After he’d asked a bunch of questions, he pretty much just held up his hands and went with it. Kind of cool, really. Of course, he also admitted that if he hadn’t witnessed the magic and seen Miranda materializing in front of him, it might have worked out differently. And, while he’d probably have more questions at some point, I was just relieved he was willing to accept.
After a little while, Nate asked, “Where’s Verda at? She hasn’t moved out yet, has she?”
“She’s staying at Vinny’s tonight. But no, she’s not officially moving out until Monday. I think she’s busy rearranging his stuff to make room for hers.”
Nate chuckled. He kissed the top of my head. “I was going to ask you back to my place, but if Verda isn’t going to be here ...”
“Yes. I’d love it if you stayed here tonight.” After all, I’d wanted him in my bed for a ridiculously long time.
Standing, I grasped his hands and pulled him to his feet. “Follow me,” I said in my best husky-voiced drawl.
In a blink he was behind me. In my bedroom, he reclined on my bed, his long legs spread out straight. His gaze whisked over me. “Come here.”
“Not yet. Just relax.” I went to my closet and pulled out a couple of boxes. Somewhere, there was a little silk something I’d never had a chance to wear for Marc. Tonight I wanted to wear it for Nate. I dug through one box, and then another. Finally, I found it.
I dangled the red hot negligee in front of me. “I’m going to go change.” And when his jaw dropped open (yes, literally) I wiggled my hips. “Be right back, cutie.”
“Baby, you don’t even need to put it on now. Just come here,” he groaned.
“Nope. You’re a big boy; you can be patient. I am wearing this, Nate. Entertain yourself until I get back.” I rushed into the bathroom and stripped off my clothes, and then slipped into the negligee. I brushed my hair until it shined, sprayed some perfume on, and then stood back to appraise myself.
Okay, exercise sucked, but the results? Totally worth it. I sizzled. Tugging my robe on over the negligee, I pushed back the nervous ness. It’s not as if Nate hadn’t seen me, well, naked, but somehow I felt more exposed in the negligee. Weird, I know.
Stepping into the bedroom, I heard a vibrating sound and instantly realized what it was.
My entire body flushed with heat. It had to be as red as the negligee. “What are you doing?” I managed to choke out.
Nate, sitting upright on my bed, naked except for his briefs, had three of my toys laid out in front of him. He also had one in his hands, lights running up and down the shaft. Grinning devilishly, he said, “I found your stash. Strobe lights? Interesting, Liz. But what I really want to know is which one is your favorite?”
Mutely, I pointed to the bright purple one laying to the right of the other two toys. He set the flashing toy down and picked up the Bunny Rocket.
“Yes, that’s it.”
“Well, sweetie, why don’t you come here and we’ll see what we can do with this?”
Untying the belt on my robe, I let it fall to the floor. His gasp hit me in the stomach and, somehow, I wasn’t nervous or embarrassed any longer. I stuck one of my hips out. “Why don’t you come and get me?”
Oh my. I’d never seen a man move so fast.
Within the next several hours, I had more fun than I’d ever had before. And let’s just say this: Battery operated sex toys? They’re not only for solo use. Definitely not. Not when you find the right person to share them with.
“Liz?” Nate’s husky voice murmured in my ear. His arms were crushed tight around me, our legs weaved together in a jumble.
“Yes?” I melted into him, on the verge of blissful sleep, wondering how in the hell I’d lived before I met him.
“Are there catalogs for these things?”
“What? The toys?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Yeah. And tons of Internet sites.”
“Excellent. Let’s buy some more.” He kissed me, and I immediately felt the burn of heat begin once again.
This magic? The one we created together? It beat the hell out of anything gypsy magic could accomplish.
I wrapped up the remainder of the dark chocolate cake I’d baked for dessert and put it in one of the boxes from A Taste of Magic. I entered the living room and handed it to Marc, who was still sitting on the couch.
