CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
It was a beautiful ceremony. Ellery’s mother and father walked her down the black velvet aisle dressed as werewolves. Her father had to wipe away tears with his furry paws as he handed his daughter over to her corpse groom. Donovan, his arm heavy and firm around her, stroked Eva’s shoulder with his thumb during the vows the bride and groom wrote.
Ellery vowed to always keep surprising Mason and learn to golf while he promised that he would buy more black shirts, and not only would he go to Demon Con with her, but he’d let her pick his costume.
They sealed their commitment with a hair-raising, make-up smearing kiss that brought the wedding guests to their feet. While the happy couple posed for pictures with Niko, the guests were free to find their coffins and refill their glasses.
Eva picked up the solar powered calculator at her place. “Looks like Mason had a say in the favors,” she noted.
Donovan grinned and settled his hands on her shoulders. “Have I told you that you look good enough to eat?” he whispered in her ear, breath hot on her skin.
“Does the big, bad sheriff have time tonight for a snack?” she asked, turning in his arms. She looped her hands around his neck. “Aren’t you on high alert for the worst night of the planetary crossing?”
“I’m hoping that I’ll get to undress you tonight in the living room in front of the fire, Red.”
“Won’t your parents get an eyeful while they’re watching TV?” she teased.
“Did I mention that my parents decided it was for the best to rent a cabin at the campground for the foreseeable future?”
“You didn’t mention that. You didn’t ask them to move out, did you?” Donovan was working his fingers in slow circles on her lower back.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I did. ‘Mom, Dad, I need more time to get my girlfriend naked on every horizontal surface in my house. Do you mind moving out for a few years?’”
“Halloween makes you a smart ass.”
He grinned. “I promise it was their idea, and I pretended to put up a fight about it. But we’ll all be happier this way. Especially since I saw they added the Fifty Shades movies to my Netflix queue. I think they want the privacy just as much as we do.”
Eva laughed. “Well here’s hoping for a quiet, naked night.”
Donovan’s radio squawked. “Sheriff, we got a problem at the high school.”
“Damn it.” Donovan raised his middle finger to the sky. “I swear to God. When this is all over and your book is done, you and I are taking a two-week, clothing-optional vacation.”
“Count me in,” she breathed and grabbed him by the shirt for a short, hard kiss. “Good luck out there, sheriff.”
He ran a thumb over her lower lip and shook his head. “Don’t walk home alone tonight. I have a feeling the shit might hit the fan.”
“I’ll be safe,” she promised. “Bye, Sheriff.”
“Later, Evangelina.”
She watched him go, never tiring of the way his uniform pants showcased his ass.
“You got a little something right there, little sister,” Gia said poking her finger at the corner of Eva’s mouth. “Oh, never mind. Just drool.”
“Eva slobbering after her man again?” Emma asked, tugging the hem of her bandage dress down.
“Oh, please. Like I haven’t seen you two go all moist in the nether regions over your husbands.”
“That’s disgusting,” Emma wrinkled her nose.
“And true,” Gia grinned. “How much time do we have before your surprise? I want to pick up the kids and bring them over for the parade.”
“You have until the parade,” Emma told her, checking her watch. “Not a word though. Thankfully the wedding pictures are keeping him occupied for now. I’m so nervous I have to pee every four minutes.”
“That might not be nerves,” Gia pointed out.
“He’s looking at us,” Emma hissed. “Act natural.”
“Laugh like I said something funny,” Eva said.
Gia and Emma reacted as if she’d just walked into a plate glass window and fallen on her ass. “Okay, maybe a little less hysterical, guys.”
“Great. Now I really have to pee,” Emma muttered.
They split up, heading off to bathrooms and kid-gathering, and Eva hung back to watch the wedding revelers enjoy themselves. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced in her life. This wacky little town and its quirky inhabitants.
“Well, here’s to another successful match,” Bruce said, off to her right. He handed Amethyst a corpse reviver with a chipper wink. “To the Beautification Committee.”
Amethyst raised her glass to his. “To the Beautification Committee and to Ellery and Mason.”
“Of course, of course. Them too.” His head bobbed in agreement, sending his frizzy red clown ringlets bouncing.
The clowns touched glasses, and Eva hid her laugh. She was surrounded by crazy. Well-meaning, lovable crazy, and she couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be. Maybe Blue Moon wasn’t the worst place in the world to accidentally change her life.
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Donovan: Crisis averted. Barely. Argument over order of parade floats turned ugly.
Eva: All us corpses are behaving perfectly on this end of town.
Donovan: I’m going to come through with the parade to keep an eye on things. I’ll be the masked sheriff stepping on discarded tootsie rolls.
Eva: Try to get close to Phoebe and Franklin so you can see Emma’s surprise.
Donovan: Will do. Gotta go separate the Girl Scouts from the Boy Scouts. They’re either going to start fighting or making out.
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The wedding guests—buoyed by the flowing alcohol—lined up around their coffin tables to watch the parade. Eva made sure that Emma and Niko had a front row seat. The high school marching band tromped past them playing “The Monster Mash.” Evan, sent them a wink over his trumpet, and Aurora jumped up holding Lydia to give him a little sister standing ovation.
The Society for the Preservation of Blue Moon Values was next with their psychedelic herd of VW Buses. They were led by Ernest Washington, who was throwing full-size candy bars from the roof of his rainbow bus.
Sugar stirred the crowd, making them more excitable, and Eva was relieved to see the next float. She brought her fingers to her mouth and watched as Blue Moon’s Farming Society rolled up in a hay wagon. Phoebe and Franklin were perched on rocking chairs. Next to them were Vadim and Greta, Niko’s father and stepmother.
“What are my parents doing on a float in Blue Moon?” Niko asked, gaping at the wagon. “Am I hallucinating?”
Emma grinned and pointed. “Wait. I think they’re trying to tell you something.”
Greta and Phoebe were pretending to knit opposite ends of a huge blanket. Vadim and Franklin simultaneously snapped newspapers open. The backs of the newspapers spelled something out. With a wink, Phoebe and Greta held the blanket sideways.
We’re going to be grandparents.
“Holy sh— Emma?” Niko was halfway out of his chair. “Oh, my God. Are you? Are we—You’re dressed as a mummy.” The realization hit Niko like a corpse reviver. He was sweeping Emma off her feet and swinging her in a circle as parade participants and spectators cheered.
“Surprise,” Emma whispered. “You’re going to be a daddy.”
Eva felt her eyes go damp at the sweetness of the moment. She spotted Donovan in the center of it all, his attention was on the crowd, but he was grinning. That dimpled smile that melted her every time she saw it. She was looking at her future. And that wasn’t Uranus talking.