A Passion for Potions (Petalfall #1)

19. Nineteen - Waiting Patiently

Nineteen - Waiting Patiently

Edric

I watch Viggo fidget with his cuffs from across the room. He seems more nervous tonight than he was before. And I know why.

The others.

Blicks has come in to check on us every ten minutes. Yenna has been doing “last minute dusting” in the foyer for the last half hour. Loric has come down twice to ask if we’d like to change our tie pins. And I’ve seen Deanna peek in multiple times. She’s trying to get a glimpse of Ana... probably so that she can report back to Murdoch in the kitchen.

Viggo keeps glancing at the mirror and—even though he can’t see himself—brushing his hair down to cover over the stains from the time he was attacked as a child.

“Come here,” I say, softly, knowing that he’ll hear me.

He looks at me with a smirk that makes me think he’s going to tell me “no.” But I hold my hand out to him anyway, and he comes to take it.

“How are you so calm right now?” he asks as I pull him down into my lap.

“I’m not calm... I want to crawl out of my skin. But when you grow up as the son of Edric Illian Maseri Ceylon, you learn to be very still.”

“Or you learn to like the beatings?” he asks, fingers caressing my chin. “I hate him, you know that, right?”

“I do.” It’s one of the many reasons he calls me Penny instead of any of the names I share with my father.

“Good. I’d hate for you to forget.”

Viggo hasn’t been in the same room as my father in over ten years. It would be hard to forget why.

“She’s going to hate him too,” he says.

“She might not.”

Viggo’s brows rise and I know he’s right.

“The two of you can go off together in the unlikely event he decides to visit.” It’s been years. “Maybe you’ll start to like when he shows up.”

Scowling, Viggo shakes his head. “Not going to happen.”

He glances toward the slightly cracked door between the sitting room and the dining room and I’m sure Deanna has come up to peep again.

“Viggo?” I say his name to get his attention, and when he turns back to me, I pull his face down and kiss him.

It won’t distract him for long, I know, but he relaxes into me, sighing as his fingers grip the lapels of my jacket.

Viggo is, has been, and always will be my partner in everything.

Loving him is easy, even when it’s hard.

But he shifts and I have to stop him from taking this further.

I don’t think Ana would mind if we were both bursting out of our trousers when she arrived, but the others certainly would. They put a lot of time and effort into this. I wouldn’t insult them by cutting anything short.

He groans and gets up. “You’re right, as always,” he says, even though I didn’t voice that concern.

He adjusts himself and moves to put the sofa between us. Then, he glances at the clock.

“She should have been here by now.” He bites his own lip this time. “Do you think she changed her mind?”

“I don’t.” I look toward the front door we can’t see. Then, to the places the others might hide to peek.

They’re all empty, but Viggo would have heard her come in, unless…

Unless Blicks is cheating.