way. I should leave for work.”
Zeke smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’re certain there’s nothing else you wish to discuss?”
“Nope.” I leaned in to kiss him. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow. Unless you want me to dump you for Taylor?”
His eyes narrowed. “Keep testing me, and I’ll bend you over that couch and remind you of who you belong to.”
“So I belong to you now, do I?” I teased.
He averted his eyes. “Only if you desire to.”
I grabbed his chin and forced him to look at me. So he could see the truth of my words. “I do. I don’t want anyone else.”
“We will discuss it more later,” he said, before heading toward the archway leading from the parlor.
Zeke had suffered through a lot of grief in his existence, both while alive and in death. Men he took as lovers all had eventually died or moved on, leaving him alone. I understood his reluctance with me… but I wanted him to realize I wouldn’t change my mind. This life with him could work. Somehow.
He walked me to the back door, but before I left, I felt a tug on the back of my shirt. I turned to see William standing behind me, hat in his hands as he frowned.
“You promised to play with me.”
Shit.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and glanced at the time. I had a little over an hour before I had to be at the store.
“One game of hide and seek,” I said, holding up a finger. “Then, I have to go to work.”
“I’ll find you this time!” William exclaimed, before turning his back to me. “Hide real good, okay?”
“Make sure he doesn’t cheat,” I told Zeke.
“I will.” Zeke lightly chuckled and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “But I’m sure if you need to leave, the game can be postponed until tomorrow.”
“A promise is a promise,” I said.
William glanced back at me and smiled.
I made it to work with five minutes to spare. We ended up playing three rounds instead of one, mainly because I was having fun and lost track of time.
“You seem happy today,” Rich said, eyeing me over a display of Dragon Ball Z merchandise.
“I am.”
“Man, I’m glad.” He came over and threw an arm around my neck. “I was worried about ya for a while. T said he’s been hangin’ with you a lot.”
“He has. Hope that’s cool with you.”
“Of course it is,” Rich said like it was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard. “I want my two favorite boys to get along.”
I caught myself smiling a lot that afternoon. The reason? Zeke wanted this thing between us as much as I did. We’d jump over hurdles as we got to them, but for now I just wanted to bask in the feeling of falling in love.
I’d never felt anything like it before.
Chapter Twelve
“I can’t believe I let you drag me in here,” I muttered to Taylor, as we entered the mystic shop downtown.
Strings of jewels jingled as we walked across the threshold, and I got an instant whiff of something strong, like burning incense. I coughed and put the back of my hand over my nose.
“You’re exaggerating,” Taylor said. “I think it smells good.”
“Yeah, whatever. Just get what you need so we can leave.”
He sighed and walked farther into the shop, glancing at the glass cases holding a variety of crystals and what looked like potion bottles. Decorative masks hung on the walls, as did wind chimes. Ben had invited us over for dinner, so we were killing time in town before heading over.
“What is it you need again?” I asked, after a few minutes had passed. I had woken that morning with a pounding in my head, and the pain got worse as I inhaled the incense smoke. I was ready to get out of there.
“A book of shadows.”
“A what?”
Taylor spun around to me. “You know, like a book to write spells in. It can also be used to jot down the meaning of certain stones, colors, and objects. Each witch uses their book differently. It’s something personal and can be whatever you want it to be.”
“Wait… what?” I wasn’t sure if my head was spinning because of the strong smell, my headache, or if it was because of what he’d said. “Why do you need one?”
He awkwardly reached out and touched a crystal ball on the shelf, not meeting my stare. “I… well, I don’t know. I’ve kinda been leaning toward this