14 Chapter Fourteen

I stared at Rafe, quickly taking in his silhouette. There were no obvious scratches or dents in his armor and I didn't see any signs of injuries. He was okay. He didn't appear angry or upset, so I assumed Jason was okay, too.

Sinking into my bathwater as relief made every muscle in my body unwind at once, I gave him a smile and said, "Welcome home."

His smile in return was weary. "May I join you?" he asked. "Jason went straight to bed, but I'd like to soak for a few minutes if I can."

"I don't mind. Did something happen?"

Rafe shrugged and began shucking his armor. I greedily watched as his cloak fell to the ground, followed by his boots, bracers, and greaves. It was the worst kind of strip-tease. I held my breath as he unbuckled his chestplate and set it aside. I pouted at the sleeveless tunic he had hiding underneath.

Then he tossed that in the pile and I perked back up. I had to look away to keep from drooling as he went to work on his leather kilt.

"Jason's new pet is a turtle," he said as I heard his kilt hit the ground. I turned back to him again and stared as he climbed into the oversized bath with me. He leaned over the side a moment, triggering the magic circle to Cleanse and heat the water once more, then swam to the far side so he could sit facing me.

My heart was pounding frantically in my chest, knowing he was completely nude and only a few feet away, but having all the beautiful flesh hidden underwater helped me calm down again.

"A turtle?" I asked, struggling to hold my end of the conversation. "That's a lot more normal than I was expecting."

"Not so much." Rafe sighed and ducked his head under the water to wet his hair. When he came up again, he relaxed back against the bath wall and explained, "It's not just any turtle. It's a baby world turtle. I thought it was a regular snapping turtle at first, but then Jason fed it some moss and now its shell is covered in the stuff. That's how I knew it wasn't normal. World turtles are known for the terrariums they grow on their backs. Whatever they eat, they can grow. Right now, it's just a curiosity, but world turtles can eventually grow big enough to become their own islands. It'll take a few thousand years for it to get that big, though."

"But it's small right now?" I asked to confirm.

"Just a baby and a runt, too. It looked like it'd been abandoned in its nest. Jason spent a few hours teaching it to ride on his shoulder and he kept putting it on his head like a helmet, if that tells you anything. He's already in love with the thing, so I hope you're okay with it... and the other pets Jason decided to pick up before I could stop him."

I laughed. "And there's the part I was dreading. Go ahead and hit me with it. What else did he bring home?"

"There's the sprite who decided the world turtle's mossy back would make a great place to relax."

"What's a sprite?"

"It's like a nature spirit. This one looks a lot like a butterfly, but it has black wings and it glows. I'm not sure what its elemental nature is yet. It might not have decided."

"Okay, and—?"

"And it can evolve into a fairy depending on the strength of its bond with its master. Jason could very well wake up one day to a cute girl in his bed. He has no idea, though."

I groaned. "What else?"

"A lamb."

I snorted and smiled. "Okay, that doesn't sound too bad. I'm guessing there's another hidden hitch?"

"It's a crusader lamb. It'll eventually evolve into an angel. They're really rare. I've only seen two in my entire life and both were given as living offerings to the Gods. We'll need to go by a chapel and make sure it's okay for Jason to keep it."

"Keep it coming. I doubted he stopped there. A turtle, butterfly, and lamb doesn't sound like enough."

"He actually did intend to stop there, but then a barghest wandered over to where they were playing. Jason got upset when I drew my sword to kill it. He tamed it before I could do anything. He kept calling it a dog, so I don't think he understands it's an undead phantom. I tried to explain it to him, but he was too pissed off at me to listen. It didn't help that the barghest started acting like a trained hound as soon as it was tamed. It understood all of Jason's commands and even listened to me once Jason told it to."

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

"You think it's funny?" Rafe asked with a sardonic grin. "I thought I was going to lose my mind with all those rare creatures showing up in an area not known for them. And guess what he named each of them."

"Tell me."

"The turtle is named Ted, the sprite is named Pattie, the lamb is Bell, and the barghest is named Jack."

I splashed water on my face to keep me from laughing hysterically. Of course Jason would be the type to give his pets human names. At least we wouldn't have to worry about it when some of them did become human.

"Oh, the fun didn't stop there. I made the mistake of trying to teach Jason how to use magic. I thought it'd be safer in the dungeon than inside the town. He picked it up fast, which isn't too abnormal for some kids, but then he started multi-casting and combining them on instinct. You didn't tell me he had enhanced casting abilities and combination magic. I think he has an enhanced magical circuit, too, because it took him a lot longer than normal to get tired."

"I didn't realize those were important. You should have seen his status, Rafe. It was a wall of text. I was overwhelmed and didn't understand a lot of what was listed. If I'd known, I would have warned you."

"I know you would have. The good news is the dungeon closes tomorrow and I don't think he's going to be in a hurry to go back. Apparently, he was hoping to find ores he could use for his building project, but we didn't find any. All he picked up was a rubber willow he wants to plant in the back yard."

