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But though I’m sure that day will never come, in the end it doesn’t matter.
Because they belong to each other and they also belong to me.
And nothing will ever break that bond.
No witches, no demon, not even death.
Epilogue
Kat
Three months later
“Are you nervous?” Crane asks me as he pulls at the laces of my corset, tightening them around my ribs.
“No, but I can’t breathe,” I tell him, looking back at him from the corner of my eye.
He grins at me and places a kiss on my shoulder. “Sorry,” he tells me, finishing tying me up. “You know it’s good luck to have a little bit of pain on your wedding day.”
“Is that so?” I say coyly, turning around and reaching up, hooking my wrists behind his neck. He ducks his head a little since I can barely reach. “I don’t recall you causing me any pain on our wedding day.”
He places his hands on my waist. “I figured you were in such shock at having to marry me to begin with, no additional pain was needed. Though I wouldn’t say there wasn’t any pain on our wedding night.”
I close my eyes to the memory of the three of us on a king-sized bed in our fancy hotel room, my wedding dress torn in half by two very impatient and demanding men.
“But,” Crane goes on with a heated smirk, “since this is Brom you’re marrying now, well, perhaps I’m just a little jealous.”
I laugh, leaning to the side as the ship lists and Crane’s steady hands keep me up. “How can you be jealous? We’ve been legally married for two months now. You’re my husband. How do you think Brom has felt being on the sidelines?”
“You know he’s never on the sidelines. He’s always at the forefront, right alongside you,” he says. Then his hands drop to my belly and he holds them there gently. “Though I suppose soon you shouldn’t be wearing any corsets at all. You have to give the baby space to breathe.”
I bring my hands over his and squeeze, so much love fluttering up through me I don’t know what to do with it. I’m three months into my pregnancy with Crane’s child, my husband’s child, and in a couple of minutes I’m supposed to meet with the captain of this ship where he will marry me to Brom. There’s been so much change since we escaped from Sleepy Hollow, but it’s all been for the better.
It’s been better than I could have ever dreamed of.
A clock chimes from the wall of our double cabin and Crane pulls away. “Time to get you dressed.” He goes over to the wardrobe and brings out my other wedding gown. This one is simpler than the one before, mainly because I know both Brom and Crane will be tearing it off me later with impatience, or at the very least getting it stained.
Also, we have to be more frugal with our money. Crane walked away from the cathedral with thousands of dollar’s worth of rare gems, but that won’t last us forever. We spent a lot on our tickets on this ship across the Atlantic, and the rest of the money will go to buying a house in London, England. After that, Crane will get a teaching job somewhere prestigious, while Brom says he wants more of an industrial job, and I’ll be taking care of the baby.
A knock at the door sounds just as Crane has finished buttoning up the back of the dress.
“Come in,” he says.
The door opens and Famke pokes her head inside. “Your witness is here,” she says. “Reporting for duty.” She always jokes this way around Crane, I suppose his bossy personality rubs off on everyone.
“I’m ready,” I tell her, sitting on the bed while Crane slips on my shoes. Of course, I won’t be alone in raising our child. Even with Brom and Crane off working, Famke will be there to help me every step of the way.
“You look lovely, dear,” she says to me when I get up, taking my hands in hers.
“Thank you,” I tell her. “I wanted something more simple with Brom, being on a ship and all.”
“And Brom’s a much more simple man,” Crane comments.
“Oh, you,” Famke chides him. “Bristling with jealousy because your best friend is marrying your wife.”
Crane laughs. “Well, when you put it that way.”
Once Famke was able to leave Sleepy Hollow and join us in Manhattan, she quickly realized how special the relationship between the three of us was. I think she always suspected, but being with us she was exposed to it openly. There would be no hiding with us, no pretending that Brom was just a good friend of ours and that’s it. And she went along with it. She protected our relationship from the outside world, telling people what they wanted to hear, while she knew how deep our feelings for each other went.
