Don't Hex and Drive (Stay a Spell #2) - Juliette Cross Page 0,120

breath. Then Archie started to wiggle furiously when he saw me coming closer. As I stepped off the porch, Devraj lowered the unwieldy Archie, setting him down at his feet.

When I finally made it right in front of him, I asked, my smile achingly wide, “What are you doing?”

“I heard this is what American girls like.” His hands cupped my cheeks, fingers threading into my damp hair, thumbs brushing over the semi-dry traces of my tears.

“I don’t need that.”

“What do you need, Isadora?” His mouth was an inch from mine, his chocolate eyes pleading, imploring. “Tell me what you need, and I’ll give it to you. Anything.”

Lacing my hands around his neck, I whispered, “You. That’s all I need.”

He swept me close, banding an arm around my waist and kissed me deep. Like he craved me. Like he cared. Like he couldn’t do without me. Like he loved me.

I barely heard the hoots and applause from my sisters and the crowd that had gathered over the pounding of my heart and the rush of emotion. New Orleans was the kind of place where people wanted to share in each others’ joy. And today, it seemed, they were all sharing in mine. In ours. In this moment where I let go of all my fears and let my heart have what it wanted.

“Devraj,” I whispered against his lips. “I was wrong about us not being a match.”

He chuckled, holding me tighter, smiling against my lips. “I know, love.” Another soft kiss. “I was just waiting for you to figure it out. But I couldn’t wait anymore.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long.”

Then his face sobered as he pulled the cuff bracelet from his wrist, the one that had been the wedding necklace his father had given his mother. My mouth fell open because I knew what he was doing. Again, I could hardly draw a breath.

“Will you take this and wear it as a promise? Until I can get you a proper ring? Until I can wrap you in your own mangalsutra?”

There was zero hesitation this time. I knew what I wanted, and I wasn’t letting him go.

“Yes.” I nodded furiously. “Yes, yes, yes!”

He slipped the cuff around my thinner wrist, tightening it at my forearm. Then I attacked him, kissing him like mad. He lifted me off the ground, and my legs wrapped his waist, never breaking the kiss as my sisters yelled out catcalls and Peter Gabriel sang about love.

“Get you some,” yelled Tia.

“Show him what you’ve got.” That was Violet.

I heard Evie and Clara laughing hard, my sisters’ laughter one of the best sounds in the world. Right next to any sound or word uttered by the man in my arms.

“And now for another eighties favorite, people, from one of the best movies ever made, ‘Pretty in Pink,’” Livvy said into the mic, launching “If You Leave,” a song she’d played a million times around the house. “And don’t forget about the upcoming Karaoke Contest at the Cauldron.”

I was half-laughing, half-kissing Devraj. Leave it to Livvy to use this moment for a little PR for the business. I glanced back, seeing she was filming on her phone, grinning like crazy and giving me the thumbs up. Meanwhile, Archie was hopping around us in circles, barking and prancing in a frenzy.

I leaned my forehead on Devraj’s. “I’m sorry for my family. It’s a circus.”

He pulled me flush against his body, seeming not to care about our very large crowd. People actually started dancing on the street, others singing to the song. Evie and Mateo danced in each other’s arms on the porch. Clara now had Archie in her arms, upright like a baby, holding one paw and singing terribly to him as she twirled around to his puppy delight.

“I’m not. They’re wonderful.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “They’re a part of you. And fortunately, now a part of me.” He sighed sweetly. “I’ve longed for a place of belonging for many years. For a home. Now, I’ve got that, and my blood-mate.” He pressed another soft kiss to my lips.

“Blood-mates? Like the legend?”

“Exactly like the legend. It was all true,” he whispered against my mouth, sweeping his tongue in for a lingering kiss before pulling back and pressing his forehead to mine. “Plus, you’re moving in with me soon, and we can get away from this circus.”

“Oh, am I,” I said breathlessly. “You’re letting me into your mysterious, hallowed bedroom?”

His smile softened, his expression serious. “I love