"A what?" I asked, startled by the tree's name.

"A rubber willow. Have you never seen one? The branches hang down from the trunk like vines and they're covered in milky white leaves. If you cut into one, the inside is made of this cream substance that sticks and stiffens as it dries. A lot of Adventurers use it to cover rashes and seal wounds until they can reach a Healer."

"Are you talking about aloe?"

"No, but people like to mix it with aloe while it's still wet. We call it sticky slime. Jason intends to ask you to take a look at it. I think it reminds him of something from home."

"Possibly," I murmured. "Rubber is used to make bicycle tires, so he might not be thinking much beyond the similarity of the name. In our world, rubber is made by mixing chemicals—"

"You mean alchemy?"

"We call it chemistry, but it's probably the same thing. Anyway, we do have rubber trees, but they only produce a component of the material we call rubber and chemists mix it with other ingredients to make the final material. I'll have to analyze the tree he brought back to see if it's the ingredient for rubber or if it's a miracle plant made of actual rubber. If it's the former, he'll have to give up on using it until he's older. Chemistry—alchemy—can produce toxic fumes if its not done right. If it's the miracle plant, I won't have a problem with him trying to make tires from it."

Rafe nodded solemnly, then said, "We should buy a house."

I huffed out a laugh and splashed water in his direction. "Where did that come from?"

"I was just imagining our future," he explained. "We'll need extra rooms for when Jason's pets evolve. And he's a crafter, so he should probably have a workshop so his projects don't take over his bedroom."

I didn't hide my amusement. Rafe could be so transparent at times. "Oh? So we should do it for Jason?"

"You need more than a tiny pantry. I was thinking something with a big cellar and a large wine rack for all those bottles you and mother keep emptying together."

"You think I'll be okay with your mother coming with us?"

"You love my mother. You'd be angry if I suggested leaving her behind."

Okay, so he had me there. I bobbed my head, neither accepting or denying his proposal. That's what this was, I thought—his second attempt at proposing to me. The way he spoke had that kind of feel to it.

Rafe continued, "She doesn't have to live in the main house, though. We could get a two turret house in the second district. Mother could have one tower to herself, we could set Jason and the pets up in the second tower, and the rest will be all for us."

"Why put Jason in a tower? Won't that make him feel separated, like we aren't family?"

"He's almost an adult, sweetheart. Giving him a whole tower for himself means he won't feel the need to rush out and make his own household. It'll keep our son coming home to us for a real long time."

"Our son?" I repeated, my voice cracking. The picture he painted was starting to get to me. I wanted it. I wanted it really bad.

"We've bonded," Rafe said with a firm nod. "That boy is aching inside for a real father. I think maybe we should be it. Just say the word and we'll make it official. And maybe we could make something else official at the same time."

He lifted his hand out of the water and, as I expected, there was a ring sitting in the middle of his open palm. It was a slender, delicate mithril band spiraling around a square-cut ruby.

"Jason said you wouldn't care about the rituals of your homeland as long as I asked sincerely. So here I am, asking. Albert Russo, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in Alisfar?"

I couldn't stop smiling. "You're going to keep asking until I say yes. Aren't you?"

"You don't really want me to answer that," he replied sheepishly.

I gave in to the inevitable. "Yes."

Rafe got confused. "Yes, you want me to answer?"

I laughed. "Yes, I'll marry you, you dolt. Now put the damn ring on my hand and kiss me."

Rafe cut through the water like a shark and slipped the ring on my finger. He put it on the wrong one, slipping it onto my middle finger, but I wasn't in the mood to correct him. Not when he swooped down and laid a kiss on my lips that stole the breath from my lungs.

"I swear you intentionally do things to drive me insane," he said when he pulled away for air.

"Why don't we take this upstairs and I can really drive you insane?"

Epilogue

The week following my acceptance of Rafe's proposal was busy. It took constant pleading and coaxing to convince the man we didn't need to rush down to the temple and I wasn't going to change my mind about marrying him. Not that anyone outside our household saw his worries. Rafe strutted around and often hunted me down, just to kiss me and stake his claim so everyone knew I belonged to him. I never complained because, honestly, it didn't feel bad to be prized so highly by the man I was falling in love with.

I tried not to get mad when he went out and bought a house without asking my opinion, leading to what could probably have been considered our first fight if we hadn't christened our new kitchen afterward.

Word reached the Priests about Jason's pet crusader lamb before we even visited the nearby chapel to ask about it. They were very adamant Jason could keep it—so adamant, I was pretty sure someone had been visited by a deity.

I was probably making poor Frank turn bald with how energized I became about the culinary projects I dumped in his lap. My measuring cups, meat grinder, and smoker came in all at once, causing a near riot when I flooded the area around the Guild with the scent of smoked sausages. It was an accident, I swear. I ended up forking over a mithril coin as another bonus to all the workers who had to be called in to tell patrons the smell wasn't something ready to be sold.

