Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nellie
We drove to Hartley Park, which had beautiful panoramic views of the frozen Hartwood Lake.
Noah kept the truck idling, the heat on to keep us both warm while we ate some of the baked goods and sipped our hot chocolates from Tout de Sweets and talked about the concerts we’d been to.
We discovered we’d both gone to The Tragically Hip’s final concert in Kingston.
We both agreed, it was like being a part of a little slice of Canadian history.
When we’d finished commemorating the Hip’s incredible last concert and our hot chocolates were empty, Noah drove me home.
By the time he pulled into the driveway, it was almost four o’clock.
I was stuffed from lunch and all the snacking, and knew I’d probably end up having a light dinner and going to bed early.
Noah walked me up to my door. He insisted on carrying my portion of leftovers from Juan In A Million, the tote from Beyond The Pages, and the box with the rest of the baked goods that we hadn’t gotten to.
I unlocked my apartment and invited him in for a minute. He stepped inside, toeing off his boots, then he carried everything over to the island while I took off my coat and hung it up on the coat rack.
“It looks so different in here.”
“Since Nix lived here? They apparently painted it.”
“I used to live here, too,” Noah told me, looking at me with his mischievous grin. “Before Nix. Back when I was building my cabin.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that!”
“Yeah, it wasn’t for long. About eight months? I can’t remember. It looks really good though.” Noah said, his gaze taking in my space. I hadn’t done much to make it my own yet. Angela hadn’t exactly let me decorate our apartment, so I didn’t have much to work with.
“It’s getting there.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. For some reason, my thoughts went back to that painting of the creek at the gallery.
“I don’t want to end our date on a stressful note, but I do need to talk to you about something work related,” he said, those kissable lips frowning a little.
“Oh?” I was feeling slightly better after our chat earlier, but at the mention of work, I tensed up again.
“It’d probably be best if Damien handled your day off requests, and other employment needs. I don’t want the other employees thinking I’m playing favourites just because we’re dating.”
“That seems fair.”
“So, that means we’re going to have to fill him in on what’s going on with you. I know I’ve already approved your request for Friday afternoon, so don’t worry about that, but going forward…”
“Yeah, of course.” I nodded. I didn’t like the idea of telling Damien, but everyone was going to find out eventually.
“And I was thinking, if you were okay with it, that I could come with you to the next appointment.” Noah looked at me hopefully. When he saw the bewildered look on my face, he rushed to explain. “I mean, so we could do the DNA test.”
I blinked, not expecting that at all. “Uh, if you want to, I guess?”
“I do. Want to, I mean.” Noah smiled at me, like I’d given him a gift by saying yes. The way his blue eyes lit up had the butterflies swirling around in my stomach.
“Okay,” I whispered.
Noah stepped closer, his eyes soft. He put his hand on the side of my hip, drawing me to him, and lowered his mouth to mine. The kiss was chaste, but tender—so tender it almost made me want to weep.
He touched me and kissed me with such reverence, and he gazed at me with such fealty. I’d never felt so seen and so exposed. It turned me on, calmed me, and terrified me in the same breath.
Noah didn’t overstay his welcome. And as much as I could tell he wanted to, he didn’t deepen the kiss. I was thankful for that because my restraint was thinning.
“I should go,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to my swollen lips and lifting again. “I’ll see you Monday, okay?”
“Sure, yeah.” I nodded, sounding just as frazzled from our kiss as I felt.
A large part of me wanted to invite him to hang out longer, but I knew if I did that, we’d end up in bed together again. I was trying to take things slow, trying to protect my heart until we could find out for sure if Noah was the father of my baby.
His words kept replaying in my head, but that didn’t change the fact that I needed to find out for sure before I allowed him to fully commit himself to me.
Sure, he might think he wants this—me, a baby that might not be his—but his opinion on the matter could change if he found out he wasn’t the father.
So, it was better to end the date now, before it could go any further. He closed the door behind him, and I listened to his heavy steps on the stairs. A few moments later, I heard his truck start. Only then did I peek out the window and watch him drive away.
Besides, if I’d invited him to stay, I wouldn’t have been able to open the gift Delia gave me.
I grabbed the gift bag and brought it to the living room, setting it down on the coffee table. I proceeded to stare at it for several minutes, working myself up to opening it.
“You’re being ridiculous,” I told myself after twenty minutes had passed.
Shaking my head, I reached for the gift bag and set it on my lap.
I pulled out the tissue paper and peered inside.
There were several things inside the gift bag, so I started pulling them out one by one and setting them on the table.
There was a bag of loose tea called Mother’s Intuition, and two small white cardboard boxes.
Inside the first box was a crystal no bigger than the palm of my hand.
The crystal was the colour of blood and fire.
It looked like it was glowing, and when I picked it up in my hand and held it, it was cool to the touch.
There was a small cardstock note underneath it, with the name of the crystal and a description.
The Carnelian crystal is a highly energetic healing crystal that glows like a flame. It can keep you grounded and make you feel invincible, giving you the courage and strength to transition into motherhood. It works at any stage of your motherhood journey.
Carnelian has been known to strengthen and help the organs heal, to boost your stamina, and connect to your sacral chakra and stir up your inner fire.
It can be used from conception right through birth, and for those who need a hand healing from childbirth.
It is for those who are struggling with the idea of strength and grants you stamina, both mentally and physically.
Inside the second box was a moon-shaped crystal pendant. The crystal was soft shades of purple and pink and it was a little smaller in size. It, too, came with a cardstock description.
