Page 35 of Bewitchingly Hers (Witches of Pleasant Grove #3)

I gave her a small smile. “If you say so.” Though it sounded like there was a lot of unresolved feelings there. Whether they had to do with her ex-boyfriend—or his brooding, white haired older brother, I wasn’t sure.

Barrett came back to my side, sliding an orange mug into my hands. It smelled like one of Willow’s brews of apple cider, topped with… I sniffed the cup. “Whiskey?”

He hummed against my hair as I took a sip, letting the liquid warm me from the inside out.

It made me feel loose and bubbly, and I couldn’t help the overwhelming feeling of happiness that came over me .

I leaned my head against my mate’s shoulder as we visited with some of the other witches at the party.

I noticed Willow across the room—she was dressed like a candy corn princess, her puffy tulle skirt almost distracting from her belly, and I almost giggled, seeing Damien looking so grumpy yet besotted with his pregnant wife.

I could almost picture Barrett and I like that, and his answering grumble of satisfaction in his chest told me everything I needed to know.

Spinning around, I wrapped my arms around his neck, staring up at his amber eyes, knowing his gaze said everything and nothing at the same time.

Standing on my tiptoes—and grateful for the extra few inches my heeled boots gave me— I gave him a soft kiss.

He caught my lower lip with his teeth, letting them rake against my skin before dropping another peck on my lips.

I love you, I told him, resting my forehead against his.

Barrett rubbed his nose over mine, shutting his eyes. I love you, mate.

“Look who came for a visit,” Willow announced excitedly as she waddled back into the room, distracting me from my mate.

Luna had a baby strapped to her chest—as did Zain, looking protective and yet smug with one hand resting on his wife’s back.

“We thought the twins might as well have their first outing,” she said, rubbing slow circles on the baby’s bottom.

Her blonde hair was braided down her back, and she was wearing a light lavender dress, a crescent moon shaped circlet resting on her forehead.

She looked every bit the queen I knew she was—ethereal and almost glowing.

“Against my better wishes,” Zain muttered, looking down at the twin strapped to his chest. The blonde haired baby holding on to his finger, making cooing sounds.

“It’s not fair that you got to come for a visit without me,” Luna pouted. “And I was tired of being cooped up in the palace.”

Damien chuckled as Zain whispered something in his wife’s ear.

“That’s about to be you, you know,” Barrett said to Damien, who glared at my mate. “Wrapped around your wife’s finger.”

“I’m not sure you should be talking, B,” Ezra said dryly. “Eryne practically has you on a leash.”

I blushed, but Barrett sent me a heated glance. He’s not wrong, he murmured into my mind. You can gladly put a leash on me, Sugar.

“This is Orion,” Luna was saying, gesturing the dark haired baby she was wearing. “And that’s Raelynn. Rion and Rae for short.”

Zain wrapped his arm around his wife, and she leaned against him, like he was supporting her weight. Keeping them both afloat. Their little family made warmth burst through my chest.

“I have a surprise for you,” Barrett whispered in my ear awhile later, after we’d all had a chance to meet the twins and fawn all over them.

“You do?” I spun around to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded, holding out his hand. “Outside.”

I looked around us at the party. It was getting later, and while I loved spending time with the coven, I wanted some time alone with my mate, too.

Wendy and Rina were on the couch, whispering conspiratorially.

Willow and Damien were swaying slowly in the corner, his hands cupping her stomach as they shared their own soft moment.

Everyone seemed like they were enjoying themselves—even Cait, who was holding Raelynn in her arms, whispering to Luna’s baby girl.

“Yeah.” I smiled at him. “Let’s go.”

We wandered outside, and Barrett interlaced our fingers, wordlessly bringing me along with him. I didn’t know where we were heading, but I knew I’d follow him anywhere. Passing tons of trick-or-treating little witches in all sorts of different costumes, we turned towards town.

“Come on,” Barrett said, tugging me down the path illuminated with glowing jack-o-lanterns and floating candles that led to the gazebo in the middle of Main Street. The entire scene was like something out of a dream. It was always beautiful, but right now it felt even more so. Like magic.

Halfway up the path, I tugged on his hand, bringing us to a halt. “What are you doing?” I whispered as he turned to face me. He didn’t answer, cupping my cheeks, and I could feel the love in his chest. The desire. And the worry, too. The anxiety.

“You know there’s nothing to be anxious about, right?” I asked him, frowning. Rubbing over my mating mark, I looked up at him. “I’m yours. And you’re mine.”

Barrett held my face so tenderly, gazing down at me with an expression that I couldn’t quite describe. Love? Lust? Amazement? Maybe it was a mixture of all three. The need was clear, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Eryne,” he started, his thumb brushing over my cheek.

“There are no words to describe how utterly, wholly, and completely bewitched I am by you. Your soft heart. The way you care about others, putting them before yourself. How you brought me back to life, and show me every day why life is worth living. Why I want to live by your side. You’re my mate and the woman I love, but you’re more than that.

You’re my future. My destiny. You’re the very thing I’ve been living my whole life for.

Something I was working towards even without knowing it.

Every step, every choice I made, led me to you. ”

My eyes were glassy, and I blinked, trying not to cry. “Barrett…” The word was hardly a murmur.

“I know this is all still so new. And we’re just at the beginning of our story. But I have a question I really want to ask you, and it can’t wait.” He grinned, sliding down to one knee in front of me and pulling a small black box out of his pocket. “At least… I don’t want to.”

My eyes widened. Was this really happening now?

“Eryne Hazel Fowler, will you do me the honor of being my mate and my wife? Will you marry me?”

What else was there to say? “Yes,” I nodded, tears spilling from my eyes as he slid the gorgeous ring on my finger. Happy tears. The band was detailed like a vine, complete with small leaves, and the diamond in the center was surrounded by an emerald stone on each side.

I wanted to marry him. Wanted to be his wife. Wanted everything with this man that had changed my life in so many ways. More tears streaked down my face, and I couldn’t help it. “Yes,” I repeated. “I want to marry you.”

“Don’t cry, baby,” he said, standing up to kiss me softly.

“I’m just so happy,” I told him honestly as he wrapped me up into a hug.

He grinned. “That’s all I could ask for.”

And then he kissed me again, in the middle of that magical, illuminated gazebo on Halloween, and everything else in the world faded away.

It was just him and I, and this night was just the beginning.