“We know, dear. It’s just hard to think about you leaving. When you ran out on your wedding, both of us hoped we’d get you back, but that’s not right, and we know it. We’re sorry we smothered you. We were just trying to protect you.”
“I know.” I go to my parents and hug them both at the same time. “I know that. And I love you both very much for it.”
After we hugged it out and a good deal of eye leakage is wiped away, I step back. My parents face Taylen uncertainly. This isn’t the same Taylen they’ve always known. This is a new person, a person who is now in love with their daughter. He was always like a member of the family, but now even that’s different.
“We’ll be okay,” I tell my parents softly. I walk over and take Taylen’s hand. He looks unsure, almost like my parents might be plotting his painful demise. I thread our fingers together. “We’re going to be happy. I don’t know about the soul contracts, but I wouldn’t mind signing off on that.”
“I promise you both that I’ll always treat your daughter like a queen,” Taylen says to my parents after clearing his throat.
A second of silence hovers over the room, then I snort and hiccup at the same time. “Please don’t treat me like a queen. I don’t want to be a queen or a princess or any royalty. I just want to be me, me with you. I get what you mean, but you don’t have to worry about making me happy. I can do that for myself since I’ve spent all these years learning how. You can contribute to it significantly, but don’t think you have to do it all by yourself. I want to be a big part of it. Because if we can’t make ourselves happy and fulfilled, then how are we supposed to be the best person we can be? I want to be the best version of myself for me, my family, and you.”
“Wow,” Tay breathes. “That’s good. I like that.”
“I like that too,” my mom whispers. She dabs her eyes again.
“You take care of her, son,” my dad commands. He’s getting the eye leakage again, which makes me want to start all over with the waterworks. “As long as you love her good and proper, we’ll never have a problem.”
My dad doesn’t have to define good and proper because we know, Taylen knows, and I know. This isn’t the part where we get to know and learn about each other. I mean, it is, but we’ve known each other since we were kids. We have no secrets, especially not now that I know about the curse. We might be new to the dating thing and being lovers and cursed soulmates instead of best friend soulmates, but we’re good. It’s all going to be good. I have very, very high hopes for us. I mean, we’ve sold our souls to each other, and we’re cursed. What could possibly go wrong?
Taylen nods and turns me to face him. He cups my cheeks and stares at me with those gray eyes I know so well, but I’ve never seen them so soft and shiny before. He kisses me long and hard with my parents still looking on. He kisses me until I’m panting, until someone should tell us to get a room, and until I want to climb him like a monkey eager to get his banana.
Okaaaaaaaay.
Too much. Waaaaayyyyy too much, especially with my parents standing right there.
“I’ll take care of her,” Taylen rasps when he comes up for air. It’s a good thing he can speak because I’m extremely out of breath and getting too choked up again to say anything at all. “I promise. If I didn’t, I know I’d have two grannies coming down on me, which is more intimidating than whatever the curse would try and do.”
“You’ll have to tell us about this curse,” my mom murmurs, being very patient through it all. If I heard my daughter was cursed or had sold her soul, I don’t think I’d be so calm. In fact, I know I’d be freaking out big time.
“And about the soul contracts,” my dad adds.
“We should sit down. I’ll explain everything,” I say as I push away a few errant tears of absolute joy and happiness.
“And I’ll help,” Taylen adds. When his hand rests on the small of my back, my eyes sting and burn all over again. I think I might cry for a good long while, but I’ll like it because it’s perfectly okay to be this freaking happy.
I’m not afraid.
Well, to be fully candid, I might be a little afraid, but it’s okay.
My parents and I can all be scared together and help each other along the way. We can learn to be brave, learn to laugh, learn to cry, and learn to be a brand new family.