Suddenly Spellbound

by Erica Lucke Dean

  Chapter 18

  My hand shook as I reached up to ring the bell. Standing on the outside of Jack’s door felt strange. I didn’t think I’d ever had to knock before. I just walked in. Everything in me told me to unlock the door and go inside, but I didn’t even have my key anymore.

  I dropped my hand and stood there in a daze for several minutes, listening to Jack moving around inside, going about his day, oblivious to my presence or what I’d come to say. He had no idea I was about to destroy us both, all because of a promise someone made for me before I was born. I hated my father. I hated Liam. But mostly, I hated Marion for being the catalyst in all of this.

  My fingers twitched as I reached out again, but instead of ringing the bell, I rested my hand on the knob and let the magic flow out of me. It had gotten easier to control in small doses. Almost immediately, blue light sparked from my fingertips, and I used it to turn the lock and let myself in.

  “Jack?” I stood in the foyer and called out to him. It would have been easy to simply walk across the room and find him, but it wouldn’t have been right. Not this time.

  “Ivie?” Jack walked out of the kitchen, one of those red-and-white-striped towels in his hands and surprise written on his handsome face.

  My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, and I sucked in a quick breath. I’d almost forgotten the rush I felt in his presence: like standing at the top of a mountain, like magic.

  He dropped the towel and jogged toward me, scooping me into a crushing hug. “You’re here.”

  I let him hold me for a moment before wriggling free. As much as I loved being in his arms, I wanted to see his face so I could memorize every freckle, every crease that formed around his eyes when he smiled. I never wanted to forget a single thing. “I had to get a ride. My car’s still in the shop, and I left Chloe’s rental at my parents’ house.”

  Everything felt off, like we were out of sync, almost as if we were two people who’d run out of things to say and were being overly polite to one another, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. There were so many words that needed to be said, and I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough time for all of them.

  Jack squeezed my hand. “You should have called me. I would have come and gotten you.”

  I shrugged. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want him obligated to take me back after I ripped out his heart. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”

  He exhaled, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Did your dad—”

  “No.” I didn’t need to hear the rest. I knew he wanted to know if the spell had been removed. I wanted to tell him yes with everything in me, but I wouldn’t lie.

  “Oh.” He nodded. Disappointment etched across his features. “What are we gonna—”

  “Not now.” I pressed a finger to his lips. “Let’s pretend it’s a month ago, and I never went to the lab that day. There’s no Liam, no spell, nothing but you and me and a wedding to plan.” The idea sounded so good, I actually grinned.

  Jack’s smile had an edge of sadness to it, but it still warmed me all the way to my toes. He wrapped his arms around me like he never wanted to let go, and it really was as if the past month hadn’t happened. “I really like that idea.”

  I knew I had to tell him. The words were on the tip of my tongue—bitter and cold like freezer-burned ice cream. But I selfishly wanted these last few hours with him. And I knew I wouldn’t get that if he knew. He might never forgive me for keeping it from him, but years from now, when my time with Jack was nothing but a distant memory, I’d still have this moment.

  Jack buried his face in my hair, breathing me in as if he was savoring me the same way I was savoring him. I felt rather than heard his words. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  I swallowed down a sob. I told myself I wouldn’t cry, wouldn’t spoil our time together. I forced a smile into my voice. “Nothing.”

  “Don’t lie.” He let out a shaky laugh. He was nervous, and I couldn’t blame him at all. Everything about that moment screamed “Shakespearean tragedy.” “You’re a horrible liar.”

  I held onto him for dear life, my heart stuttering behind my ribs. “Am not.”

  “Are too.” He scooped me up and carried me to our room. He laid me down on the bed then crawled over me until he had me spread out under him. “Is it that bad?”

  My hold on my emotions faltered, and a sob broke free. I couldn’t do anything but nod.

  “Oh, baby.” Jack rested his forehead on mine then reverently kissed each of my eyelids, then my nose, then finally pressed his lips to mine, kissing me like he’d never see me again, as if he knew the truth even though I hadn’t said the words—maybe never would say the words.

  I tasted my own tears in our kiss, and I didn’t want to cry my way through our last moments. “Make love to me?”

  “You don’t even have to ask.”

  We didn’t speak as Jack took his time removing my clothes then his own. For a long time, the only sounds in the room were the whispers of fabric falling to the floor. Jack only asked one question as he slowly entered me. “Are you okay?”

  “Mmhmm.” I hummed out my response, concentrating on the feel of him so I could replay the moment later.

  He didn’t move for at least a minute. He stared into my eyes and held himself still inside me as if our connection could save us from everything.

  When neither of us could wait any longer, he started to move. He took long, deep, unhurried strokes, taking his time luxuriating in my body, skating his hands over my skin, touching me everywhere he could reach.

  Much too quickly, he had me climbing toward climax. I tried to slow it down, but we were so in tune with each other, his body knew exactly how to bring mine to the edge and push me over. And he did, shattering right along with me.

  I had no idea how long we lay there breathing in the dark—our hearts beating in tandem—before he asked me the question of the hour. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

  I shook my head, burrowing my face into his shoulder until it muffled my voice. “I don’t want to.”

