Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Icouldn't sleep. Nestling against Rowan usually put me right out, but tonight my thoughts were filled with worry.
“You want me to text him?”
I sighed against his chest. “Do you mind?”
“Evie. You don't have to ask me. Just text him.”
“I don't want to text my ex-boyfriend,” I grumbled.
“Well, in a way you do,” Rowan said with a chuckle.
“I just need to know he's alive.”
He shifted and pressed a kiss against my temple. “Caelan is a stubborn old bastard, and he's a Lord. If he was dead, we would have known earlier.”
I reached over for my cell. “Are you sure?”
“You're my mate.” He rolled over and pinned me against the mattress. “But more important than that, you're my Evie. You wouldn't be who you are if you weren't worried about him.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips. “Text your ex, weirdo.”
I laughed. “Fine.”
Caelan responded almost immediately.
All good, flower girl. I'm tougher than I look.
I closed my eyes and exhaled. “He's okay.”
“Told you,” Rowan said smugly. “Pretty sure the only one able to kill the stubborn old goat is you.”
I smacked him lightly on the chest. “If he dies, you'll have another Lord vacancy to fill.”
“Yeah, those are a real bitch.” He snorted. “Though Garrett is the obvious next choice.”
“He doesn't want it.”
“The best Lords don't.”
He gathered me in his arms and pulled me close. “Get some rest. I have a feeling our next few weeks might be more eventful than we're prepared for.”
Truer words had never been spoken.
Moira showed up for breakfast the next morning bearing fresh-baked muffins and scones. Rowan and I were sitting on the patio when we heard her footsteps coming up the drive. We always made extra coffee for her because we never knew when she was going to show up.
Moira didn't like to eat alone. I discovered this years ago and always tried to include her in dinner and lunch plans, never letting on that I knew. Now, I think she felt a little like a third wheel with Rowan in the picture, but she still sought us out a few times a week for breakfast or dinner.
Ash told me she did the same with them which made me feel better.
Moira, despite her occasional grumpiness, needed people.
She was thriving on Rowan's land in some ways.
Her skin was brighter and she had more time than ever to focus on baking and making new tea blends.
But I sensed a bone deep loneliness inside her.
She missed us, even though we all lived on the same property.
I didn't know how to help her. Ethan's presence riled her up and made her focus on other things beside herself for a while, but his presence was sporadic. This wasn't his territory, even though Rowan had been extra lenient with Ethan's presence on his land.
Not many Lords would be, especially not if they weren't friends.
But like me, Rowan had recognized something between Moira and Ethan. No one knew how it would play out, but Rowan thought it was worth allowing a little leniency.
Even if it was only for the entertainment value those two brought when they clashed.
“Chocolate chip or blueberry?” Moira asked as she opened the basket.
“Chocolate chip,” I said, just as Rowan said, “blueberry.”
Moira passed us each a muffin over. “I brought cinnamon scones, too.”
“Yes, please!” I made a gimme gesture.
Moira grinned and passed a scone over, too.
“Unlike my wife, I am not greedy.” Rowan winked to soften his words. “I'll wait until I finish this first.”
“More for me,” I proclaimed.
Moira was wearing a pair of buttery brown leggings and a cream colored off-shoulder top.
Her hair was down and much longer than I was used to seeing.
She'd let it grow since she'd come to Emberwood, and now it fell in a dark silky sheet down her back.
Moira never wore much makeup, but today her face was completely bare, showcasing her poreless and perfect skin, but also highlighting the shadows underneath her eyes.
I reached over and nudged her knee. “You can come over any time you want to, you know.”
Moira rolled her eyes. “You and your tender heart, Evie Quinn. It's gonna get you one day.”
“It already has,” Rowan said. “After all, she has me and all this.” He waved his hand around to encompass his stunning land. Our stunning land, I should say. I'd never get used to this feeling of having so much.
“I've always admired how humble you are, Rowan.”
He grinned at Moira. “Yes, well, humbleness is one of my many talents.”
The scone she made melted in my mouth. Buttery and flaky with a crunchy sugar crust, I couldn't speak until I finished the entire thing. “You should have a bakery portion in your tea shop. These are phenomenal.”
Moira looked uncomfortable. She looked away and sighed.
I sat a little straighter. “Moira?”
