Chapter 2
A Steady Supply of Hugs
Iglance down at my outfit, feeling ridiculous in my sunflower-print summer dress. I thought it looked nice this morning, but now I feel juvenile.
Keira is tall and elegant. I am short and pixie-cute. She looks like she’s seen the world, and my biggest adventure was driving to Vermont from Washington. Just the fact that she can navigate Moss Hollow’s cobblestone roads in those heels is intimidating.
The mom in the family ushers her people to the counter, stopping in front of me because it’s obvious Rowan has been claimed.
My stomach lurches.
Clouds move over the sun, darkening the tearoom, and a rumble of distant thunder warns me I need to get a grip.
I drag my attention to my customers, ignoring my sudden cold sweat and the panicked flutters in my chest. I can freak out later.
“Hi there,” I say to the family, working on autopilot. “What can I make for you?”
Unfortunately, the dad’s attention is on the weather. He frowns as he gazes out the front windows. “Those clouds moved in quickly. It was sunny while we were out there.”
Rowan and Ash both look my way. Thanks to my magic summoning the storm, they’re now aware of my insecurity. Let me just go find a nice rock to hide under.
Embarrassed, my eyes move to Rowan.
He looks ill. His face is white, and his eyes are too wide. I don’t know how to decipher his expression. He stares at me, mouth open as though he wants to say something but doesn’t remember how to form words.
Keira stops at the counter in front of him. She pulls her eyes away from Rowan long enough to glance at me, sizing me up. Apparently not worried about what she sees, she silently dismisses me and looks back at her ex-fiancé.
“Tell me what happened,” she demands without a greeting. “Tell me where you went. Give me some explanation for the last seven years, because I don’t understand.”
Rowan glances at the family, unable to answer in front of humans.
“Maybe you should go upstairs,” I say, barely able to spit out the words thanks to the resistance from our bond.
I recognize it for what it is now—the bond is the irrational jealousy that’s been surfacing since we fused our magic, showing its occasional displeasure. And it’s showing a lot of displeasure right now.
Rowan looks like he wants to refuse, but he swallows, nods once, and takes off his apron like he’s preparing to make the slow walk to his execution.
The green-eyed monster quiets somewhat. Rowan’s not happy to see his ex-fiancée, nor is he looking forward to this private conversation. But how much of his resistance is the bond blocking his true feelings? What would his response be if our magic wasn’t fused?
And is this what Rowan’s been dealing with? Does he constantly question my affection, unsure if it’s genuine or magically induced? It’s not a good feeling.
Ash waits to the side as I fill the family’s order.
I set their large teapot and scones on a wooden tray, tucking a digital timer next to the stack of plates.
“Be sure to take the infuser out of the teapot when the timer goes off. I’ve added a little dish you can set it in.
Let me know if you’d like more hot water.
I can usually get two nice steeps out of this blend. ”
“Do you have honey?” the mom asks.
“There are honey sticks on the credenza on the side wall, along with other sweeteners, cream, and milk. Help yourself.”
I turn my eyes to Ash when they’re on their way to their table. The councilman stares at a napkin on the counter, looking lost.
“Are you okay?” I ask him, disconcerted to see him appearing less than controlled.
Rowan said Ash and Keira became close after he disappeared, but she barely glanced his way. That has to sting.
He snaps out of it, his expression becoming businesslike as usual. Gesturing toward the window, he says, “I believe I should be asking you that.”
“I’m okay,” I lie.
“Try not to flood the town. I have to get back to work.”
“Do you want tea to go?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Come back later if you change your mind.”
He nods and then leaves, glancing toward the doorway that leads into the back before he goes.
Once I’m alone, Graham joins me at the counter. “You have the weirdest weather here.”
“It’s been a strange summer,” I hedge. “Would you like more tea?”
“I was actually wondering if you knew whether Meg was coming by this morning.”
“I don’t. But the boutique is open. You could visit her there.”
The writer looks out the windows that face Willow and Cedar. “I don’t want to bother her at work.” He gives the counter a soft, disappointed knock and returns to his table.
While I wait for Rowan and Keira to emerge from the apartment, I clean things. All the things.
What’s taking them so long?
I help several customers and then chat with a gentleman who visited India a few years ago about Assam and Nilgiri. I drink some of Ryder’s favorite apple tea, and I eat a scone.
Just when I think I’m going to go out of my mind, I hear footsteps on the stairs.
Rowan and Keira emerge, and neither one looks happy. Without so much as a glance in my direction, Keira strides through the tearoom. Her heels click on the hardwood as she walks, a confident sound. The bells on the door announce her departure, and I melt against the counter, so relieved she’s gone.
Rowan steps up next to me and rubs his hand over my back. “Are you all right?”
He sounds like a man who just came from battle.
“Are you?”
“I imagine the bond made that uncomfortable.”
He’s avoiding.
I glance at the customers and make sure they’re all preoccupied, then I take his arm and pull him into the back hall. “How did it go?”
He tugs me into an unexpected hug and groans, “Badly.”
Instead of offering comfort, this time, it feels like he’s requesting it. I wrap my arms around him, squeezing him close, feeling at home for the first time in two days. This no-physical-affection nonsense has been rough.
“Did you tell her what happened?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“What did she say?”
Instead of answering, he holds me tighter, dropping his chin to the crook of my neck.
“Rowan?” I coax gently.
“She said she broke off her engagement and is moving back to Moss Hollow.”