The good thing to come out of it was the immediate agreement between the Adventurer's Guild and the Merchant Guild to open a joint factory to produce six varieties of sausages—boar, beef, ram, stag, bear, and drake. In another two days, a steady stream of them would be pouring out onto dining plates throughout the city.

I'd also finished preparations to mass-produce syrup. It turned out the trees in the dungeon didn't act like trees on earth. When tapped like a keg, the magically enhanced maple trees gushed rivers of sap. My Adventurer team had brought barrels of the stuff back. Naturally, my first attempt at making a sweet glaze for ribs sold out. There was already room being made in the Guild warehouses so we could stockpile more in the future.

The pizzeria was on track to open and I'd already begun teaching the staff how to make all the ingredients. They absolutely adored the bulk blender I had installed in the kitchen to speed up the work. I'd gotten word Janet had commissioned three for herself.

I'd also decided to focus on a place serving soup, salad, and sandwiches next. I'd noticed a stall open up in the market selling eating utensils, but the city just wasn't ready for authentic Italian yet. Maybe in another month or two.

My meeting with the Brewer's Guild went well and I ended up contracting with them directly, selling them the recipes to lemonade, apple cider, orange juice, apple juice, and grape juice. The last I'd heard, they were talking about opening a whole new division dedicated to research and development of fruit-based brews. They wanted me to oversee it, but I thought they were on-track and could survive without me. I also gave them the very important freebie hint that some drinks tasted better cold.

Closer to home, there was one change over the last week that had me grinning nonstop.

"Dad!" Jason shouted as he rode his new bicycle down the street toward us. He waved wildly, his friends trailing behind him a bit more unsteadily on their own variant contraptions. Personally, I liked the standing bicycles the girls had designed to account for their dresses. They were almost like kick scooters, except you could insert magic into them to make them pedal for you. I intended to commission one as soon as they had the kinks worked out.

Jason skidded his bike to a stop in front of the house and I crossed my arms over my chest, doing my best to look stern. "You're late," I said.

"We were finishing the bikes," he replied, happily gesturing to his new prize.

"I'm proud of you for finishing them, but did you forget?"

"Forget what?"

"The banquet!" I exclaimed. "The carriage is going to be here in less than an hour. Your friends' parents are probably going out of their minds, wondering where their kids are. If they don't hurry home, they're not going to have time to get ready."

The kids squeaked and scattered, abandoning their prized bicycles on the front lawn in favor of running. It was faster since none of them were good at riding yet. I huffed and went down the stairs to help Jason collect them, putting them inside before a trash man made off with them like they had with the skateboards Jason had tried to make first. Thankfully, for the sake of my sanity as a new parent, the paving stones throughout the city had been too uneven for any of the kids to get the hang of using the damned things.

Once the bikes were stowed away, I rushed Jason into the formal, embroidered suit Iris had commissioned for him and into his nicest pair of town shoes. I growled at him when I noticed the new hoop piercings dangling from his long rabbit ears, but decided I'd wait until later to yell at him for it. There wasn't time for a proper lecture right now.

I was in the middle of pulling on my own suit when I heard shouting coming from outside. I hurried through buttoning my jacket closed, then rushed out to see what was causing the commotion—half the time, the cause was someone in my family. The neighbors were very forgiving, but they could also be vocal.

Iris followed me out, lured by the same sound.

As soon as I opened the door, I noticed Rafe in full armor riding Melon down the street at a fast trot. The pegasus had been another of Rafe's surprises when I made the mistake of complaining about the long walk to work after we moved. The lovable bastard had gone out that night, tamed it without talking to me first, then hired a team of expert Spacial Mages to install a pocket paddock connected to our tiny backyard. The cost had been exorbitant and we now had to pay for deliveries of sweetfeed and hay, but Rafe took responsibility of paying for everything with the monstrous savings he'd been hiding. He also took responsibility of caring for the beast so I couldn't get too mad.

As if I could. Melon was too sweet tempered to hate.

"You're here," I said as Rafe dismounted with an ease I'd never be able to replicate. Riding was one skill that wasn't coming easily to me. "I thought you were planning to meet us there."

"I was, but..." He pointed up at the sky. I looked up and my eyes widened at the giant pirate ship silently sailing overhead, it's hull wrapped in a shell of gold filigree. How the hell had I missed it? Spinning around, I saw six other smaller ships surrounding it and hundreds of tiny hang-gliders cutting through the air like stealth fighter jets. They were too high up for me to see the people manning them, but the royal crests on the sails were plain as day.

"What the hell?" I spluttered.

"It's the gold airship," Rafe explained. "It looks like the banquet just got some royal guests."

"You don't think they'll cancel it?"

"Nope. The likely timed their arrival for it. I figured knowing they were here might make you uneasy, so I decided it'd be better if I changed my plans and ride in the carriage with you."

I flushed, loving how his first thought was about me. I didn't know what I'd done to deserve such devotion, but I intended to cherish it for the rest of my days... and maybe beyond.