I straightened my shoulders. “I’m a gypsy, Nate. It’s in my blood. It’s who I am.”
“And you get visits from a long-dead relative often?”
“I wouldn’t say often. But every now and then, yes. Usually, her visits aren’t like this.”
He thought about that for a minute, and then asked, “When I walked in, what were you doing? All the lights, wind, and other stuff I saw . . . what was that?”
Here we go. Like it or not, it was truth time. Nervous jitters danced through me, but I pushed them away. “I was casting a spell.” And then, I explained to him what had happened with some of my other spells. I told him why it was important I nullified the prior enchantments from Marc. When I’d run out of words, I snapped my mouth shut.
“And did you ever spell me?”
Of course, he had to ask that. I’d ask in the same situation.
“Just once directly. And it was an accident. It was before I knew about the magic. Remember those banana muffins I baked you?” Warmth tickled my cheeks. My stomach somersaulted. “And that, er, night on the couch? I think that night was the result of those muffins. So maybe . . . what you think you feel for me, you really don’t.”
He prodded my chin upward, so I’d look into those amazing green eyes of his. “Everything I feel for you is very real. I never ate those muffins, Lizzie. I’m allergic to bananas.”
I took a breath. “Allergic? Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
I wanted to grab on so badly it almost hurt. But I couldn’t. Not yet. There were still the brownies to deal with. “Well.
There was one other spell. It wasn’t meant specifically for you. But it might be affecting you.”
“And that was?”
“Right before I saw you that night, I’d baked a batch of brownies for me. The spell I cast was for me to date . . . um . . . well...”
“Go on. It’s okay.”
“Hot men. And you’re pretty hot.”
He laughed again, humor glittering in his eyes. “I’ve been interested in you since the beginning. So, no, Liz. It had nothing to do with any brownies. You’re stuck with me.”
Everything was real? As much as I’d hoped it would be true, I hadn’t allowed myself to think this moment would really happen. I tried to temper my happiness, my excitement. “Well. If you don’t mind, I’d still like you to eat the cake I was making when you walked in on me. Just so I know. For sure.”
“Absolutely. I’ll stay here tonight until it’s done. I don’t want you worrying about this. I know how I feel about you.” He bent down and kissed me lightly. “Now I just need you to believe it, too.”
More heat flushed through me, but I didn’t care. If I hadn’t gotten stuck in my window, would I have even met Nate? Thank God I’d gone out that night and lost my keys. Fate, every now and then, knew exactly what she was doing.
“Are you ready to hear everything, Nate?” my grandmother asked, striding from the bedroom. I could tell she thought it was going to be a problem, convincing Nate not to end things based on gypsies and magic and ghosts.
Nate released his grip. “Actually, I think we’re all set here, Verda. I wouldn’t mind hearing all the details, but it isn’t necessary.”
A cop. Practical to his core, from everything I could see, and he was willing to accept this part of who I was at face value. Oh, that didn’t mean he’d buy into all of it, I knew that, but still.
I said, “We’ll be waiting for a cake to bake anyway. So, yeah, let me make some tea, and we’ll tell you Miranda’s story.” I mean, really, if we did end up together, like in marriage someday, and had children, he had a right to know everything, didn’t he?
Exactly.
Chapter Twenty-one
Nate and I entered my apartment, just returning from our night out. While the evening had been fun, I couldn’t completely relax. And probably, neither could Nate. I asked him about every fifteen minutes or so if his feelings had changed. Luckily for me, he hadn’t gotten annoyed with me yet.
Even more important? Each time I asked, his answer remained the same. And it was the “all things are wonderful” answer I wanted to hear.I kicked my shoes off and headed for the couch. He followed, sitting down next to me. He opened his arms,