Pebble (Elemental Men #5)

Epilogue

GEORGE

TWO YEARS LATER

I watch fondly as Clay explains something about plants to Storm—and his camera. It took a long time before he was comfortable with the idea of doing videos, and now that he does, he no longer follows any of our social media accounts or channels. Seeing negative comments is extremely bad for his mental health. Storm always makes sure to tell him about the nice things people say, and his videos about plants and sustainable gardening are some of the most popular ones to get posted, so he doesn’t let the knowledge that there are trolls out there get him down.

He still works at the garden center, and that’s where a lot of his videos get filmed, but he also has an “advice vlog” on our site. People email in problems they’re having with their gardens, and he’ll help them work out what the issue is and how to fix it—and how to find the answers.

It’s been a journey for us both, but we’re incredibly happy. Clay’s become more confident, and although he’ll always be shy, it’s no longer so crippling that it controls his life. He has us and Penny, and he’s also connecting more with some of the regular customers at the garden center. A few months ago, he was completely stumped on one of the gardening problems that had been sent in. He was confessing his frustration to Penny at work, and one of the regulars—a quiet elderly man who’s been shopping there since they opened—overheard and offered a suggestion that worked. Now, he and Clay talk often, and Clay’s thinking about hosting a regular meet-up at the garden center for keen amateur gardeners to discuss plants and exchange tips.

For me, just having Clay in my life would have been enough—it was enough—but knowing that he loves me back, that I get to see him grow into the person he was always meant to be, that I get to work with him during the day and be with him at night… that makes me realize that I never truly understood what happy meant before. “Enough” would never really have been enough, but I wouldn’t have known the difference. There’s a logic flaw in that, but who cares?

Perry wanders over. I have no idea why he decided to come along today, but I’m not mad about it. He and Clay get along really well. That surprised me at first, because even though Perry’s ultimately a good person, he’s also snarky and impatient, and Clay’s… not. My Clay is gentle, would never say a harsh word to anyone, and has infinite patience with both plants and people. They seem to complement each other, though. Clay softens some of Perry’s sharp edges, and Perry makes Clay laugh and draws him out of his shell.

“How are they going?” he asks in a low voice.

I shrug. “Blah blah, plants are great. Did you know that basil is not only a tasty addition to your meals, it’s also attractive, smells good, repels mosquitoes, and is safe for your pets?” That is kind of cool.

“Really?” Perry turns to look at the basil plant Clay is adding to a half-barrel of summer flowers. “Huh. I thought it was just a seasoning flavor leaf thing.”

“So do most people. Clay’s determined to change their perspective, one herb at a time.”

“There are more herbs that do all that?”

I grimace at him. “Yes. Don’t ask me which ones, though. That’s Clay’s department—and Aether’s.”

He makes a humming sound that I interpret as meaning he’s not going to ask either of them about it, since it will lead to an hour of enthusiastic plant talk. I get it. We both love our men, and I know I’ll definitely listen happily to anything Clay wants to talk about, but prompting him to talk about plants is something I only do occasionally. Just like he rarely asks me about the finer details of sediment or other aspects of geology.

“Aether was right,” Perry says finally. “None of this has ever happened before, but it was meant to be.”

The thoughtful note in his voice gets my attention. “Oh?”

He nods. “Don’t you agree? You’ve been happier these past few years than I’ve ever seen you in any lifetime. The others, too.”

A smile curves my lips as I look back at Clay. “Yeah. How can I not be, with Clay in my life?”

“Exactly. The guys were all truly fated to join us. They’ve made us happier—even me and Aether—but they’ve also made us stronger. More efficient. Better at our jobs.”

I hesitate. “You’re the one who’ll be the best judge of that.” Usually we can tell if Perry thinks we’re getting close to giving up the fight. His mood deteriorates and he becomes introspective—and sometimes almost desperate. He has the hardest job of us all, even if on the surface it looks like he does the least.

He’s quiet for a moment, then says, “Before… well, before Aqua met River, before Bran and Storm and Clay, I… I wasn’t sure if we’d make it this time. In fact, I was pretty sure we wouldn’t. But I’d just found you all again, and something inside me wanted to hold on just a little longer. So I did.”

He takes a deep breath, and I try to process that. We were so close to losing humanity and millions of other species, and we had no idea.

“Then River came along, and Aether said this had never happened before. It gave me hope. Maybe… maybe the planet doesn’t want to lose humans just yet, and fate sent us a helping hand. And as each of the guys joined us, that feeling that we weren’t going to make it lessened a tiny bit.”

“What about now?” I ask, my throat dry. Even knowing that I’ll survive and reincarnate over and over until the world comes to an end, I don’t want the reset to come just yet. I’m not ready to say goodbye to humans.

Perry smiles. “We’re not safe yet, but every day we work toward change is a day we get farther from me having to make the call.”

A relieved exhale leaves me just as Clay glances toward us. I smile at him, so grateful for his presence in my life and the years we have to look forward to together, and he smiles back.

“So we keep going,” I say. “We keep pushing and trying. Like you said, we’re happier, stronger, more efficient, and better this time. It might be harder than some of the other times, but we have help. It’s not time to give up yet.”

“It’s not time to give up yet,” he confirms.

That’s great news.

“Hey, George?”

“Yeah?”

“Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird that you guys all hooked up with men whose names complement your elements?”

I blink three times fast. It’s not like I never noticed that Aqua’s mate is called River, and Zephyr’s is Storm—or that mine is Clay. But somehow, I never put it together like that.

“Flame didn’t,” I point out. Bran doesn’t mean fire.

Perry makes a disagreeing noise. “Brandon—Brand—firebrand.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch. He doesn’t go by Brand.”

“Except he did . Cody told me—his mom used to call him Brand, but when Cody was little, he never said it properly, so it eventually just became Bran.”

I’m not really sure what to say to that. Cutesy matching names aren’t my thing. “It’s still a stretch,” I settle on finally, my tone shutting down the conversation. From the way Perry grins, this isn’t the last time I’ll hear about it.

Storm lowers his camera and says something to Clay, and then they both start in our direction. We’ll head home soon, where the argument over what to have for dinner will ensue, followed by a mellow night by the firepit talking about the plans for our next international speaking tour. Then another incredible night in Clay’s arms.

Tomorrow is soon enough to continue the fight for the planet… and this time, I’m determined to win.

Thanks for reading Pebble !