I make the condom disappear, and we curl up together under the covers, wrapped in a delicious warm afterglow. I run my hand down her sleek back to cup her ass and gently squeeze.
“I still can’t believe you did that,” she mumbles against my chest. “We are totally singing duets next time we go to the Singing Horse.”
“Ha. I survived it once, I guess I can do it again.”
“I love that song.”
“We danced to it at the wedding.”
“You remember.”
“Yeah. I like that it’s about flying to the moon. I know you love the moon. And I imagine flying to the moon feels like how I feel, loving you. Flying among the stars. You’re all I long for.” She tips her head back and I kiss her mouth. “All I worship.” Another soft kiss. “All I adore.”
She makes a noise, like a soft, tiny sob. “You’re going to make me cry again.”
“It’s okay if you cry, baby. Don’t ever be afraid to cry in front of me.”
“Oh God. Here we go.” She sniffles.
I press her head to my chest and hold her snug.
Moments later, she mumbles, “I did some shadow work.”
“Yeah? Was it hard?”
“It was. But it was worth it to figure out what’s been holding me back in my witchcraft. I realized I’ve been feeling guilty about doing something my mom would have disapproved of. And all my life, all I wanted was her approval.”
I caress her back and shoulder. “Makes sense.”
“It was hard remembering some of the times I felt I let her down. Or wasn’t good enough.” She hesitates. “And I hate feeling like that, so I was terrified of letting you down. And Dad and Cassie. Everyone.”
I note that she calls Joe “Dad,” and a spark of warm happiness flares in my chest. “And I totally understand that, because I was terrified of that too.”
“I know.” She smooths her palm over my biceps. “Dad talked to me. We had a deep, what-is-the-meaning-of-life conversation.”
“Jesus.”
I feel her smile and she traces her fingertips over my shoulder. “Yeah. So I thought about what kind of person I want to be. What kind of witch I want to be. And I guess nobody has all the answers to why we’re here and what our purpose is, but figuring out who and what is important to me is a start.”
“Yeah.”
She lifts her head. “You’re important to me.”
That heat in my chest glows again. I love hearing that from her. “And you’re important to me. The most important.” I lay a soft smooch on her lips. “You’re not giving up your powers.”
“No. I’m going to keep working on them. I’m going to accept them as part of who I am and do the best things I can with them.”
“Don’t just accept them. Embrace them.”
After a beat, she says, “Yes. You’re right. I’m embracing them. And… you are too.”
“Yeah.” I close my eyes briefly. “Working with you was the best thing for me. Thanks to Joe. He knew.”
“I hate that you felt so discouraged with magic that you gave it up. At first I thought it was me you were angry with.”
“I’m sorry.” I clasp her fingers and bring them to my lips. “Another way I was an asshole. Your unique way of thinking about things aggravated me at first, but you made me think. You made me see things differently. You reawakened the magic in me. So thank you.” I kiss her fingers again.
Her eyes shine. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I can’t tell you how much it meant to me that you would send me back in time so I could be with my family again.” My voice cracks on the word family. “Although I did wonder if it was because you were pissed at me and wanted to get rid of me.”
She snort-laughs. “Oh my god, Trace.”
“I know, I’m a fuckwit. Anyway, the fact that Felise and Magan would do it too, and Joe had the idea, it made me realize… how much love I have in my life. How I already have family. And home.”
“I know how important those things are to you. So important you spend your life making homes for other people.”
I nod, my throat sealed shut.
“Joe told me that even if I decided not to be a witch, I’d still have unique talents. Magic, just a different kind. And I thought about it. And I thought about how I feel for you and how I could make you happy and… I realized the greatest magic of