“So, what are you really worried about?” Aric challenged. “Are you worried Zoe isn’t mature enough to get married, or are you worried my ego is going to get in the way and I won’t be able to hold up my end of a relationship because I’ll feel like less of a man given her strength?”
“Both,” James answered, not missing a beat. “Aric, I’ve never doubted you love her. I knew you loved her before you did. That doesn’t mean you have to get married. You’re both young. Why can’t you live together for a few years?”
“A few years?” Aric shook his head. “No. I want her to know how I feel about her. I want to propose now.”
“Do you want to propose for you or her?”
“I don’t even know what that means,” Aric said.
“I think you’re insistent on proposing now because you’re afraid Zoe will walk away if you don’t,” James said. Aric’s heart flipped at the statement. “You think there’s a chance she’s going to want something more, and that’s why you want to propose now. You want to tie her to you before she has a chance to figure out she might want more.”
My heart broke at the words, and the horror rolling through Aric’s stomach. “Do you think that’s going to happen?” Aric asked. “Do you think she’s going to leave me?”
“I don’t,” James answered. “I think she’s your forever. I also think you should give it time. Find out if you two can live a life together in an environment away from this place, away from danger. Find out if you really love her, or whether you love the idea of her.”
“I love her,” Aric snapped. “I’ll always love her.”
“Then give her room to grow,” James said. “I promise you won’t regret it if you give her a little time. You don’t have to give her years if you don’t want to do it, but at least give her a year.
“You’re young and you have the world at your fingertips,” he continued. “Have fun. Be wild. Do crazy things. Enjoy life before you plan your forever. You have plenty of time to do both.”
I rolled to my side, the early morning sun filtering through our bedroom window, and found Aric watching me with a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Good morning. How do you feel?”
I struggled to a half sitting position, resting the bulk of my weight on my elbows. “I feel okay,” I said. “A little shaky, but once I get some juice and toast in me I should be fine.”
“Good,” Aric said, rubbing his thumb against my cheek. “I need you to be well. I can’t marry you if you’re sick.”
“I thought you couldn’t marry me because I was volatile,” I teased.
Aric stiffened. “What?”
Uh-oh. Did he not realize I was in his head with him? How could he? “Um, it’s nothing,” I said, moving to climb out of bed. “I need to shower and brush my teeth. Then I can really use some juice.”
“Wait just a second,” Aric said, grabbing my arm and refusing to let me out of the bed. “Why did you just say you were volatile?”
“I … .”
“You were in my dream!” He wasn’t nearly as happy as I initially envisioned. “You saw that, didn’t you?”
“I … have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied. I have no idea why I didn’t tell the truth. He seemed edgy, though. I needed time to think before we had a big discussion.
“You saw my dream,” Aric said. “You saw the conversation I had with my father right after graduation.”
“Fine.” I gave in. “I saw it and … I agree with both of you. I would’ve said yes, but I’m glad your father let us have time to be immature. That said, I would’ve been happy if you waited only a year instead of five to ask me to marry you.”
“I can’t believe you saw that,” Aric said, his eyes lighting. “How?”
“I don’t know how,” I admitted. “It just happened.”
“This is cool,” Aric said, his enthusiasm catching up to where I thought it should be. “What am I thinking now?”
“I’m not a mind reader,” I said, making a face. “I don’t think I did all of this on my own. I think you helped. Somehow we got entangled in our dreams, and your dream was stronger.”
“Are you sure?”
I shrugged. “That’s how it felt.”
“Okay,” Aric said, crossing his legs and facing me. “Give me your hands.”
“Oh, man,” I muttered, slipping my hands into his. “Only you could turn this into a séance.”
“I need you to concentrate and let me pick the memory,” Aric said. “Can you do that?”
“Do you promise I’ll be in this one? I was depressed at being left out of the last one.”
“You were in it,” Aric argued, cocking an eyebrow. “In fact, you were the star. It was all about you.”
“Yes, but now I want to be an actual star,” I said, giggling as he tickled the palms of my hand.
“Okay. Try.”
We both pressed our eyes shut and inhaled. At first it felt strange to sit across from him while trying to knock on the door of his mind. When he opened, though, he showed me the first time we had sex, and he remembered it a little differently than I did. Apparently in his mind he’s a stallion, not a wolf.
“That is not what happened,” I said, laughing as the memory faded. “I did not jump on you and rip your shirt off.”
“Don’t ruin my memory,” Aric said, grabbing my chin and smacking a kiss on me. “That’s exactly how it happened.”
“Fine. I won’t argue with you.”
“Good,” Aric said. “Get in the shower and brush your teeth. I forgot you threw up half the night before I kissed you. Love is blind, baby. Unfortunately it can still taste.”
“WHAT ARE you looking at?” I asked, sitting on the arm of Aric’s chair in the living room an hour after breakfast wrapped.
“We’re looking up information on Pemberley Markham,” James answered, tapping away on his own laptop. “Aric told me the theory you two came up with last night, and I can’t help but think you might be right.”
