Page 98 of With All My Haunted Heart

“Thank you.” Elle throws her arms around me and hugs me tight. “I—thank you, Pippa. This is more than I ever expected.”

“I know.” I press a kiss to her temple. “That’s what made the idea feel so special. Now, go. Catch up with your niece. I’ll be downstairs.”

Leaving Elle, Vivian, and Ted to their reunion with Willa, I make my way back to the party, where I finally get a chance to mingle with the other guests. Dea brought a friend from her new nonprofit job, a trans woman who heads up the Girls in STEM initiative. Dea is clearly crushing on her, and though workplace romances can be tricky, I’m rooting for them.

I continue through the party, accepting hugs from Xander’s parents. Shaking hands with the mayor. Saying hello to the guy from the antiques shop. I spot Flora talking with Teagan over by the refreshments, and it feels like worlds colliding.

From across the room, I give Sebastian a wave, and he nods in return. He came alone, here to make sure the B&B is in good working order for Sloane’s next retreat.

Everyone is wearing the second-generation ghost goggles, redesigned with Teagan’s help to be sleeker and more effective, so the ghosts can be part of the party, too.

A tiny voice squeals with delight from across the manor, and I follow the sound into the library.

“He’s walking?!” I ask, amazed at the one-year-old clinging to Marisol’s fingers as he takes tentative steps across the floor.

Jackie leans against the table where I prepared to eliminate a pesky poltergeist from her home last year. “And up way past his bedtime. We’re going to pay for this tomorrow.” She’s smiling, though, as she watches her wife and son make their way across the floor.

I approach the toddling boy and kneel to his level. “Hi, Rykelan. It’s good to see you again, nugget.”

He stares back at me with those big blue eyes, excited to see me though it’s been a few months since I last saw him and his moms. He’s a happy kid, loved beyond measure, and it shows.

“Need a break?” I hold out my hands. “I can take over.”

“You’re such a doll. Thank you.” Marisol transfers Rykelan’s tiny hands to grip around my fingers, and then we’re off, me stooped over him as he maneuvers across the library. My back will pay the price for this, but it’s worth it.

Marisol and Jackie regale me with stories of their work and Rykelan’s ever-evolving antics. They got a dog a few months ago, and the two are already the best of friends. I lose track of time, carried by the swell of their stories and their joy and their laughter until there’s a knock behind me.

I turn, Rykelan now snuggled in my arms, his warm head pressed against my neck. Elle leans against the archway, her eyes glassy with tears but a smile on her lips. I pass the sleepy toddler back to his parents.

“We need to get this guy home and into bed,” Jackie says, shifting her son on her hip.

Marisol squeezes my hand. “Have a lovely night, Pippa.”

Elle moves aside to let them leave, and then she steps into the room. She kisses me once, a gentle, fleeting thing. “You are the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“Is that so?”

She nods and a single tear slips past her lashes. “I’m going to marry you someday.”

I wipe the wetness from her cheeks. “Is that your proposal?”

“No, love.” She kisses me again, deeper this time. Full of promise. “When I propose for real, I’m going to sweep you off your witchy feet.”