Chapter Twenty-Four
Twenty-Four
A different man would have left, and in the past Merle would have been that man. He’d always run when things got tough. Found a comfortable spot and escaped into his own world. One of myths and lore, battles and characters. But he wasn’t going to leave Liberty alone right now.
He stood next to Liberty because he had seen her face. Heard what Lourdes had just said. That John Jones had wanted to meet Liberty since she was seven.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”
“Uh, Merle, would you mind giving us some privacy?” Lourdes asked.
“Of course,” he said, starting to step away, but Liberty tightened her hand in his.
“I want him here,” she said. “Mom, how could you?”
Lourdes was pale. He saw the signs of stress and maybe regret on her face; her eyes were the same blue-gray as Liberty’s, but her face was rounder and, Merle had always thought, softer. Maybe because Lourdes had always seemed so motherly toward all of them.
“He didn’t deserve you, baby girl. And I was mad. He walked away after he gave me that money. He disappeared and I didn’t hear from him until one day he showed up at the house when you were at school.
“He said he wondered what I’d done—if I had the baby or aborted it. I was so angry at how nonchalant he was, I almost told him I’d had an abortion. But I couldn’t deny your existence. You were my gift from the goddess. The karmic balance for the way that John had treated me.”
Liberty’s nails dug into the back of Merle’s hand. “What happened when you told him about me?”
“He...he left. Then he came back two weeks later and told me he wanted to meet you. But by that time I’d talked to Nan and I wasn’t sure he was ever coming back. She and I had decided to protect you by keeping him out of your life. And that’s what I did.”
“Then when I was sixteen?” Liberty asked. “What had changed?”
“You were older and I thought you could decide for yourself if you wanted to meet him. You said no, and I was happy enough for that. I honestly didn’t think that John would try again after that.”
“Did he?” Liberty asked.
Merle was surprised at how small her voice sounded. This wasn’t his flaming goddess witch who took on everything and everyone. This was a wounded girl who’d been rejected before she’d been born.
“No. But once I knew you had learned his name and you started asking questions, I realized that I hadn’t really given you the chance to decide what you wanted. So I e-mailed him and told him you knew his name and might be interested in meeting him.”
Liberty let go of his hand. “I don’t know if I want to. It was one thing to imagine he’d never known about me but this... He knew but...”
Her voice trailed off; Merle hurt for her. He put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug, but Lourdes was there too. She wrapped her arms around both him and Liberty. “I’m sorry. I still don’t know if it was just curiosity that made him ask to see you or if he wanted more. I’m sorry I was so mad and didn’t talk to you about it.”
“That’s okay, Mama. I understand what you did,” Liberty said.
Merle thought the two women might need a moment alone. “I’ll wait inside.”
Liberty nodded at him.
He went back into the tea shop. All of WiCKed Sisters had been closed up and it was empty except for John Jones who still sat at one table by himself. Sera and Poppy were staring daggers at him.
“Is she okay?” Sera said.
“Yes. Lourdes is with her,” he said.
“I’m glad. I tried to tell her it wasn’t you,” Poppy said.
“We’re cool.”
But he knew that a part of him was still shaken and unsure of where he stood with Liberty, He’d pretty much told her that he loved her, but there wasn’t time to check in about it, and she needed to figure things out with her dad first.
“I’m going up to the Bootless Soldier Tavern. Let her know when she’s done here,” he said.
Poppy nodded and hugged him.
He let himself out and hiked up the slight hill on Main Street until he got to the pub. It wasn’t too busy as it was only four in the afternoon, so Merle found a table. And it was only as he sat down that he remembered it was the table he’d been at when Liberty came to him asking for that pivotal favor.
He ordered a beer from Lars and tried to distract himself by reading a new D she knew what she needed to do. She raced out of the shop, hearing her mom and friends behind her closing up and following her. The November wind still whipped around her, making her hair fly around her face. It was cold, but this time the chill was at her back, pushing her up Main Street toward the Bootless Soldier Tavern and Merle.
She walked in and the noise seemed to stop as she skimmed the pub until she found him sitting at a table to the left. Their table. She headed straight for him and plopped down in the chair across from him.
He set his phone on the table, but his fingers were shaking.
Which was only fair, because she was nervous too. This was the scariest thing she’d ever done, but she had to do it.
“Earlier when you said that Poppy and Liberty weren’t the only ones who loved me... I almost missed it,” she said.
“Seemed like you did miss it.”
She shook her head. “You are quiet, Merle Rutland, but I have always had a connection to you. I see through that image you want the world to think you are.”
“You do,” he said.
“Only fair since I’m pretty sure you see through me too.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Do I?”
“You do, which is why I’m not sure how we both missed the fact that we were falling in love with each other,” she said.
He picked up his beer instead of answering her. He took the longest swallow she’d ever seen him take. And just when she was about to demand he put the glass down and answer her, he stood up and came around to the other side of the table.
“I love you, Liberty Wakefield. You are the only person I know who could make a declaration of love feel like a dare.”
She stood up too and put her arms around his neck and went up on tiptoe until they were eye to eye.
“I love you too. And it wasn’t a dare. It was a challenge. To keep on dating me and see where this love takes us.”
“There is nothing I want more than to be yours, witch,” he said, lowering his head and kissing her long and deep.
That was all she wanted too. She’d spent her life afraid to trust men, keeping them at a distance. Until Merle. He’d always been so strong and solid with his sexy, nerdy self. Tempting her to see him. Truly see him as he saw her. And once she had, she couldn’t resist falling in love with him.
Later that evening, while their friends and her mom were seated with them at the table and Merle was holding her close to his side, he whispered in her ear. “I asked the moon for you on Samhain.”
“The goddess granted both of our wishes,” she said.