I jerk back, reeling. “What? Why?”
Rowan shakes his head, looking both frustrated and worried. “Because that’s Keira’s way. I messed up her plan. She was willing to move on when no one knew where I was, but now she’s determined to fix the past, right my wrongs, and pick up where we left off.”
“But…we’re bonded.”
“I said it’s her plan, not mine. Things are different now. I’m not going to let her force her will on me.” He strokes my shoulder. “You have shown me what healthy relationships look like. Believe me when I say she and I didn’t have one.”
I don’t fight my sparkles this time. I want Rowan to know how much I want him—how much I don’t want him tucking tail and running back to Keira.
I think back to my conversation with Anna.
She told me Keira made a five-year plan and herded Rowan into it.
What a strange dynamic they must have had.
He admitted he never loved her, but did she love him?
Or did he just check all the boxes? Handsome, driven, from a good family, and about to get his degree—Rowan was certainly a catch.
Is a catch.
My catch.
Rowan is mine. My friend, my faux-shifter mate. Keira had her chance. Maybe if she hadn’t been so pushy, he wouldn’t have turned himself into an owl to escape her.
Okay, that’s not nice. I wince at the thought, not feeling like myself.
“I can’t decipher the look on your face,” Rowan says.
“You don’t want to know,” I admit. “The bond is making me a little crazy.”
Maybe a little mean, too. I need to work on that.
He meets my eyes. “Even if our magic wasn’t fused, I wouldn’t go back to her. I had seven years to think about my mistakes, and Keira was the greatest. I wanted her because Ash wanted her. And then I stayed with her because I was too gutless to leave.”
“Ash wanted me too,” I say. “What does that say for us?”
Rowan laughs, his mood brightening. “Yes, but I didn’t want to like you. You just made it impossible not to. I don’t like you because of Ash. I like you because of you.”
Oh, my heart.
“We should get back in there,” he suggests, his mood lighter than it was when he came downstairs.
“Are you okay?”
“I am. I’ve been dreading that conversation for seven years, and now it’s over.”
Not completely over, if Keira is breaking her engagement and moving back to Moss Hollow. But that’s not a worry for today.
“You did well,” I tell him.
Rowan’s gray eyes meet mine before trailing to my mouth. I hold my breath, wondering if he’s going to kiss me. It would be the most natural thing for him to do.
He brushes his thumb over my cheek, his expression warm, and then…drops his hand and sighs. “I really need to undo the bond.”
We’ll never be able to move forward in our relationship until we do. But there is a significant part of me that wants to leave the bond intact and get on with our lives. We’re happy, aren’t we? Why tamper with a good thing? A great thing.
But Rowan needs to know if my affection is real. And I suppose I need to know, too.
The bells on the door chime, telling us we must get back to work. Reluctantly, we step apart.
“I’m sorry for…” Rowan trails off, sheepishly gesturing between us.
“For the hug?”
“I’m afraid I’m giving you mixed signals by telling you we should hold off on a physical relationship and then pulling you close.”
“Friends can hug, Rowan,” I say as we walk back into the tearoom. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Pixies are so different from the high fae.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “My family doesn’t even hug.”
“No offense, but your family might be slightly dysfunctional.”
“Because we don’t hug?” He looks amused.
I think the lack of hugs is the least of the Neilfellow family’s issues, but what do I know of high fae family dynamics? And who am I to point them out?
“Perhaps,” I say lightly. “But lucky for you, I’m now in your life, and I need a steady diet of hugs to stay stable.”
I wish that were a joke.
Rowan doesn’t respond because our next customer is already on her way to the tea counter, but I catch his subtle smile, and it warms my heart.
A few hours later, during a lull between patrons, my phone buzzes with a text.
Dad: We’re about to go through the fairy ring. We’ll meet you at the tea shop soon.
I respond with several excited emojis, and magic swells with my happiness. The Moss Hollow fairy ring is in the festival grounds, a short walk from here.
“Good news?” Rowan asks, adding change to the cash register.
“The best. My mom and dad will be here soon.”
A strange look crosses his face, making me wonder if he’s afraid my parents won’t like him. But that won’t be an issue. My parents like everyone.
“How long are they staying?” he asks. “Have they said?”
“A few weeks.” I organize the decorative tins of tea I filled earlier, putting them on display to encourage impulse purchases. “But I’m secretly hoping they’ll love it here and want to stay.” I turn to look at him. “Is it selfish that I want to lure them away from Washington?”
“I don’t think there’s a selfish bone in your entire body.”
“That’s not true. I ate the last chocolate chip scone earlier, and I didn’t even ask if you wanted it first.”
“Never mind.” He smiles as he breaks a new roll of quarters for the register. “You’re wicked.”
The last time Rowan said something similar, we ended up cozy on my couch. The memory makes my cheeks warm, but I hold back my glowing, effervescent magic that betrays the butterflies in my stomach.
I’m getting better at controlling it. Practice makes perfect, I guess—and I’ve had a lot of practice since moving to Moss Hollow.
The tea shop gets busier as tourists leave the hotel and their vacation rentals in search of sustenance.
Every time the door opens, I look up, expecting my parents.
It’s taking longer than I thought it would, and though I know everything is fine, I worry when we hit the hour mark.
As far as I know, fairy rings are safe. But what’s taking them so long?
The door opens once more, and I look over, yet again hoping to see two familiar faces.
This time, two pixies walk into the tea shop.