Emersyn snorted. “Which is proof enough that you belong in Ravenclaw.”
“Really?” She grinned and looked down at her sweater. “Wanna hear the craziest part? Aunt Heather says she’s also a Ravenclaw…and she bought this same sweater for herself, but in adult size, obviously.”
“I’m sorry, did you just say my mother bought a sweatshirt?” I scrubbed my face with my hands. “Nope. This is too much to handle on an empty stomach.”
Amelia grimaced. “Stedman isn’t feeling well, so he’s in his room sleeping. Mom gave him a potion for healing.”
Stedman hadn’t been sick since I was Amelia’s age, but it was probably a result of SOMA opening and him having a bunch more work to do. I pulled out my phone and sent him a text that we were back and to let us know if he needed anything. Then I prayed he’d actually let me care for him if he needed it. And then something occurred to me. My parents went out for dinner, yet Amelia stayed home. And Stedman was sick. I summoned my magic and pushed it over to my cousin…
I scowled. “You’re hungry.”
She opened her mouth and started to lie, but I must’ve made a face because she sighed in defeat and nodded. “He looked really, really sick. That’s why Aunt Heather got me from Target. I didn’t want to make him cook…there were a few snacks, but I ate them earlier.”
“Why didn’t you go to dinner with mom and dad?”
“My friends at school keep talking about this Christmas movie called Elf and I’ve never heard of it. So I was trying to watch it but…” Amelia bit her lip. “Somehow we got signed out of our apps and I don’t know the login information. I’ve just been watching stuff on regular cable.”
I looked to Emersyn. She nodded.
“Well I know the login. How ‘bout we watch it together? Order some delivery pizza?”
Amelia’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yeah, c’mon, let’s do it.” I wrapped my arm around her little shoulders and dragged her into the living room – the cozy one, not my mother’s fancy ass one.
My phone vibrated with a text from Stedman. Thank you, Deacon. I am okay, for now. But I do fear Miss Amelia might be hungry even though she told me she wasn’t.
I smiled. Thanks, she def lied. But don’t worry, I’m already on top of that. I’ll order you something and bring it down, just in case.
That’s quite kind of you, thank you.
I plopped down on the couch and opened up the app for delivery pizza. “We’re so pigging out tonight, ladies.”
Emersyn chuckled. “Okay, while you order I’m going to change my clothes. Be right back.”
I nodded and quickly added food to my cart. Then I handed the phone to Amelia. “Here, pick which toppings you want.”
Amelia grinned and did a little happy dance as she scrolled through the list. I grabbed the remote and discovered she wasn’t wrong We were somehow signed out of all the streaming services. It took me a matter of minutes to get the movie up on the screen and the food ordered. I was just hitting place my order when my chest lit up like a bonfire.
Emersyn was back.
“EM!” Amelia gasped beside me.
I frowned and looked up – then my breath left me in a rush. Emersyn strolled into the living room wearing a dark green sweater that fell halfway down her thighs and had an emblem with a snake on the front. It was my sweater. My Slytherin sweater. It was a size too big for me, but on her it was massive. I’d gotten it for a party once last year, and that was the only size available at the store. I hadn’t worn it since. Hadn’t even seen it.
I didn’t even believe in Jesus Christ, but Em wearing only my sweater had me taking the dude’s name in vain.
Heat rushed through my body, and not the kind that told me she was nearby. The kind that told me I’d be taking an ice-cold shower if I wasn’t careful. I tried to look away but my gaze was locked on the mile-long length of her legs and how much of them were on display. My heart fluttered and then my pulse took off like a bat out of hell.
Em shrugged and winked at Amelia. “Well I remember seeing this sweater before, tucked away in D’s closet…and since you’re reppin’ your House, I figured I’d rep mine.”
Amelia gasped again. “You’re in Slytherin! That’s awesome.”
I chuckled and patted the couch beside me. “I’m not even surprised.”
She slid onto the couch and curled her legs into my lap, which was exactly where they had no business being at the moment. “I was, years ago when I first took the quiz. But oh, how time has enlightened me.”
