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Elizabeth was right. We had taken the quiet, lonely castle and turned it into a place filled with laughter and life.
We kept most of the decorations, though we did have to make changes to turn it into a hotel.
The dining room stayed the same, just with a bigger table. The kitchen was fully staffed now, and June and Logan had created an almost mother-son relationship that Lincoln would get pouty about.
Still, they were the perfect duo–him doing the cooking, her doing the baking, and making the guests happy every day.
Margaret remained in her caretaker role, ensuring the castle had everything it needed. She was often the first to know when repairs were necessary, bringing it to us so we could make it happen.
Stephen loved to sit behind the front desk, living his best life and reading books, directing guests when they needed help and assisting with check-ins and checkouts.
Onyx was the resident cat, constantly begging for attention from anyone willing to give it. She had made herself right at home. Sometimes, I would worry about her getting lost in the castle, but she always found her way to our wing at the end of the night.
The south wing was big enough that we were able to convert a few rooms for June and Stephen, a couple for us at the opposite end of the hallway, and ensuring there was plenty of space between us.
We had a standing room for Elizabeth and her son in one of the guest wings–a suite that she could use at any time. In fact, we never let anyone stay there. It was her personal home base, and we would never take that from her.
Working with Elizabeth had been a dream. She truly believed in our vision and was happy to see it through. She didn’t come back often, never staying more than a night or two before she was off on another adventure, living her best life. She deserved it after the years she spent within these walls.
The ghosts were happier than anyone, proud to tease the guests and keep the haunting alive. They never took it too far, and I appreciated them for that.
Although we did have to scold Claire a few times for not having any boundaries when it came to privacy if she thought one of the guests was attractive.
She was an eternal flirt, and sometimes that was a problem.
To me, this place had become a different sort of home. Sure, we had Shadow Ridge, and we loved our mansion, but this place was different.
I didn’t have to hide here, and I had all of our family in one place. I spent plenty of afternoons baking with June or just enjoying the castle and this cute, little town.
We did have to explain to June and Stephen exactly what I could do. They were shocked at first, but they took it well. It wasn’t like they hadn’t been around supernatural stuff their whole life thanks to Lincoln.
It may have required some theatrics from the ghosts to prove my point, but Remington was more than happy to play along.
At least they weren’t ready to run for the hills the moment they found out about me. They just shrugged it off and went with the flow. They were always easy going people, but it was nice to know I wasn’t going to be shunned by another family, that this mother wasn’t going to snub her nose at what I could do.
Something I certainly never got from my own family.
Instead, I made my own, and I couldn’t be happier.
Elizabeth had talked a lot about legacy, something she could leave for her children. Maybe we would never be ready to have kids of our own, but we had this.
We had the association that we loved being a part of. It was a way for us to talk to other ghost hunters, to give our opinions and help when we could.
Then we had the ghosts here and the guests. I had always been proud of what I had accomplished with the Spirit Vlog, and I had no intentions of stopping anytime soon. But now I had a different sort of calling.
Bellmore’s resident ghosts deserved to be heard, and I was so happy that this next leg of our lives would be spent within these halls.
“She’s here!” June called out as she poked her head into the library where I was reading. Not so much reading as reminiscing about all the changes we’ve made to Bellmore and how happy I was here.
That was all forgotten at June’s words. I dropped the book and practically ran out of the room.
“There she is,” Olivia’s voice echoed in the foyer. We were both running across the room until we crashed together. I hugged my best friend tight.
“You’re really going to do it?” I questioned.
“My brother is living his best life with his boyfriends, my parents are just my parents, and I will still visit them. But you think I was going to turn down the opportunity to live like a princess in a castle with my best friend? Hell no.”
“You’re going to love it here, I promise. Let me show you around.”
Now that my best friend was here, I didn’t think things could get any better. Olivia was on her own healing journey, and I was happy to be part of it, to provide a place for her to start.
When she heard about what we were doing, she was excited and curious. After one visit, we both knew she belonged here.
I had my men with me, my family, and now my best friend. Add a few crazy ghosts who kept us on our toes, and that was a recipe for my version of happily ever after.
The End
