Page 92 of Witchful Thinking
Lucinda Ruth Caraway was all she could ever wish for.
***
Alex received the video recording from an old classmate who’d attended the reunion. He clicked on the link and heard Lucy’s voice, a little wobbly but clear, as it came through his phone’s speaker. He listened to her words, his heart aching with every single line. He wanted nothing but to pull her into his arms and hold her. She’d done it. She’d given up the image of the person she showed the Grove and instead had become who she was. She’d done it for them. He looked around the house.
Love had the power to break your heart. Everything else paled in comparison to what he had here at Summerfield Street. His life before, with Nahla, didn’t have enough space for anything that mattered. He didn’t make room because, ultimately, he was too scared to make it matter. Lucy mattered. Their love mattered. What they made here in the cottage mattered. Hopefully he had enough paint left for what he needed to do. He couldn’t make her wish come true, but he could give her a sign. He needed help. He wondered if the gnomes could do him a quick favor. He had to be the brave one this time.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lucy took the long way home.
She turned off her phone, wanting a break from the calls and texts from her classmates and neighbors. Her body was still buzzing. Apparently, her speech was going viral. Callie was going to love it. Everyone in their own way was casting out their nets and hoping to make their secret wishes real. She parked her car down the street. As Lucy closed the driver’s side door, she glanced over at Alex’s house. She didn’t see the sign on Alex’s lawn at first, but the blocky blue and orange lettering caught her attention. The For Sale sign was gone. It was replaced with another sign. What did the gnomes do now? She’d have to speak to Herbie and Jinxie about cutting down on their tricks before the new buyers moved in. Lucy crossed the street to get a closer look. On Alex’s front lawn, propped up by a crooked and quickly made easel, was a large sign. Her steps faltered when she read it. No way. She pressed a hand to her chest, barely able to control her gasp of shock.
YOU’RE MY WISH COME TRUE.
The cottage door opened. Alex came out holding a long wooden sign under his arm. He set down the sign, then approached her, smiling softly. Damn, it hurts to see him. Lucy wrapped her arms around her body. If she touched him, then she wasn’t going to be able to stop.
“I figured the gnomes owed me a favor. Jinxie thinks you can do better, but Herbie and Half-Pint are on my side.”
Lucy swallowed. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she couldn’t. Not yet. She needed to know where this was leading. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, I’m staying,” Alex said. Her mouth dropped open. He held up a hand. “Please let me explain.”
She moved her head from side to side, not really believing him. “What happened at the open house?”
“I told everyone, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
“Alexander.”
“Lucinda,” Alex said, his voice raw. “I couldn’t sell our home.”
Lucy felt rooted to the ground. “I didn’t ask you not to sell it. Maybe you can still get a few buyers.”
“I don’t want to sell.”
“What makes this place home? Any place can be your home for a million dollars,” she echoed his words back to him.
“You can buy a house. But you make a home. It’s home because you’re here.” Alex pointed to the door. “Be my starfish. Be my soul mate. Be with me.”
There was a light-blue wooden sign by the door, reading A SHORE THING. It was the name of their dream home, which they’d thought of years ago. It was everything she could’ve wished for.
“Phoebe helped me with a rush job,” Alex explained.
Her soul spoke to her right then. Open your heart to the possibilities of love. There are countless reasons to walk away. Find the reasons to stay.
They faced each other less than a foot apart.
“I want you to stay. No wishes. No charms. No spells. Just love,” Alex said. “I didn’t keep anything because I didn’t want to lose it. A merman knows about treasure. We know when we have something precious and rare. I didn’t want to keep you because I didn’t want to lose you.”
“I’m here. Always here.” Lucy reached up. She pressed her hand to his chest, over his heart. It quickened under her touch.
He closed his eyes and placed his hand on top of hers. “There’s nothing in the world as lovely and beautiful as what we can build here.” Alex held her. “I want you to apply for the residency in the fall.”
“Are you sure? I don’t have to—” Her voice broke off in midsentence.
Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be here. I’ll be waiting at home for you. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Lucy said.