Charmed Ever After (The Halloween LaVeau Series Book 6) (20 page)

We watched as the car drove away. The heaviness was lifted. Now I had to redecorate the manor back to the way it was before this mess.

It was my mother and Ben’s wedding day. Their engagement had lasted twenty-four hours. It had been a chaotic time getting everything prepared and set up in such a short time. Well, I guessed the witchcraft had helped quite a bit. I’d prepared the wedding cake and taken care of all the refreshments. Nicolas had made sure that all the seating arrangements were correct and Liam had rounded up someone to perform the ceremony. Plus, he’d hired a band for the reception. I wasn’t sure we should have trusted him with that selection.

Annabelle had taken care of the décor outside. And she had done an amazing job. There was a tent nearby with lights underneath the canopy for tonight’s reception. It would mimic being under the twinkling stars. The area was draped with white fabric and flowers in different shades of pink. There was a pergola at the end of the aisle, just waiting for the lovebirds to say, “I do.” The seats were all full of my mother’s friends and family.

Unfortunately, Ben’s side was mostly empty except for Gigi. I was the maid of honor and Nicolas was the best man. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo. My mother had picked out a pink silk dress for me. It didn’t look that bad, with a draping neckline that came down slightly and a tapered lace waist. The hem came to just below my knees. My mother looked beautiful in her white dress. She didn’t wear a veil, but instead some flowers in her hair. She held her bouquet of pink roses.

Music started and we all waited for my mother to appear. Finally, she came from the side of the manor and started walking down the aisle. Ben was all smiles as he watched her. She had a slight mishap halfway down the aisle, but she managed to right herself before falling flat on her face. We would have never heard the end of that. Maybe we shouldn’t have made the walk so long. We were almost by the water. But she had insisted on that location. She wanted to be in the spot where Ben had saved her.

The tops of the trees swayed wildly. I didn’t know if they were happy or warning me of something bad to come. I was just letting my imagination get the best of me. After what had happened, I was still stressed out. I needed to just relax and enjoy this beautiful day. The sky had been clear and blue, although there were gray clouds rolling in quickly. We needed to hurry and wrap this up before everyone got soaked.

The ceremony began and we listened to my mother and Ben recite their vows. As I stood beside my mother, I couldn’t help but feel eyes on me. I looked out over the crowd. Everyone seemed to be paying attention to my mother and Ben. But that was when I noticed someone else. He was watching me. When our eyes met, he looked away. I’d never seen him before. Was he friends with my mother or did he know Ben? I would have to ask when I got a chance.

As my mother and Ben said, “I do,” I had to stop looking at the stranger. Now that the ceremony was over, I searched for him again. There was too much action going on and I’d lost sight of him. Everyone was congratulating the bride and groom. I didn’t want to let this man out of my sight. I wanted to point him out to my mother. I scanned the crowd, but it was as if he had vanished. I glanced down at the necklace dangling from my neck to make sure that the key was still there. I knew no one had switched it this time.

I watched as Ben and my mother walked down the aisle together as husband and wife. I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad. I had gained a stepfather, but a little bit of me felt as if I was losing a bit of my mother. I shouldn’t feel that way and it was definitely selfish of me. I just didn’t want to give up my time with her. And I hoped that we still spent as much time together. Now I would just have to get used to having Ben around. I liked him though so that was fine.

Nicolas came over to me and kissed me softly. “It’s our turn next. We could do it today.”

“Yes, except my mother would be extremely hurt if she didn’t get a chance to plan my wedding, even though she was fine with doing hers in a rushed fashion.”

Nicolas laughed. “That’s just the way she is, so we’ll make her happy.”

I was glad that my mother and Nicolas got along so well.

“It seems like you’re distracted,” he said.

I looked at him. “I guess I am a little.”

“What’s the problem?” he asked.

“It’s just that I noticed someone here. I’ve never seen him before.”

“There are a lot of people here whom we’ve never seen before,” Nicolas said.

“Yes, but there was something odd about this guy,” I said.

“What makes you say that?” Nicolas asked.

“For one, he was staring at me.”

“Maybe he thinks you’re beautiful,” Nicolas said.

“I think it was more than that.” I looked out over the crowd again and that was when I spotted him. “There he is,” I said, pointing at the man standing by the magnolia tree.

He disappeared before our eyes. Was he a spirit too?

The End

Rose Pressey is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys writing quirky and fun novels with a paranormal twist. The paranormal has always captured her interest. The thought of finding answers to the unexplained fascinates her.

When she’s not writing about werewolves, vampires and every other supernatural creature, she loves eating cupcakes with sprinkles, reading, spending time with family, and listening to oldies from the fifties.

Rose suffers from Psoriatic Arthritis and has knee replacements. She might just set the world record for joint replacements. She’s soon having her hips replaced, elbows, and at least one shoulder.

Rose lives in the beautiful commonwealth of Kentucky with her husband, son, and two sassy Chihuahuas.

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