“Your friend circle has to change, baby. We’ll talk about that later. Life can’t be like it was. I’m sorry about that, but we’ll figure it all out. One thing at a time.”
“Once again, you’re wasting your breath. God, you’re stubborn.”
“Same can be said about you.”
“Yeah, well I’m not the one with my head in the clouds,” I say.
He’s silent for a minute.
“What things do you have to do?” I repeat.
“I’ve gotta meet with a customer to go over some changes to blueprints on their place, then I’m meeting with Grey and Rye and we’re seein’ some witches.”
That comment makes my gaze swing to him.
“If magic was a factor in Tyson and Ivy and all that, then me and you? We should know,” Mason says.
I nod. Because yes. Even though I already know. Because that’s the only reasonable explanation. Though it’s not exactly reasonable – it’s magic.
“Mostly because we need to know if it was sanctioned. Not done out of turn.”
“Meaning?”
“Witches have rules. Like we do. If they didn’t follow them, someone’s gonna be in trouble.”
“And we need to find out what it’ll take to undo it,” I say.
“They won’t undo it if the rules were followed.”
I frown.
“Not for any price. They’re not allowed. If they go against that, they’ll be in trouble. Witches that break the rules can have their powers taken. Or worse. They don’t like that, so they rarely break the rules.”
“Oh?”
“And I’m not happy about this because though we need to know what’s going on, I don’t like the idea that this might’ve been done without rules being followed because in a case like that, it might be able to be undone.”
My throat goes dry.
“And I don’t want it undone,” he says, angrily, hands tightening on the steering wheel.
I bite the inside of my cheek and try to ignore how that feels. Because despite that he’s saying it, I’m sure he’d rather be with whoever he was intended to be with.
“You haven’t got much to say,” he observes.
“I’ve got lots to say, actually.”
“Yeah?”
I say nothing.
“Amie?”
“First, I need to pee. You pulled me from a dead sleep. My bladder is about to explode. And second, I’m pissed at you because I wanted to see and speak to Ivy since I’ve been trying to speak to her for the past two days, but you made sure I couldn’t do that, didn’t you?”
“I told you; got shit to do.”
“Plus you clearly didn’t tell me what was up with her the minute you knew and you’re damned lucky she looks like she’s going to recover because if it was more serious and you’d kept that from me, it would be unforgiveable. Unforgiveable, do you understand me?”
“I get you. I apologize.”
“Also, you dragged me off before I could have more than a quick conversation with my mother and, I don’t know, maybe have a cup of coffee and get a chance to thank Catrina for her hospitality as well as helping my sister, but like a caveman, you dragged me out of there.”
His face breaks into a very nice smile. “I’ll have you home in five. You can go to the bathroom, shower, change, and I’ll make you some coffee and tell my mother to call Cat and give you the phone so you can say thank you as well as get an update about your sister.”
“How magnanimous of you.”
“When I get back, we’ll have a nice dinner.” He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckle. “Then we’ll spend at least twelve hours in bed, maybe twenty-four, allowing three or four for fucking and the rest for sleeping, before I feed you again and fuck you some more. How’s that?”
I roll my eyes.
“You’re not on that same pill, are you?” he asks.
I stiffen.
“The birth control pill? Because after what just happened with your sister…”
“I’m not.”
He breathes out relief. “Good.”
And I say nothing. I say nothing, but inside I shrivel up a little.
Because I don’t need the birth control pill.
I can’t have children.
I can’t have children and Rick didn’t want them, which was one of the reasons I thought he and I would work. And it’s the reason Blake, my longest serious relationship, dumped me. Looks like Mason is just another man in the line of men I’ve been with that wanted what I couldn’t give them.
We pull into Mason’s driveway and despite the sinking, sad feeling I get whenever I think about the fact that my reproductive system is useless to me yet still gives me ridiculously awful periods every month as if to remind me, I remember my luggage and crane my neck to scan the area beside his garage.
“I brought them inside already,” he says. “When you were napping.”
I say nothing.
“Coffee, shower time for two, then breakfast. By then, my folks should be here.” He looks at his phone. “Oh. Mom texted. Bailey and Cicely are coming by too so you can meet Bailey. You met Cicely the other day at the general store.”