Too Hexy For Her Hat by Susan Hayes

Epilogue

Luna didn’t knowwhat to feel as she made her way downstairs. Chad was right behind her, supportive as always, but most of her focus was on the two people standing alone at the bottom of the stairs.

Her parents.

She’d been angry for so long it felt weird not to be that way anymore, but she wasn’t. Not angry. Not sad. Not lost. Goddess, what was left?

Happiness. That’s what was left. It filled her like water rushing into a dry stream bed, and suddenly she was flying down the stairs and into her parents’ arms. “You’re here!”

“Because of you, Moonbeam. You did it!” Her mother’s hug was more like a death grip, and her dad kept sniffling and kissing the top of her head.

“You’ve grown! Goddess on high. What are you wearing? Why is my little girl wearing a corset?”

“Hush, honey. She’s a grown woman now. Our baby grew up,” her mother said in a tone she knew so well.

Her dad growled in frustration. “I hate this. We missed so much. The last time I saw you it was all pigtails and lollypops, and now…” he trailed off and gestured to her.

“I still like lollypops. And fudge. And now I remember that’s what we used to do on Friday nights.”

“Fudgy Fridays!” her parents said together.

“I didn’t know that’s why I liked it so much, but yes. It reminded me of home.”

“We’re here now. What day is it? Can we make fudge soon?” her mother said.

“And you can invite that young man of yours, Moonbeam. He seems decent. Nice. Polite. Does he have a good job? Who are his parents?” her father asked.

“Later, Dad.” Much later, if she could help it. That conversation was going to require booze, several truckloads of fudge, and a lot of Chad’s special chocolate pizza.

“I have questions too. A lot of them.” But none of them seemed as important now that she had them back. “Starting with—are you staying? No more disappearing on me?”

“We’re staying. The house is yours, but we’ve already arranged to rent one of Gertie’s cottages until we figure things out,” her mother said.

“What? No! You stay in the house. Chad and I can use the cottage.” There was no way she wanted to spend her first night as an engaged woman in her parents’ house. That was just… nope.

“But it’s your home,” her mom protested.

“No, it’s not. It’s yours. I haven’t been back there since the day you and Dad disappeared. It stopped being my home thirteen years ago.”

That made them both blink. “I forgot. It feels like it was just yesterday. I mean, I know it wasn’t. Fate warned us. But time didn’t pass the same way for us.”

“I can tell. You look the same as when you left.” She lifted her locket and opened it to show them their picture. “Exactly the same. It’s a little weird, but comforting, too. I mean, you’re still you.”

“And you’re all grown up.” Her mother burst into tears. “I lost so much time with you, but it was the only way to make sure you had a chance to grow up at all.”

All these years she’d never thought about what it must have been like for her parents. Or maybe that was part of the mind whammy, too. Because now she could remember hearing them crying as they made their plans.

“I was mad at you guys for a long time. Most of the time. But I’m not mad anymore. You’re back.” She swallowed and then suddenly remembered the others. “Everyone made it back. Right? Breeze and Fern’s parents are here, too?”

“They are,” her dad said.

“Thank the Goddess.” She exhaled and leaned back into Chad.

“Are you ready to join the party, Moonbeam? We have so much to celebrate,” her mom said.

“And catch up on. Thirteen years… Did the Canucks win the Stanley Cup while we were gone?”

She laughed and hugged them again. “You skipped time, Dad. You didn’t move to an alternate realm. Of course the Canucks didn’t win.”

He sighed. They all laughed, and then somehow the four of them had joined hands and awkwardly made their way through the kitchen and out into the main restaurant. Everyone was there. Some clearly tipsy and some eating their way through the day’s trauma, but they were all there. Including Fern and Breeze’s parents. They had the same death grip on their girls as her parents had on her, and her friends had puffy red faces that announced to the world they’d done their share of crying.

She was surrounded by people who cared about her. Friends. Family. Neighbours… and Chad. Her love. Her happily ever after.

Amid cheers and singing, Beaker streaked down from the rafters to reclaim his place on her shoulder. “Welcome home!”

She laughed and turned to kiss Chad, making her familiar croak in protest. “Kissing again?”

“Again. Always. Forever,” she whispered as she kissed him.

“Always and forever,” he repeated.

She closed her eyes and basked in the joy of this moment. Goddess, it was good to be home.

***

Thank you for Reading Too Hexy For Her Hat

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