Page 124 of The Alpha and the Baker
“I love you too,” I answered. “Forever.”
“Forever,” he affirmed.
That sleepy haze was fierce now,and my eyelids drooped. I had no desire to fight the dreams, because I was more contentthan I had ever thought was possible, finally having the solid ground under my feet that I had been looking for, for so long.
In my heart, I knew that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
The McCallister pack was where I was supposed to spend the rest of my life.
I wasn’t alone anymore, and I never would be.
I had found my happily ever after, and it truly was better than I ever thought possible.
Epilogue
Castiel
“You almost ready, babe?”Felicia called from my bedroom.
I nearly jumped out of my skin, bumping my knee against the bathroom counter.
Get yourself together! I chided myself as I looked into the mirror.
“I’m good,” I said, trying to sound like myself with mixed success. Well, I certainly hadn’t picked up any convincing acting in the year and a half since the reunion that had made me go into the city to get emergency baked goods.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Felicia asked, peeking her head around the doorway and nearly making me exit the mortal coil all over again. “You seem a bit... jumpy.”
“Me?” I asked, trying to play dumb. You’d think I’d be better at that given the puns I loved torturing Felicia with, but it sounded hollow to my ears. Quickly, I tried to think of a convincing cover. “Just excited for this new restaurant. It feels like we haven’t had time for a date in forever.”
“Sorry, graduation season has been killer. I’ve had more orders in these past two months than my entire first year of being open.”
I crossed to her, grateful for the distraction but also because I loved supporting my partner. “Hey, you never have to apologize for your success,” I said, drawing her into my arms. “I know you’re making extra super-duper sure that you’re financially stable enough to bring on another employee full time.”
“I just wanna make sure that if I’m hiring Auntie Letitia, I have enough to pay for her full hours and benefits.”
“And you have. But let’s leave the bakery and the pack behind for now and enjoy our date, shall we?”
She grinned up at me, looking like both an angel and a demon of temptation in her ruby-red dress, her hair done up in a bow with an intricate series of curls falling down the nape of her long, elegant neck. She’d been so busy ever since kicking the fairies’ asses, she hadn’t had her hair cut once. It was even longer than when I first met her. I loved it. It gave me even more to grab in certain positions.
“Sounds like a good idea. All work and no play makes Felicia a dull girl.”
I kissed her hard and fiercely, hoping her lipstick would withstand the move. When I pulled back from her, she leaned forward, as if she was trying to follow me, a hazy expression on her face that never failed to get me going. “You could never be dull,” I rumbled.
“You know… we could always stay home,” Felicia murmured, pressing up against me.
It was tempting all right, but not tonight. I had worked myself up to this night for months. It was the perfect time now that things were calm again with the pack and the graduation season had ended, so we could truly have a night for just the two of us.
“Later,” I promised, kissing her forehead. “I promise.”
“Fine. But only because I really want to see this restaurant too.”
“Fair enough.”
Hand in hand, we walked to my car. We were going to an upscale restaurant, and I hoped to God it would be a much better experience than our first date.
Then again, I cherished that night. Perfectly imperfect, I liked to call it. Which was entirelyus.
The ride to the restaurant was uneventful, and I didn’t have to worry about parking because they had a valet service. Normally, I wouldn’t make use of it, but I was trying to focus on the moment, which was not easy what with the nerves and joy simmering under my skin.
