EPILOGUE

Cope

Two weeks later…

Cope sat on the sofa in front of a roaring fire while Jude finished making tea. The kids were safely tucked into bed after several stories and drinks of water. Tomorrow was Lizbet's first day of preschool, and Cope was a bit nervous over how it would go. Would his daughter run to play with the other kids without giving him a backward glance, or would she cling to his leg and cry when he tried to leave?

"Here we go, hot tea and some nibbles." Jude set a tray on the coffee table and handed Cope a mug. There was a plate with cookies Kaye had baked for them and a handful of chips to go along with them. "You're nervous about tomorrow."

Cope grabbed a cookie and devoured half in one bite. "I am. I have a feeling I'll be a bigger mess than Lizbet will be."

"I hate to agree with you, but you're right." Jude pressed a kiss to Cope's cheek.

"I think when Wolf went to school for the first time, I was better with it because he had Aurora and Everly at his side. Ezra isn't going tomorrow, so she'll be all by herself." Cope felt himself start to tear up. Just the thought of his little girl on her own was pushing him over the edge. He finished his treat and reached for his tea.

"Babe, it's two hours. The kids will play together, listen to the teachers read books, and have a snack. Lizbet isn't off to work in a coal mine. She'll be fine. So will you."

"How are you so calm?" Cope shot back, wondering why Jude wasn't in the same state of distress.

"Because I downloaded the app." Jude waggled his eyebrows and pulled out his phone.

"What app? Christ, it's not some weird porno thing, is it?" If it was, Cope didn't want to know.

"There is seriously something wrong with you." Jude tapped his screen a few times and brought up the darkened image of a classroom. "Didn't you see the email last week where the school sent us the link to their app? The video feed is always live, so if you're feeling worried or if you're missing Lizzy B, you can open the app and watch what's going on."

"What email?" Cope hadn't seen an email from the school. He pulled out his own phone and tapped on his email. There was no email from the school in his inbox. Taking a closer look, Cope realized the most recent message was from two weeks ago. "Oh, fuck."

"What is it?" Jude asked, peering over his husband's shoulder.

"I never turned Wi-Fi back on after we left the motel in Maine. I haven't gotten any new emails since the day we came home." Cope navigated to the settings and logged in to the network. Seconds later, two dozen unread emails filled his screen. "Oh, here it is." Quickly scanning the email from Lizbet's preschool, he tapped the link to download the school's app. When it was installed, he went back to his email and skimmed over the titles. Some were for back-to-school sales or the new line of Hallmark Christmas ornaments. The last message caught Cope's attention. "PsychicFest Niagara," he read out loud.

"What the hell is that?" Jude asked.

"It's an invitation for us to come up to a psychic convention. Sounds like a Comic-Con sort of thing where there are live panel discussions, meet and greets, group readings, and autograph sessions. According to the email, our accommodations will be paid for, and we'd be reimbursed for travel expenses. Have you ever been to Niagara Falls?"

Jude shook his head. "Nope. When is this?"

"It's during that long weekend in October, so if we went, the kids wouldn't have to miss school," Cope said, intrigued by the idea. He'd never been to Canada before.

"If you're interested in going, call and make sure it's the real deal. I don't want to drive all the way up there to find out we'd been tricked. Again." Jude sighed.

"What I'm interested in is going to bed early with my handsome husband." Cope got off the couch. He smacked his ass and turned to look back at Jude. "You coming?"

"I'm definitely coming!" Jude grabbed Cope's hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

Cope followed his husband up the stairs. He remembered Niagara Falls being a honeymoon destination back in the day. He imagined it would be very romantic to snuggle up in front of the falls with a fire warming up the room. He could attend the con events during the day and would spend every night with Jude. They'd never had a proper honeymoon.

Maybe now was their chance.

THE END