Page 91 of Charmed, I'm Sure
Caw. Caw. Caw. Trouble and Puppy Wedding! Caw. Caw. Caw
Chapter Thirty-One
Hexflix & Chill
Bellamy
It’s been a few weeks since I shredded the barrier, rebuilt it with the town, and accepted Miles. Life has been anything but normal since that day. I went from being the person who most people avoided to the person who everyone seeks advice from. Apparently my show of power didn’t freak everyone out like I expected; instead, it encouraged them to ask for my help. Who would haveknown?
“I’m home, Trouble,” Miles singsongs from my front door as he pushes it open. That’s another thing that changed. I’ve let Miles move in with me. We had a meeting a few days after Samhain with both our leaders on what they advised us to do. Both encouraged us to decide as a couple. Regardless of where we lived, we were welcome to live in either area. Ultimately, we had him move in here since I had already established myself in this place.
I think my biggest change, besides having him here, is that he’s very in tune with my emotions and needs. I don’t think I’ve managed to get away with a single “nothing’s wrong” since we’ve been together.
“I’m in here,” I say without looking up from my paranormal romance book. That’s another thing, he introduced me to romance reading. Claimed that it’s perfectly okay to read books with nothing to learn, but instead to enjoy. Seems my favorite genre is paranormal romance, shocking, I know.
There’s a rustle of canvas totes and bottles clinking together, along with some grumbles from Miles coming from the kitchen. I flip my book closed as I look over the couch towards the light glowing from the kitchen. What in the world is this man up to now?
I don’t even have time to ask before he’s coming through the doorway loaded down with plates, cups filled to the brim with some sort of froth, and a bag of popcorn clutched between his teeth. Goddess forbid he asked for help. I shake my head as a smile spreads across my face. My bangs glide across my lifted eyebrows, my eyes tracking him as he walks over to the sofa.
He doesn’t say a word as he puts every item down onto my black, ornate antique coffee table, even making sure the coasters are underneath both cups before a sheepish smile blooms.
“Wait just a second,” he says hurriedly before running out of the room again.
Some more banging, a few more grumbles, and even a “Fuck” comes from the kitchen before he comes in with another armful of snacks. We have cookies from the bakery, pastries from Hex & Harken, and is that…he even has a pumpkin pie from Apple & Ash General Store. Who is he feeding with all of this?
“Nyx! Lady! Hops! Let’s go!” Miles shouts as he drops everything onto the coffee table. He pulls down blankets from my blanket ladder, and the entire time I’m just staring at him. I have zero idea what’s happening, but I’ve already learned to just go along with it.
All of our critters run into the living room, Lady gripping a cookie in her mouth as they all climb onto the couch.
“What is happening?” I tilt my head, watching our chaotic little group slide onto the sofa, each one claiming a spot. Miles walks over to plop down beside me, his right arm coming around my shoulders, pulling me into him as he scoops up Hops and puts him in his flannel shirt pocket.
His smile is blinding as he winks at me before planting a wet kiss on my temple. He spreads the blanket overthe two of us, grabbing our plates full of pizza, and placing them in front of each of us.
“Here you go Trouble,” he says as he hands me the frothy drink. “It’s a pumpkin spice latte with cold foam. It sounded yummy, it’s the embodiment of fall, and we are doing it.”
“Uh…are you going to explain what’s happening now? Maybe why Nyx has an entire bag of popcorn and Lady a plate of cookies? Oh my gosh is Hops chewing bubble gum too? What is happening?”
His laughter rumbles both of us as he kisses me again. “You are so adorable when you are given surprises. We are having a movie night with dinner? Well, dinner and lots of dessert. I went ahead and installed a streaming service on your TV. It’s a way for us to watch thousands of movies without having to get up to change the movie out. I figured instead of going out this weekend, we could stay in with our little fam bam and I could introduce modern movies to you.”
“That’s…not what I expected, but I’m here for it. What movie did you have in mind?”
He doesn’t say a word, it just clicks some buttons on the remote until the screen is filled with the title.
“You’re going to love this one. It’s called Practical Magic. Maybe you will see some similarities,” he says with a wink.
The opening notes of the movie start and I look over at him. He’s so proud of himself and I love him just a little more tonight than I did yesterday. I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to his surprises or the way he loves. But I hope that I never stop appreciating the small things.
The scent of pumpkin spice, gooey cheese, and the sweet foods fills the air as the TV light washes over the mess of limbs, paws, and food piled onto my couch. For the first time in my life, I feel completely content. Life might have given me a golden retriever wolf, a snarky familiar, and more pets than I ever planned on, but I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Epilogue
One Year Later…
Bellamy
I’m trying not to panic. I never imagined that I’d be the woman fretting over napkin details or even if people will walk in from the left or the right side of the venue. Elora was the one who dreamed of her wedding, all while I dreamed of the magic that I was going to learn that day, week, or month.
Honestly, it probably says a lot that I never considered this part of my life or even what it would be like. Does it mean that I will fail at being a wife? Are the girls who dream of their weddings predetermined to be better at this whole marriage gig?