Epilogue

October 31st

Today was Demi's favorite day of the entire year.

She had met up with Tyler, Rachel, and Griffin, and walked the neighborhood, lit up in all its spooky glory, with hundreds of kids running around excitedly with heavy bags of candy and dressed as anything and everything. There were judges and awards for the best decorated homes, and when she and the others reached the end of the road, at the back entrance to the pumpkin patch, she'd learned that her houses had taken the top five awards. Danielle's décor hadn't earned anything.

Tyler had been so proud, and had been talking up clients and potential clients at the awards ceremony beside her. So many of the neighborhood knew her now, and were getting to know Tyler as the "lights guy". He already had a full schedule for the Christmas season on this side of town.

Their costumes were simple this year—she wore her crow mask, and he wore his own mask from the speed-dating event. Rachel and Griffin wore theirs as well. God, she couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun at the neighborhood party.

To anyone they didn't know, Tyler introduced her as his lady, and seemed so proud. It filled up her heart. He'd seen her crow—petted her, even. He'd seen her nest and her hoard, and he was standing beside her, holding her hand, or touching her back, or draping his arm around her shoulders, grinning and laughing and charming the socks off of everyone around them. He was going to do just fine here with his father's business. She also knew, down to her bones, that he would take care of this neighborhood with her at Halloween-time. He was already excited for next year, and she just knew it would be the best Halloween ever. It was something to look forward to. It was a balm on the burn of November first. Next year, they would do this even bigger and better as a team.

"Guess what I found us," Rachel said excitedly.

"Where did you go?"

"Into that house over there," she said, pointing to the one on the cul-de-sac. "They're giving full-sized candy bars to the kids, and miniature alcohol shots to the adults."

"Baby, did you get us pocket shots?" Griffin asked low, looking at Rachel like she was a goddess.

"Is that what they're called? Then yes. I got four pocket shots."

"Dude," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Lock me down."

"Get off the dating apps first!" Rachel ordered.

"I already got off them!"

"My man," she said, and Tyler was chuckling beside Demi.

Those two were weirdly perfect for each other.

"To next year being even bigger," Rachel said, holding her little plastic bottle of Fireball Whisky up in the middle of them.

"Okay, well hang on, I have to open mine," Demi murmured, twisting the cap.

"To friends, and being right here next year," Tyler said, holding his up. "To redoing this awesome moment."

"Yes!" Rachel exclaimed.

Demi put her little plastic bottle in the middle and clicked it against the others before she downed hers. Whoo, that was a brutal burn down her throat, but she was having too much fun to complain.

"Oh crap, hold my shot," Rachel said, looking at something through the crowd.

Demi took her little empty bottle and watched Rachel take off running.

"What the hell?" Tyler asked.

And then Demi saw her—Danielle—glaring at them through the crowd. At least, she was glaring…until Rachel tackled her like a football player.

"Oh!" Demi cried out as she moved to stop the fight.

"That's for sending my brother your crusty tit-pics, you hoochie!" Rachel yelled as she wrestled her. "That's my best friend you're messing with!"

It was Griffin who pulled them apart, and Demi bit back a smile as he carried Rachel away slung over his shoulder. Rachel threw two middle fingers at Danielle, who sat up gingerly and pressed her knuckles against her fat lip.

"Let's go," Tyler said low as he pulled Demi by the waist away from the commotion Rachel's pummeling had created.

Demi was laughing. She couldn't help it! Danielle's face looked so stupid. God, she loved Rachel.

Tyler was trying and failing to hide his laughter. When they met up with Rachel and Griffin again at the entrance to the wood-chip covered trail that would lead to the back entrance of the pumpkin patch, he doubled over laughing. "Fuck, Rachel. You're going to get us sued."

"Bring it," she ground out. "She's not coming between me and my future sister."

"Your sister?" Demi asked, confused.

"If you marry Tyler, we aren't just best friends anymore, Demi! We will be literal sisters. If Danielle stands in the way of my dream, I will hunt her down."

"Oh my God, you psycho," Griffin laughed.

Demi paused her giggling enough to say, "I love you."

"I love you too, obviously."

Tyler was smiling down at her with dancing eyes. "Me too."

The smile slipped from Demi's face. "What?" she murmured.

"I love you too."

"Oooh," she wheezed out, her eyes prickling with emotion. "Boy, I was not prepared."

"Yeah you are. You've felt it. You knew this was coming."

She slipped her hand into his as they approached the entrance for the pumpkin patch. "You already know I love you too. I have since high school."

"Me too," he murmured, dredging up all the butterflies in her stomach. "I just didn't understand what I was feeling until I came back here."

