Chapter 22
GRANT
We sleep in late Sunday morning until a text from Morgan wakes us. Their mom is moving family dinner to family lunch because her fiancé”s son has some drumming gig tonight that Angela and Gary are going to. So we dress and pack as quickly as we can and hike back.
I could really use a shower, but we toss our gear onto Sirona”s porch and head straight to Angela”s house. They”ll have to live with us smelling like a mix of campfire, sweat, and sex.
The meal is set up outside, and there are several wrought-iron tables that form a circle around a large wooden table with all the food on it. Both Sirona”s aunts are here, as well as all seven of her cousins. And Gary and his son, Zach.
I”ve tried talking to Zach, but he mostly seems annoyed to be at Angela”s every time he”s here. I don”t know exactly how old he is, but my guess is around my age. It baffles me that he comes when he so clearly doesn”t want to be here.
Sirona and I pile our plates with food—it”s a very Midwest cookout sort of meal, with cold fried chicken, potato salad, macaroni salad, tuna salad, green salad, fruit salad, and brownies—and sit down at one of the tables with her sisters. No Evan today.
It occurs to me that no one besides Sirona and her mom have significant others. I understand why Morgan and Bronwen don”t date much, because of the curse. But interesting that none of her cousins have anyone. I suppose it”s hard for Sapphire, Garnet, and Amethyst, being on the road so much. But why are Betsy’s four kids all alone? Why are Betsy and Sarah? There’s still so much about this family I don’t know.
And I’ll probably never get the chance.
”How”s your chicken?” Sirona leans into me, her shoulder brushing mine.
Arousal and tenderness flood through me. I love this woman. I still haven”t fully absorbed the truth of it, but I”m working on it.
”It”s good,” I say, giving her a gentle smile. She”s so damn beautiful, it almost hurts to look at her. And somehow, with her sex-tousled hair and lips still pink from all the kissing we did, she”s even more beautiful than ever.
”What?” she asks with a self-conscious chuckle.
”Just admiring the view.”
She sucks in a sharp breath, then leans close to me to whisper in my ear, ”Is it wrong that I want to forget our meals and drag you inside to one of the bedrooms?”
My cock stirs and my blood heats. ”Not at all. And now I want the same thing.” I can”t stop myself from kissing her temple. I want to kiss her everywhere. How can I want her this much?
”Gross, get a room,” Bronwen groans from across the table. “There are children present.” Sabrina is in a highchair next to her.
Grinning, Sirona pulls away and stabs her fork into a chunk of potato. ”That”s exactly what we were discussing doing.”
Morgan almost snort-spits out her iced tea. Bronwen gives me a wicked smile. Sirona primly continues to eat. And I just watch the sisterly interaction, fascinated. I love Kelsey, and I would consider us reasonably close. But we don”t talk to each other like this. She would die of mortification if the topic of sex came up.
”We still doing sister mani-pedis this afternoon?” Morgan asks.
Zach chooses that moment to set his food on the table at the only open seat. ”Everything else is taken,” he mumbles as he sits down.
Morgan and Bronwen share a glance, then Morgan glares at her future stepbrother.
Sirona looks at me, but I can”t read her expression. Then she says, with forced cheerfulness, ”Yes, mani-pedis are scheduled for three o”clock. With Jaleesa.”
The name tickles my memory. ”Jaleesa. The same Jaleesa who was in my high school class.” It”s not a very common name.
”That”s the one. She owns a nail and hair salon,” Bronwen says.
As a kid, I couldn”t wait to grow up and get out of our small town. As much as I love the outdoors, and as much as I”ve enjoyed being back here these past months, back then, I felt stifled. Suffocated. It”s clear that a majority of my classmates held a different opinion of our hometown.
Weird how I don”t feel the same way about Owl Cove now. If anything, I almost feel freer here than in Chicago. If only I could take this feeling back with me. Or somehow have the best of both worlds.
”Can”t you just use your magic to do your nails?” Zach asks. He says the word magic like it”s going to poison his food.
While it”s generally accepted that magic is real and witches are part of human society, there are people who think it”s all a scam. Or that they”re delusional. Zach”s comment makes me think he”s one of them.
How nice that he”s joining the family soon.
Morgan scowls at him, rolling her eyes. ”We can. It”s about the experience. It”s a nice way to spend time together.”
”And it supports our friend”s business.”
Zach makes a humph sound.
Morgan”s expression turns darker. ”Maybe we should put a spell on you. Or use magic to chop off that mangy mane of yours.”