“What theory?” Helen asked, appearing in the room with a dishtowel and wiping her hands dry. “What are the four of you up to?”
Aric and I exchanged a look, silently sharing the same question: Should we tell her? James took the option away from us.
“We’re trying to get background on Pemberley,” James explained. “Aric pointed out that Zoe got sick both times after eating Pemberley’s food.”
“So what?” Helen challenged. “We all ate that food. Zoe was the only one who got sick.”
“We all ate certain portions of the food,” James clarified. “My understanding is that Pemberley practically dared Zoe to eat the salmon, and when she refused Aric forced it into her mouth.”
“Thank you for reminding me of that, Dad,” Aric muttered.
“You’re welcome,” James replied, unruffled by Aric’s tone. “Zoe was the only one who tried the salmon.”
“What about the cake?” Helen pressed.
“She was the only one who ate the red velvet cake, too,” James said. “Not only that, but once she took a bite of it Pemberley tried to take the cake away from everyone. He wanted it discontinued as a choice.”
“Why?”
“Maybe he wanted Zoe to have a smaller dose,” James suggested. “He wanted the poison to work its way through her system much more slowly than the first time. That backfired when she stuffed her face full of five pieces just so she could win the cake decision.”
“I did not,” I snapped. “I had like, one piece. I just ate it in five big chunks.”
“And then you threw it up,” James said. “You were still the only one who ate any. Pemberley packed up that cake right away and left only the chocolate and yellow for us to sample.”
“I guess that’s true,” Helen slowly agreed. “It’s just … what is his motive?”
“He could have the same motive everyone who has ever gone after Zoe had,” James answered. “He might want her power.”
“How is poisoning h
er going to get her power?” Helen asked. “Is that even possible?”
“No,” James answered. “He doesn’t know that, though. He could be like Quinn. Zoe’s power is attractive to magical beings. Who doesn’t want to be the most powerful mage in the Midwest?”
“It’s not as if you can inherit that, though,” I said. “How does getting me sick give him access to my powers?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Aric said. “What if Pemberley built something along the property line that was supposed to suck your power when you passed over the barrier? The poison was supposed to make you sick. Instead we found the barrier early. You weren’t weak enough, and destroyed it. Pemberley came out to see what it was because he knew it was there.”
“That makes sense,” James said.
“It does, except for one thing,” I said. “What about the wolves?”
“I didn’t think about the wolves,” Aric said, rubbing his chin. “Maybe they’re working for Pemberley.”
“That would mean Pemberley is paranormal,” Helen surmised. “He hasn’t shown any hints of magic, and I’ve spent a lot of time with him.”
“Has he asked questions about Zoe?” Aric asked.
“Just normal stuff,” Helen said. “Although … he is extremely interested in how you two ended up together.”
I couldn’t pass up a gift taunt. “Maybe we have it all wrong,” I said. “Maybe Pemberley is going after me because he’s in love with Aric. It might not be about my magic at all. Maybe that barrier was designed to kill me, and he didn’t realize how strong I was.”
“That’s a possibility, too,” James said.
“That is not a possibility,” Aric hissed. “That is … very uncomfortable for me. I know what you two are doing. Stop it!”
I couldn’t help but smile. I already had a joke memory all teed up and waiting for the next time we were alone. He would be horrified. “It’s okay, hot stuff,” I said. “I’ll protect you.”
“What are you going to do?” Helen asked. “You can’t very well walk up to Pemberley and accuse him of being paranormal and trying to steal Zoe’s powers.”
“Why not?” Aric asked.
“Because … it’s not normal,” Helen said. “He’ll be suspicious.”
“I’m beyond caring about being suspicious,” Aric replied. “Someone poisoned my wife. I’m going to find out who did it.”
“I’m not your wife yet,” I reminded him.
“You’ve been my wife in my heart for as long as I can remember,” Aric said. “You’re my wife. Nothing will ever change that.”
“Oh, you’re so sweet I could just puke,” James said, rolling his eyes.
“Let’s not mention puking,” I suggested.
“Good point,” James said. “Okay, I’ve run Pemberley Markham through every database I can find. The good news is he lives in town and I have an address.”
“What’s the bad news?” Aric asked.
“Pemberley Markham has existed for only five years,” James answered.
Well … crap! I know a certain wedding coordinator with some explaining to do.
17
Seventeen
“Is he in there?” I leaned forward in the passenger seat of Aric’s truck and peered toward Pemberley’s storefront.
“You’re sitting right next me,” Aric said, casting me a sidelong look. “You can see what I can see.”
“You’re grumpy for a guy who told everyone you were worried I was sick and going to die on you last night.”
“I knew you were eavesdropping,” Aric muttered. “You always do that. Why do you do that?”
“I can’t seem to help myself,” I replied primly. “I’m a busybody at heart.”
“I guess it’s good you own my heart,” Aric said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to put up with it.”
“I guess so,” I said, refusing to let him bait me into a fight. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”
“You are.”
“That must mean you’re the luckiest man in the world to nab me, huh?”
