Epilogue

T wo Months Later

Trixie

I'd chosen Le Jardín as the location for my inauguration into The Circle.

It'd been two months since I'd learned that I'd been elected, and it'd taken me a good two weeks to wrestle with the concept of accepting a role I didn't feel worthy of. But after a lot of thought, plus effusive encouragement from Emmy and Dom, I decided to try my hand at it.

I figured, if I sucked as a member of The Circle that badly, The Fates would fire my ass.

In the meantime, I would try my hardest to do right by the people of The Hollow, and if that didn't pan out, then I wouldn't be any worse off than I'd been before. Plus, it did come with significant perks.

Salary, healthcare benefits, better hours—not to mention a lifetime access pass to Le Jardín that was nothing to sneeze at. I took a deep breath in front of a small audience as Merci shook my hand and placed the robe around my shoulders. From now on, I was officially a member of The Circle.

A simple arch dripped with purple wisteria behind us, and we were centered in the middle of the gardens, the sun beaming on our shoulders, the sweet smell of rare flowers circling around us. It was the most beautiful of locations on the most beautiful of days, and that gave me hope that I was on the right track .

When Merci shook my hand to solidify the deal, I expected to feel an overwhelming sense of nerves, of despair and frustration that I was finding myself in a place I wasn't ready to be.

Instead, I felt only peace. My magic settled, trembling as the robe shifted to fit to my body, and it was like I'd come home to the place I was supposed to be. Here, surrounded by close friends and family. Dom, Emmy, Grandma Betty. Vix and team. Belinda in her pink suit. All of them smiling back at me, believing in me.

Then the ceremony was over, and I was shaking hands with everyone and promising Merci that I'd actually show up at the first meeting for this new iteration of The Circle next Tuesday.

Finally, a familiar hand grabbed mine and dragged me away from the crowd. Dom tugged me down a path through Le Jardín, one hidden between a nest of tall rosebushes intertwining above our heads to create a tunnel. He led me away from the crowd to a blissfully quiet space where the only background noise was birds chirping and leaves swishing in the breeze.

"How do you feel?" Dom asked, turning to face me. "Everything okay?"

"I feel good," I said, testing out how the words felt on my lips. "I feel really good."

Dom blew out a breath. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"It feels right. Everything about today feels right. Including being here with you."

Dom took my hands in his, bent to one knee. "I know how you feel. "

"Dom, what are you doing?"

"Trixie Gardens, things have always felt right with you, even when they were wrong." Dom's face was serious. A flutter of nerves drifted over his features. "Even when we were hexing one another, even when you hated me, I knew there was more beneath the surface."

I could only nod.

"The last two months, we've finally gotten a fleeting glimpse of normal," Dom said. "I know it feels fast, but two months of spending almost every night with you has me thinking I can't imagine spending a single one away from you. I want to marry you, Trixie Gardens. You are perfect for me."

"Oh, Dom." I collapsed to my knees. "Of course I'll marry you."

Dom's eyes crinkled with joy as he pulled me up. He stood, picked me up, guided my legs around his waist. "I love you, Trixie Gardens. Forever and ever."

THE END