Whoa.
Though to be fair, his dark hair hangs almost to his waist, and it probably could use a trim.
Sirona shoots me a glance with her eyebrows raised and her eyes wide. I shrug because I have no idea what”s going on.
”Morgan, why don”t you get some more iced tea?” Sirona suggests, again with forced cheer. ”And could you get me one too?”
Morgan turns narrowed eyes on her sister. After a long stare, she says, ”Fine, whatever.” She snatches up the glasses and heads for the carafe of tea.
”I”m sorry for my sister,” Sirona says to Zach. ”She can be... prickly.”
”Whatever.”
Because I want to comfort the distress radiating from her, I put my hand on her knee and squeeze lightly. She rests her hand on top of mine.
We eat in silence for a bit. Morgan returns with the drinks and a frown, but she doesn”t antagonize Zach further.
”Everyone!” Angela claps her hands to command attention. She and Gary are standing together near the food table, facing the rest of us. They”re holding hands and both have giant smiles on their faces. They look truly happy together.
Is that how Sirona and I look?
Hell, I don”t even know that she”s in love with me. She said last night she thinks the curse is broken, but can”t be sure. But she didn”t say anything about it being because she loves me.
So either her sisters do believe we”re in love, or she loves me but isn”t going to say anything. Which hurts. Even though I”m doing the same thing.
I’m a hypocrite.
”We want to let everyone know we”ve set a date for the wedding, and we”ve chosen our attendants.” Angela”s voice cutting into my thoughts is welcome. Even though I won”t be around for her wedding, unless it”s immediately.
”Zach, of course, you”ll be my best man,” Gary says, gesturing toward our table.
Zach nods but doesn”t say anything.
”And after asking the deities for guidance on which of my daughters to pick as my maid of honor, I”m thrilled to say it”s going to be you, Morrigan.”
Morgan”s mouth drops open, shock apparent on her face. ”What? Why me?”
Angela shrugs. ”You”re who they told me to go with.” She gives her daughter a warm smile.
”But... why can”t Aunt Sarah or Aunt Betsy be your maids of honor?” Morgan protests.
Angela frowns. ”We can discuss this later, Morgan.”
Morgan sits back in her chair and crosses her arms, a grumpy look on her face.
Big families, man. The dynamics are wild. This is making me very glad for my tiny little family.
”And we will be doing a Samhain wedding,” Angela says. “November first, after the town’s Halloween and Samhain festival.”
Beside me, Sirona frowns. ”That”s so soon,” she whispers.
A mental picture of her in a fancy dress, me in a suit, at a witchy wedding, pops into my head. It”s a cozy, comforting image. Until I remember it won”t happen. By Samhain and Halloween, I”ll be back in Chicago. I have to believe her grandmother will find a spell that fixes my hand, so I”ll be back doing surgery by then.
My chest aches, thinking about being away from Sirona. How the hell am I supposed to give her up? I love surgery, but I love her too.
”Morgan and Zach, we”ll be leaning on the two of you to help us get everything in order by then,” Gary says.
Morgan growls. She actually growls. I glance at Zach, and he has an equally displeased scowl on his face. There”s gonna be drama between the two of them and I almost wish I”d be here to witness it.
”We”ve decided not to have anyone else stand up with us, as there are just too many people to decide between,” Angela says, looking at Sirona, then Bronwen. ”But you girls will still be very involved.”
Sirona”s smile looks forced. ”Of course, Mom.”
I feel like I need to get popcorn to watch this all play out.
”Thank you, everyone. We love you all.” Angela blows kisses toward each table, then she and Gary sit back down.
I”m about to ask Sirona if she wants seconds, since we”ve both cleared our plates, when her nana approaches the table. She”s looking right at me.
”Could I speak with the two of you, privately?”
Sirona wipes her mouth with her paper napkin, puts it on her empty plate, and stands. ”Of course.”
”Sure.” I get up, and we follow Nana to the gazebo set far back in the yard.
Nana takes the two steps slowly, then we all sit on the benches along the edge of the gazebo. Sirona and I sit next to each other, Nana across from us.
”I”ve found a spell,” she says.
Hope blooms and swells in my chest. But there”s a chaser of disappointment. On some level, I think maybe I was hoping she wouldn”t, and I wouldn”t have to leave Sirona.
Which is ridiculous. We always said this was a short-term thing. I have a life to get back to in Chicago. A job I”ve worked my ass off for. And I don”t even know how she feels about me. She could be counting down the days until I leave.
