“That’s not what we wanted to happen,” Granny said, a seriousness to her tone that made Pippa tone down her excitement.
Blaine huffed, running a hand through his hair. “I think it’s safe to say the wedding will be postponed a couple days, right?”
“Aw, c’mon, we can do it... I’m fine...” Thea whined. When she tried to move, she groaned and fell back into the bed, clutching at her rib-cage
“You’re not fine,” Selena said with a smile, patting her head.
“A wedding?!” Alistair did a double-take. “Our daughter’s getting married? I don’t even have anything to wear!”
The room became boisterous as Pippa began to fill in the details of the wedding preparations to Alistair and Selena. While Selena was much more reserved and elegant with her responses, Alistair matched Pippa with the same level of energetic eagerness. Jesse was hiding his laughter behind a hand.
Sybil leaped onto the bed, purring as she cuddled into Thea’s side.
“You got yourself into some trouble, didn’t you?” the familiar asked.
Thea petted her head. “You’re the reason we managed to figure everything out, you know that right? You’re the most important familiar in the history of Ardensville.”
“Aw, shucks,” the kitten replied, leaning into Thea’s touch. “I think you’re hyping me up a little bit.”
“The hype is real, Sybil.”
Despite the noise in her bedroom, Thea decided that she wanted to get a few more hours of rest. She deserved it more than anyone after the experiences she just lived through. As she relaxed into her covers with Sybil by her side, it didn’t take long to succumb to the clutches of slumber yet again.
Chapter 30
Pippa stood behind the pulpit, bursting at the seams with excitement. However, she kept a straight face as she uttered the final words that joined Thea and Blaine in marriage.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
The venue erupted into deafening cheers and applause as Thea and Blaine kissed. Pippa was finally able to let out a squeal of excitement, watching her best friend get married to a man who was going to treat her right.
Max nudged Mira, nodding his head towards Pippa. “Jeez. Can you believe she was able to get through the entire ceremony without exploding?”
“It’s a miracle,” Mira replied, exchanging a smile with her boyfriend. “I’m just happy that Thea and Blaine finally figured it out and got married. It took them a while, didn’t it?”
He hummed in agreement. The both of them continued applauding, along with everyone else, as Thea and Blaine waved to the crowd.
Danny sat smiling with Sybil and his mother. All were beaming.
Emerging from the sea of guests, Francis, Eleanor, and Fred made their way over to the couple with flowers and gifts in their hands.
“Congratulations, you two,” Francis said, giving Blaine a small wreath of roses. “It was only a matter of time before you guys tied the knot.”
“I still remember that first date you two had in my diner,” Eleanor mentioned, tugging at Fred’s shirt. “You do, too! They sat in the same spot where Selena and Alistair did. It was such a heartwarming moment.”
“And you guys managed to get the same outcome as Selena and Alistair, too,” Fred stated further, taking a glimpse at the crowd. “I’m glad to have them back, y’know. We missed them a lot.”
Thea smiled, gently tapping the corners of her eyes with her fingertips. “I missed them, too. They’ve been so happy ever since they were able to come back.”
“Let’s go talk to them!” Eleanor suggested to Fred and Francis, the latter appearing a bit confused at the invitation.
He gestured to himself. “Me?”
“Of course, you!” Eleanor said, dragging him along. “When Selena and Alistair were still around three decades ago, I didn’t have any major competition in time. They’re going to be impressed by the new blood who managed to light a fire under me and encourage me to get better.”
“Man... I’m honored,” Francis replied breathlessly, sending Thea and Blaine a wave as Fred and Eleanor guided him to Thea’s parents.
“I didn’t expect everyone to show up, not going to lie,” Blaine whispered to her, subtly motioning towards certain figures in the crowd. “Gage and Kim showed up. Marie and Danny are here, too.”
“Well, why wouldn’t they show up? We helped them,” Thea reasoned, elbowing him playfully. “All of that preparation really paid off, huh?”
“Yep...” Blaine’s gaze drifted off to one of the side tables that was overflowing with gifts. “It’s going to take us a couple days to get through all the presents, though.”
Thea laughed. “You act as if that’s a bad thing.”
A redheaded woman soon approached them. She was one of the people who was freed from the crystal, the same one who tackled Shannon in a hug when she emerged. Thea remembered her vaguely.
“The pleasure is ours,” Thea replied, charmed by Hazel’s giddy smile.
“I, uh... forgot to bring a wedding gift, so I hope this will make up for it,” Hazel spoke softly, cheeks turning a soft pink. With a wave of her hand, she was able to grow a bouquet for Thea right before their very eyes.
