Aedan and Rhosewen spent their first sleepover on a blanket in the middle of the lawn, cuddling—mostly innocently—under twinkling stars. The next morning, at precisely the same time, their eyes popped open and met, and smiles stretched across their delighted faces.
“Good morning, my beautiful Rose,” he whispered, sweeping his thumb across her cheek.
She closed her eyes and nuzzled his palm, teasing his wrist with her lips. “Good morning.”
Aedan’s veins pulsed against satiny flesh, and he couldn’t deny the urge to kiss her neck, his body light as air yet so full of feeling. “I love waking up with you, Rose. This is already the best day of my life.”
He inhaled deeply, sliding his lips to her face, and she turned away from his wrist, finding his mouth as she pulled his hand to her heart. Their longest, most tender kiss yet, it left them vibrating.
They were so wrapped up in each other, they jolted when a door opened. Then they laughed and looked up, finding Morrigan gliding toward them with a tray, her caramel curls and peach eyes glinting in the rising sun.
“Good morning,” she greeted, halting beside their bed of blankets.
Aedan and Rhosewen pulled themselves apart and sat up.
“Morning, mom,” Rhosewen chirped.
“Good morning, Morrigan,” Aedan added. “Did you sleep well?” He couldn’t find it in himself to feel guilty for sleeping next to her daughter. Opening his eyes to Rhosewen’s had been the most amazing moment of his life.
Morrigan watched Rhosewen’s aura as she answered. “I did. Thank you for asking. Did you two sleep well?”
“We slept great,” Rhosewen answered, unabashed.
Morrigan smiled as her aura pulsed. “Good. I brought breakfast.”
“We could have come inside to eat,” Rhosewen offered.
“We already ate,” Morrigan replied, “so I thought I’d bring out the leftovers.”
Aedan squeezed Rhosewen’s hand then jumped to his feet, relieving Morrigan of the tray. “That was thoughtful of you. Thank you.”
“Sure,” she returned, shifting her attention to Rhosewen. “Do you have plans today?”
“Not really,” Rhosewen answered. “Are you and dad going to Cape Charles again?”
“I think we’ll lounge around here instead. Would you two like to join us for lunch?”
Rhosewen looked at Aedan, who searched her eyes before answering. “I’d like that, Morrigan, but some other time. I have a lot to do today.”
“Oh,” Morrigan breathed. “How about you, sweetie? Are you going with him?”
“Nuh-uh,” Rhosewen answered, picking through the food. Then she paused and looked at Aedan. “Am I?”
“If you’d like,” he offered, “but I’m just running errands around town.”
“Looks like I’ll be here,” Rhosewen said, smiling at her mom, whose face and aura brightened.
“We’ll have to come up with something to keep us busy. There’s a spot about a mile away that would make a lovely landscape painting this time of year. We should check it out.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be in after Aedan leaves.”
“Take your time,” Morrigan insisted. “Have a good day, Aedan.”
“You, too, Morrigan. Thanks again for breakfast.”
Morrigan offered him a smile. Then she threw Rhosewen one more glance before floating away. Once she was inside, Aedan and Rhosewen abandoned the food, lying back in each other’s arms.
“Do you really have errands to run?” she asked, laying her cheek on his chest.
“Yes,” he answered. “Why? Did you want me to stay?”
“I always want you to stay.”
“I’m sorry. I thought you’d want to speak to your parents alone. I can run my errands tomorrow.”
“No, that’s okay. I do need to talk to them alone. But I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too, Rose, but we have a lifetime ahead of us, and there are things I need to do to prepare for it.”
She raised her head, flashing a peaceful smile. “A lifetime.”
“Yes,” he whispered, bringing her lips to his, “a long and lovely lifetime.”
As Aedan flew to Virginia Beach, he ran what needed done through his head. His dad would need a new employee, but there were at least three people interested in the job. Packing his possessions would be easy; he didn’t have that many. He needed to visit Kearny, his closest friend outside his coven, but he wanted to take Rhosewen along, so he decided to wait.