No, this is objectively a good thing.
”That”s awesome,” I say.
At the same time, Sirona says, ”Wonderful.” She doesn”t sound as enthusiastic as me, but it”s not about her. ”What”s the catch?”
Nana”s face is somber. ”It”s powerful magic. It”s going to take all your energy. Probably a few days off work before you”re able to perform magic again.”
Sirona nods. ”I”ve done that before.”
Nana glances at me, then back to her granddaughter. ”And it requires a sacrifice on the part of the magic practitioner.”
”Whatever you need, we can make it happen. I”m happy to provide whatever it is she needs to sacrifice.” I take her hand and squeeze it. We”ll make this work. There”s no cost too high to get my hand fixed.
Now that it”s real, it”s within reach, the excitement is building inside me. This doesn”t just mean going back to work. It means no more constant pain. No more salves, no more spells, no more physical therapy. It”ll just be over. ”I”ll do whatever it takes.”
Nana is looking hard at Sirona. ”Do you understand, Sirona?”
Expression unreadable, Sirona nods. ”Yes. I understand what”s being asked of me.” She looks at me, her eyes wide and shining. ”I”ll do it. For you.”
I love this woman so fucking much. It hurts how much I love her. Because doing this… it means leaving her.
It”s an impossible choice. But I have to go with the one I”ve been working so hard on for so long.
When it comes to choosing between Sirona and surgery, I have to choose surgery.
SIRONA
A heavy weight rests on my chest and tears clog the back of my throat as I open the door to Enchanted Tips nail salon that afternoon. I”m meeting my sisters but I really just want to go home, curl up in my favorite chair with Koko, and cry.
Before I left my mom”s, Nana stopped me to make sure I understand what I”ll be sacrificing to do the spell for Grant. And I do. Every painful cell in my soul understands.
I”m sacrificing him.
The man I love. I”m giving him up so he can go live the life he wants. Because as much as it hurts to let him go, I could never withhold this from him just to try to keep him in Owl Cove with me. He”d resent it.
He”d resent me.
He doesn”t need to know the specifics of what I”m sacrificing. It will be enough to appease the deities, Nana is certain. Grant will get his hand fixed, get his career back, get his exciting life in Chicago back.
And I”ll get... the same life I”ve been living for years. The same career that”s burning me out. The same sense that even though I can have anything money could ever buy, I”m still lacking. I”d already felt that way before Grant walked into my office. And now I”ll be lacking him, too.
Tears well up in my eyes, but I will them back. I”m not going to cry around my sisters. They don”t need to know about all this.
Bronwen is already here, sitting in one of the big, overstuffed chairs lining one wall. Her feet are soaking in a foot bath.
I wave to Jaleesa, the woman who owns the nail salon. She”s a few years older than me, and a witch, so we know her fairly well. It”s a small town, and the witch community is close knit. I like that she offers both glamour spell manicures, pedicures, and make up, or mundane. I could do a glamour spell myself if I wanted, but sometimes I need the relaxation of paying someone to do a full pedicure for me.
Morgan joins us a moment later, bringing a massive storm cloud with her. ”I can”t believe she”s putting me in charge of the stupid wedding. With him.” She throws herself into the chair on the other side of Bronwen.
I admit, I don”t find Zach to be very warm and personable. Still, if it were me, I”d see it as an opportunity to get to know our future stepbrother, rather than being pissed about it. But Morgan and I are very different people.
Bronwen rolls her eyes. ”I predict that by Samhain, you two will be banging.”
I snort laugh.
Morgan”s expression gets darker. ”Fuck off.”
Grinning, Bronwen catches my gaze. ”Maybe even by Mabon.”
”I hate you.” Already barefoot—Morgan avoids shoes whenever possible—she shoves her feet into the water.
Jaleesa sits on the stool in front of Morgan. ”I think someone needs a little extra pampering today.”
Morgan glares, then her expression softens. ”Yeah, probably,” she mumbles.
“Is Maria here?” I ask. It’s always weird when she comes along and only Morgan can talk to her.
“No, she stayed home to watch Ghost Hunters.”
I’m not sure if Morgan is serious or being a smartass.
An older woman named Annette sits on the stool by me, and a witch named Dena, who is only a year out of high school, takes Bronwen. Because this is a common outing for my sisters and me, they know us well.
Annette reaches into the bath to scrub a pumice stone over my foot. It tickles just a little, but I try not to react.