“That’s impressive,” Blaine remarked.
“I hope so! I love doing this for people.”
Hazel flinched at the illuminated phone cameras. Adjusting to the new time period was going to be interesting.
“Thank you so much,” Thea said, waving Granny over. “Did you see what she did? That was so cool!”
Granny nodded, wrapping an arm around Thea’s shoulders. “Most of the rebel group is here, did you notice? I think I spotted Shannon and some others near the back.”
“Are you guys going to go through with the reveal?” she asked.
“Not yet. I told them that we were going to wait a little bit and maybe even choose a smaller town than Ardensville to do it in,” Granny explained. “It’s still conspiracy central in this place, after all. Everyone’s trying to figure out how and why the town hall managed to explode completely out of the blue.”
“Yeah, trying to explain it to the rest of the police department wasn’t a walk in the park for me, either,” Blaine mentioned, scratching the back of his neck.
Thea thought about the numerous people who were trapped inside the crystal for so long. She still couldn’t fathom how her aunt was capable of doing such a thing. It was mind numbing.
The image of the cloaked wizard appeared in Thea’s mind again. She wondered who he was. By the looks of it, no one else knew who he was, either. At the very least, she hoped that he was adjusting alright. To be freed after spending so many years trapped would take some time to get used to, she was sure.
“Guys! It’s time for the bouquet toss!” Pippa announced, gathering up a crowd of girls near the middle of the venue. “C’mon, Thea! Throw us those flowers!”
“If you say so, Pippa,” Thea mumbled, turning around and heaving the bouquet over her shoulder.
There was a bit of a struggle, a few groans here and there, but the eventual victor emerged with the bouquet tightly gripped within her hand. It was Pippa, unsurprisingly. Blaine chuckled lowly at the sight.
“I think she planned for this to happen,” Blaine said.
They watched as Pippa took confident strides across the room to reach Jesse. She took him by the collars and pulled him down into a kiss, one that caused the tips of his ears to burn a bright red.
“Oh, definitely,” Thea agreed, laughing at the scene. “She orchestrated this entire thing, down to the very last detail.”
“Typical Pippa.” Blaine pointed to the chocolate fountain situated on one of the tables near the back. “So, uh... shall we? I’m starving.”
“Why didn’t you eat anything earlier?”
“The nerves
were getting to me,” he replied, taking her hand and leading the way. “We paid a lot for that thing. Might as well put it to good use.”
Thea took his arm. There was a lot of catching up to do and she couldn’t wait to start.
Don’t miss the first book in the New Tortie Kitten Mystery Series:
Bound for Magic
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Catalog of Books
The Tortie Kitten Mystery Series
Bound for Magic
Strange Brew
Wandering Eye
The Farmer’s Market Witch Mystery Series
Charmed to Death
Third Crime’s a Charm
A Devilish Charm
Hard Knocks Charm
Secret Charms
Magic Charms
Tabby Kitten Witch Mystery Series
Familiar Magic
Creature Magic
Adventure Magic
Spooky Magic
Ghoulish Magic
Shadow Magic
IVY’S BOTANICAL SHOP Cozy Witch Mystery Series
Brewing Up Trouble
Brewing the Midnight Oil
A Storm is Brewing
Back to the Brewing Board
Brewing Up the Wrong Tree
Brewing Down the Hatches
WITCHES BE CRAZY COZY Witch Mystery Series
Down the Hatch
Down But Not Dead
Down and Out
Down and Dirty
Down in Flames
Down for the Count
THE HOCUS POCUS COZY Witch Mystery Series
Spooks and Spells
Freaks and Felons
Crooks and Crystals
Graves and Goons
Brooms and Brains
Moons and Magic
THE HAPPY BLENDINGS Cozy Witch Mystery Series
The Potion Commotion
A Pumpkin Potion Explosion
A Drop in the Potion
A Notion of a Potion
A Deceptive Potion
A Formidable Potion
A Risky Potion
CALAMITY CORNERS COZY Witch Mystery Series
Calm Before the Witch Storm
The Witch is in the Details
Better the Witch You Know
A Witch Axe to Grind
A Cauldron of Witch Tricks
TRIPLET WITCH SISTERS Mystery Series
Two’s Company, Three’s a Coven
Resting Witch Face
Bewitched and Bewildered
Triple Toil and Trouble
THE WITCH SISTERS OF Stillwater
Hoodoo and Just Desserts
A Shade of Murder
That Ol’ Black Magic
A Whole Lotta Witchin Goin On
The Beast Cometh
Secrets and Sorcery