A languid twilight had gathered above the rooftops of shops and eateries downtown, shades of lavender and dark orange blending seamlessly in the sky. Tourists traipsed down the sidewalks, admiring the festive window displays and carrying armloads of bags from their sprees. It always got so busy during the week of the Harvest Moon Carnival, when outsiders came from overseas by boat or by broom.

Colorful, multi-sized tents and trailers lined the road ahead of them, and magical crossing barriers were already enacted at each stop sign to keep cars away. Castor had to park all the way over on Fernferrow Lane.

Beside him, Lucien trudged along with his hands nestled in his pockets. Sorrow hung like a dark storm cloud over his boyfriend, and he wished he had the powers to take all his pain away.

Laughter rang out around them as some little kids darted by with bags brimming with rainbow pops, mini chocolate bats, and pumpkin mellowcremes from Sugardoodle Delights. They mumbled apologies through sugared teeth and waved sticky fingers their way as they hurried down the sidewalk.

It reminded him of those days they'd make bets with each other to see who could eat the most without getting sick. Castor was about to bring it up until he gazed over at Lucien, who had tugged his hood over his head with a look in his eyes so far away and sad. He probably wasn't in the mood to think about the past.

Castor ached to reach out and hold his hand, but Lucien kept himself tucked away like he never wanted to be touched again. Even when Castor moved slightly over to brush his shoulder against him, he inched away. It hurt a lot more than it should've. He knew Lucien just needed space after what happened, and he hadn't even wanted to come into town with him, but Castor wasn't about to let him rot in bed all night.

"This way." Castor gestured for Lucien to turn left at the corner of Irson's Barber Shop. A scarecrow with a long luscious black wig was perched on a hale bale right outside the door while another stood over it, mimicking it doing the other's hair.

Lucien sighed. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

It wasn't much further until they reached a little green shop down on Honeysuckle Lane. Rosewood's Blooms was displayed in a frilly font above the entrance, with all the o's shaped like rosebuds. In the window display, vibrant orange tulips and pink snapdragons were complemented by lilies, all surrounded by tiny plushies shaped like pumpkins, bats, and black cats.

"You can pick out whatever you'd like," Castor said as they came to a standstill in front of the window. "I know your plants are precious to you, and it won't be the same as the ones you tended to for years, but I hated the thought of you coming home with nothing."

Lucien's icy demeanor melted away when he met his gaze, his light blue eyes warming like the gentle hue of the morning sky. A tiny smile touched his lips as he guided him into the shop, and Castor took in the delightful floral scents that filled the air around them.

"Welcome." Mrs. Rosewood greeted them from her work table as she bound stems of flowers with floral tape for her bouquet. "Anything I can help you boys with today?"

"Just looking around. Thank you," Lucien said.

"Of course. Trying to get these last minute bouquet orders done, but if you need anything, let me know. Silas should be back soon to help out too." Mrs. Rosewood's vibrant spirit matched the lively, colorful ambiance of her shop. Tiny daisies were woven through her curly honey brown locks, and her forest green apron was checkered with sunflowers and mushrooms.

Castor browsed through potted plants and flowers with Lucien. He listened as he told him all the different kinds of plants, and Castor insisted he buy each one he talked so fondly about.

"These here are Almond Blossoms." Lucien strummed his fingers along the light pink petals, a touch of color blooming in his cheeks. "They're commonly given to a bride before her wedding because they symbolize long-lasting love and fertility."

Castor smirked, leaning down and gently brushing his lips against Lucien's earlobe. "Oh, we definitely have to get those."

"How many plants should I get?" Lucien asked, his gaze shifting from one side of the shop to the next. "I don't want to go overboard or anything."

"There's no limit. I'll buy the whole shop for you if that's what you want." Castor made a sweeping gesture around the potted plants.

"Gosh, where would we keep them all?" Lucien let out an awkward chuckle, but the way he stared around made Castor wonder if he was actually considering where they could put a shop-full of plants in his house. That would be a joy to return home to his folks and explain.

"Is this for a special occasion?" Mrs. Rosewood asked. "You seemed indecisive but wanted a lot in quantity, so I thought I might be of some help narrowing down your choices."

"I'm moving in with Castor." Lucien took his hand in his, lifting them to show the rings he'd weaved from his magic. "We're engaged."

"Aw, congratulations on your engagement! I'm so happy for the both of you!" Mrs. Rosewood's eyes lit up with delight.