We don”t talk to each other as we pick out the colors of polish we want. I select a deep, sexy wine color for my toes and a playful bright purple for my fingers. They don”t exactly match, but who cares? The colors speak to me.
Besides, with the clock ticking on Grant leaving town, I want a little color magic help from the passionate red. On the other hand, it”ll be far too easy to get morose in the coming days, so I need the playful color to keep me upbeat.
Morgan selects black for her toes, as she often does. And a dark teal for her hands. Bronwen does matching hot pink for both.
We settle back into our chairs. I try to think of something to talk about with my sisters. But all that”s on my mind is Grant leaving, and the upcoming spell, and I don”t want to start blubbering in the middle of the nail salon.
Do I tell them about the weird, magical orgasm last night? That I think the spell is broken? I wanted to confirm it first with Nana—because she always knows these things—but given everything with Grant, it slipped my mind when we were talking. And it”s going to be awkward as fuck explaining to her what happened to make me think the spell is broken. I will not text her.
My cheeks heat just thinking about what such a text message would say.
”I need your input on something that happened last night. It was kind of wild.” Bronwen twists as much toward the two of us as she can with her feet anchored in Dena”s hands.
Morgan, who”s scrolling Instagram on her phone, locks the screen and tucks it under her leg. ”OK?”
I nod at my youngest sister that she should continue.
”So last night, Sabrina”s in bed asleep, and I”m having a happy little session with my BOG. And?—”
Morgan holds up her hand. ”I”m sorry, your what?”
Bronwen gives her a look like she should absolutely know what a happy little session with my BOG means.
”Please clarify,” I add. ”It sounds like you went out fly-fishing or something.” I don”t think we even have bogs around Owl Cove.
”You know, battery operated girlfriend. BOG. My little clit sucker toy.”
Dena snorts, trying to hold in her laughter.
Morgan looks at me and rolls her eyes. I shrug. This is pretty on brand for Bronwen.
”I thought women usually called their toys BOB, for boyfriend,” Annette says nonchalantly.
”I mean, for ones that are anatomically like a guy, I suppose,” Bronwen says.
”Excuse me, women can have dicks too,” Morgan interjects.
Bronwen tilts her head in Morgan”s direction. ”An excellent point. Sorry, I should have been more inclusive. But I do admit, for ones that are anatomically like a penis, I still refer to them as a BOB.”
”But your clit sucker is a girlfriend?” I ask dryly. I can”t believe I”m discussing my baby sister”s clitoris in public.
Actually, it”s Bronwen. I can.
”Exactly. Because I have never been with a cis guy who can get the job done the way BOG can.”
”Deities,” Morgan mumbles, dropping her face into her hand.
I”m not a stranger to toys like my sister is describing. I have one of my own. And I have to say, as satisfying as it can be—whether you think of them as a BOB or a BOG—”Grant”s better.”
Morgan”s mouth drops open as she turns to look at me. Bronwen doesn”t just laugh, she cackles, her face pure glee.
Our aestheticians are all grinning, and I can tell they”re struggling to remain even the slightest bit professional.
My face is burning. I do not talk about my sex life like this. But I keep my expression casual. I shrug. ”He just is.” Too bad I”ll be using my toy entirely too often in the near future.
Bronwen, still grinning like a Cheshire cat, points at me. ”Actually, I think Grant might be tangentially related to my BOG story.”
”Why BOG, though?” Morgan can”t let it go. ”How about BOP? Battery operated person. No need to gender it, and it sounds way more fun than BOG. BOG sounds like you”re getting off with a swamp monster.”
Because brains are odd, mine serves up a mental picture of Bronwen doing just that and I laugh.
”Am I wrong?” Morgan asks me over her shoulder, still looking at our younger sister.
”Not at all.”
Bronwen shoves her hands into her hair. ”Uhhhh, fine. My BOP and I were having a nice time last night and all of a sudden?—”
”You got all warm and tingly?” Morgan interrupts. ”Bronwen, honey, that”s an orgasm. I”m so happy you finally?—”
”Fuck off. You”re the worst.”
My sisters” banter is exactly what I need to lighten my mood. My abs are getting sore from how much I”m laughing.
Pouting the way only a youngest sister can, even when she”s 27, Bronwen crosses her arms and glares at us. ”Fine. I actually had something important to say, but fuck you both.”
”What did I do?” I protest.
”You laughed.”
