Shadow Bend (Witches of Sanctuary Book 3) Page 20

  Julien places his chin on the top of my head. “What is a Raven if it doesn’t learn to fly?”

  And it’s true.

  Julien deserves this.

  “I’m going to miss you.”

  He pulls me back to look at my face. By some miraculous feat, I’ve managed to keep the tears at bay. “I’ll miss you too. Will you check in on my grandmother and Svetta for me? Especially Svetta.”

  “Of course. Sadie and I are going to help her in her garden as soon as the last frost passes.”

  “She’ll enjoy that.”

  “Be safe,” I say, giving his jacket a little tug. “And have fun. Just not too much fun, because I’m not bailing you out of jail.”

  “Trust me, Lyric already gave me the same lecture.”

  I nod, and I can’t look at him when he squeezes my hand. “I have to go,” he whispers.

  “I know.”

  I hug him one last time.

  My Julien. Finally, the way he was meant to be.

  He gets on his bike and puts on his helmet. He flips the visor up. “Thank you for being my first real friend, Wilhelmina Daniels. Distance and time won’t ever change that.”

  He gives me one final wave goodbye, and he’s gone. There aren’t any tears. Those will come later. During that first visit to Svetta’s house when I see that look in her eyes that asks me why he wasn’t enough. When I sit at the table for dinner and his seat is empty night after night. Maybe, most of all, this summer when the days are at their longest and my friend isn’t there, sitting at the counter next to me at the bookstore, the simple silence enough.

  A streak of sunlight flashes around the side of a tree trunk and I find a smile. “Goodbye, Julien,” I say softly to the breeze that follows him.

  I follow the path down the mountain that Julien pointed out, but it isn’t easy. It’s not particular worn, and it’s quite steep. Luckily, there are a lot of small trees I can grab to keep my balance. I spot the water out in the distance, shimmering and still. The path comes out onto a rock, spilling the vision of the lake out before me. I see nothing but water for miles. There aren’t any twists and turns in this section, so the magnitude of it isn’t hidden.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Reid stands at the edge of the rock, his hands in his pockets, staring out at the lake.

  “Absolutely,” I say, going to him. “How did you get here?”

  “I walked. There’s a shortcut over the mountain. My mom used to bring me and Abby here to swim when we were kids.” He notices me eyeing the chilly-looking water and laughs. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on swimming today. I just wanted to take a walk since the weather is so nice.”

  “Okay.” I take his hand, and Reid leads me around the mountain. Once we make it back to the top, we follow the ridge line. The sun is exceptionally warm on top of the ridge, and I take my time. Signs of spring have popped up everywhere. Tiny green bulbs sprout on tree limbs, and a doe with a young fawn gallops through the bushes ahead of us.

  Within the hour, I start to recognize the path. We’re getting close to our house. Reid takes my hand. “Do you remember the conversation we had about my plans for us?”

  “Of course.”

  “I don’t want you to think I’ve forgotten about it. It’s just, I promised Julien I would wait until he left.”

  I see the end of the path up ahead that leads out into my backyard, so I stop us. “Wait until he left to do what?”

  Reid glances down at me beneath the end of his hair that has grown back out. His smile is sheepish and shy. “Your mother left me something in her will. There have been a few occasions that I’ve gotten angry and thrown out the letter she left with it, but then I would always find it, straighten it back out, and put it back in its place.”

  “What did it say? What did she leave you?”

  My hearts thuds in my chest, and Reid moves closer to me. “It was a note. It said just in case.”

  Reid’s fingers lace into mine, and I realize he’s placed something between our hands. He pulls them up between us. A diamond ring glimmers in the sunlight. “It belonged to your grandmother. You can have it back either way, because it’s rightfully yours, but if you don’t mind, there’s a question I would like to ask you first.”

  My breath catches. “Reid…”

  “Shh…” He’s biting his lip, his fingers trembling as he takes the ring in his hand. “I’ve been practicing this since the summer. Give me a shot to get it out.”

  Tears come with my smile. My fingers cover my mouth as he bends down on his knee. Those green eyes shine up at me. Expectant and nervous.

  “Fate put us together, a miracle that I am beyond thankful for, even though I wasn’t always grateful for the privilege. You changed my life even before I knew you. You’ve taught me patience, kindness, and love. And I promise, I will spend the rest of my life returning it. You chose me once, but I need you to do it one more time. I need you to choose me forever. Wilhelmina Daniels, will you marry me?”

  The kiss, the knock-him-over enthusiastic hug is answer enough, but I say it anyway, because this answer…this choice deserves to be sung from the rooftops.