Aric shook his head, but his smile was wide and charming. “I’ve known that since I met you,” he said.
I puffed out my chest. “Thank you. We should redo the meeting memory from your point of view one of these days.”
“We should,” Aric confirmed. “Despite the fact that I know I’m the luckiest guy in the world, though, you’re still a pain the ass.”
I scowled. “You really know how to pick on me, don’t you? It’s especially mean knowing I’m at death’s door.”
“You’re fine now,” Aric countered. “I’m going to keep you that way. That’s why we’re watching Pemberley’s store. We have to wait for those two giggling women to leave before we go inside and confront him.”
“You should stand outside the window and take your shirt off,” I suggested. “That will distract the women. While that’s going on, I’ll question Pemberley.”
“I love that you don’t have a problem sending other women out to drool over me,” Aric said. “It makes me proud because you realize I’m hot and annoyed that you don’t want to stake your claim to me.”
“I’ve already staked my claim to you,” I said, pointing to my engagement ring. “You’re mine. If they touch you, I’ll rip their hair out.”
“That’s good to know.”
“So I take it you’re shooting down the idea,” I prodded.
“Let’s give it a few more minutes before you pimp me out,” Aric said. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll consider stripping in the parking lot.”
“With my luck Pemberley will run outside and throw himself on you,” I added.
“Stop saying that!”
I couldn’t hide my mirth. “I don’t see why you’re so uncomfortable with Pemberley’s attention,” I said. “If Pemberley were a woman you’d walk around like a preening peacock.”
“He’s not a woman.”
“Are you uncomfortable around gay people?” I asked. “I’m not sure I can marry someone who doesn’t like gay people.”
“I like gay people fine,” Aric said. “I don’t like anyone feeling me up, though – man or woman. You’re the only one allowed to do that.”
“Would you like it if a woman felt me up?”
“What kind of question is that?” Aric was flabbergasted.
“It’s just a question,” I said. “Men have fantasies about two women together. I’ve seen it on television.”
“I have no idea where you’re going with this, but I wouldn’t want to see you make out with a woman. I’m not that type of man.”
“Okay.” I wasn’t convinced.
“Would you like to see me make out with another man?” Aric asked. “I didn’t think so.”
“You didn’t give me a chance to answer,” I protested.
“If you have an answer other than ‘no’ we’re going to have a problem.”
“I’ve had a few dreams about you and Rafael over the years,” I volunteered, enjoying the way Aric shifted in his seat. “I’ll share those with you one night.”
“I will smother you if you try.”
“Oh, come on,” I said. “Think about how hot that would be.”
“We’re through,” Aric muttered, leaning forward as the two blondes exited Pemberley’s store. “Come on. We have some chatting to do with our little friend. Don’t even think of trying to get me to … flirt … with him for information.”
“I would never.”
“I’ll cry if you do,” Aric said, pushing open his door. “We’re not talking little tears either. They will be big ones.”
“I’ve been duly warned,” I said, hopping out of the truck and hitting the pavement. “Would it be okay if I imagined you with a movie star?”
“You’re one of my least favorite people in the world right now,” Aric said. “I just … march, woman!”
Pemberley’s back was to the door when we entered, a bell jingling to signify our entrance. He didn’t
bother turning around. “I’ll be right with you.”
Aric grabbed my hand as we moved closer to the flamboyant wedding coordinator. He wasn’t thrilled, I’m sure, but there was nothing a little fake fantasy could do to derail our relationship.
“How can I help you?” Pemberley asked, swiveling. He had a broad smile on his face until he saw us. The smile slipped slightly, but Pemberley recovered quickly. “Zoe and Aric! I had no idea you guys were visiting this afternoon. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?”
“I want to know if you’re an evil being trying to steal my magic, or a horny guy out to steal my soon-to-be husband,” I announced.
Aric’s mouth dropped open. “I … what … you … Zoe!”
I shrugged. “What? I’m not pussyfooting around this guy,” I said. “I want to know what’s going on, and I want to know right now. I’ve waited too long to marry you. I’m not going to let him ruin something I’ve looked forward to for such a long time.”
“That was almost a beautiful sentiment, baby,” Aric said, his expression softening. “It would’ve been nicer if you hadn’t said the other stuff first – and had it follow your little fantasy about Rafael and me.”
“Don’t worry about that,” I scoffed, waving my hand. “That never really happened.”
“It didn’t?” Aric looked relieved.
“Not for me,” I clarified. “Paris and Kelsey have had that fantasy since junior year, though. They told me all about it.”
“They’re banned from our house.”
“Whatever,” I said, turning back to Pemberley. He had the grace to look confused, although it was clearly an act. “So, what is it? Are you evil and looking for power, or needy and looking for a good man?”
Pemberley gave us a palms-up shrug. “Would you be angry if I said both?”
“Yes,” Aric said.
“I’m on the fence,” I said. “What’s your deal? Why have you been poisoning me?”
Pemberley knit his eyebrows. “I haven’t been poisoning you! Why would you think that?”
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