As he stepped into Virginia Beach’s finest jewelry shop, a bell tinkled, signaling a squat, old man from the back. “Can I help you find something?”
“How long would a custom order take?” Aedan asked.
“Well,” the man mumbled, scanning an appointment book, “looks like I’m free this week, but I can’t give you a time frame without knowing what you want.”
Aedan approached, placing a small velvet bag on the counter. Then he unfolded a piece of paper. “I’ve drawn what I want,” he said, sliding the sketch over.
The jeweler perched a pair of glasses on his nose and picked up the paper, examining the drawing under a nearby lamp.
The ring had a dainty band comprised of two spiraling ribbons of gold, and it was set with a round, pink champagne gem encircled by much smaller diamonds.
“I have the stone in the middle,” Aedan said, pointing to the bag, “but I’ll need the diamonds and the rose gold for the band.”
“I generally find custom orders tacky,” the jeweler mumbled, still scanning the sketch, “but this ring is quite impressive.” He set the paper aside and picked up the bag. “May I?”
“Of course,” Aedan allowed, so the jeweler tipped the bag upside down, catching the gemstone in his palm.
His lips parted as he stared at the translucent, sage green stone—at least eighteen carats of pure perfection. He glanced at the pink stone in the drawing then back to the green stone in his hand. “What is this?”
“Zultanite,” Aedan answered.
The hand holding the gemstone twitched as the man’s eyes widened. “Do you now how rare this is?”
“I do,” Aedan assured, “and I’m glad you’re aware as well. That will make me feel better about leaving it with you.”
The jeweler walked to a window and examined the stone in the sunlight. Then he held it under a lamp, then back up to the overhead lights, watching a few of its many colors make an appearance—khaki, canary yellow, champagne and rose pink. “It’s exquisite.”
“Yes it is,” Aedan agreed, remembering how hard he’d worked to obtain the zultanite, which had only one source—Turkey’s Anatolian Mountains. “Do you have the required diamonds and rose gold?”
“Yes,” the jeweler answered, “but it’s a good thing you brought this, because we’re fresh out of zultanite.”
Aedan laughed as he tapped the sketch. “That’s the size specifications in the upper right hand corner. And I want the finest stones you have. Money’s not an issue.”
The jeweler looked him over appreciatively then nodded toward the zultanite. “I’d hate to tarnish this beauty with imperfect diamonds. I’ll use my best material.”
“Great. How long?”
“I usually tell people at least a week, but you’re dropping a nice chunk of change and I’m intrigued by the job, so… three days.”
“Are you sure? Because I’m leaving town Saturday.”
“I’ll probably finish Thursday night,” the man replied. “You can pick it up first thing Friday morning.”
“Do you need a deposit?”
The jeweler chuckled. “I generally ask for half, but this stone is worth more than your bill. I believe you’ll be back.”
“Thanks,” Aedan returned, searching the man’s indistinct aura. Then he headed for the door. “I’ll see you Friday.”
“Yes,” the jeweler mumbled, mesmerized by the rare gem in his palm. “Have a nice day.”
Aedan arrived at his parents’ shop with a heavy heart, but picturing Rhosewen’s face soothed him, so that’s exactly what he was doing when he walked in. “Hey, dad.”
Serafin looked up in surprise. “Aedan. I thought I gave you the day off.”
“You did. Where’s mom?”
“Checking out a customer’s living room. The woman’s a chatterbox, so she might be a while. Are you here to work?”
“Only if you need me to. I wanted to take you and mom to lunch. It’s clam chowder day at Charla’s.”
“Mmm . . . I haven’t had Charla’s clam chowder in ages. Your mom’s going to be sorry she missed out.”
“We’ll bring her a bowl.”
“We better, or I’ll get the look.”
