Chapter 20 Gran Knows Best
Caspian
Conflicting thoughts flickered behind Juniper’s eyes, and I would have given anything to wash away all of her worries. She nibbled on her bottom lip as we wandered along the edge of the water, taking our time walking back to her grandmother’s cottage.
The house was quiet, but the signs of the reunion lingered. Her family had left the tables set up on the lawn, and paper plates and plastic silverware overflowed from trash bags. Juniper crossed her arms and scowled at the mess.
“I’ll take care of it,” I murmured, pulling out my phone and sending a text message.
She knocked on the door, and a few minutes later, her grandmother answered.
“Junie, I am so glad to see you. I saw your beau carry you off, but I didn’t expect you’d miss the entire reunion.”
The older woman had changed into a matching pajama set, despite the fact the sun wouldn’t set for at least another hour.
“Gran, can we talk?” Juniper asked sweetly.
“Of course, my dear.”
Her grandmother pushed the door open wider and then shuffled back to the sofa. A huge slice of cake sat on a plate on the coffee table beside a glass of wine and the television remote.
Smiling, I busied myself tidying up the kitchen while my little witch settled on the sofa with her grandmother. I tried to not listen, but it was impossible when my heart was ready to burst from my chest.
“So, where did you disappear to?” her grandmother asked.
Juniper turned a brilliant shade of magenta. “Um, Caspian actually lives nearby and, um, I met his brothers. We had dinner together. It was really nice.”
“Well, you didn’t miss much here. Just your mother and Daphne squabbling. I’m getting really tired of their shit.”
“Gran!” Juniper pressed her hand to her mouth.
“I love my daughter, but Jennifer has always been difficult, and Daphne is worse. I’m so glad I have you.” Her grandmother reached forward and patted Juniper’s cheek. “What did you want to talk about?”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. Juniper glanced my way, and I ducked down to check under the sink for another trash bag.
“Well, remember how I told you about Caspian being a selkie and there being a whole I-have-his-coat-marriage-bond situation? Well, it turns out that was more folklore than an actual magical problem.”
Her grandmother hummed, rubbing her chin as she thought. “Interesting. I definitely felt magic connecting you two.”
Juniper hesitated, her eyes flicking between her grandmother and me. I wasn’t sure how to encourage her. A thumbs up seemed like a bad idea with a bag of trash in my hand.
Finally, Juniper exhaled roughly and said, “Turns out I’m his fated mate.”
Fuck yes, she is.
My stomach swooped at the words leaving her beautiful lips.
“Ah, that makes a lot more sense.” Her grandmother reached for her glass of wine and took a long drink.
Juniper stared at her. The older woman shrugged.
“Honey, it's not uncommon for other magical beings to have fated soul bonds with witches. Don’t look so surprised. So I assume you’ve accepted him? ”
“I guess, yeah, I have,” Juniper said, her cheeks bright pink. “But he lives here in Crescent Cove, and I don’t.”
“Don’t be a nitwit, sweetie. You’ll move here and be with him. There’s nothing in the city for you, unless you want to stay close to your mom and sister.”
“No,” Juniper said with a shiver. “Would you like it if I was nearby?”
Her grandmother reached for the cake. “Darling, there is nothing I would love more. Besides, you have a lot more to learn about your magic. Don’t think I missed what you did to the muddy yard.”
“Oh, that,” my little witch said, looking down at her hands.
“I’m very proud of you,” her grandmother said, and Juniper’s head shot up. “Imagine what you can do with some time and practice, now that you’ve met your other half.”
Juniper glanced at me. I hadn’t remembered to look busy. I was just leaning on the kitchen counter, entirely entranced by their conversation. Flinching, I jolted back and started grabbing random dishes to wash.
“We’ll see, I guess.” Juniper’s hesitant, genuine smile crept across her face when I peeked back. “And I suppose I am staying here.”
I couldn’t stay out of the conversation any longer. Before I knew what I was doing, I was across the room with my arms wrapped around her from behind.
“We can buy another house nearby if you don’t want to live with my brothers. We’ll do whatever makes you happy,” I babbled, so happy I couldn’t stop myself.
Her grandmother sighed, taking a big bite of her cake. “Spoken like a man in love.”
“I am,” I said, kissing Juniper’s cheek.
She leaned into my touch, letting out a contented sigh. “Me too.”
“Can I take you home, please?” I asked softly.
She hesitated, glancing around.
“Oh, don’t worry about the mess. It’ll give me something to do tomorrow,” her grandmother said, waving her hand dismissively.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I put in a call to our cleaning crew. They’ll be here first thing tomorrow," I said. “I should have asked before I did that. I apologize.”
“See, there is a man that takes initiative,” she said, patting my arm. “I’d tell you to hang onto this one, Junie, but you’re fated, so he’s never going to let you go.”
“Yeah, I get that feeling,” Juniper said without a trace of indecision in her tone.
“Ready to go? We should get a good night’s sleep and then tomorrow we can make arrangements to get you moved in,” I said, squeezing her shoulders.
As Juniper said goodbye to her grandmother, I checked around until I found her purse tucked behind a chair. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw it in my hand.
“I would have forgotten that and had a very pissed off boss when I didn’t answer his messages in the morning,” she muttered.
We stepped out the back door and onto the sand. The door clicked shut, and I narrowed my eyes on my little witch.
“Quit your job.”
I waited for her protests, but she wet her lips and then nodded. “Alright.”
“That’s it? That easy?” I said, pulling her to me and planting a kiss on her open mouth. It was supposed to be a quick, affectionate peck, but Juniper steadied herself with her hands on my waist, and heat sparked between us.
I cradled her cheek, running my thumb over her jaw as I kissed her over and over. When we broke apart, I murmured, “You are my dream come true.”
She rolled her eyes but leaned in to kiss me again.
It took far too long to get back to the house, and my brothers had conveniently disappeared, either out of the house or into their rooms, and frankly I didn’t care. I was going to make my witch scream my name regardless of who heard.
We barely made it into the bedroom before clothes were shed and I made good on my promise, several times, before we fell asleep.