Yule Be Magical (Familiar Kitten Mysteries Book 8) by Sara Bourgeois (popular novels TXT) 📗

“Yeah, he did say that, but…”

“Let me finish,” Thorn said and kissed me on the forehead. “But, did he love the light in you? Because I do. I love both. That’s why I say I love your grayness, Kinsley. I love everything about you. I understand that sometimes, because of what you are, darkness is your way. I more than accept that, but I love the light too, baby. I think that Azriel just loved in you what he saw of himself. I worry that he enjoyed trying to twist you into the worst version of yourself.”

“I never thought of it that way,” I admitted.

“I want you to be the best version of yourself. Whatever that is. Sometimes it’s going to be light, and sometimes it will be dark. As long as it’s what you want and need, then it’s what you should be. I’ll love you no matter what, sweetie. Good times, bad, and everything in between, but I have a question,” Thorn said.

“Yes?” I squeaked the words out because I was on the verge of breaking down into literal sobs of joy. His words had hit me like a truck.

“I haven’t always gone about things the right way. I’m not talking about setting up your ex to be arrested or anything like that. None of that is true, but what is true that I’ve gotten some… a lot of the day-to-day stuff wrong. I’ve floundered in this relationship too, but I don’t want to talk about blame. I accept mine. What I want to know is can you love all of me too? Can you forgive me when I mess up? Can you love me flaws and all? On the condition that I promise to work on them.”

“There’s no condition, Thorn,” I said and took his hands in mine. “I would never condition it. I love you, baby. Thorns and all.”

“Then marry me, Kinsley. Marry me right now, please.”

“Okay,” I said and that’s when the tears really started flowing. “How?”

“The courthouse is still open for another half an hour. I’ve got the marriage license in my cruiser. Let’s go track down a judge,” he said and started pulling me toward his cruiser before I even had a chance to blurt out “yes,” which I totally did.

Marriage license in hand, Thorn and I rushed into the courthouse. We got on the elevator and went up to the floor where the judges had their chambers. There were three, and their secretaries sat at desks in the same area.

When Thorn told them why we were there, all three got up to go check with their bosses and see if one of them was available. Fortunately for us, one of them was, and the secretaries enthusiastically agreed to be our witnesses.

It was just a slap-dash civil ceremony, and it took about five minutes, but it was done.

Thorn and I were married.

We were really, for real married. The judge had even let me take Meri out of the bag. He sat on the judge’s bench and watched the service. It was a good thing the judge liked cats.

As we were leaving the courthouse hand in hand, I was thinking about dinner, but Thorn had other things on his mind.

“What were you looking for when you came to the square?” he asked.

“Are you thinking about the case?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Would you be offended if I was?” Thorn asked.

“No,” I said and squeezed his hand. “But I would be intrigued.”

“I figured we’d celebrate our nuptials by getting involved,” he said. “I thought you might like that.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I know you take your job seriously, and you’re off the case.”

“I would like to see what my wife finds so fascinating about all of this,” he said. “Unless you just want to eat.”

“I think you might be trying too hard to prove that you accept me as I am, but I also think I’m going to take you up on it,” I said. “So earlier, I was in Pepper’s apartment. I didn’t break in. Her neighbor thought I was there to help pack up her things, and he let me in. He had a key because he took care of her cat sometimes.”

“Why did he think you were there to help pack her things?” Thorn asked.

“Because he said he’d been waiting for a friend or family member to come do that, and I let him think that was me…” I said and then bit my lip.

Thorn shook his head in disbelief, but he was still smiling. I took that as a good sign. “So, I take it her apartment isn’t where you’d want to go?”

“It’s not,” I confirmed. “I found letters in her closet from her high school sweetheart. Apparently, she had a baby and gave it up for adoption without telling him. By the time he was able to figure out what happened and try to get custody, he couldn’t bear to rip the child away from the only family he ever knew. Understandably, that left him bitter. Really bitter. He wrote her a lot of letters expressing his grief and anger. Christmas seemed to be the worst time for him. He has visitation with his son, but I don’t think that’s ever been enough.”

I took out my phone and brought up the pictures of the letters. I handed it over to Thorn and stood quietly while he studied them.

“So, you want to go talk to him?” Thorn asked.

“You know, that might be a better place to start than breaking into his home,” I said.

“But Jeremy’s probably already talked to him, so he’s not going to say anything to us,” Thorn added. “He might even call Jeremy about us bothering him.”

“So we should break into his home?” I asked.

“I’m not saying we should, but I am saying, if I were you, that would be my next step. His house is going to tell us a great deal more about him than he would.”

“What if he’s home from work?”