Lepidolite is a natural tranquilizer and a soother for souls that feel pulled in a thousand directions. Whether stressed about conception or looking for a mood-lifter, Lepidolite keeps mothers-to-be in harmonious joy so that they are better equipped to welcome the transformation at hand.
Beneath the boxes was a handwritten note from Delia. Her penmanship was neat and feminine.
Dearest Nellie,
I have thought a lot about you since our reading on the night of the Witches’ Ball, when the cards showed me your future so brightly. I foresaw that it was only a matter of time before you found yourself back in Hartwood Creek, and not just for a visit.
I know you are apprehensive about the days—and months—ahead of you, but I’ve been dreaming a lot about you, and I know everything is going to work out for the three of you.
These crystals and this tea will help you on your journey to motherhood. The tea is safe to take while pregnant; I assure you. It is a brew my ancestors passed down containing ginger, citrus peel, lemon balm, and rosehips.
If you ever need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to come see me.
Much Love,
Delia
P.S. Welcome home.
After reading Delia’s letter, I sat back on the sofa and stared at the crystals.
I’d anticipated that she would have given me something, well, witchy, given she was the owner of Enchanted Echoes and a descendant of Morgana Hartley.
I hadn’t expected her to know about my pregnancy, however, and be so aware of my fears and apprehension.
I suppose it made sense, though. After all, she’d read my cards during the night of the Witches’ Ball and told me I’d meet the love of my life and change the course of both our lives forever.
My phone rang, rousing me from my thoughts. It was Sage.
“So, how was it?” she asked, her tone all giddy.
“It was good,” I answered distractedly, my gaze going back to the gifts Delia had given me.
“Just good! Come on, spill the deets! Where’d you go? What’d you do?” Sage’s pestering pulled me back.
“We went to Juan In A Million for lunch, and it was amazing,” I answered, knowing if I didn’t start talking, she’d end up driving over to pull it out of me in person. “Then we walked around town and stopped at a few stores.”
“Ooh, which ones?” Sage was fully invested in this. I heard her chewing something.
“Are you eating popcorn?”
“Maybe,” Sage answered, her mouth full. “I’m hungry. Anyway, keep going. What stores did you go to?”
“The Art Cave, which was really great. Freyja is a sweetheart. We should do a paint night there.”
“I’m down!” Sage exclaimed, her tone clearer now that she’d chewed and swallowed the popcorn.
“Then we checked out Enchanting Echoes.”
“Oooh, I haven’t braved that store yet,” Sage said. I could practically hear her shiver through the phone. “Apparently, she sells a lot of ingredients of the love elixir, and even has a book on how to incorporate the love elixir into various baked goods and drinks.”
“Yeah, it was pretty neat. She sells a lot of crystals and some natural body butters. I got us both a jar. She said it helps with stretch marks.”
“She said that? Like, to your face?”
“Yeah, and she gave me a gift, like, a ‘Welcome to Hartwood Creek’ gift. And in it, she gave me some crystals and included tea called Mother’s Intuition and wrote a little note saying the tea was safe to take while pregnant.”
“HOW DOES SHE KNOW!?” Sage practically shouted.
“I don’t know! I mean, she seems like she knows things. Plus, she read my cards at the Witches’ Ball.” I shrugged, even though she couldn’t see me.
“That’s freaky,” Sage sounded creeped out. “Sometimes, this town wigs me out a little.”
“With the whole witchy thing?”
“Yeah. And the love elixir, and so on.”
“I think it’s cool,” I replied. “I mean, you ended up drinking the elixir and are the happiest you’ve ever been, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t like to credit my happiness with Nix to some weird love potion thing. That’s insane,” Sage huffed. “Although…”
“What?”
“We should do a test! You and Noah should drink the love elixir, like, willingly. And see if that helps.”
“How’s that supposed to help?” I asked, bewildered.
“Well, for starters, it’s supposed to only work on soulmates. It gives them a push to let go of their fears and give in. You could use that push.”
“Hey!” I exclaimed, my brow furrowing. I was irritated by the call-out, But, Sage wasn’t wrong.
“What! I’m not wrong, am I?” Sage giggled. “And I know you’re dying to prove to me that all this weird, witchy, metaphysical stuff is real.”
“I couldn’t care less if you don’t believe in it,” I corrected. “I think it’d be strange to see all the evidence in a town like this and still deny it’s a possibility.”
“Eh, call me a denier until you and Noah take the love elixir.”
“Well, I guess you’ll be a denier forever. I’m not asking him to take some love potion with me. Then I’ll be even more confused and conflicted over whether he really wants to be with me because he wants to, or if he feels forced to settle with me because I’m pregnant and he’s under a love spell.”
“Not this again.” Sage sighed deeply.
“I told him I wanted him to take a DNA test,” I said. “I feel like if he knew for sure, he could make a decision based on that fact, you know?”
“I guess that makes sense. What did he say?”
“He said it didn’t matter, that he was all in either way, but that if taking the DNA test was something I needed, he’d do it,” I replied. Sage let out a dreamy sigh. “He said he wanted to come to my next appointment.”
“That’s so sweet!” she said, her voice wobbling with emotion. If I knew her like I thought I knew her, Sage was likely wiping away a tear or two.
“It feels like things are moving so fast,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Maybe they are, but when you think about it, nine months goes by quickly. Heck, three months already have gone by. You only have six months before the baby arrives, and don’t you want to figure out your relationship situation before then?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” I glanced back down at Delia’s letter. Re-reading her words soothed my anxieties a little. Her easy confidence had hope flaming in my chest. Maybe I could trust my feelings when it came to Noah.
I know, everything is going to work out for the three of you.