you.” He takes my hand in his. “It will be fine, and I think if she was given the choice, she’d choose not to remember. Wouldn’t you if you were in her shoes?”
“I suppose. There’s stuff I wish I could forget.”
“Everyone has things they wish they forget. Unfortunately for us, no one can get into our memories and take away the bad. Call Abby and you’ll see. You did the right thing.”
“Yeah. I think so too.”
I grab a pair of heels from the closet and go downstairs. Lucas tells Eliza we’re going out to get something to eat, and I step onto the back porch, letting Scarlet out while I call Abby.
“Hey,” she says as soon as she answers. “I’m at work so I might have to hang up. It’s nothing personal,” she laughs.
“Hah. Thanks for the heads up. Lucas said you called.”
“Yeah, just wanted to check in. Did the Zofran help?”
“It worked really well at first. It wore off really fast, though.”
“Yeah, that’s common. Are you able to keep anything down? The doctor in me is coming out and I really don’t like you not getting prenatal care, and I’m sorry to be preachy on this. I get why you can’t go to the OB, though, and I’m not judging you or anything. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with a way to get you taken care of without anyone finding out.”
“There are a few midwives in my coven. That would be better than nothing, right?”
“Yeah, it would for sure. You left your coven to marry Lucas, though. Will they still see you as a patient?”
“They will because my coven wants me back.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Very good. Basically, they know they owe their lives to both me and Lucas, so we’re cool.”
“Wow. That’s amazing, Cal.”
“It’s a big relief. Oh, and that reminds me. Lucas and I were going to leave as soon as we could so I wouldn’t be sad to miss out on all the Halloween festivities, but now that I can go to them, we’re staying in Thorne Hill a bit longer. We do trick-or-treating downtown this Saturday. It’s super cute, and if you can, you should bring Penny.”
“Oh my god, that sounds so cute! Like something out of a Hallmark movie. What time?”
“It starts at six and goes until about eight-thirty. Then there’s a big street party for adults.”
“We will be there. Phil and I are both off Saturday and Penny will love that. And I think you’ll love her costume.”
“What is it?”
“A witch! I got her a little hat and a plastic broom to carry around too. It’s adorable.”
“She’s going to be the cutest witch in town.”
“I think so, of course,” Abby laughs. “But I’m probably biased.”
“Hey, then I am too. So I’ll see you Saturday?”
“Yeah! Should I meet at your house?”
“I’ll be passing out candy at the store, so meet me there. The main street will be closed, but there will be signs up for parking.”
“Okay! Should I wear a costume? Or would that be weird?”
I laugh. “It’s Halloween, Abby. You’ll be weird if you’re not in a costume.”
“I’ll see what I can scrounge up before then. Take care, sis.”
“You too.” I end the call and let out a huge sigh of relief. Lucas was right: I do feel much better, and I know not telling Abby was the right thing. Everything turned out okay, and there’s no need to upset her. Maybe someday, years from now, I’ll bring it up when we’re having lunch together, complaining about our sassy teenage daughters.
Hey, remember that one time we had a spa day? Well, you actually got shot in the gut and then Lucifer healed you. I murdered the guy who shot you, don’t worry. And then Easton and I cleaned up the crime scene.
“Yeah, right.” I call Scarlet in, give her and my familiars dinner, lock the back door, sealing it with magic.
“Ready?” Lucas asks. He’s in the living room with Eliza, watching a French movie with no English subtitles.
“I am, and I’m starving.”
“You still want to go to Suzy’s Cafe?”
“Yes, I really want a milkshake to dip my fries in.”
Lucas holds out his hand for me, and Eliza turns off the TV. We walk out of the house together, and I wave my hand over the front door as well, casting an extra protection spell over the house, just in case.
“You seem happier,” Eliza notes.
“I feel better now that I talked to Abby,” I say and give Lucas’s hand a