“Oh, man. So me and Aunt Heather are Ravenclaw. You two are both Slytherin…I wonder what Uncle Crabcakes is?”
“Hufflepuff.” Em and I said at the same time. Then we laughed.
I kicked my shoes and leaned back against the couch. “All right, let’s get this movie started, shall we?”
As the movie started, Emersyn rested her head on my shoulder and curled her legs more into my lap. Every single place we touched little bolts of electricity shot through my body. Each time my heart fluttered and my mind went places it had no right to be. Her hand landed on my hip and heat exploded inside of me. She sighed and curled in more and her hand slid under my shirt. Her fingertips brushed over my stomach and it was like every nerve ending in my body went ape shit. Her hand just stayed there. On my stomach. Skin to skin. It was heaven and hell at the same time. My heart pounded so hard and loud I couldn’t hear the movie.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Behave yourself, Deacon.
Chapter Six
Emersyn
“Is it really a felony to cut down a pine tree in Central Park?”
I spit my hot chocolate out onto the sidewalk.
Deacon frowned. “Did she just ask what I think she did?”
I laughed. “Yeah…Amelia…why do you ask?”
“They cut one down in Elf.” She shrugged and looked up at the trees in question. “I’ve never had a real Christmas tree—”
“What?!” My jaw dropped. I spun to my soulmate. “Deacon?”
He grimaced. “It’s true. At least for her, I haven’t had one since we left Eden. Mom says they’re too much hassle. I barely remember what it’s like.”
I stopped walking. We were on 59th Street, halfway between Columbus Circle and Fifth Avenue, on our way back home from Deacon’s favorite taco place after an afternoon full of snowball fights in Central Park…and a few creative snowmen.
“Y’all.” I shook my head and huffed. “This is not okay. I refuse to let this happen.”
I understood that some people had legitimate reasons for buying and using fake trees for Christmas, but to have a child who had never had one? That was awful and sad.
“You need to have a real tree.” I groaned. “You need that smell, and the way it fills up the entire house with its glorious aroma. You need piles of pine needles on the floor. You need to climb under the branches to fill the stand with water. You need to get sap on your hands while hanging ornaments and then spend three days scrubbing just to get the stickiness off. It’s all part of the package.”
Deacon grinned.
“That’s it, we’re getting one.” I pulled my phone out and searched for a tree stand. “Oh look, there are a bunch of stands nearby.” I clicked on the closest dot on the map and started in that direction. “Come on!”
“Uh, Emersyn?”
“Nope. Not budging, D.” I shook my head. “We’re getting a real tree.”
He chuckled. “I agree, but you’re going the wrong way.”
I froze. Shit. Just when I thought I was getting the hang of this city. I turned back and found him pointing to his left, down one of the avenues –I no longer trusted myself to know which it was. Deacon took Amelia’s hand, then mine, and led us down the street and away from the park.
“Wait, we’re really going to get a REAL tree?”
Deacon nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Amelia squealed and skipped along. “OH MY GOD. I can’t believe it. Be
st weekend ever. I can’t wait to tell my friends on Monday.”
Deacon looked down at me with big, sad puppy-dog eyes. Thank you, he mouthed.
I grinned and bumped my shoulder into him as we walked. “So, you know where we’re going? Like which place?”
He shrugged. “Not specifically the one you looked up. But I see these tree stands every year, and I know which one is closest to home.”
My phone rang from my jacket pocket. When I pulled it out, I found Heather’s name on my screen and my heart skipped. My stomach did flips. I clicked answer. “Hello, Heather.”
“Hi, Emersyn. I can’t get Deacon on the phone and I see that Amelia left hers here—"
“AUNT HEATHER WE’RE GETTING A REAL TREE!”
Oh shit. Was I supposed to ask her permission first?
There was a beat of silence and then Heather said, “Did I hear that right?”
