Chapter Thirty-Three
“Don’t be mad at me.” Jemma’s voice was behind me as I stirred the simmer pot on the stove.
I hadn’t heard her come through the back door and into the kitchen. Music was blasting while I set my intentions. I stirred a few more times, mixing the orange peels, apple slices, rosemary, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. The house was already starting to smell heavenly.
“Also, that smells amazing.”
“Thank you, but why should I not be mad?”
I tapped my wooden spoon against my pot, set it to the side, and set the heat to a simmer. I had no plans to leave the house today, so I’d let this sit for a good few hours before I jarred the water and gave the herbs back to the earth.
Jemma was standing in front of me, hands in her jean pockets, looking down at her shoes.
“Oh no.” I walked over to her and lifted her head. “What is it this time? I cannot have more secrets and shit going on in this house. No more negativity.”
“I told Ryker about your birthday.”
I went wide-eyed, my hand still on her chin.
“What the fuck, Jemma?” I asked, knowing good and well what she did. A part of me was just refusing to believe it.
“I said ‘don’t be mad’.” She shooed away my hand and walked over to the pot I had just been at. She wafted the scent up to her, taking in a deep breath.
“How can I not be mad, Jemma? I said I wanted to table that conversation.”
She shrugged and took a step back, turning toward me.
“I know what you said, but I’m also your best friend, and truthfully,” she walked over and poked a finger into my shoulder. “I do know what’s best for you.”
The sound of a car door shutting brought my attention away from Jemma momentarily.
“You also can’t be mad at me for too long, because Ryker just pulled up and is here to see you.” With the last word, her voice turned into a song as she skipped out the back door.
“Sabotage!” I shouted at her as she exited the house, and I heard the front door open.
I’d given Ryker a key to the house after the incident with Parker. He’d apparently been thinking the same thing because he’d had a key made for me for his place, too. It allowed us to come and go as we pleased with each other. It felt like home even though we weren’t living together.
Ryker entered the kitchen where I was still standing just as my phone buzzed. I pulled it out to see a message from Jemma.
Jemma: He loves you and wants to make this special. Let him.
I took a deep breath and put my phone away before returning my attention to Ryker. He stood in front of me in black jeans, a green shirt. and a jean jacket. His hair was in a bun on top of his head. He looked so put-together.
I looked down at myself in my burnt orange overalls and green racerback tank underneath. I’d thrown the outfit on this morning, not worrying about makeup or doing my hair.
Ryker made his way over to me and placed a kiss on my forehead.
“Stunning,” he leaned down and kissed me. “It smells really good in here. What is it?”
“A simmer pot.”
“A what?” Ryker pulled away, his eyebrow raised in question.
I grabbed his hand and led him over to the stovetop. The simmer pot was sitting between us. He looked into it, and I watched him examine what I had concocted.
“This is cool,” Ryker focused his attention back at me. “What is it for?”
“It’s an autumnal simmer pot for prosperity.”
“A what for what?” Ryker had the same questioning look from before on his face.
I laughed and went into the explanation.
“A simmer pot is how I can bring different energies into the house in one wide spell. This one is specifically for propensity, which, during the fall, is great, as we are focused on reaping what we have sown in the spring when planting our roots. As we are ending our journey through autumn and about to enter winter in just a few weeks, it felt like it was needed.”
“I love learning about this stuff.” Ryker walked over to the pot, really examining it now.
“I know you’ve seen a lot of what’s around the house, but would you like to see my main altar?” It was probably the one place that Ryker hadn’t seen in the house. Only Jemma and I went into that room.
“Yes,” Ryker said immediately. He was practically bouncing in front of me. “I had something to tell you, but it can wait.”
“Oh, we can—” Ryker walked over and put a finger to my lips.
“Nope, show me.” He was smiling widely at me, and I shook my head and rolled my eyes before grabbing his hand.
I led Ryker to a back part of the house I’d not shown him yet.
It was a small extra room that I’d converted into my own little apothecary.
I opened the door to the room, and the smell of incense I’d lit this morning hit us instantly.
“Holy shit,” Ryker whispered behind me.
I stepped into the room as Ryker followed. He looked around in awe.
“This is like walking into the Witch’s Lair,” Ryker mentioned the apothecary in my game.
“That was kind of the plan when I built this out. Took a while to get it just right, but feels like a sanctuary for me.”
I watched as Ryker made his way around the room and then turned back to me.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” He questioned.
“This place is a little more sacred than the rest of the house, and it never felt like the right time.” I walked over to my altar and picked up the tarot card I’d pulled when lighting my incense.
Page of Wands.
“Sometimes talking about all of this, opening up and showing it to others, can be hard because I don’t always know how they will respond. I wanted you to see all of what I am and never intentionally didn’t show you, but was more so wanting it to be when it felt right and happened naturally.”
“Like me coming over today when you just so happened to be doing this.”
“Yes,” I looked up at him. Ryker had made his way toward me and picked up a crystal from my altar. His energy didn’t feel intrusive. A shiver ran down my body.
He belonged here; the room was accepting of him and was letting me know.
“That’s carnelian.”
Ryker rolled the polished stone in his hand and then placed it back down and picked up another one.
“Selenite?” He looked up, asking me, an eyebrow lifted in question.
“Yeah,” my response is a whisper.
He was holding my crystal in his hand, and I felt no urge to cleanse it. He was adding himself to this room, and I loved it.
Another shiver came over my body.
“I’m in awe.” He placed the crystal down.
I took a deep breath, the smile on my face growing bigger.
“You said you had something to tell me.”
Ryker put his attention back on me.
“We are going to do it tomorrow.”
“Do what?” I looked at him in confusion.
He walked over to a small area of herbs and a surplus of crystals. “I want you to tell me about these.”
“Ryker,” I placed a hand on his arm, making him look at me.
“Reveal myself.” He answered me finally.
My eyes went wide. I wasn’t expecting him to do it so soon and quickly.
He’d just met with Parker’s lawyers this morning, everything having gone smoothly, but I hadn’t thought he’d come over to tell me this.
“It’s quick, but Beckett and I went back to the house today and set up a game plan.
We made an announcement online, and we already have a preview set up with people in the waiting room. ”
“This is going to be big.”
“It will.” Ryker leaned down and placed a kiss on my lips. “But we’re going to do it together. That’s what I really wanted to talk to you about. You being beside me while I did it.”
“I’d love to.”
Ryker wanted to do this together. A moment that I never thought would happen, but he wanted us to share it.
“Now,” he pointed to the cluster in front of him. “What is that?”
I gave him the basic rundown of a few of the crystals he kept pointing to. We moved on from crystals to magical items, and I gave him the properties of the items I used the most, explaining what they meant and why I would use them.
I’d lost track of time with how long we’d been in the room, but it all felt so right. Us being open and honest in this room, together. Like this was the last piece we needed to seal our fate. He was taking it all in, asking questions, picking items up, and examining them.
He was meant to be here.
A piece of kunzite caught my eye, a crystal that encompassed healing, love, and self-acceptance. I picked it up and placed it on my altar.
It felt complete, and so did I.