When we parted, I spotted a shoddily wrapped square in her hand. She raised it to me and smiled. “I couldn’t come without a gift.”
I glanced around at everyone else as they filed in around me, and my heart fell when I saw that they’d all brought boxes or bags. “Oh, you didn’t have to do that, any of you,” I grumbled. All my insistence that none of my shower guests bring gifts clearly hadn’t worked.
“It’s not a baby shower without presents!” Flora, my fairy ex-roommate and colleague at the Moon Grove Messenger, shouted. Her four wings fluttered gleefully as she came to hug me, and when she stepped back, I found Ewan Barrett, her werewolf boyfriend and Moon Grove police officer, waiting for her.
“It’s good to see you,” she said as she linked her hand in Ewan’s.
“Staying out of trouble, Zoe?” Ewan asked with a wink and a twinkle in his eye.
I rubbed my stomach. “Trying to for the sake of these two.”
“Smart witch.”
“Why do you think I hired her?” A gruff voice asked, and I whirled in my chair. Mitch Harris, the surly werewolf and editor-in-chief of the Moon Grove Messenger, stood with his hulking arms crossed over his chest.
“Mitch!” I shouted and tried to push myself out of the chair to hug him but couldn’t. It’d been so long since the last time I’d seen him I’d lost track. Beau seemed to tense at the sight of him, but the tension quickly passed. Whatever disagreements they’d had before I entered the picture had taken a backseat.
A smile split Mitch’s face as he approached. “Stay seated, little lady. There ain’t no rush to hug a mutt like me, anyway.”
“Thank you for coming. I didn’t know you would.”
Mitch scowled. “Of course, I would. Just because you don’t work for me anymore doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. Though I gotta say, I think you looked better the last time I saw you.”
I glared at him but couldn’t help laughing. “Gee, thanks.”
“Carrying two little ones around for a few months will do that to you.”
“Now, now, let’s not beat up on my future daughter-in-law too much. This is her special day,” a voice that sounded remarkably like Beau’s said as a man that looked like his spitting image emerged from the house. It was Sam, Beau’s father, and his gorgeous wife Michelle followed with Beau bringing up the rear.
My heart slipped at the sight of him — not because of him, but because that meant there wouldn’t by any other guests. As much as I should’ve been happy to have so many loving friends and family members around, there was one painful, noticeable absence: Grandma Elle. Heath said he’d tell her the news about my pregnancy and the baby shower, but maybe he hadn’t been able to reach her.
I didn’t know exactly how the Witches’ Protection Program worked, but the idea was to make sure no one but Grandma’s fairy guards knew where she was to protect her. After some heinous vampires had targeted her a few months ago to hurt me, she’d had no choice but to enroll, but surely something as major as my pregnancy meant she could at least come back for a short visit, right?
I forced a smile to cover up my disappointment. I didn’t want anyone to think I wasn’t grateful. “Thanks for being here, everyone. We really appreciate it.”
As if he’d sensed my pain, Beau worked his way to my side and wrapped an arm around me. “Well, how about we get this party started with some food? You can help yourselves to anything you like. We made something for everybody, even the vegetarians,” he said and flashed a smile at Flora, who returned it. “Oh, and if you brought gifts, you can put them on the empty table there. We’ll get to them soon.”
While the guests set their things down and picked over the food, Beau kneeled at my side. “Everything okay? You seem upset.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. It’s just, well, I really hoped Grandma would—”
Another knock on the front door interrupted me, and Beau flashed me a devious smile. “Hold that thought,” he said and whisked away to answer the door. I twisted toward the backdoor and sat on pins and needles while I waited, rudely ignoring the other guests, and when I spotted a familiar flash of white curls of hair, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Grandma!” I shrieked, gripping the arms of the chair. “You came!” Once again, I tried to force my way out of the chair but only made it an inch or two before I fell back down.
“Oh, come on now, hold your horses, Sugar. You ain’t seen me in months, another few seconds ain’t gonna kill ya,” Grandma said, her southern drawl and slang like honey in my ears, and I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.
She stepped down the back stairs and a collective gasp rippled through the guests. “What are y’all starin’ at? You didn’t really think you were gonna get this party started without me, did ya?” Grandma asked, her arms wide open.
“Welcome home, Eleanor,” Heath said, speaking the words I couldn’t seem to summon. For a moment, I couldn’t believe Grandma Elle really stood in front of me, mostly because I barely recognized her. I had no idea what she’d been up to since she’d disappeared on her tour of the magical universe months ago, but she looked radiant. She’d lost weight and there seemed to be a glow coming off her.
Grandma walked over and kneeled in front of me, and the nostalgic scent of sweet tea and sugar cookies that wafted off her overwhelmed me. “Zoe Clarke, Sugar, how many times do I have to tell you to keep that lemon-suckin’ look off your face?”
I threw my arms around her and bathed in her hearty laughter, wishing the moment would never end. I’d always known I’d see Grandma again, but I still couldn’t believe she was in my arms. “I’ve missed you so much,” I sobbed into her shoulder and she patted my back.
“I missed you too, Zoe, more’n you’ll ever know,” she whispered. The warm, wet feeling of her tears soaking my shirt melted me. “But pull it together, girl. All your friends ain’t here for a waterworks show.”
I laughed but refused to let her go. She worked her way out of my grip and reached into the pocket of the black robes I hadn’t even noticed her wearing. “Forgive me if I’m actin’ outta turn here — I know you’re prolly gonna do gifts later — but I made somethin’ for ya and I just can’t wait.”
She handed me a long, thin velvet box that resembled one a necklace would come in, but all I could do was stare at it. “You… Made this?”
“Quit bein’ so dramatic, Sugar. Open it already,” she insisted, though she smiled.
I lifted the lid of the box, and the hinge binding its halves squeaked. Inside lay a sparkling silver chain attached to a circular pendant. An image of an ember sparkled from its surface. My heart skipped a beat as a realization struck me — Ember was my mother’s name.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered as I lifted the necklace from the box to admire it.
Grandma beamed. “And it’s functional. Go ahead, put it on and you’ll see what I mean.” She lifted my flaming red curls off my shoulders, and I looped the chain around my neck to fasten it. As soon as the pendant rested against my chest, a warm, soothing feeling spread over my body like I’d sat down in front of a campfire.