Page 132 of Fairy Godmothers Aren't Cheap

“I look forward to handling that.”

My heart soared above the icebergs, the heat of happiness melting away the ice.

“So, um. Speaking of girlfriends…” I dragged out the last word.

“Like you?” He dropped another kiss on my lips.

“Like me. But what’s the real reason you broke it off with Sophia?”

James looked at me with such seriousness, the icebergs of fear started reforming in the frigid waters.

“I broke up with her because I met you.”

No. There was no way.

He stroked my cheek, his smile soft and wistful. “When you hauled me over to chew out that kid for climbing on the mummies, for the first time, I could see my future.”

“Really?” He was taking my breath away, clearing the waters for all time.

“I could see it all with you. The adventure, the fun, but also the quiet moments. All of it. I could see you there, no matter my mood, no matter which course I decided to take next. I knew you wouldn’t think me crazy. You’d jump in and join the absurdity of it all.” He stroked my cheek with a tenderness I could get used to. “I love you and your curiosity, Char. And I started falling for you the first time I ever saw you.”

Oh, wow. I think my legs were going to give out like they did in romance novels. The wobbly leg thing was real. As real as my affection for this man.

James chuckled, his eyes sparkling. “Also, I was smitten by how, while doing inventory, you were trying to slyly peek inside a tomb.”

“I wasn’t!” My face went hot. “I was looking for barcodes to replace.”

His smile told me he’d caught me the one time I’d pried my fingers under the edge and tried lifting. The one and only time. I sighed. “Okay. But I only did that once.”

He chuckled, drawing me deeper into his arms again, into the place I truly belonged and could forever call home. “I saw all sorts of things in that job. But mostly I saw you.”

50. Epilogue

CHRISTMAS

~ Char ~

I’d been texting the GAL PAL group, halfheartedly trying to talk Samantha down out of breaking up with Malachi, when my phone rang. Tamara! Maybe she had some good advice about our freaking-out friend.

“Merry Christmas, Tam-Tam! I think Samantha’s totally going to break up with him. Don’t you?” The last of the Mexican sun’s rays had faded, but the heat was still radiating from the poolside concrete, warming me. Mexico was marvellous, whereas back home they were having a blizzard.

Yeah, I was in the right place, and not just because I was curled up on a lounge chair by the pool, wrapped up in James’ bronzed arms. The water was a sparkling fake blue, but beyond it was the ocean, a deep, dark shade, changing with the wind and sun. With dusk it had become a whispering backdrop to what would surely be an amazing evening with James and his parents, who’d adopted me into the family and had even overlapped one of their own vacations so we could all spend Christmas together. Even my dad was going to fly down here for a few days, thanks to my new income bracket as a pottery expert, and his stabilized health. This holiday was perfect. Heaven. Everything I would have wished for—if not afraid of the possible ripple effects.

James placed a warm kiss on my shoulder, brushing my cover-up out of the way in order to do so. My favourite song began playing on the speakers around the pool and an adorable toddler giggled and squealed while splashing his sister. My drink cool and refreshing. I was happy. I had everything.

I couldn’t have wished for this. I couldn’t have imagined anything this good, this sweetly small and normal thing that would fill me with so much.

“I hit something,” Tamara said, a tremor in her voice. “With Benjamin.”

Benjamin was her Sebring. He’d hit a lot of things, but it had never left a tremor in Tamara’s voice. I sat up, my euphoria caving in upon itself, my drink spilling.

“I’m serious, Char.”

My mind struggled to compute. Tamara was back in Eagle Ridge, which meant her driving was less stressed than when she was in Calgary. That meant hitting fewer things, and not just because there was less to run into out there. No, usually Tamara laughed off her vehicular oopsies. But she wasn’t laughing. She was calling me.

I plugged an ear to drown out the pool music and got up, padding further from the sounds of splashing kids.

“What’s wrong?” James asked, sitting up.

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