By Demons Driven

"What do you mean? I mean, it was lovely waking up and knowing you were there. You needed to be there for your friends this morning though, I totally get that."

Where had this man been all my life and why was he still single? It then struck me一he wasn't single; he was with me. I had a huge grin on my face as I carried our coffees and he carried our pancakes into my courtyard.

"What are your plans for today, Em?" Mac asked as we finished our breakfasts.

"I don't know what to call you. First, you were Jay to me, then I saw you as Mac, and now I just don't know."

"Not only were you the first hook-up for me, but you're also the only woman I've invited to call me Jay since I was in high school. But honestly, you can call me anything you like."

"Jay it is then." I smiled. "Getting back to your question, I need to start on report writing and I have a bit of marking to finish off. What about you?"

"My inbox is overflowing and Bruno, my editor, has been texting me so I should probably see to that."

We agreed that Jay would stay and work from my place before we headed out after lunch to find a costume for trick and treating.

It was lovely sitting on the couch, my feet in Jay's lap as we both worked. With his gran's death, Jay was behind on writing the final in the Magda series, however I saw he was deep in the zone tapping away at the keyboard and jotting notes in his notebook.

After bringing him a sandwich and more coffee, I did not interrupt him, simply focussing on getting ahead in planning so I could write reports during the week.

"Shoot, Emma! Look at the time; we need to arrange costumes."

"I'm staying with Megan and Amanda and handing out lollies. I'll wear a black dress and my witch's hat. I've got an old sheet if you want to go as a ghost, or you can wear that pretty little dress from the other night!"

"I'll wear the dress if you insist," Jay smirked.

~*~*~*~*~

"That was so much fun. I'm glad Cara and Diana joined us all too." Jay was still laughing as we drove away from the Yeo residence after trick and treating. "Jack and Freddy came up with a different reason as to why I was wearing a dress at each house we knocked at. It was hilarious."

"It was fun. Now you're staying over again, aren't you?"

"I need to move out of the apartment by Wednesday. I was going to look for some short-term leases tomorrow."

"You could always move in with me, you know."

"I'd like that a lot, you know. Just like I like you a lot, even more than that."

"I know." Our smiles confirmed our happiness.

"Oh, and Emma," Jay rubbed my thigh as I drove, "You are not a dud root!"

~*~*~*~*~

Epilogue

"Thanks Bruno. Not only are you the world's greatest editor, but you are also a true friend too. As most of you here know, I launched the last Magda book just before Christmas almost two years ago. The plan was to head straight into writing the final in the series, this book that we are launching tonight."

I had never been to a book launch before. Jay had allowed me to read snippets of his final book, but I had not read the complete version yet. He had finished writing most of it before he started uni in February and had worked on edits and a few re-writes since then, before insisting the launch be at school in the lead-up to Halloween this year.

"So, since the last book, a few things have changed. I've changed. Magda's changed a bit too. She's still her magnificent self and although I've had lots of requests to end with her falling in love and riding off into the sunset, that's not Magda and that's ok. My first book was dedicated to my Gran, who showed me unconditional love. However, if you look at the front of this book and find the dedication..."

The page was displayed on the projector behind Jay and immediately saw tears start streaming down my cheeks.

I'm not the best at marketing, but I am ok at overcoming my fears. Magda may not get the ending some of my readers want, but Arnelia has been prodding me. This book is for Emma. We have faced demons together and our friendship and relationship has metamorphosed into something pretty magnificent. I must ask, dear, dear Em the mysterious...

"Emma, my rock, my amazingly beautiful and wonderful woman, the love of my days and nights...can we get hitched?"

It was corny and made people laugh, but it was so James Makenzie-Beaumont as he knelt in front of me holding a stunning emerald and diamond ring. Of course, I said yes. How could I turn down the person who had helped me not only face my fears but shown me that a relationship could be one of the best things to ever happen to me? I had found a man who taught me to love myself, and in doing so, had shown me that love could help overcome any fear.