Page 73 of Wedded Witch
The thought sends a ripple of unease through me. But alongside it is a flicker of something else. Something warmer. Something hopeful.
I sit back down and open the book once more, this time more determined. Maybe I’m scared, but I’ve come too far to let fear stop me now.
The answer is right in front of me. I just have to be ready to embrace it.
You have to be ready to love.
Am I?
I sit cross-legged on the bed, staring at the Book of Shadows. I don’t know how much time has passed, I’ve been in a daze. My fingers trace the rough edges of its pages, but my mind is elsewhere. Love… I have to love them? Properly? Truly?
The words echo in my head, swirling with the weight of their meaning. It’s not just about attraction, about the heat I experience when I’m near them. It’s about opening my heart, about letting them in, each of them.
I need to be ready to love someone—or, in this case, three someones.
I sigh, closing the book gently, letting my hands rest in my lap as I look out the window. The truth is, I’m scared. Love has never come easily for me.
Hell, I ran away from my husband because of the way it felt suffocating, controlling - albeit through no fault of his own. But what I’m feeling for Kel, Sol, and Ri is different. It’s confusing.
A mix of passion, tenderness, and something that could be more if I let it grow.
A knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts.
Kel.
I swallow hard. “Hey,” I say, as he leans against the doorframe, casual as always.
“Hey yourself. Are you good?” His brow arches, a faint smile playing on his lips. There’s always that easy confidence with him, but underneath it, I can tell he’s searching for something in my expression.
I take a deep breath. I need to do this. I need to take a step forward, even if it’s small.
“Actually, I was wondering… would you want to go out sometime? Like, on a proper date?”
His smile falters for a split second, replaced with surprise. “A date?” He repeats it like he’s not sure he heard me right.
“Yeah, a date. You know… dinner, maybe a drink or two.” I bite my lip, suddenly unsure if this was the right thing to do. But his smile returns, and this time it reaches his eyes.
“I’d love to take you out, Swyn.” He straightens up, nodding at the door. “Give me a sec to get ready. We can head out in a bit?”
“Perfect.” My heart flutters as he walks away, and I sigh in relief. One step. It’s just one step.
As we pullout of the driveway, the hum of the truck’s engine is steady beneath us, but the tension in the air has shifted. It’s not the kind that makes you nervous, though—it’s something electric, charged with potential.
I can feel it between us, this undeniable pull. Every brush of his fingers against mine sends sparks down my spine. Every timeour eyes meet, it feels like a silent conversation we’re both afraid to speak out loud.
The engine rumbles beneath us as the trees flash past outside the window. I glance over at Kel. There’s a calmness about him, a kind of relaxed energy that’s both comforting and unnerving at the same time.
“Where are we going?” I ask, trying to ease the silence between us.
“The nearest town’s got a nice bar,” he says, glancing at me with a grin. “Good food, decent drinks. You’ll like it.”
Kel drives with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the console between us. His fingers are close, so close to mine that if I just moved a little, they’d touch.
I swallow, the back of my throat dry, as I flick my eyes up to catch him stealing a glance at me. His lips quirk into a half-smile when our gazes collide.
“Something on your mind, Swyn?” His voice is low, playful, but there’s an undercurrent of something deeper there.
I bite my lip, trying to keep my cool. “Maybe.”