“Oh no,” Aedan laughed, knowing Daleen could give Serafin any look in the world and he’d love it.
“Hey, Anton,” Serafin shouted, “mind the store. I’m going to lunch.”
They heard a muffled mmkay from the break room then walked out the door.
Once they sat on Charla’s patio, waiting for their order, Aedan broke the news. “I talked to Rose last night. She feels the same way I do.”
“That’s good,” Serafin approved.
“That’s putting it lightly,” Aedan agreed. Then he took a deep breath, letting it out with his confession. “I’m leaving with her Saturday morning.”
“Your mom and I figured as much,” Serafin replied. “Seeing you guys together reminded us of ourselves, which led to . . . very pleasant flashbacks.” He sighed, his eyes unfocussed. Then he shook his head clear. “What’s next, a wedding?”
“Maybe, but it might be a while. I’ll make sure she’s happy before taking that step. Not that a ceremony will change anything. I’m already committed. I’ll stay with her as long as she’ll have me. I know that sounds crazy, considering I’ve only known her since Saturday, but I’ve been soul searching for three days and all I find is her. If she wants a wedding, she’ll get one. If she wants to skip it, we’ll skip it.”
Charla delivered their soup. Then Aedan waited for her to walk away before resuming the conversation. “I know it’s short notice, so I’ll find someone to fill my spot at the store.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Serafin insisted. “I already have someone lined up. But there is something else you could do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“I want you to have dinner with your mom and me, just the three of us. It would mean the world to her.”
“Sure,” Aedan agreed. “How about three dinners? Tonight, tomorrow and the day after. What will that mean to her?”
“A lot of tears,” Serafin answered. “Good ones, though. She’ll be thrilled.”
Aedan stayed busy over the next three days—finishing projects at his parents’ shop, spending quality time with them and his coven, and flying to the Ballard/Lancing community every night so he could sleep with Rhosewen in his arms. By Friday afternoon, he still hadn’t found time to visit Kearny. Oh well. He’d have to wait and see him his first trip back. Both he and Rhosewen had roots in Virginia, so they would return soon and often.
Excitement hijacked his veins when he entered the jewelry store, anxious to see the finished product of his imagination—almost finished; it would need to be engraved. He’d considered hunting down the materials and forming the ring himself, easily and expertly. But there was something to be said for items created by physical expertise rather than magical ability. Or, in this case, both—a combination of dedicated hands and a devoted mind. Still, putting his trust in non-magical skill had been a big leap of faith.
“Ahh . . . ” the jeweler beamed, “you’ve come for your ring.”
“Yes,” Aedan answered. “Is it ready?”
The man chuckled as he disappeared into the back room, talking as he went. “I was so enthralled, I finished yesterday afternoon. I would have called you, but you didn’t leave a number.” He returned, holding out the velvet bag.
Aedan took it and tipped it upside down, letting the ring fall into his palm. The zultanite glinted pale green under the florescent lights, casting its brilliance across the surrounding diamonds, and the smooth rose gold was professionally polished, displaying Aedan’s relieved reflection. The ring was the prettiest he’d seen. His beautiful Rose deserved nothing less.
“What do you think?” the jeweler asked.
“It’s perfect,” Aedan answered. “You’ve done a wonderful job, thank you.”
“It is perfect,” the jeweler agreed, “some of the best work I’ve done, but since it was your design, I can’t take the credit.”
“Let’s split the credit,” Aedan suggested, and the man’s smile broadened.
“Deal. Do you mind if I photograph it?”
“Not at all,” Aedan allowed, handing it over.
The jeweler arranged it on a piece of black satin, snapped two pictures, then handed it back.
“Thanks again,” Aedan said, tucking the ring away.
“It was a pleasure to work with such a rare stone and clever design,” the jeweler returned. “I should be thanking you.”
“Your fine work is thanks enough,” Aedan assured, pulling a thick stack of bills from his pocket. “What do I owe you?”