“Here, you should take this home. I won’t eat it,” I said. Besides, I had most of the second cake sitting on my counter. The one I’d made for Nate.Really, though, I didn’t think Marc was going to need to eat any more of it. The evening had started out rough with him making advance after advance. He’d said words to me that a year ago I would have loved to hear. But everything had changed. Thank God for that.
I’d rushed us through dinner, trying to hold him at bay. But then, soon after dessert, things had settled down. When he’d started to pace, I knew the magic was working.
I’d never seen my magic work that quickly, which, to me, meant he loved Tiffany and he’d love his baby. He just needed to get over his fears and not repeat his mistakes, not try to use me as a crutch. And dispelling the other magic pushed all that along.
He rose to his feet and accepted the box. “I want to say one more thing, Betty.”
Enough was enough. “Seriously, Marc. Please don’t call me Betty. Ever again.”
He paused, the dark brown of his eyes deepening even more. Nodding his head in acceptance, he said, “Got it. Sorry. I seem to have ignored a lot of what you’ve asked of me over the years.”
I shrugged, just wanting this over with. Plans with Nate were calling, and I didn’t want to waste another second. Tonight he’d talked me into watching Star Wars. “It’s time to move on. For real. For both of us.”
“I agree. I... I was kind of a dick at the end. I am sorry about that.”
“You’re right. You were a dick,” I agreed. Hey, it was the truth.
He combed the fingers from his free hand through his hair. “I deserve that.” He paused a moment and then said, “I did love you.” He ran his hand over his eyes. “But then I stopped. I don’t know why. I didn’t know how to deal with it, and I was stupid. I should have handled everything better than I did. It’s always bothered me, but ever since seeing you again, it’s been worse. I really want you to know I’m sorry. Truly sorry.”
Prickles of pain poked at my eyes, like tiny little needles. And because the new cake had reversed the delivered-to-his-office-cake’s magic, I had to believe his apology was real. That it was heartfelt. And that meant more to me than a magically induced apology ever would.
“Well,” I said. “I made mistakes, too. I pushed you too hard to start a family. I got angry with you for working so much. But the worst thing I did was trying to make you be the man I thought you should be, instead of allowing you to be who you are. We both grew up, and you changed, and I didn’t know how to handle that.”
He opened his mouth as if he was going to argue with me, but I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him. “We both made mistakes. Probably because we married too young. Let’s just call it even, and both of us can be happy from here on out.”
“I’d like that, Liz.” Walking stiffly toward the door, he stopped abruptly. “No chance at being friends?”
Sadly, I shook my head. “We can’t be friends. But we can be friendly. If we run into each other somewhere, we don’t have to be enemies.”
He put the cake box down and reached out a hand. Just like the old days, way back before we’d stopped loving each other. For some reason I didn’t want to dwell on, I met his hand with mine.
Grasping it tightly, he tugged until I stood in front of him. “You are an amazing woman, Elizabeth Raymond Stevens. I hope whoever you end up with treats you much better than I did.”
I blinked, and tears dripped out of my eyes. Silly, really, being this emotional. He leaned over, his lips touched mine, and this was not like the old days.
It was a simple kiss, yet it spoke volumes fo
r me. This kiss was one of good-bye. The good-bye we’d never truly said. I stepped back and wiped the tears away.
For the very last time, thank you God.
He picked up the box, tossed me a smile, opened the door, and walked away. Went home, where his wife and unborn child waited for him. Exactly where he should be.
As for me? I was in for a night of lightsabers and spaceships. But really, it was spending more time with Nate that put a smile on my face.
Well, that and, you know, that hot, crazy sex thing.
Chapter Twenty-two
I stood in my kitchen arranging another tray of hors d’oeuvres, listening to the chatter of my friends and family, feeling warm and solid. To celebrate my new life, and the decoration of my apartment, I was hosting a party.
And, if I did say so myself, a terrific party at that.“Want some help with that?” Scot asked, nodding toward the tray. “And I wanted to ask you what’s going on with Alice. She’s really quiet.”
I plastered on a smile. “She’ll be okay. And yes, I’d love some help.” Alice hadn’t confided in anyone else yet, but she’d have to soon. Another month had passed and, while others may not have yet noticed the small bump her tummy had become, they would before too much longer. Regardless, it was her call when to say anything.
