Page 65 of Oohs, Ahhhs, and Orbs

“Now, tell me about the baby.”

Logan chose that exact moment to walk through the door, and I didn’t know how I hadn’t heard him and Sammy coming up the stairs. “Umm…”

“Baby?” Logan asked, his sharp gaze on me. “What baby?”

I smiled sheepishly at him, ignoring my mother’s gasp, then threw up my hands and wiggled my fingers. “Surprise!”

Epilogue

LOGAN

Iset the ball of metal on the Captain’s desk as he sat back in his chair in surprise. I set the folder down next to it and slid it toward him.

“Glenda Southa, born 1792, otherwise known as The Gainsburg Witch. She murdered several of her coven members in an attempt to gain magic and power. She was succeeding until the witch council intervened. She was put to death, but not before she bound her soul to her athame.

“That athame was found around fifty years ago, and subsequently, anyone who owned it was cursed. It recently came into the possession of Suzanne Waters, who was tasked by the council to bind it. Through a series of unfortunate events,” I held back my grimace, not caring to throw Bridgette under the bus. I left out any mention of her role in Glenda’s managing to escape the athame during her murders. “Glenda used the power of the moon during its cycle to perform rituals in which killing another witch would give her enough magic to become… alive again.”

At that point, the Captain reached over and snatched the folder and opened it. I watched as he scanned my written report.When he was done, he sat back and stared at me. “Your woman single-handedly defeated this ghostly witch on her hunt for immortality. And that,” he pointed to the dingy ball of metal, “is all that’s left of the murder weapon.”

I straightened my shoulders. “Yes, sir.”

He whistled and ran a hand through his hair. “Were you aware she had this… ability?”

“I was aware she was the most powerful witch in the area. I didn’t know until last night that she wasthatpowerful. But, I have to say, sir, I’m glad for it. Knowing my woman can’t be harmed is a relief.”

“I imagine it is,” he sighed and reached into his desk drawer. Setting my badge and service weapon on the desk in front of him, he looked back at me. “I was going to call you today. You just saved me the effort. A new task force has been formed. One that is responsible for the strange things that happen around the area. You are in charge of it. This,” he waved at the report and the ruined athame, “shows exactly why you are the right man for the job. It goes without saying that this is a secret task force. It is going to be kept off the books. As far as anyone knows, you are still simply a homicide detective.”

I reached over and picked up my shield, an immense weight lifting off my shoulders as I looked down at it. I felt like I could breathe again as I felt the solidness under my fingertips. “Yes, sir,” I managed to choke out.

“I never doubted you, son. I want you to know that. Taking that badge away from you was one of the worst things I have ever had to do in my career.”

I eyed the Captain and nodded. I believed him. He was bound by red tape and the orders of others, but he had always had my back when it counted in the past. “Thank you, Captain.” I picked up the service weapon and, after sliding the magazine inside, I put it in my pocket until I could put my shoulder holster back on.I felt the disk inside my pocket and withdrew it. “Captain, I have something for you. It’s from Bridgette.”

I handed the disk to him and he studied it. It was wooden, flat, and intricately carved with symbols surrounding the perimeter. It looked like a coaster that would sit on your coffee table. One that a witch may have designed.

“What is it?” he asked as he turned it over.

“I believe she mentioned coffee,” I said, then turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway. “One more thing,” I said, and watched as he set his cold coffee mug on top of the disk. We both watched as, seconds later, steam began to rise from the mug.

“I’ll be damned,” he muttered.

“There’s someone Bridgette wants you to meet.”

I walked out the door, whistling to myself. I’d done my part; it was up to Bridgette’s mother to secure her own date.

Epilogue

Bridgette

It had beenan amazing six months. Logan and I had gotten married at my mother’s insistence a week ago. Logan had wanted to do it within a week of them arriving back home, but she’d demanded time to plan a proper wedding. I was happy to let her do her thing. Logan had grumbled the entire time, often complaining about not wanting his daughter to be born without us being properly wed first.

I rubbed my belly, and the bump there was huge, considering the size of my husband. I wasn’t looking forward to the birth, but I was glad I wasn’t alone. Shayla’s baby bump was nearly as big as mine. With her tall, willowy figure and the size of her hotty professor, she was much in the same boat as I was when it came to how little space we had inside to carry our ginormous babies.

Logan and I were on a honeymoon, though we hadn’t gone far from home. I’d wanted to travel, but considering I was nearly seven months pregnant, Logan refused to fly anywhere, and he’d absolutely put his foot down about the cruise my grandmother had suggested. We’d all just rolled our eyes at his usualoverprotective attitude when it came to me and our growing little girl.

We’d already been to the beach and stayed for a few days. Currently, we were on our way to the mountains where we’d planned to hide out in a cabin all alone for the next week before finally heading back home. I already missed Sammy, and I know Logan did, too.

I walked down the sidewalk, heading toward the restaurant we’d seen as we’d driven through the city we’d stopped in for the night. Logan was just a few feet away from me, looking suspiciously at a group of men talking outside a nightclub. I could have told him they were demons and that was probably why he felt his internal alarm bells ringing, but I figured I’d wait until we were alone.

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