  He tipped my chin up, bringing his eyes to mine even though we could barely see each other. “Why?”

  “Because it’ll change everything.” I whispered the words as if that would take the sting out of what I had to say.

  He hugged me, tucking me into his side and resting his chin on the top of my head. “It doesn’t have to.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “Okay.” He gave one resolute nod. “Then don’t tell me. Don’t say it out loud. Then nothing will change.”

  “Okay.” Had we just said it without saying it? Did he know what I had to do? I might never know for sure. But either way, we’d agreed to leave it unsaid. That would have to carry me through the dark times. I believed Jack understood, at least on some level.

  It had to be close to dawn, though I didn’t bother to check the time. Instead, I stayed awake and listened as Jack’s breathing changed, and he drifted off to sleep. It killed me to slip out of his arms, gutted me to get dressed without saying a word, and left me empty and cold as I kissed him goodbye, whispering “I love you” one last time. I slipped my engagement ring from my finger, leaving it on the bedside table with no note. No goodbye.

  Then I left. And I prayed I’d be able to forgive myself someday.

  “You have to eat something.” Chloe pushed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast across the table toward me.

  “Why?” I took a sip of sour grape juice and made a face. “Everything tastes like disappointment.”

  Chloe chuckled and shook her head. She didn’t have a clue. “Why are you being so melodramatic this morning? I thought you talked to your dad yesterday.”

  “I did. It didn’t go the way I’d expected.” I took the fork she all but shoved into my ha
nd and picked at the eggs without taking a single bite. Like a picky toddler, I’d mastered the art of rearranging the food on my plate.

  Chloe spread a thin layer of jam on her toast and took a big bite, chewing and swallowing before going on. “I thought you said your father agreed to remove the binding spell.”

  I couldn’t look her in the eye.

  “Ivie?” Chloe waved her bread like a white flag. “That is what you said, isn’t it?”

  I shoveled a forkful of eggs into my mouth so I wouldn’t be able to answer.

  Chloe dropped the toast and leveled a glare at me that rivaled even Marion’s. “Come on. Out with it.”

  The eggs turned to dust in my mouth, but I forced myself to choke them down. “Actually, what I said was my father apologized for putting the spell on me, and we had a nice long talk about it.”

  “Then he removed it.” She raised her eyebrows and waited for me to respond.

  “I never said he removed it. I said I was getting married. I never said to whom.”

  “Oh, my God. Ivie, no!” She bumped her juice, spilling what was left onto her plate. “What were you thinking?”

  Her outburst caught me by surprise, making me so angry I had to tamp down the crackle of electricity inside me. “I was thinking I didn’t have a choice. I was thinking I’d like for Jack to grow old, even if it means he does it without me. I was thinking I’d rather not be responsible for anyone I love dying.” I pushed away from the table and stood up, throwing my napkin onto my plate. Fresh tears blurred my vision. “You really have no idea what I was thinking.”

  “Oh, Ivie. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Chloe ran around the table and pulled me into a fierce hug. She squeezed me almost hard enough to put my pieces back together. “So what’s the plan?”

  I rested my head on her shoulder. “What do you mean? There is no plan.”

  “What do you mean, there’s no plan?” She scoffed. “There’s always a plan.”

  I shook my head. “Not this time.”

  Chloe pulled away and grabbed my shoulders, holding me at arm’s length. “Hold on just one damn minute. I don’t know about the new you, but my best friend Ivie Marie McKie always has a plan.”

  I chuckled as I wiped a tear from my cheek with the back of my hand. “I think you have me confused with you. You’re the one who always has a plan. And they always manage to get me into more trouble than I was already in.”

  “Hey, now!” She feigned outrage. “My plans are brilliant. In fact, if memory serves, one of my brilliant plans landed you a certain magician-slash-veterinarian.”

  Raised eyebrows were my only reply.

  “Oh, you know it’s the truth. You were ready to write him off when I talked to him.”

  Sadness washed over me as the realization that I’d never see Jack again hit me. “Yeah. I was an idiot.”

  Chloe pulled me in for another hug. “We’ll figure something out. We always do.”

  I would’ve given anything to believe her, but I’d given up on last-minute miracles.

  “I’m gonna go pack. I’m supposed to be at the St. Regis by six o’clock. And not a minute late.” I mimicked Marion’s icy tone.

  “Okay. You pack. I have an errand to run.” She stared me down with a familiar sparkle in her eyes. She was plotting something. “Promise me you’ll be here when I get back.”

  I crossed my fingers behind my back. “I promise.”

  She nodded, clearly pleased with herself, then grabbed her purse and her keys and ran out the door as if she’d been shot out of a cannon.

  Chloe hadn’t been gone more than a few minutes when I thought I heard a knock at the door. “Did you forget something?”

  No one answered me, but I heard the knock again, this time more insistent.

  After everything I’d been through, I didn’t have the energy to get up. “It’s unlocked!”