I bit my lip. Deacon held his hand out to takeover, but I shook him off. She called me, she’d speak to me. We had to get used to talking to each other, to making friends. I cleared my throat. “Yes, you did. I hope that’s all right. I apologize for not checking with you. But Amelia here told us that she’s never had a real tree—”
“What?” Heather took a deep breath. “Damn it, Samuel.”
I frowned. “Who?”
She sighed in my ear. “My brother-in-law, Amelia’s father. He was never the same after her mother passed, but to never get your child a real Christmas tree? Even I did that.” She chuckled sadly.
I had so many questions about Amelia’s parents, and why she was living with her aunt and uncle, but I knew this wasn’t the time. “Well, we wanted to remedy that for her this year.”
“That’s a wonderful idea…tell me, have you already picked it out?”
“No, we’re walking there — why don’t you and Sebastien meet us? We’d love the help.”
“We’re coming!” Sebastien yelled in the background. “Stedman get the car!”
“No, we’ll take a cab,” Heather said – which I had a hard time believing I heard correctly. “Stedman, instead can you pull out all of our old decorations?”
“The ones from Eden, ma’am?” Stedman’s voice was soft in the background.
“Yes, thank you. Then rest until we get back so you can help us decorate.”
“Oh. Y-yes, very well, ma’am.”
“Heather, tell them to go to the one over by Ricky’s – never mind, I’ll text Deacon.”
I pulled on Deacon’s sleeve to stop him. “Change of plans. D, check your texts.”
He frowned and dug around in his pockets.
“All right, Emersyn, we’ll see you there in a few minutes!”
I grinned and hung up the phone. “Your parents are joining us. Your father is very excited, and he apparently texted you the address of where he wants to go?”
Deacon chuckled and shook his head. He held his phone up. “Got it. Actually, this one is much closer to home. Guess my dad has been secretly wanting one.” He stepped off the sidewalk and threw his hand up in the air while he whistled.
A cab pulled over immediately, and I couldn’t help but wonder if D used his magic to make that happen.
Deacon threw the door open. “Ready?”
Amelia jumped inside, so I slid in after her.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Amelia whispered. She pushed her hair back and looked dreamily out the cab window. “Finally.”
My heart hurt for her. “You’ve decorated a tree, right?”
She nodded, but her face fell. “Yeah, but they’re not like the decorations you see in movies. They’re all silver and gold and made of glass, so we have to be very careful.”
I frowned. “Heather asked Stedman to pull out the old decorations—”
Deacon gasped. “From Eden?”
“Yeah, that’s what she said.”
He let out a deep breath and pushed his hair back – and looked entirely like Amelia when he did it. “I…” he shook his head. His eyes turned glassy.
I squeezed his hand. Deacon had told me about his childhood and how close he used to be with his parents before they left Eden. That was the main reason he’d rebelled so hard here in New York – he wanted their attention. I knew it had upset him a great deal, but he carried it so well. Yet looking at him now, as he fought to keep his emotions in check, I realized just how much these little changes in his parents meant to him.
It really was never too late to make things right.
The cab turned a corner, then pulled over on the side of the street. Deacon swiped his credit card on the little machine in front of him. While he paid, Amelia and I hopped out. Heather and Sebastien stood on the corner. They smiled and waved.
Heather was in Ugg boots. Uggs. Not Louboutins. Not even heels at all. I was so caught up in this shocking moment that I didn’t realize they’d walked over to us until Heather stopped right in front of me.
She chuckled. “I’m not sure what it says about me if you’re this shocked about my shoe choice right now.”
I covered my mouth with my hand and tried not to laugh. And failed.
Amelia bounced in between us and tugged on our sleeves. “Guys! Where are the trees?”
Heather, still laughing, pointed to the street corner behind her. “Over there, sweetheart.”
Sebastien ruffled her hair. It was the same way Deacon always did. “So kiddo, you know which kind you want?”
Amelia’s face paled. “There’s different types?”
“Well, of course!”
Amelia groaned and tugged on her hair. “I don’t know! How am I supposed to pick? What kind do you guys normally get?”