Warmth flushed through Castor's face. "Thank you."

It was nice to have someone congratulate them because Castor knew the traditionalists of their town wouldn't be so supportive when rumors of their engagement spread around. He could already imagine the hateful things they'd say, like how Lucien was bewitched to marry a devil and how sinful they were.

While Castor was used to the harsh judgmental hate from their town, he knew it would be hard on Lucien. Especially if he chose to stay with the Supernatural Council. As much as Castor loved the idea of them spending the rest of their lives together, he wondered how much thought Lucien really put into their engagement.

"Any plans for the wedding date?" Mrs. Rosewood asked.

"We were thinking about sometime in the spring," Lucien told her. "The weather is usually so nice then, so we might even have it outdoors. Ranunculus and tulip centerpieces would be lovely to have during that time of year too. Maybe in shades of white and yellow?"

"That sounds lovely!" Mrs. Rosewood clasped her hands together. "You know, we cater weddings as well. I'd be more than willing to work with your budget when the time comes too, if you'd like. Just let me know."

Lucien smiled. "That would be amazing. Thank you so much. We'll definitely get back to you about it when we've settled on an official date."

Just hearing Lucien talk about their wedding warmed his heart and made him smile like a giddy child on a sugar high. He found himself imagining it too, but it was difficult not to consider the Cromwells doing something to ruin everything. After finding Lucien's plants all dead in their foyer, Castor knew they weren't willing to let this go and would do their damndest to make their lives miserable.

The entrance bell chimed, pulling Castor from his thoughts. A delightful scent of sweet cinnamon and pumpkin spice drifted throughout the shop as the two newcomers walked inside.

"Ah, you're back, and you brought Sera." Mrs. Rosewood greeted them at the door. "It's so good to see you, dear."

"You as well, Mrs. Rosewood." Seraphina Mandrake's short, wavy pink hair cascaded in soft, rosy curls that framed her face. She wore her bakery uniform, a crisp white apron decorated with pastries and festive pumpkins, and a button-down shirt.

"We brought your favorites, Mom." Silas handed her a paper sack with the Blissful Bites black cat logo. He shifted toward Castor and Lucien's direction with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, had I known you guys would be here, I would've brought more with me."

"No worries." Lucien assured him. "We were just looking around for new plants."

Mrs. Rosewood told them about their engagement, which followed more congratulations and questions about their wedding.

"Hey, Lucien, are you busy tomorrow morning?" Seraphina sidled up to him, batting her long lashes.

"I don't think so. Why?" Lucien asked, sharing Castor's own curiosity.

Seraphina lifted a harvest sunrise piece, admiring the sunflowers and hydrangeas. "I need a partner to enter the Harvest Carnival Bake-Off. I know this is last minute, but I thought they'd let me enter by myself and I don't want to drop out. Charlotte was going to do this with me." Sorrow hazed in her eyes as she placed the flowers back down on the rack.

"I would have partnered with you if I'd known." Silas rested a hand along her back. "But Dad and I are in control of the hayrides this year. I can always see if he doesn't mind me joining you instead if Lucien can't."

Lucien glanced at Castor before replying, "Yeah, I can do it. I'm sure Charlotte would've liked that. You might have to help me out a bit, but I'm more than willing to learn."

With everything going on, Castor had almost forgotten all about the bake-off. Like every other year, he always entered with his father. The contest required two "chefs" to whip up their best batch of Harvest-themed desserts and let the judges vote for the best creation. The fun part about it was that the judges never knew who created the dessert until the very end, and it shocked everyone last year when they had won.

Charlotte and Seraphina had entered the contest before they'd even opened the bakery and won nearly every year with their creative concoctions. Castor was honestly intrigued to see what they came up with. Thinking about the bake-off put him in a better mood because it was a much needed break they could all use from the murder and mayhem over the past month.

"Are you sure it's not too much?" Lucien glimpsed over his shoulder as Mrs. Rosewood rang up his total at the register. They had all generously encouraged Lucien to pick out as many plants as his heart desired, and Castor knew it was going to be a fun time finding a place for them all.

"I think you picked out the perfect amount." Castor offered him a reassuring smile as he pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check for the full amount. Plus the delivery fee. Much to his relief, Mrs. Rosewood reminded him that they do deliveries and since it was near closing time, they'd get the truck out to his house tomorrow morning.

Anything that made Lucien happy was worth it to him.