happen, a terrible storm is brewing on the hill over the old house.
“I hope it doesn’t rain, not yet,” I tell Blake, hopefully.
“I’ve yet to see a Halloween in town where it didn’t,” he says ominously, a deep roll of thunder from outside following his words.
“And what about Barbara?” he asks, grinning.
“She’s coming, but she has to stay outside,” I order him, and he gives a little salute.
Jack starts to fidget, then finally lets out a loud wail as another crash of thunder shakes the whole house.
“Did you stoke the boiler, honey?” I ask, not wanting our guests to feel a chill.
Except those who have to stay outside for the festivities.
“Yes dear,” he moans, doing his best Frankenstein impression.
The lights flicker and the candles in all the Jack-o-lanterns flutter as a rush of cold air springs from nowhere.
“Perfect!” Blake announces, adjusting his plastic nose on his face and lifting it only long enough to kiss me on the mouth.
“Watch the blood darling,” I chide him, mindful of my vampire make-up as I adjust myself to start feeding baby Jack.
Jack’s a little young for dress-up but Blake agreed he could have a baby-sized costume.
Nothing too scary, just his glow in the dark onesie with lots of jack-o-lantern pumpkins on it. His namesake.
The whole house is aglow with handmade candles from Blake’s basement, and every ghoulish and traditional country style Halloween decoration we can think of.
It’s the least we can do, open up the haunted house on the hill for a Halloween party that the town will never forget.
It was my idea, I wanted to feature it in a magazine article… but Blake said no.
Yes to the party, no to the story.
“We have enough media attention, baby. I just wanna celebrate something with the townsfolk, with you,” he said, so I agreed.
Christmas might be a different matter but tonight is all about Halloween.
There’s pumpkin-spiced everything, cornbread, and more barbecued meat and home cooked pot dinners brought along than we ever thought there’d be room for… but the whole town did turn out too.
Even old Mrs. Barnes.
She’s upstairs, looking down on things from her balcony, sipping something that finally brings a smile to her face.
“It’s what I always wanted!” she gushes later on, once the crowd has thinned and the night is deemed a total success.
“I always wanted to see the whole town come through this old place, really enjoy it, but most of all, I wanted to see Blake happy for once.”
I blush when I sense what she’s going to say.
“I’m old school, Lois, don’t mind me. I just had to see a boy married if he was gonna have a family.”
“Oh, I agree,” I tell her, taking her hand and feeling it flex in mine for the first time ever.
“You make me so proud, Lois… and Blake… he loves you like there’s nothing else on earth,” she tells me, a silver glint in her eye.
“I know he does. We all love him so much.”
Blake pokes his head around the door, making us both jump just as some fireworks start to go off in our yard.
“What are you two gossiping about?” he asks, bouncing baby Jack in a sling, suddenly looking concerned when he sees we’re both teary-eyed.
“What is it, Lois..? What’s happened?” he asks, rushing to my side, cradling Baby Jack as he kneels down between me and Mrs. B.
“Nothing, Blake,” she says to him soothingly. “Nothing at all. I was just telling Lois what a fine job she’s done making an honest man out for you, about how happy I am to see so much life in this old house for a change.”
I smile at Blake, then at our darling son Jack. I sit back, sighing with my hand absently tracing my middle as I watch the fireworks.
“So much life in such an old house…” I muse aloud, almost absently.
Tracing the line of Blake’s jaw with one hand, I feel the beating heart of our son with the other, almost wishing I had a third hand to touch the new life I know is growing inside me.
“So much life,” Mrs. Barnes says knowingly, reaching over to stroke my belly with a wink.
Giving me one of her knowing smiles as I watch the brilliant light of the fireworks reflected in Blake’s eyes, in the eyes of our son, and in the eyes of the old woman who we both owe so much to for bringing us together.
Halloween.
A new anniversary for all of us.
Full of life and always full of promise and love.
Her Vampire
AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE
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A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 207
FLORA FERRARI
Her Vampire
Torsten Haroldsson brings a whole new meaning to the word experienced. A thousand years old, this silver-haired alpha is a cut above the rest, with his superhuman speed and his glinting fangs, his ice-blue eyes, and his will to dominate. He knows what he wants. He’s waited for a millennium to take it. And now he’s telling me that I’m his. He’s claimed me. And it sends shivers down my spine.
