Page 86 of Wedding the Werepanther

“Dawn, Slate, you did it!” Shadow stops shifting. In his werepanther form, he scoops all three of them up into his arms for a quick hug.

Then they’re wiggling to be put down so they can run over to Mist and Moonlight for more pets and praise. “You’re all so wonderful! Look at you!”

Dewdrop launches from the top of the arbor to land on the ground beside them, bobbing and flaring his wings as he dances with excitement. “You have hands now, like me!”

“Yes, we have hands!” Wisp holds hers up and runs over to me. “More cheese, please.”

The other two take up the chant. “Cheese, cheese, cheese.”

Shadow and I make up three plates with a little sample of all of the sides, and we have them sit on the grass and try to use forks for the first time.

Dewdrop has me make up a large fruit plate so he can share it with them. “Try this one!” He holds out a chunk of pineapple, one of his new favorites.

Wisp bites into it, her eyes going wide as saucers. “It’s so many flavors all at once and in only one thing! It’s sweet and tangy and tart and other things I don’t have words for!”

In their excitement, they quickly abandon the plastic forks and eat with their hands, asking a constant stream of questions about what everything is.

Shadow grins like the proud uncle he is and shrugs. “I’ll go wet some washcloths.”

“You stay with the werekittens,” I say. “I’ll get them.”

Inside, I wet the washcloths at the kitchen sink while chatting with Victoria. “Did you like the ceremony?”

“I did, but the party is even better.”

“It is.” Her words make me mention something I’ve been thinking about. “You know, a lot of what makes weddings so fun doesn’t have anything to do with the marriage part. It’s this.” I wave a hand toward the window to take in the backyard. “It’s lots of people coming together and enjoying each other’s company.”

“I do like having more people around,”Victoria writes.

“I want to find a way for you to be happy that’s not impossible to maintain. I can’t make you a wedding chapel again. I don’t have the right personality for it. Plus, I’ve already got a job.” I wring the excess water from a washcloth and pick up another one. “But what if we have more parties and get-togethers here? Maybe more people visiting from Faerie?” I have an idea I’ve been mulling over, but it’s not fully formed yet.

“I’d like that.”

“Good.” I head back outside. Shadow still sits with the little ones, his head cocked to the side as he listens to another question, this one probably about potato salad, since that’s what Dawn holds in her tiny fist.

He answers, then reaches out to tickle her tummy, her shrieks of laughter dancing through the night.

All three werekittens leap on him, leaving tiny clawed handprints of food all over his shirt. But he rolls onto his back, laughing. He’s so good with them, so loving and supportive and all the things a wonderful family can be.

I slam to a stop halfway across the yard. The party still whirls around me, but I’m frozen as if hit by a Stun Spell.

Because I can no longer ignore the way my heart leaps when I see him.

I love Shadow.

I love him so much.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Shadow

The rest of the guests have left by the time the werekittens eventually burn through their first-ever sugar high and fall asleep in a furry heap beside one of the picnic tables.

Kayla plops down onto the wooden bench beside me and sneaks a peek at the napping younglings. “I didn’t think we were going to survive the Sugarpocalypse.”

“You’re the one who gave them pieandcobbler,” I say.

“They were little pieces.” She holds her thumb and finger an inch apart. “I didn’t realize they’d never had sugar before until they went hyper. And I think I saw Dewdrop sneaking them extra pineapple chunks.”