"They're with me," Demi told Ben at the gate, and he handed them four wristbands to get into the Halloween celebration at the pumpkin patch. The celebration would go until ten tonight for the kids' events, and until two in the morning for the adults-only events. Tonight was going to be amazing.

Tyler held her hand and led her toward one of the firepits near an apple-cider stand. Perhaps he was cold and needed a warm-up before they hit the haunted house, or the haunted corn maze.

But when they drew closer, she recognized some of the faces of the people sitting around this particular firepit.

Her parents were here, as well as Mr. Durock and his wife, and all of Rachel's brothers.

It was the Darke and Durock families here, and no one else.

Confused, she slowed. "Mom?"

Her mom lifted her chin higher into the air. She had an emotional smile on her lips, and tears in her eyes. She nodded. "Hey baby."

Baffled, she looked up at Tyler, and he was already grinning down at her. "I asked our families to spend some time together."

"What? Why?" she asked as the first inklings of a suspicion took her.

"Because they are going to have to get used to holidays together." Tyler knelt down on one knee and looked up at her. "Look, I have like four acorns, three paperclips, and sixteen pennies in one pocket, and I can ask you to be my girlfriend right now, on Halloween, your favorite day of the year. That's your first option."

"What's…what's the other option?"

"I can ask you the question I really want to. It's too soon, I know. Rachel said you might freak out. I know what I want, and I will ask you on one of these Halloweens. If you need a year to just be my girlfriend? Okay. I'm not going anywhere. But if you know what you want too, I've got a ring in the other pocket. It's a shiny one. I researched what crows like, and I took my parents and my sister to help pick it out. You choose which question you want me to ask."

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Her eyes burned with tears as she realized what he was really proposing. She looked to her mother, and she had her hands clasped over her mouth. She nodded her approval.

"Say the ring, for God's sake!" Rachel called over the firepit.

She laughed, and the tears streaked down her cheeks as she nodded to Tyler. "Ask me the question you want to."

"Yeah?" he asked, dark eyebrows arching up.

She nodded, trying to control her crying.

He pulled a velvet pouch from his pocket and pulled a solitaire diamond ring out, held it up for her to see. "Crow," he started, and she broke down, just hung her head crying. Good man. He was talking to both parts of her. "Crow," he said again, his heart in his bright-blue eyes. "You picked me a long time ago, but I was just a stupid boy who didn't understand. This is me understanding, and choosing you back." He cleared his throat. "Demi. Rhone. Darke. I freakin' love your last name, woman, but I want to change it. I want to spend it all with you. The whole life. Everything I've been fighting, I want that with you. Will you marry me?"

Her face crumpled, and the tears were freely streaming. She nodded. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you," she squeaked out past her tightening vocal cords.

He stood in a rush and took her with him, picked her right up and hugged her tight as the others were clapping. Rachel was whistling loudly. Her mom was crying. Her dad was grinning from ear to ear like he'd always known they would find this moment.

Tyler kissed her and set her down. He hugged her so tightly, and did he know? Did he realize? He was putting all of her pieces back together again.

The next few minutes were a blur as she was drawn into hug after hug, until she made it to Mr. Durock.

He didn't hug her right away. Instead, he stood stoic with his hands clasped in front of him. "My son tells me you are the one he wants in the hospital with him when he wakes up next month."

"I'll be there for him, and also for you, sir," she promised.

Mr. Durock's eyes softened, and a faint smile touched his lips. "I've been wrong about you. I've been wrong about a lot of things for a long time." And then he offered his hand for a shake. Only when she moved to shake it, he pulled her into a hug and told her, "Welcome to the family. You'll wear the last name well."

And the second round of tears flooded her.

The bartender from the hard apple-cider tent brought a tray of drinks and passed them out, probably at the request of her mother. And as Demi looked around at the families that would be bound together with her and Tyler's oath, she looked up at him.

He really was a fixer.

"Are you happy?" he asked low, like he just needed to hear her say it.

"I couldn't be any happier," she uttered softly.

"Truth," he whispered.

"You?" she asked, as their families chattered and drank together.

He leaned in and settled his lips against her ear as he admitted, "I am right where I was always supposed to be."

This Halloween…

This Halloween…

This Halloween was sure going to be hard to beat.

But as she melted into the warmth of her person, her partner, her mate, her bond…Demi knew one thing for certain.

Every Halloween from here on would be a tribute to this life-changing day.

The day he claimed her.

The day he brought their feuding families together.

The day he put to rest any insecurities she could ever have.

From here on out, they were going to enjoy this life, and this season, together.