  “Yes.” I kiss him a hundred, maybe a thousand times. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”

  Our lips part long enough for him to slip the ring on my finger. “Our family is waiting,” he whispers against my mouth when I kiss him again.

  And they are. Somehow, in the couple hours I’ve been gone, they’ve managed to decorate my entire backyard. Lights are strung through the trees, while sets of tables and chairs are scattered everywhere. And food. Sera has gone above and beyond with the amount of food. There’s a band, and Sadie has her guitar.

  I stand there dumbfounded. Abby runs to me and grabs my hand to see the ring. Congratulations,” she screams, hugging me and then her brother. “It’s about time we get to celebrate the two of you.”

  Everyone starts to cheer and hold up glasses in the air. I eye them both. “Is this an engagement party?”

  Reid hugs me from behind, swaying me back and forth. His smile inches across the back of my neck. “Abby’s idea.”

  Music starts in the background, and Reid takes my hand. “Excuse us, Abby, but I would like a dance with my fiancée.”

  Abby rolls her eyes. “You just wanted an excuse to call her that.”

  He shrugs, unrepentant, and leads me out in front of the makeshift stage. Sadie’s playing a slow and beautiful melody on her guitar, and it’s then I realize the band with her is actually Louie and Leo. Louie is playing the piano and Leo sits behind a small drum set. He waves a stick at me just at Reid spins me around.

  “This is Zeke’s song,” Reid says, pulling me into him. “Sadie asked if she could play it for us, so he could be part of the day.”

  I place my arm around his neck and lean into him. “I love it. It’s no wonder he jumped up on that stage after her.”

  He hums in my ear. “I think another one has fallen for her charms,” he says, throwing a glance at Louie.

  I know that glance. Reid is so protective. “They are just friends. Sadie isn’t in that kind of place yet. Louie is very understanding.”

  Reid still eyes him, though I think he’s still harboring pent-up hatred for the Galloway clan because of Leo. “If I were you, I’d be more worried about the Cote dancing with your sister.”

  I spin us around so Reid can see Abby and Lyric. They are in love. Madly so. Abby and Lyric stare into each other’s eyes. Reid rolls his eyes. “Please don’t ruin this day for me,” he says with a groan.

  “He’s going to be your brother-in-law one day. You might as well accept it.”

  “Not today.” His lips brush my ear. “Today is only about you.”

  “Us,” I correct him, and he grins.

  He steps away from me a moment and glances up. “Ah, there it is.”

  Clouds move across the sky above us, revealing the moon, and with it, our hands turn green. The crowd starts to cheer b
ehind us as the glow takes over our entire bodies. I gasp, not expecting it. We are only supposed to turn green under the moonlight after drinking a potion. Reid bites his lips, obviously guilty. “I slipped it into your coffee this morning,” he admits before I can ask him.

  “Clever.” I jerk him back to me, and we dance like that under the moonlight. “What if I would have said no?”

  “I was willing to take the chance. Always have been.”

  I smile against his shoulder, thankful that even in my darkest hour, the simple thought of my family kept that spark of light alive inside me so one day I could experience this.

  Green. In love. Free.

  A Sanctuary that belongs to the Innocent. Where light, love, and friendship will always be enough to defeat the shadows in all of us.

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  Acknowledgments

  This series has been a labor of love since I first started it back in graduate school. I would have never been able to finish it without the support and encouragement from John, Delilah, and Gracie. They’ve been there for me every step of the way. I can only hope that one day my daughters will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for them.

  A big thank you goes out to all my family, friends, and co-workers who constantly asked me for updates. You kept my motivation high in moments when I didn’t think I had any left. It’s only because of you that I finished this book in any kind of reasonable time frame.

  Thank you to every single reader who has stuck with Wilhelmina to the end. For me, this journey has taken years, and it means a lot to finally get to share all of it with you.

  Finally, I have to thank my wonderful publisher, Limitless Publishing, and everyone who has worked with me to get this series out in the world. You made everything about this process easy, and most importantly, fun. Thank you for bringing my vision to life and making it so much better than I could have even imagined on my own.

  About the Author

  Savannah was born in Hyden, Kentucky. She received her M.S in Speech Language Pathology from The University of Mississippi in 2009. She’s been writing since the early age of nine when she begged her parents for a type writer for Christmas.

  She now lives in Corbin, Ky with her husband of eight years, John, and their two wonderful daughters, Delilah and Gracie.

  When she isn’t working, or running after her kids, she spends her free time traveling the country with her husband. There is nothing better than a day of football in the grove, a late night of basketball at Rupp Arena or slapping the glass to celebrate another Washington Capitals goal.

  She is a strong believer that with enough hard work and determination you can accomplish anything.

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