Page 41 of Madly Deeply

When morning came, she sat up in bed, heart racing. "Spreag?"

The silence yawned and the possibility of another lonely day stretched out in front of her.

She reached for the phone and found the emergency number Spreag had saved for her a long time ago. Just in case.

If she made the call, what would she tell them? That her ghost husband was giving her the silent treatment?

She rested her palm against her still-flat stomach. "What do you think, Huntly. Should we call the witches?"

She pressed the little phone icon and took a deep breath.

The phone rang twicebefore a sister answered, her voice cheerful but wobbly from age. "Alexandra, my dear. We've been expecting your call."

Alexandra blinked, her grip on the phone tightening. "You have?"

"Of course," Loretta said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "We didn’t know who would be calling, but we knew someone would need us soon. We've already packed our bags."

"You knew?"

Loretta chuckled softly. "We've got our own bit of the Sight, dear. It’s not always precise, but it’s rarely wrong. Now, don’t fret. We’ll be there tomorrow. Just hold on until then."

The line went dead before Alexandra could ask more questions. She stared at the phone in her hand, her thoughts uneasy. Spreag had known she'd need them, but had he knownwhy? Was it the wedding all over again? Had he known he'd go missing? Or had he planned to all along?

If this was his way of pushing her into Callum's arms, she wasn't going to fall for it.

The next day,she paced the living room, her nerves frayed. Every creak of the floorboards and every gust of wind outside made her jump. When the doorbell finally rang, she rushed to open it.

Loretta and Lorraine stood on the stoop with matching blue suitcases in hand, their identical smiles promising mischief. They swept inside like excited children.

"You didn't give me a chance to explain. Spreag...Spreag's ghost is missing. Has been for two and a half days now. I went to dinner with the neighbor, and he kissed me on the porch, but I don't think Spreag saw us."

The sisters exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable. "We’ll find him," Lorraine said gently. "But first, let’s settle in and have a look around."

Before Alexandra could press them further, the doorbell rang again. She opened it to find Callum standing on her porch, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His face was carefully neutral, but his eyes flicked past her to the sisters.

"Lass, I saw yer visitors arrive and wanted to make sure everything was all right," he said, his voice casual.

"Everything’s fine." She stepped aside to let him in. "Callum, this is Loretta and Lorraine Muir. They’re here to, uh, help out."

The sisters turned to him, their smiles polite but distant. "Lovely to meet you."

"Aye, likewise," Callum said, nodding. "I’ll not intrude. Just wanted to check on our lass."

"Nonsense." Lorraine's eyes twinkled. "Why don’t you take her out for some fresh air while we tidy up the place? A bit of ice cream might do her good."

Alexandra frowned. "The house is already tidy."

Obviously sensing an argument coming, Callum excused himself to wait outside.

Loretta stepped close and kept her voice low. "We’d like to do a little more than tidying, dear. We’ll need to...create the right atmosphere to reach Spreag. It’s best if you’re not here for that."

Alexandra’s frown deepened. "I want to be here. He’s my husband."

"And we understand," Lorraine said gently. "But magic can be unpredictable. It’s better if you and the baby are not in the house while we sort things out."

Alexandra hesitated, her gaze darting between the sisters and the door. "How long will it take?"

"An hour, at most," Loretta promised. "We’ll call you as soon as we have him."

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