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And then I remember that she’ll officially be my daughter in just a few hours and my chest suddenly feels too small to contain the swell of emotion.
I squeeze Casey’s hand. “I can’t wait to be her papa. And your husband.”
Casey leans into my side. “Me, either. I saw the tent going up by the pool. It’s beautiful.”
“Orange, like you wanted. With calla lilies in white and purple inside. The staff will bring a matching bouquet to your room before the ceremony, and I believe Annie found someone to alter your gown in time.”
She sighs. “Thank you. But even if we had to get married in jeans and t-shirts, I wouldn’t care. I’m just excited to promise you all the things I’m going to promise you. Not to scare you, but I wrote my vows this afternoon, and they’re pretty kick ass. You’re going to have to bring it to keep up, mister.”
My stomach flips. “Oh, I’m ready, Ms. Wonderfully. I’m going to lay my love-drunk heart on the table for everyone to see.”
“Perfect.” She beams up at me, her cheeks pink in the last of the recently set sun’s glow, so beautiful I wish I could paint her like this.
I’m about to tell her so when Amy says, “Oh no, we made a mess.”
Casey and I glance down to see Annabelle shivering on the ground next to the toddler, who now has a wet spot on the bottom of one pant leg.
“I’m so sorry,” the dog whimpers. “I was so excited; it was out before I could hold it in. I promise I’ll do better. Please don’t send me away.”
“Of course, we won’t send you away,” I assure the poor creature, crouching down to stroke her head. “We all have accidents sometimes, don’t we, Amy?”
Amy nods enthusiastically. “Yes, I do, too. I had one at my new school. I was too sleepy and didn’t wake up from my nap in time.”
“Amy says—”
“I heard her,” Annabelle cuts in, her already large eyes practically bulging out of her head. “I heard, and I understood!”
My brows draw together. “What?”
The dog trembles with happiness. “I understand her! Can you understand me, child? Can you hear how much I want to be your puppy forever and ever and protect you with my whole heart and soul?”
Amy giggles. “She’s so silly. And such a good puppy.”
“But can you understand her?” I ask Amy. “The words she just said?”
Amy nods. “Yes. I knowed what she said all the time. Because she’s part of our family, and you always understand your family.”
Before I can explain that isn’t likely—no matter how sweet the thought—Casey asks, “What’s happening? She can understand Annabelle? How? All I hear is whimpers and barks.”
I shake my head as I stand. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s one of her witch powers coming online? Blaire can speak with animals.”
“But witch powers don’t manifest until kids are older, and it just seems strange that…” Casey trails off, frowning as she shifts her attention Amy’s way. “Honey, you haven’t heard any other animals talking, have you? Other than Annabelle?”
Amy shakes her head as she plops down in the grass to cuddle the dog on her lap again. “No, Mama. And it not strange, it’s good. We can still keep Annabelle, right? Even though she had an accident? She didn’t mean to.”
“Of course,” Casey assures her. “We’ll just need to head back a little early to give you a bath before we get dressed for the wedding. But it’s not a big deal, like Edmond said, we all have accidents sometimes. Even mamas and papas.”
Amy’s eyes go wide. “Really? You, too, Mommy?”
Casey smiles. “Yep, when you were in my tummy, you got so big you’d kick my bladder and sometimes I couldn’t—”
Her words are drowned out by a deep rumbling from ahead on the trail, a sound like a lawnmower mixed with a dinosaur’s growl.
Casey reaches for my arm, squeezing tight as she hisses, “What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know,” I murmur, reaching for Amy with one arm and Annabelle with the other.
We’ve just entered the woods at the edge of the estate, but there shouldn’t be anything in our forest big enough to make a sound like that. The property is warded to prevent any creature larger than a possum or raccoon from crossing onto our lands from the surrounding woods.