Morgan and I roll our eyes at the same time.
After an extended silence, Morgan reaches over and punches Bronwen”s arm. ”Fine. I”m sorry. Tell us what happened all of a sudden last night.” Again she looks at me over her shoulder. ”I think I might have an idea about it anyway.”
”I still want to know how my boyfriend factors in here.” Though I have an inkling of an idea too.
”OK, so, my toy got the job done, and I got off. Except this was, like, a mega-celestial-intense-magical-holy shit-what-the-hell-just-happened orgasm. This was: take the ten best orgasms I”ve ever had in my life, stack them on top of each other, multiply them by a bazillion, then put them on steroids and speed. This was... I mean, it was the most incredible thing I”ve ever felt. But, like, there was purple light in the air. I”ve never turned purple before when I come.”
Morgan points her finger at Bronwen, then swings it around to me. Her pale cheeks are blazing red. ”I, uh, something like that might”ve happened to me last night too,” she mumbles, not meeting my eyes as she says it in my direction.
For Morgan, this is word vomiting all over. My sum knowledge of her sex life is that she has had sex at some point. I make other assumptions, but this is the first actual confirmation I”ve ever had that she has had an orgasm, or that she masturbates.
These are very odd things to be thinking about my sister at the nail salon. Or ever. But only because it”s Morgan. Bronwen is so free talking about her sex life—solo and partnered—that it doesn”t feel odd to imagine her pleasuring herself.
”What about you, Sirona?” Bronwen asks. ”You have any cosmic orgasms last night? I know you and Grant went camping, so surely you had sex.”
My mind flashes back to last night, to the wild, ethereal sensations that flowed through me as I came. How surreal and beautiful it all was.
And how it wasn”t just me. It was Grant.
My chest swells and my throat knots up from all the love filling me. A tear leaks out the inside corner of my eye, resting on the side of my nose.
All I can do is nod at my sisters. I can”t speak.
Morgan starts nodding, her face concerned. ”And it means what we think it means?”
I keep nodding. We must look like a pair of bobble-headed fools.
”You”re in love with him!” Bronwen bounces in her chair. Somehow she”s missing why this isn”t a completely joyous moment for me.
”And the spell is broken?” Morgan asks, her eyes steady on my face.
I clear my throat and force myself to talk. ”I think so. I mean, that has to be what it was last night. Right?”
”Definitely.”
”I”d think so.”
”We”ll, um, talk to Nana about it when we”re done here, yeah?” Maybe talking to my grandmother about orgasms will be less awkward if it”s all three of us.
Probably not.
”Do we have to give Nana, like, details?” Bronwen asks.
Morgan scoffs. ”You, who just told the whole salon about having your clit mechanically sucked by a bog monster? You”re worried about your grandma knowing you have sex? As if she doesn”t have an inkling.”
Bronwen wrinkles her nose at Morgan. ”Whatever. It”s still weird.”
She”s not wrong.
”But, so, we think the spell is broken?” Bronwen”s brown eyes are shining with delight.
I try to muster up some of my own. This is amazing news for my sisters. They can finally move forward with this step in their lives if they want to.
I nod. ”You”re free.” My voice is tight, full of forced cheer.
Morgan reaches over and squeezes my hand. ”I”m so sorry. It”s gotta be so hard.”
Bronwen”s mouth forms a little O. ”Oh, Sirona, I didn”t even think. He”s leaving, isn”t he?”
I nod. ”Next Sunday.”
”A week.” Morgan”s face is a mask of sympathy. ”Wow. How are you doing?”
I press the heels of my palms to my eyes, trying to hold in the tears. ”Not great. I mean, everything with him is great. So yeah, I”m not great.”
When I take my hands away, Bronwen is dancing in her chair. ”I want to hug you so badly right now.”
I give her a watery smile. ”Thank you.”
”Maybe Nana’s spell won”t work?” Morgan”s tone says she doesn”t really believe it.
”Then he”s stuck here where he doesn”t want to be.” My chest feels like it”s going to cave in. I hate this. I want to go back to laughing over Bronwen”s BOG.
”No, he wants to be with you. That”s beyond obvious. I don”t need to be a love witch to know that.”
Morgan nods. ”Even I can tell.”
I sigh. ”Yeah, but he wants to be a surgeon more. We got into it knowing it was temporary.” Knowing it wasn”t even supposed to be real.
Bronwen”s sigh matches mine. ”Well, if you need a spell to fix a broken heart, you know where to find me.”