  The knocking turned into pounding, and I dragged myself over and peered through the peephole. Liam? I opened the door with a huff and planted my hands on my hips, blocking the entrance. “What are you doing here? I still have six hours left before I have to be at the St. Regis.”

  He pressed out a smile, his dimples making a brief appearance. “You always look so happy to see me.”

  I glanced down at my ripped T-shirt and sweatpants and covered the chipped toenail polish on my left foot with my right. “Well, you do bring out the best in me.”

  Without letting his smile slip once, Liam stepped around me, inviting himself into the house.

  “Come in, why don’t you?”

  I didn’t catch a hint of sarcasm in his reply. “Thanks.”

  I couldn’t help being amused by his boyish charm, but I wasn’t in the mood for company. I rubbed soothing circles on my throbbing temples. “Seriously, Liam, why are you here?”

  He whipped his head around as if looking for something… or someone. “Where’s Chloe?”

  “I don’t know. She said something about running errands. She should be back soon. But you didn’t come here to see Chloe, did you?”

  “No.” He laughed, a nervous sound that sparked my curiosity.

  I let out a sigh. “I wish you’d—”

  “Give me a moment, please.” He held up a finger then spun around and muttered a few words under his breath in Gaelic before turning back to me and clearing his throat. “I feel as though we’ve gone about this the wrong way. Our courtship hasn’t been conventional, by any means.”

  Courtship? I almost laughed but somehow managed to rein it in.

  “But despite the fact that we’ve only known each other for a short time…” Liam continued with his obviously rehearsed speech. “I feel as though I’ve known you my entire life. From the time I was old enough to understand what the binding ceremony was, I knew I would one day take those vows with you.”

  It started with a prickling at the back of my neck as I realized where he was going with this. My stomach sank into my toes. “Liam, no.”

  “Please, let me finish.” He begged with his eyes, and I was powerless to deny him. “We’d never met. I’d never even seen you. But nevertheless, you rested in my heart as a promise for the future.”

  “No, no, no… Liam, please don’t.” I’d never been a fainter, but when he took my hand and went down on one knee, my legs gave out beneath me, and I sank to the floor beside him. This couldn’t be happening: the sequel to my worst nightmare.

  He grabbed my free hand to steady me. “We’re not both supposed to be down here, you know.”

  “Well, you’re not supposed to be proposing to me.” I dragged in a ragged breath. “I just gave Jack’s ring back last night!”

  “I know.” He fished in his pocket and pulled out a silver circle with a huge emerald set in the center of a double ring of diamonds.

  “Liam…” Words failed me, and shock froze me in place.

  “You needed a new one.” His hands shook as he positioned the ring and slid it over my knuckle. “This ring has been in my family for centuries, though I added a few new stones especially for you.”

  The diamonds? My heart stuttered then went off like firecrackers in my chest. “I…”

  “Don’t say anything.” He took me by surprise, silencing me with a kiss.

  I should have pushed him away, but despite having my heart shattered in tiny pieces over a several-mile radius, I liked it. I threw myself into the kiss. Guilt rolled over me like a tidal wave, drowning me.

  Liam pulled away first, whispering words I didn’t understand. “Tha gaol agam ort.”

  I pressed my fingers to my tingling lips. “I really need to learn Gaelic if I’m going to be around you.”

  Liam laughed and kissed my nose. “It means, I love you.”

  Tears welled up in my eyes as
my heart broke all over again. I wished with all I had in me that I felt the same way.

  “No… don’t cry, Ivie.” He put his forehead to mine. “Everything will work out as it should. You’ll see.”

  Chapter 19

  Breaking my promise to Chloe was the easiest thing I’d done in days. And that wasn’t saying much. I didn’t think there were enough pieces of my heart left to break, but I was wrong. I couldn’t be there to see the disappointment in her eyes when she realized I’d given up. I’d already had my goodbye with Jack, and it nearly broke me. I couldn’t go through another one with her.

  Liam helped me pack the rest of my essentials—my toothbrush, a few changes of clothes, and assorted other odds and ends. I’d left everything else behind with a note telling Chloe to donate it all to Goodwill. Most of it had come from there anyway. Then we’d disapparated to the St. Regis lobby. Since we still had a few hours to kill before the sand ran out on Marion’s edict, we bypassed her room, and Liam took me to a more modest suite instead—modest by Marion’s lavish standards, that is. The furnishings weren’t quite as over-the-top luxurious, and the sitting room—though tastefully decorated—didn’t come with a fireplace. The mini-apartment still came with two spacious bedrooms and a fully appointed marble bathroom with a tub larger than some backyard pools.

  “Where are we?” I sat on the edge of the sofa, careful not to touch anything. I had no idea whose room we were in.

  Liam froze in the threshold to the bedroom. “This would be my room. Well, our room after tonight. I’ve been staying here since I arrived in Atlanta.”

  “Oh.” I imagined my face had turned several shades of red, and I tried to remind myself there were two bedrooms. “What exactly happens during the binding ceremony?”

  Liam blushed to his hairline. “Your father didn’t explain it to you?”

  I barked out a laugh. “No. I think my father was hoping I’d figure it out on my own.”