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• Luna •

The first rays of sunlight lit up Luna's bedroom, shining down on her face.

Squinting her eyes, she peeked at the window and noticed the curtains rustling about in the wind; the birds chirping in the distance. Light flickered as she turned to look at her alarm clock that read 7: 12 A.M.

Rotating on her right side, she stared blankly at the ceiling. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and she had family coming over for dinner tomorrow. She needed to run to the marketplace soon before they sell out of the food she wanted to prepare for everyone.

Bringing her body forward, Luna's eyes trailed her surroundings, and she noticed Chase was not lying beside her. Where could he be? thought Luna, sliding her legs over the side of the bed.

Standing to her feet, Luna leaned down and scrambled through a pile of clothes scattered across the floor, searching for her purple robe. Spotting it, she wrapped it around her body and scurried quickly toward Sarah's bedroom.

"Sarah! Are you up, yet?" she yelled, knocking calmly at her daughter's door.

"Five more minutes," came from the other side.

Luna then turned the knob and stared directly at Sarah, who was still snuggled in her blankets. "I have a lot to do and don't have time for this."

"I just want five more minutes!"

"This isn't up for debate, Sarah Marie Carlyle. I told you it's time to get up, and I meant it," Luna said, pulling Sarah's princess Jasmine blanket away from her face. "I have to run to the market before they sell out of all the potatoes and veggies you like to eat for Thanksgiving dinner."

"I just need five more minutes, Mommy."

"Why do you need more time to sleep? It'll take me three minutes to get myself ready, so I need you up."

"Please, Mommy?"

"Sarah . . . I already told you no. Now, get up. No more sleeping."

Luna heard Sarah groan as she crossed the threshold and closed her door.

As she walked into the bathroom, her mouth dropped open when she found herself standing in Amir's bathroom, hot mist filling the air and the mirrors covered with steam.

She shook her head, snapping out of it.

She had to focus on getting breakfast ready and running errands later, and seeing Amir now — indisposed — would slow things down. Both of them had been busy and hadn't seen each other for the past several days.

Not to mention she has never thought about him in that way, in the way of seeing him intimately. Her feelings for her fiancé meant too much to her, and she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize her relationship.

"Seriously?" she whispered to herself and shook her head.

She sighed, realizing she really needed to get a hold of the way she transitioned into other environments. She didn't want to see anything she didn't need to see.

Walking toward her bedroom, her nose twitched as she caught a whiff of bacon oozing through the air.

She locked her gaze on Chase, who was standing over the stove, wearing a gray tee-shirt and dark jeans, turning over a strip of bacon on the skillet.

Shifting her gaze toward the dining room, a well-prepared breakfast sat on the table.

It was decorated with flowers, Thanksgiving place settings, dishes of bread, meat, fruits, scrambled eggs, with a slice of cheddar cheese settled on top, and Belgian waffles, drizzled with fresh maple syrup, sitting directly in the middle to serve as the centerpiece.

"Wow! You went all out," Luna said, whirling her body toward Chase.

"Good morning to you, too," was his reply.

"I wasn't trying to be sarcastic."

He frowned, eyebrows furrowed. "You are surprised I prepared breakfast this morning?"

"Somewhat. I'm used to you being at work before Sarah and I are awake. It's a surprise."

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted both of you to sleep as long as you'd like. I had everything under control down here."

Luna smiled.

Arranging the food in front of him, he added, "You're up early."

She yawned, leaning back in the chair. "I feel like I slept in and have the need to sort my day out."

"That's because," he said, striding toward her," you are always busy with work. It's time to have a day off."

"You're right," she whispered, sighing. "There's something I need tell you."

He should know about what I can do. But how would I start this conversation?

"Okay? Is it . . . bad?"

She shook her head. "No, I hope?"

He chuckled and stepped around the counter.

Pulling out a chair for her, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded and poured herself a cup of coffee, carefully sliding a straw into it. "I did. Sarah should be joining us, but she probably went back to sleep."

"I'm sure she'll be down in a minute."

Chase walked around the other side of the kitchen and cracked two eggs, then poured them into a sizzling pan.

"It's the holidays, so I'm giving her a pass," Luna replied, taking a bite of her eggs. "I love you, baby."

"And I love you."

After all the trouble he'd went to prepare breakfast for them, Luna felt like it wasn't the right time to talk about her ability, not while they're about to have family time.

When a slight spasm throbbed against her forehead, she winced and her brows furrowed tightly with discomfort.

"Are you okay, Luna?"

"I have a headache."

"Here. I'll grab some Advil for you," he said, reaching for a bottle of medicine in the cabinet.

Knocking her head back, she swallowed two tiny white pills and sat quietly as he finished in the kitchen.

"If you weren't in the mood for anything, I could whip you up some oatmeal," he suggested.

"This is fine. Everything looks delicious."

"Anything for my family. Speaking of which, I'll head up there and you stay here, rest your head, and eat. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"You know, my father nags me about that consistently," Luna said, applying apple butter to a slice of toast.

"Lawrence is correct. It's a proven fact."

A few moments later, Chase and Sarah joined Luna at the table.

"How are your waffles, peanut?" he asked Sarah, eyeing her as she cut them into fours.

"Wonderful, Daddy!" she answered, snacking on a large piece.

Chase nibbled on his bacon and took a sip of his orange juice.

"Do you know when your parents are coming by later?" Luna asked him, chewing on a strawberry.

"I'm not sure," he said, his elbows drawn in as he pulled apart his egg sandwich and added a dab of avocado in the middle. "Mom said they're going to a fundraiser for the Mayor's campaign around six, but they'll try to stop here before Sarah goes to bed."

"That sounds doable."

"Speaking of my mother," Chase added, his eyes falling on Luna, "she is eager to take you and Sarah out shopping."

Looking away, Luna exhaled a deep breath. Katherine Marquette was a pushy woman who always wanted things to go in her favor. She loved spending time with her son's family, but whenever they had gone out shopping in the past, she'd take no for an answer. Luna vowed to put her foot down next time, so she wouldn't be pushed into doing anything she didn't want to. This shopping expedition idea of hers most likely had to do with their wedding, and her future mother-in-law was a clingy person and never knew when to give someone space.

"I'm sure your mother wants to bring me to all the bridal shops she adores and pressure me into planning our wedding her way."

"I'll talk to her," Chase mumbled, biting into his sandwich. "When was the last time you two ate lunch together?"

"About a month ago," Luna replied dryly. "I like her, Chase, but our wedding will go the way we plan."

"Will I still be the ring bearer?" Sarah asked her parents as she met their gaze.

"You were serious about that?" Luna said, reaching for her daughter's hand.

"Of course. I can keep them safe."

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Later that afternoon, Luna curled up on the couch and stared at Chase as he and Sarah were at the desk, working on a homemade Thanksgiving card for his mother. Her eyes grew heavy from the overwhelming effects of excessive agitation of the brain for which, in all its power, she had not prepared for its weakness. After a quick trip to the market, and a few errands she had done, her body was ready to shut down.

"You can color in the lines here, and then paste a tiny cloud above the house," Chase said, looking down at Sarah.

"Thanks, Daddy. When I grow up, I want to live in a house like ours. It's simple and easy to keep up."

Luna snickered at her daughter's reply, reminiscing when they had once discussed the importance of household chores. Sarah mentioned, that if she had to pick what chore she liked most, it would be feeding Otis and Julius.

"As long as you stay in school, all your dreams will come true, Sarah," Luna heard Chase tell her, slowly drifting off to a peaceful sleep.

Her mind took her back to the evening she met Chase in Houston, Texas, nearly six years ago.

"Sarah! Slow down!"

The streets were packed on Halloween night, and they were dressed as characters from Peter Pan; Sarah was Tinkerbell, and Luna was Wendy Darling. They'd been out trick-or-treating for forty minutes, and her ankles ached.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Luna said after bumping into a gentleman on the sidewalk. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was trying to keep up with my daughter."

"I'm not hurt," he said, with a Cajun accent. "Which one is she?" he asked, distracting her from staring at his cute Peter Pan costume.