Breathing deeply, I opened the fridge and picked up a plate with a slice of lemon meringue pie. It was my sister’s newest craving. “I’m going to take this to Alice,” I said to Scot. “If you could just put the tray on the dining room table, I’d really appreciate it.”
“Hey, where were you hiding that? Do you have more?” “In the fridge. Bottom shelf.”
Before I actually made my way to Alice, Maddie stopped me, waving her hand in my face, a huge diamond blinking brightly in the light.
“Oh my God, congratulations! When did this happen?”
Maddie’s smile widened. “Last night. I really never thought this day would come.”
“I’m so happy for you!” And I was. My friend was in love and realizing her dreams. Major kudos for her. “But isn’t this a little fast?”
Pink blossomed on her cheeks. “We’re going to have a long engagement. But we wanted to make a commitment to each other.”
“I think that’s wonderful.”
“I want you to be my maid of honor. Please? Oh, and if you promise no magic, I want you to bake my cake.” Her grin told me she was teasing, and I laughed.
“Promise, no magic; and I would love to be your maid of honor.” Glancing around, I didn’t see Spencer. “Is he here? I want to congratulate him, too. He’s a lucky guy.”
“He’ll be here soon. I’ll bring him over when he arrives.” I gave her an awkward hug, because I was still holding Alice’s pie, and said, “I’ll be back in a minute. I want to hear all the details. But I need to talk to Alice.”
“Go,” she said, shooing me away. “I’m just gonna ogle my ring some more.”
My eyes darted around the room, trying to find my sister. Jon and Andy sat on the couch, talking animatedly with my mother. Next to them, Joe was gabbing on his cell phone. Nate and his sister, with Sam in between, were playing cards at the dining room table. His eyes caught mine, and he grinned. My stomach flipped, and my heart warmed. This, you see, always happened when he smiled at me. I blew him a kiss and turned, still trying to find Alice.
My dad had pulled a chair up to the television and was watching something. God knew what. Grandma Verda and Vinny were in the side by side La-Z-Boy chairs, sweetly holding hands. Everyone was accounted for.
Everyone, that was, except for Alice.
This worried me, because my apartment was not that big. On a hunch, I went to my bedroom and slipped inside. She was curled on my bed, her hands on her stomach, rubbing the tiny bump that was her baby.
“Hey, sis, you feeling all right?” I asked, quietly closing the door behind me.
“I get tired easily. Overwhelmed easily. It’s okay if I rest for a while, isn’t it?”
Sitting down next to her, I set the plate on my nightstand and then rubbed her belly. “Of course it is. How’s my niece or nephew doing?”
“Fine. Healthy. Everything is good, so my doctor says.”
“Then why do you look so sad?”
“I’m scared. Moving into Grandma Verda’s place will be good, because of the room, but I don’t know anyone there. I still keep thinking I should tell Troy, Liz. Should I?”
The danger in his eyes came back to me, chilled me, frightened me. “I don’t want you to. But it’s your choice.” I hadn’t yet told Alice about his visit to A Taste of Magic, but maybe I should. Just not tonight. “Hey, do me a favor? If you decide to talk to him, tell me first, so we can hash it out. Deal?”
She nodded. And when her eyes welled with tears, I pulled her into my arms.
“Tell me what you want,” I whispered. “Tell me what you wish for.”
“I want to figure out how to do this. I want to know I can do this. I wish I wasn’t feeling so scared. So powerless. I want to be in control, but I’m not. The world is spinning around me, and I just want it to slow down. So I can catch a breath, figure things out, and be strong.” It all came out in a huge rush of words, and even though our situations were starkly different, I recognized a thread of unity.
Control. Strength. Finding courage in the face of fear.
All of this helped finalize my decision. All of this told me I was doing the right thing. I’d given a lot of thought to what Miranda had said to me. And deep inside, I knew what I was about to do was, somehow, exactly what I was supposed to do.