“About that.” She fidgeted. Moira never fidgeted. “Ethan asked me to come to his territory for a little while.”
Rowan's eyes narrowed. “Oh?” His voice was deceptively casual.
“I told him no.” But her expression told me her answer wasn't the end of this.
“Then why are you acting weird? And why does he want you to live on his territory? What's wrong with Rowan's?” Ethan wasn't as terrible as I first thought he was, but there was no reason I could think of for Moira to move to his lands.
Moira sighed. “He needs help with something and believes I'd be more successful than he was.”
Rowan sat back and slowly chewed on his scone. “Can you share the reason?”
Moira looked pained. “I shouldn't. I'm sorry.”
Rowan nodded. “Alright then. I'll call the bastard and ask him myself.”
At my warning look, he shook his head. “I get why Moira's not telling me, so I'll go right to the source.”
“I don't think he'll tell you anything.” I winced at Rowan's stony face. “He's always seemed like the most private of the Lords. If there's a problem and he can't fix it, I don't see why another Lord would be able to.” I frowned. “Or would be willing to assist without wanting something in return.”
His expression cleared. “What is he offering you?” he asked Moira.
Moira's jaw tightened. “A salary. Magic lessons.” She lifted her hands. “That's all.”
I knew Moira. She wasn't telling us everything. I let it go for now, but as soon as I could break away from Rowan for some private time, I planned to grill her. Moira was an adult and could make her own decisions, but Ethan rattled her more than I'd ever seen anyone else rattle her.
Soren, another one of the Lords, managed to get under her skin for a brief period of time, but she'd written him off pretty quickly. Ethan seemed to have burrowed under her defenses and squatted there. As much as I didn't want her to go, if that's what she wanted, I wouldn't stand in her way.
“What about your shop?” I asked.
“I told him no,” she repeated.
“But you're thinking about changing your mind.” One of my eyebrows went up as she opened her mouth to deny the words.
At my look, she sighed and slumped. “I want to open a shop, but I can't deny being curious.”
Rowan's expression softened. He knew how Moira felt about Ethan. “Don't set yourself up for heartache.” He hesitated, his lips tightening as he parsed out his next words. “I'm not sure Ethan will ever—”
Moira made a slashing motion with her hand. “Don't. I'm well aware of how Ethan feels about me.”
That wasn't what Rowan was saying, and I wasn't sure my mate was right about this.
I saw the way the other Lord had picked Moira up and hauled her out of that bar.
He was enraged when he heard the rumors of Moira taking someone to her bed.
And yet, he'd taken care of her when he got her home.
Minus giving her a drop of the hangover remedy—a pretty egregious act of passive aggressiveness and maybe even a warning for her not to cross him.
My friend hadn't taken a single man to her bed since that night. She hadn't even given anyone a second look. That annoyed me more than anything. Moira wasn't young, but she was single, and she shouldn't have to diminish herself for someone else who wouldn't give her what she needed.
If Ethan was interested in her, and I thought he might be more than interested, he needed to get his shit together. Maybe inviting her to his territory was a way to get her close without making any commitments.
Kind of a roundabout shitty thing to do, but I put nothing past the Lords.
Except for Rowan.
But I was biased when it came to him.
“You hold all the leverage here. Make a deal with him. Open the tea shop if you want and hire someone to mind it while you're gone. Or split your time. He's the one who asked. Make it worth your while.”
Rowan nodded. “Good idea. Remember how much money Evie gouged out of Caelan when he was begging her for crumbs?”
I laughed. The other Lord had fattened up my bank account by quite a lot for a while.
Moira smiled at the memory, her face brightening at our suggestion. “You know what? You're right. I do hold the power here.”
“There you go,” I said softly. “When Ethan starts doing that Alpha bullshit, remember what I let Caelan do to me.”
Rowan gave me a sharp look.
I reached over and patted his knee. “Don't deny it. I allowed Caelan to treat me that way before I had the strength to get myself away.”
Rowan's jaw clenched, but he didn't argue.
“Negotiate all the terms. Make him pay you out the ass and guarantee that money if things go sideways. Hell, make him give you the real estate to open a tea shop there, too. The sky's the limit, friend.”
And on that note, as I watched a crafty light enter my friend's eyes, I knew she was going to be alright.