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She looked at me then, raising her eyes from our clasped hands, and I felt a massive surge of happiness pass through me. I knew what she would say, but I had to ask anyway. “So?”
She smiled, and the look she gave me made me feel complete. “Let’s do it.”
I kissed her then, being careful of her wounds but breathing in all that was Hanlen Arbor. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, ghost man.”
We both laughed.
Epilogue
Hanlen
I stood in the center of the open French doors, looking out into the courtyard at those gathered. Schuyler and Padre stood near the long table laden with snacks and food, talking with Bea and picking over a tray of appetizers we’d had catered. I wasn’t sure what Padre and Sky’s story was. They seemed close, but they also bickered constantly, and Schuyler was forever giving Paxton crap about his religion. He seemed to take it in stride but did occasionally tell her to mind her own damn business, though he was always nice about it.
We’d brought in some super comfortable outdoor furniture, and Van, Halen, and Dakota sat on one of the couches in front of the huge projection screen we’d set up for tonight, Dakota and Van play-fighting over Lennie’s lap as she shoved at them both, laughing but telling them to get off her. I’d found out after our action-packed night here during night two of the shoot, the night I’d almost seen my life flash before my eyes, that Dakota and Van had been friends forever. It seemed the three were like siblings, and it made me smile.
Lark sat on one side of a small table, while Harper sat on the other side. Lark passed Harper her drink, and the psychologist took a sip, smiling over at the enigmatic witch.Witch. It was so weird that words like that,Vodou,spells, psychic mediums, magic,andghostswere a normal part of my vocabulary now. My transformation from skeptic to believer had been a bit of a trial by fire, but I didn’t regret it. Especially not with everything it had given me, even amidst August’s and Burke’s memorials as a reminder of what we’d also lost.
James and Aaron were around here somewhere, but I hadn’t seen them in a bit. I had a feeling they might be out back, partaking in some herbaceous party favors. James had a bad back and mentioned that he always had a good medicinal stash. And after securing Remy in the mausoleum, he was kind of milking it by convincing Dev to let him partake on the job.
I took in the space again, noting the people in my life now, my friends who felt more like family. And then I slewed my gaze over to the corner near the topiaries, taking in the other group gathered there.
A beautiful woman in a white, off-the-shoulder dress—Wren—embracing a handsome man with piercing dark eyes—Findley. A soldier in full historical garb, chatting with a good-looking guy who looked as if he should be a surfer if not for the wire-rimmed glasses. Burke smiled at something Desmond said, and it made my heart happy to see that death hadn’t ruined everything. These people still had each other. They had us, though in a different capacity. They still had an existence they enjoyed.
Dev had been worried that his sister and her guy may leave now that the identity of her murderer had been uncovered, but they’d told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t getting rid of them that easily. They enjoyed being his investigators, just as Desmond loved being Dev’s runner, jettisoning all over to talk to other ghosts and relay information. And Burke was grateful that he could continue his research for the show. I could see it. It gave them purpose. Made them feel connected. And the fact that they were free labor didn’t hurt.
My gaze moved to the other side of Wren, to the woman who stopped talking to Findley and looked my way. I smiled and waved. I would give just about anything to give Ray a huge hug, but just having her in my life again was a gift I never expected to receive. The fact that I could now see ghosts was still really freaking strange, but it also made me ridiculously happy. Dev had even worked a spell on my necklace that let me hear them if they wanted me to. Ray and I had had a really long conversation, and I’d gotten to say all the things to her that I hadn’t gotten to say before Remy ripped us apart. There was closure in that, and now was a new chapter.
I looked across the gathered crowd of both living and dearly departed and gave myself a little internal shake. This was my life now. How strange and utterly wonderful. I felt strong arms wrap around me from behind and smelled Dev’s amazing oak moss scent before he leaned down and breathed in my ear. “Penny for your thoughts,” he said and kissed my neck, making goose bumps erupt on my skin.
“I was just taking in our strange family out there and thinking how great it is.”
“It is pretty great, isn’t it?” he agreed. “So, are you ready to see yourself on TV?”
I groaned. “I don’t know. But I am curious to see how it all came together.”
“I can’t wait for everybody to see it. I may be biased, but this is one of my favorite finished products. It’s so good, Hanlen. And the evidence is super compelling. The network thinks that this episode may open the way for more viewership. It’s very . . . personal, and it shows in how it all came together.” He turned me and kissed me, and I melted into him. “Thank you for that. For everything.”
“I should be thanking you,” I said. “You rid me of my ghosts, as ironic as that statement is.”
He laughed. “And you, mine—except for those we want to keep around,” he added and looked over at our laughing group of dearly departed.
“You know,” he added, “those in my religion have a belief. Well, we have many,”—he chuckled—“but this one is important for this moment. We believe that the soul and spirit are initially split. We believe that upon death, thegros-bon-ange, or good big angel, stays with the body for some time and eventually becomes part of the lwa—those unique and powerful spirits we serve. On the other hand, theti-bon-ange, the good little angel, functions as a guardian and protector. When and if revived through ritual, thegros-bon-angecan become agovi, inhabiting an earthly vessel to remain with those they love and to be called upon by people like me. We are lucky enough to have those, you and I. Spirits who love us enough to remain.”
I swiped a tear from my cheek and nodded. “And now I can see and interact with them. A gift that you gave me.”
He kissed me. “You’re the gift, Hanlen.”
This man. My phone suddenly rang with a familiar tune.
“That’s probably my mom on video chat,” I said and stepped back just enough to pull my cell from my pocket to answer the call.
“Hey, Mom,” I said and took in my mother on the screen. Linette Arbor-Dunhill was a beautiful woman who fit in well with the elite, spandex-wearing, Botox-chasing, yoga-retreat-attending ladies of Boca Raton.
“Hi, sweetie. Hi, handsome,” she said to Dev. Mom had been all too thrilled when I called to tell her that Dev and I were together and that I was moving back to Arborwood. She even told me that her psychic had told her that would happen and that she kind of already knew. The old me would have scoffed at her and told her that she should adjust her meds. The new me could only smile. Because . . . who knew? Maybe her psychic was like Larken. Lark could be so intuitive it was kind of scary at times.
“Hi, Mrs. Dunhill.”