“Noble Fir,” Heather and I said at the exact same time.
We both jumped – startled. We looked at each other…then burst out laughing.
“Yeah, that was weird.” Deacon shook his head. “Let’s go get a Christmas tree.”
Heather winked at me, then turned and led the way back around the corner to the main road. It was weird to be laughing and winking with the woman who made my life hell when I first met her. But it was even weirder that Heather and I seemed to have quite a bit in common. After all, I hadn’t been much better to Deacon than she’d been to me.
We turned the corner and Amelia squealed. She clapped her hands and sprinted across the sidewalk. “Oh my God! This is happening!”
I tugged on Deacon’s hand, drawing his gaze down to me. “So…did y’all have any family traditions back in Eden for decorating your tree?”
He smiled. “Well, we’d go to the tree farm and pick one – Royce always came with us. He insisted on making sure we got a good tree—”
“That kid has always been a lovable pain in the ass. Since day one.” Sebastien chuckled. He glanced over his shoulder at us. “He hasn’t changed, has he?”
“Not at all,” Deacon said with a laugh.
Sebastien nodded. “Good.”
“Anyway, we’d get our tree and take it home. Royce was very helpful in getting it in the stand correctly and getting it watered.”
“Poison Roycy for the win,” I whispered.
Deacon chuckled. “Yep. Anyway, Royce had this potion that we’d pour in with the water and it would make the branches shake out and fall out so we could decorate it right away – no waiting days for it to happen naturally. We’d put on Christmas music and light the fireplace while we decorated. Every year mom and I would pick out a pair of fuzzy socks that we’d all wear while we decorated – and it was the one night a year that she let me eat cookies before dinner. By the time I had my socks on and the decorations out, those cookies would be coming out the oven.”
“That sounds really nice.”
“Yeah, it was.” Deacon smiled and stared at nothing. “But after was my favorite part.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Mom would cook us that macaroni where the cheese came in a pouch but was like…powder or something?”
Heather’s sa
pphire eyes were definitely glassy. “You had to have it. From those commercials.”
“I remember those commercials.”
“We only had it for special occasions, which I now find absolutely hilarious.” Deacon ruffled his mother’s hair. “Then we’d sit down with our big bowls of Heaven and put on a Christmas movie and just sit in front of the tree all night…until I fell asleep, anyway.”
“Until both of you fell asleep, actually.” Heather arched an eyebrow at her husband.
We all stopped in front of a row of trees leaning against wooden planks. None of us spoke. When I’d asked the question, I’d just been curious what his childhood Christmases had looked like…but I hadn’t realized just how special they’d been. It was still hard to see his parents as those people – as normal people. With every detail like this I heard, the more I understood Deacon’s troublemaker years. It all made sense. I couldn’t even blame him for his behavior.
“Goddess, I miss that macaroni,” Sebastien said softly, shaking his head.
Deacon and Heather nodded.
Amelia frowned then her face lit up. “Aunt Heather? Can we do that? All of what Deacon just said. The cookies and music, and macaroni – all of it. Can we?” She put her hands together and bounced on her toes. “Please?”
Heather looked up to her son and I saw the regret clear as day in her eyes. “What do you say, Deacon?” But really, she was asking a whole lot more than that, more than the tree traditions. She was asking for forgiveness and a second chance.
Deacon nodded. “I’d like that a lot.”
“YES!” Amelia cheered. She spun to face the trees. “Now let’s pick ours!”
Sebastien’s phone rang and it made us all jump. He held it to his ear. “Hey, Marshall… What’s that? Oh, thanks but we’re going to pass. We’re out on Lexington getting our first real Christmas tree in years. Spending the evening at home… Yeah. Yeah, thanks. See ya tomorrow.”
Amelia grabbed Deacon’s arm and dragged him into the rows of trees. He glanced over his shoulder at me and the happiness in his eyes took my breath away. It was amazing how such a little thing could make such a huge impact.
The Uptown Witch Page 4
