Epilogue

EPILOGUE

C hristmas Eve—one year later

Noah watched Harper as she walked around handing out mince pies in the cramped little galley of his boat.

Dina sat bobbing baby Jason up and down on her lap, big and bonnie at seven months old and already a fine swimmer, even though he couldn’t yet crawl. Noah’s mom was happily propped up with a cushion behind her sore back, chatting to Eleanor, who was wearing emerald green and red striped glasses in honor of Christmas, and a silver jumpsuit (yes, a jumpsuit) that looked like it was made of woven tinsel.

Wyatt was slicing the Christmas cake in the kitchen—the one he’d made himself, no less.

It was all kinds of perfect.

Except it was just too small a space to bring up a family.

His and Harper’s.

Harper had told him only last week that she was pregnant.

Noah had literally cried, big salty selkie tears, dropped to his knees and kissed her still-flat belly. Then he’d made gentle love to her in their small bed. He hadn’t minded it being small when there was just the two of them, it meant Harper had to lie spooned into him and he’d wrap his tail around her, holding her close.

But now… there was no way they could bring up a kid in here. Just watching Jason, even rolling on his tummy, and all the dangers you could encounter as a baby. Let alone when they crawled… Noah shuddered.

But he had a plan. Two plans, to be precise.

He only hoped his beloved was happy with both.

When everyone finally left, he said casually, “Shall we sit up on the deck for a while?”

It had been a cold, crisp, sunny day and now that the sun was low in the sky, a beautiful wash of red and pink and purple suffused the heavens.

No sign of snow, but there would be frost on deck tonight.

“Sure,” Harper said, “I’ll grab us some jackets.”

When they were rugged up and seated, he said, “I was going to wait until tomorrow. But Harps, it will be busy with Christmas lunch at the Monsters of Mercy and everyone wanting to catch up, and I can’t wait.

She gave him an inquisitive look. “Wait for what?”

Noah fumbled in his pocket for the box. Handed it to her.

She opened it expectantly and he thought he saw a little shadow of disappointment pass over her face.

“A key?”

“Yep.”

“What for?”

“A key to our new home.”

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Noah! A new home? Whereabouts?”

“It’s a cottage, a couple of streets back from the wharf. Needs a lot of work. But it reminds me of your cottage at the Monsters of Mercy where we?—”

“Oh my!” She was squeezing her cheeks between her palms. “You’ve been working so hard, but I hadn’t realized it was to save…”

“I’ve put a down payment on it, but if you don’t like it, we can find somewhere else.”

“We’ll go look at it straight away.” She jumped up, but he reached out and took her hand, reeled her in.

“One more small thing…”

He kissed her belly, and Harper smirked. “Oh, you want to… well, I’m open to that...”

Noah shook his head. Later he would get her naked and kiss her again everywhere, but for now, he had something else on his mind.

She frowned. “I won’t break, Noah. I’m just having a baby.”

“Never say ‘just’. It’s the biggest miracle in the world.”

She smirked. “Of course it is, and I guess it won’t be just having a baby. I’m sure it will feel like I’m shitting a watermelon, and I’ll hate you when I’m giving birth. But right now, I love you, big man, and I want to make love to you.”

“Nope.”

“Oh!” Her face crumpled. He couldn’t bear to upset her. Not after the mess of last year—that still cut him when he thought about it.

“One sec, babe.” He rummaged in his pocket for the other box.

Brought it out. Flipped it open.

“Harper, will you marry me?”

Her face crumpled some more and this time big tears slid down her cheeks.

“Oh—Noah.”

“Thought I’d never ask, right?”

“I didn’t think it mattered, but… being pregnant now… I guess that changes things…”

“I was always going to ask, even if you weren’t pregnant. I’d have asked you the moment I set eyes on you. Except you’d have thought I was just a sleazy selkie trying to get into your panties.”

“I dunno, I might have let you.”

They both laughed. “Well…” Noah cocked his head expectantly.

“Well, what?”

“You haven’t said ‘yes’.”

“Oh, Noah, yes, you know I’ll marry you!”

She flung her arms around him and showered him in kisses.

When he’d finally got the modest ring on her finger, (It was all he could afford, a small garnet set in silver, but it suited her hand perfectly), Harper said, “So, do you want to make love, or show me our new home first?”

“Let’s go look at the cottage.”

“Wow, I just got two of the best Christmas presents,” she said as they made to get off the boat.

“Three, if we count Junior.” Noah grinned.

“Four, if we count you in my life,” she said. “You will always be the best Christmas present I ever had, Noah Shortwater.”

“And you mine,” he said, helping her across the gangplank.

Yep, Christmas would always be his favorite time of year, Noah decided, as they strolled along the quay, hand in hand.

Because Christmas was when Santa finally got to seduce his favorite elf.