Page 73 of Charmed By Destiny

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The Marwoods loved the date night idea. Luke wasn’t sure what was in store for him and Richard, but he’d surrendered willingly. Everyone was so thrilled for them and wanted to do whatever they could to facilitate their date. