Home Sweet Home - Ch.50 - Love & Magic (Patreon)

Our romantic weekend in Paris was everything I'd ever heard about the place and more.

An hour after we arrived in the City of Lights Jenna and I shared a candle-lit midnight dinner on a patio next to the Seine, before returning to our luxurious hotel suite. Saturday we took brunch at a lovely sidewalk cafe, then did some sight-seeing. We spent the afternoon in the Louvre, before sharing another romantic meal in a nice restaurant in the heart of the city. And after dinner we visited the Eiffel Tower, where we watched the sun set from the observation deck. Then we finished our day by sampling the Parisienne night life.

When my birthday arrived Sunday morning Jenna conjured up breakfast so we didn't have to leave our huge king-sized bed. I enjoyed some excellent coffee and the best fresh-baked croissant I'd ever tasted while cuddling with my fantastic girlfriend. In the afternoon we did another tour of the city, this time by boat as we went up and down the Seine. After that we enjoyed some peace and quiet in a botanical garden, then concluded our weekend with another five-star dinner followed by a visit to a fancy patisserie where we shared a small but extravagant birthday cake my genie commissioned for me.

It was hands down the best birthday I'd ever had, and the best weekend I could ever imagine. When it finally came to an end Sunday evening Jenna brought us back home again, and we ended up having a nice long soak together in the hot tub in our palatial washroom.

"I hope you had a good time?" my girlfriend asked as the two of us settled into the big pillow pile in our bedroom.

I smiled and pulled her into a tight hug as I replied, "It was incredible Jenna. More than fun, that was the best birthday ever. Thank you."

Her face lit up with another beaming smile, then the two of us exchanged a long kiss as we cuddled up close.

When Monday morning came we were both right back to our normal grind. Jenna was working hard to pass all her classes, and I was juggling a pair of open houses coming up in the next few days while helping a few other clients look for their perfect homes. I definitely wasn't complaining though, I didn't mind being that kind of busy. And as we headed into summer I knew things would only get even more hectic at work.

Between my girlfriend, her college friends, and my boss, my social calendar was a lot more lively than ever too. When she wasn't concentrating on her art and photography projects Jenna brought me to a few more parties with her friends. And when the two of us weren't doing our own private date nights we were going out on double dates with Erin and Sherry.

So I wasn't that surprised when my boss and her wife invited Jenna and I over to celebrate the May long weekend at their place. Erin invited Jay and Layla too, so I finally got to meet my catkin coworker's catgirl wife. And I had to admit the matching torties were an absolutely adorable couple.

They could have almost passed for cousins, with identical patterns in their hair ears and tails. They were both the same height, and had the same petite curvy build too. Only their outfits were different. Jay was in a short dark skirt and a pink scoop-neck blouse, while Layla wore some tight black jeans and an off-white tank top.

I was a little surprised to find Erin had invited Jessie Vaughan too. On the other hand I wasn't that shocked to see my boss's old friend sporting a brand-new look.

Instead of the older woman of average height with greying blonde hair and sharp blue eyes I'd known for just over a year, the lawyer now appeared to be a young woman in her mid- to late-twenties. She looked taller than before, with a fit athletic build. Her eyes were now amber coloured, while her straight shoulder-length hair had become orange with a chaotic blend of white and black streaks. Which matched the furry stripes on her long feline tail, and on her fuzzy pointed ears.

Needless to say, Jessie got herself one of those magic keychains. Rather than a cute little tortoiseshell house-cat though, the lawyer's plushie transformed her into a formidable tigress.

The seven of us had a fun party together, and in an unintentional repeat of new years eve we all enjoyed the drinks a little too much. Which in turn meant we all came to a similar agreement the following morning. What happened at Victoria Day stayed at Victoria Day.

Between Jenna's school projects and exams and my work, June proved to be another busy month for both of us. When it was finally over I treated my girlfriend to a big romantic dinner. Partially to celebrate the fact that it was almost exactly a year since we'd first met, but mostly to congratulate her for successfully completing her first year of college. And with excellent grades too.

Just a few days after that we were both celebrating yet again, but it wasn't anything private or romantic. Instead Jenna and I were invited to a big Canada Day bash hosted by Ember's werewolf friends.

It was at the same farm that did the halloween party, but rather than being inside their barn the party was outdoors in the fresh air this time. And instead of a haunted motif they had a summer BBQ theme this time. Or that's what I assumed, based on the half dozen grills they'd set up. Although the main attraction turned out to be the whole pig they had roasting on a spit above a huge fire pit. There were plenty of drinks available too, both the adult variety as well as non-alcoholic, and they had that same DJ back to take care of the music.

My girlfriend and I had a good time, we spent most of the evening either dancing or hanging out with Ember and Ashley. Michelle Roslovic was there too, so I took a few minutes to catch up with her about her haunted house situation. Apparently things were going well for the necromancer as well as her resident ghost. She and Robin had become good friends, and the late miss Tanner was happy with how Michelle was slowly fixing up the property. They were even looking out for another housemate, but needed to find someone who'd be a good fit. And wouldn't mind being roommates with a ghost, or a necromancer.

That party also marked the start of summer break for my girlfriend, and I was a little worried at first that she might get bored or lonely without the regular routine of classes to keep her occupied. I should have had more faith in her though, because it wasn't a problem at all.

Jenna hadn't just been studying art and photography, she'd also been learning 'how to human' as she put it. She'd honestly come a long way from the insecure over-eager naive girl I first met the year before. She was still the same quirky genie as always, but she was a lot more confident and a little less impulsive.

So while I spent my weekdays -- and sometimes my weekends -- focused on real estate, my girlfriend kept herself busy. She spent more time with her friends, and she pursued her own artistic interests. And if sometimes that meant teleporting halfway around the world to take pictures, or dragging her friends to Tokyo for a spur of the moment shopping excursion, well that's just what life was like when your girlfriend was a genie with world-bending magical power.

I wasn't even that worried when Jenna suggested I should take a week off from work in the middle of July, so we could celebrate our one-year anniversary together as girlfriends. On the one hand I wasn't sure how she could possibly top my birthday weekend in Paris, but on the other hand I was actually kind of curious to find out what she had in store for me.

And sure enough my amazing girlfriend didn't disappoint. When the eighteenth of July arrived the two of us celebrated with a lovely romantic dinner. On the balcony of our first-class cabin. While the sun set behind the picturesque Aegean island where our cruise ship would be docking the following morning.

In fact the entire week was like that, as our ship took a meandering course from Athens to its final destination of Heraklion.

We didn't have every dinner on the ship, but wherever we ate it was always romantic. Breakfasts were served late, so the two of us could spend that extra time in bed. And our days were either spent relaxing on various beaches or around fancy pools, or visiting fascinating museums where Jenna could take pictures of ancient Minoan or Mycenaean artworks.

After our vacation came to an end things were surprisingly calm and almost quiet through the rest of the summer. About the only excitement was when we hosted a little backyard BBQ party of our own, to celebrate the August long weekend.

Jenna invited Ember and Ashley and a couple other friends from college, while my guests included Erin and Sherry, along with Jay and Layla. Our party wasn't as loud or rambunctious as the college girls were used to, and our place wasn't as big or fancy as my boss's home. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves though, and the only awkward moment came when Jay discovered our fancy games room in the basement, followed by Layla stumbling into our impossibly-large upstairs washroom.

Fortunately neither of them make too much of a fuss about it. After all, they'd both already been exposed to magic. In fact it almost felt like the supernatural was basically just an open secret by then. Or maybe that's just how it seemed to folks in our strange little town.

After that the rest of August went by in a blur, and next thing I knew my girlfriend was heading back to college to start the second year of her program. Meanwhile I was busy as ever, juggling over a dozen listings and just as many interested buyers.

Things were going pretty well though, or at least I thought so. Which meant I was a little surprised when Erin called me into her office for a private meeting one Thursday afternoon towards the end of September.

As I settled into the guest chair my boss got straight to the point, "Do you remember about a year ago Vikki, I asked if you might be interested in furthering your education? More specifically, if you'd be willing to look into some sort of business management course?"

"Of course," I nodded. "And I'm very happy things turned out differently, so you didn't need me to take over after all."

Erin grimaced slightly, "I didn't need to turn things over you to right away, but that's still my long-term goal. Or perhaps not so long-term after all?"

That didn't sound good, and I had an uncomfortable feeling settle in my gut as I asked softly, "Don't tell me Sherry's sick again is she? If there's been a relapse or something I'm sure Jenna would be more than happy to -"

"Sherry's fine," Erin stated firmly. "Thanks to Jenna my wife's been in perfect health ever since your girlfriend worked her magic."

I continued frowning, as my concern shifted to the next likely suspect. "What about you? Are you ok?"

My boss smiled and insisted, "I'm fine Vikki, I promise! It's nothing like that. My wife and I are both in perfect health."

"That's a relief," I sighed. "So is this more of an ongoing thing? Continuing education, so you know I'll be ready when the time comes?"

Erin shook her head, "Not quite. I'm hoping you can get up to speed on those sorts of administrative details we've talked about over the next six months? Say by around mid-March anyways. That's when I'm expecting to turn the business over to you, at least for a while. A year, perhaps."

My eyebrows crept up and I asked, "Are you and Sherry finally going to tour the world? Or you're taking early retirement?"

"Call it an extended leave of absence," my boss replied.

I could tell there was more to it than that. Especially because she looked like she was trying to stay serious, while I could see from the sparkle in her eyes there was something else she was holding back.

Sure enough her expression broke into a wide smile a moment later, as if she couldn't keep it in any longer. She sounded equal parts excited and nervous as she announced, "I'm pregnant, with my and Sherry's first child."

"Oh my gosh Erin that's fantastic!" I exclaimed happily. "Congratulations!"

With her secret out my boss looked so happy she was almost glowing as she added, "I'm due some time in April, but I don't want to wait until the last minute before turning things over to you. And I'll probably be taking a full year off for maternity leave."

"Of course," I nodded with a wide smile of my own. "Wow! This is..."

My voice trailed off at that point, as it all sort of hit me. I'd only been a real estate agent for less than eighteen months, now it sounded like I was going to be running the agency before I'd even been on the job for two full years. I assumed Erin would be available if I needed help, either by phone or email, but mostly she'd be focused on her new child. And the way she said it was her and Sherry's first made it clear they had plans for more.

Thinking about that left me with another question, although I'd definitely be keeping that one to myself. I couldn't help wondering though, how the lesbian couple managed to conceive a child. And whether or not my genie girlfriend had anything to do with it.

** This chapter is brought to you courtesy of Meg, who commissioned it! **