“I thought you spoke with them and smoothed things over?”
“Oh, I did. They want to discuss getting some of my old furniture out of the storage unit. I held onto a few things for a new house. Looks like I won’t be needing any of it.”
He squeezes my hand as we ascend the steps to the porch. “You’re absolutely certain you aren’t moving in with me just because Tyler and Zoe are buying Leslie’s house?”
“Yes. If I weren’t ready, I would have looked for an apartment. Let’s talk about the rest of the move later at home.”
“I like you calling my house your home.”
“Me, too,” I say, turning the doorknob.
The young witches are busy setting out refreshments on the tables. Shane and a woman near his age are chatting with Ronnie and Derek in the parlor. My boss is finally introducing his secret love to us, but I have a feeling he’s not divulging our witch status. Courtney Erickson, Jeff Williams, and Ashley Lewis arrive and join them. Mesmerized by Ronnie and Derek’s daughter Luna, Ashley’s son Aidan can’t take his eyes off of her. I hope it's curiosity and not a sign of his Tylwyth Teg ancestry. I approach Tyler and the others in the dining room while Archie goes into the parlor.
“Hi, Mom,” my son says. “Did you remember to bring the key to the storage unit?”
“Yeah.” I remove the tiny piece of metal from my purse and hand it to him. “Take whatever you want. I may sell what’s left and stop paying the monthly bill. I’ll transport any personal items to Archie’s.”
“Do you care if I paint the furniture?” Zoe asks. “I want to go wild.” She splays her hands in the air.
I chuckle. “Sure. Knock yourself out.”
Skye nudges me. “Tyler said you’re moving in with Archie. Congrats.”
“Thank you. Zach coming tonight?”
“Yeah,” she replies. “When he’s done at work.”
“It’s about fucking time,” Spence says, hugging me. “You’re like an old married couple already.”
“We are. Well, middle-aged at least.” I remove my jacket and gloves and stuff them under a table.
Tanner throws Spence a side-eye. “Dude, that’ll be us soon enough. I’m happy for you both, Gwyn.”
“Thanks. It felt like the right time, if there ever is one. Speaking of old, where are Leslie, Agnes, Trinity, and Elijah?”
Skye motions toward the hallway. “In the back room. Mayor Devine and John Erickson came early to talk with them. Sounds more like a set of demands than a conversation, though.”
“Really?” I ask, glancing into the parlor. “I should tell Archie.”
As I approach the parlor, Aidan runs to me, hugging my leg.
“Miss Gwyn.” He points to Luna. “It’s a baby.”
I smile at Ronnie and Derek. “Yes. It is. A beautiful little girl.” I glance at Courtney. “Hi, I’m so glad you came.”
“I am, too,” she replies. “John came with me. He’s in the back.”
“When Luna gets old enough, the two of you can play together,” my best friend says. “Would you like that, Aidan?”
A bashful smile shapes his mouth. “Yes. I want to play with other girls and boys like me.”
“You do, Aidan,” Ashley says, averting her eyes. “We have a play date set up for this week. He didn’t remember.”
Jeff interjects. “But Mrs. Erickson is going to have a baby, too. You’ll have plenty of friends.”
“Be patient, Aidan,” Courtney says. “My baby will arrive in a few months.”
It appears he will have friends like him, and those are just the ones we’re aware of. I gesture to Courtney to follow me to a quiet corner of the room.
“Are we OK?” Courtney asks. “I want to have a fulfilling life in Bearsden. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Yeah, but don’t expect us to be great friends. You fucking lied to everybody about everything. But you saved the children, and for that, I’m grateful. I have a few questions, though.”
She nods. “Ask me. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“Why didn’t the coven sense your fairy magic before? I only noticed it a few times when you returned to Bearsden. I’m assuming that’s due to my improved intuition. But you’d think one witch in the coven would have discerned the difference.”
“Audrey cast a masking spell to cover my fairy magic. She wanted my help to infiltrate the coven because she knew she’d have trouble finding a witch who would do harm to others. I agreed to do it if she helped me get Archie back.”
“Wow. She knew you were a fairy.”
“Yes. She sensed my magic when I crossed over into Bearsden. I discovered this new portal and came through alone. I hid at first, observing the humans in the town. One day, I saw Archie walking through the Green. He was so handsome. I created a human persona right away and enrolled at DUB to be closer to him.” She smiles mischievously. “And it worked.”
I scowl at her, and her smile falls flat.
“Then you showed up. Well, you know the rest. But that’s all behind me.”
Audrey never told us about Courtney’s true identity, and she remained true to her fairy friend until the end. Does Courtney know what happened to her?