"She is the little one with blonde hair  wearing a Tinkerbell outfit."

"Ah. I think we have half of the gang here. You are Wendy Darling, your daughter is Tinkerbell, and I'm Peter Pan. My nephew, who's standing in line over there, is Captain Hook. I guess we made it to Never Never Land?"

Luna laughed. "We took the second star to the right and kept going straight until morning."

"You're funny. What is Tinkerbell's name?" he asked, shifting his gaze to her.

Luna wasn't sure about giving their names to this man, but he looked harmless. She was only going to talk to him for a moment, anyway.

"My daughter is Sarah, and I am Luna."

"Oh, Luna. That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you. What is your nephew's name? Other than Captain Hook, of course."

"Elijah," the stranger replied, a strand of blond hair poking out of his cap. "My name's Chase Marquette. So, what made you ladies dress as characters from Peter Pan?"

"Peter Pan is Sarah's favorite book she likes for me to read before bedtime, and she said it makes her dream of a place where she can be around children and never have to grow up. She also loves Tinkerbell, because Tink can fly."

He giggled softly as the four of them ended up proceeding to the next house, casually walking around groups of people who stood still. "What about you and Elijah?"

"He just celebrated his fifth birthday and Peter Pan was the theme my sister and her husband chose. He likes the villains in stories and wanted to dress as Captain Hook this year."

"Peter Pan characters are perfect for Halloween. I almost went as a mermaid, but Sarah talked me out of it. I had a red wig and everything."

He laughed loudly, causing a few parents to peer in their direction. "What about Sarah's father? Is he a Lost Boy, or possibly a pirate?"

Chase's question caught her off-guard. She wasn't used to talking to anyone about Sarah's biological father, and most of the guys who were interested in her couldn't handle the fact that she was a single mother. None of them were worth her time.

Drawing in a breath, she kept her gaze on her daughter, then uttered, "Sarah's father is not here anymore. He passed away on the day she was born."

"Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry for asking such an idiotic question," Chase pleaded, turning on his heel, gazing directly into her eyes. "I always shoot my mouth off, and it ends up getting me into trouble."

"You didn't know. We'd just met," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, suppressing a few tears from slipping through her eyelids.

Sarah's bag of candy dangled in front of her as she came running up to them. "Hey, baby girl. Have you collected enough candy?"

"Nope. Just a few more houses, please?" Sarah begged with her tiny puppy dog eyes.

"Only two more houses, and then we're leaving," Luna said sternly, watching as Sarah and Elijah darted off to another house.

"Luna?" She whipped her neck around and stared into Chase's eyes, which looked like a mix of green and blue, but she couldn't tell. "I wanted to say I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. If you'd like to continue trick-or-treating alone with Sarah, I completely understand. My sister asked me to take Elijah since she was called into work for tonight, but I'm glad I took him. I met you both, and I feel blessed."

"You're the first person who hasn't looked at me like a stranger from another planet, all because I'm a mother." She quickly closed her mouth and realized after saying how silly she probably sounded. "Forget I said that. I wasn't thinking."

"I'm sure it's tough to meet people as a single parent. Especially meeting someone who will embrace both of you," he told her, grinning.

"It can be daunting, but honestly, I haven't tried to get out into the dating pool. I mean, my sister had set me up with a customer who frequents our family's restaurant. But that didn't turn out well. He couldn't handle a woman who didn't believe in everything he believed in."

"That's not right. I can understand that everyone may have different standards for a future spouse, but some things can be overlooked. I've never cared about a woman's race or location, or even her lifestyle. I just care about who she is on the inside and what her morals and values are. If I like a single mother, I'll like her children. They come with her."

Once they had reached the last house, Luna let out a soft gasp. What Chase said took her breath away, and she'd never met a man who felt the same way as she did for others. There was a light in her heart that was missing, and it had now opened up, creating a spark of hope for her and Sarah's future.

She was finally ready to let go, and take a leap of faith; something she hadn't done for a long time.

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Thank you for reading my story. I appreciate you.