EPILOGUE
Emilia chewed her nails as she stood in front of the stage and watched the contestants rush around, putting the finishing touches to their beautiful creations. She couldn’t help laughing when she saw Ne-ma decorating her apple pie with cute, colorful unicorn horns.
“That was my idea.” Gramma elbowed her and said smugly. “You can’t go wrong with unicorn horns!”
Standing around Gramma were her four burly grandsons with their mates and cubs, all holding “Go, Ne-ma!” signs and banners.
Gramma jumped up and down and yelled encouragements to her best friend. Ne-ma looked up from her work and playfully shushed Gramma by waving a finger in her direction.
Storm’s entire family had turned up to support Ne-ma in the Big Bake Off. Sky and his mate, Leia, were standing just behind them, while Seath had wandered off to check out the food.
A huge stage had been set up in the town square, and there were balloons, ice cream and hot dog stands and game booths set up around the stage.
It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, and the townspeople were enjoying themselves, supporting their friends in the Big Bake Off and soaking in the carnival atmosphere.
The bell went off and all the contestants put their hands up and stepped back. The crowd whistled and applauded enthusiastically when the contestants stepped forward and placed their entries on the front table. Their creations all looked amazing.
The judges walked down the long table, scrutinizing and sampling the beautifully decorated pies and cakes.
As the judges tasted Ne-ma’s apple pie and scribbled on their clipboards, Emilia held her breath and tried to read their expressions. But the judges gave nothing away.
“They like Ne-ma’s pie, right?” Emilia whispered nervously.
Storm chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist. “You’re even more worried and nervous than Ne-ma. Look, Ne-ma’s enjoying herself!” he said.
Indeed she was. Ne-ma was chatting happily with the other contestants as they waited for the results.
Emilia gasped in surprise when Seath tapped her on the shoulder and pushed an ice cream cone into her hand.
“Here,” Seath said happily. He was juggling three cones in each hand. “It was a long queue, but I managed to get ice creams for you all.”
As Seath passed the ice cream to Leia and Emilia, Storm ruffled Seath’s blond hair and said affectionately, “Thanks, buddy!”
“I take good care of my sisters-in-law.” Seath smirked. “And my nephews!”
When Storm raised a brow, Seath shrugged and amended, “Or nieces.”
Leia and Emilia both blushed. Leia was beginning to show the tiniest hint of a baby bump, but Emilia had only just found out that she was pregnant about two weeks ago. The whole family was elated at the news.
Emilia ate her ice cream and exclaimed how good it tasted. It really was the taste of happiness, she realized.
She was now happily mated to Storm, and they were going to have a baby. Emilia had no doubt that their baby would be a little dragon, because unicorn shifters were extremely rare and the dragon gene was dominant.
She had a loving mate, a supportive family and so many wonderful friends here.
Life was sweet. “Like ice cream,” Emilia murmured with a smile.
The crowd fell silent when one of the judges stood up and went to the microphone. “And now, we’ll announce the winner of the Big Bake Off.”
It was the moment they’d all been waiting for.
The judge cleared his throat and beamed. “The winner of our annual Big Bake Off is...”
The crowd went wild when Ne-ma’s name was announced. Seath punched the air and shouted, “Ne-ma’s apple pie is the best!”
Emilia cheered the loudest when Ne-ma hoisted the trophy and blew kisses at the crowd. Gramma ran up to the stage and did a victory dance with Ne-ma.
Emilia laughed and clapped, feeling so happy for Ne-ma. And deep down, she knew that this amazing joy and happiness that she was feeling ran much deeper.
Storm hugged her, sharing her joy and excitement.
“I am so happy,” Emilia said, looking up at Storm. “So, so happy.”
Storm smiled. He understood what she was saying. They had found each other and found their happiness. They were proud of each other, and proud of who and what they were.
Kissing her, Storm whispered, “So am I. I love you, and I love every moment with you. You make me so happy, Emilia. So, so happy.”