“Sit up.” I reached over and picked up the plate of pie. “Here, I made this for you. Pie makes everything better.”
“You sound like Mom,” Alice said through her tears. She accepted the plate, and I watched, curiously, as she took the first bite. And the second. I rubbed her belly as she ate it, and when nothing but crumbs remained, she handed the plate back to me.
Weird. I didn’t feel any different.
“Thank you. Silly, but I feel better already.”
“Told you,” I said lightly. “Pie makes everything better.”
“I’m going to go wash my face and get something to drink.” She kissed me on my cheek. “Thank you for being my friend and not only my sister.”
“Always and forever,” I said. After she left, I set the plate down again and wondered if it had worked. If I’d passed the gift to my sister or not.
And then, flowers scented the air, and I smiled. A gentle light grew in the center of the room, turning into a pale rainbow. Energy hummed around me, and I focused on the colors, waiting. Entirely at ease with what once completely freaked me out.
And then, suddenly, there she was. Miranda.
“Hello, Grandmother.”
Her smile, so like Alice’s, made the rainbow pulse brighter. “You made the right choice, Elizabeth. I couldn’t tell you to give the gift to Alice, but it’s what I wanted you to do. Because she has it now, I’ll be able to connect with her. And that will be vitally important.”
“I didn’t tell her about the magic, though. I need to.”
My great-great-great-grandmother held up a ghostly finger. “Not yet. She wouldn’t be able to understand just yet. Let her come to you with questions, because she will.” She laughed again. “And I’ll be there, to help her along, when the time is right.”
I nodded, somehow understanding her meaning if not her actual words. “I don’t feel any different. Shouldn’t I feel different?”
She gave her tinkling laugh. “The magic stays with you now forever. You are the first in our line, so far, to have the strength to keep it and to pass it on.”
Keep it? I still had it? I shivered. “We both have it now?”
“Yes, and hopefully this will continue. Alice’s child, it’s a daughter, and she has the potential to be the strongest of us all. Stronger than I was, even. This is why I’m still here. This is why it was so important I connected with you. I wil
l be there for her as she grows, to learn what she can do. To teach her.”
A fairy ghost grandmother. What child wouldn’t want that?
Miranda continued. “But it was important for you to believe in order for you to pass the gift on to who it needed to go to.”
“You said this before. That I should believe, but I’ve believed from the beginning.”
Another laugh. “No, Elizabeth. Not the magic. You needed to believe in yourself.”
And then, instantly, the energy dissipated, the colors vanished, the scent of flowers disappeared and I was all alone.
My sister was having a daughter. Possibly a little girl who would be born with magic more powerful than anything I could imagine. Tingles coated my skin as I stood from the bed. While my mind wasn’t yet ready to accept everything Miranda had passed on, my heart and my soul knew it to be true. The next year, and beyond, would prove to be enlightening, interesting, and probably more than a little freaky.
Opening the door, I stood at the threshold. My gaze once again took in everything, everybody, but as always, it ultimately rested on Nate. The sweet, sexy cop I’d met so unexpectedly.
He beckoned to me. Smiling, I stepped toward this incredible man I’d found. My future might or might not be weaved together with him, but regardless, I knew one thing for certain.
I wrapped my arms around him. “I love you.”
“Yeah? That’s good, because I love you, too, Gypsy Girl.” As his lips touched mine in a soft kiss, his eyes promised me more heat, more everything, later, when everyone went home.
And you know what?
Not only did I believe in love.
Not only did I believe in magic.
But, yes. Finally, I believed in me. And with the amount of points I get for that, there’s no stopping me.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
From the moment I decided to write this book, many people helped it along. Thank you to my best friend and sister of the heart, Lisa Mondello. Your steadfast support, friendship, and love make every day brighter. Thanks, also, to my equally as wonderful friend, Natalie Damschroder, who’s an expert at “big stick” motivation. Thanks, Nat!To my incredible critique partners, Dale, Deborah, and Traci; to MVRWA for the laughs, encouragement, and information that is freely passed from one to another; and to David Brown, for pushing me along the promo trail. My gratitude is endless.
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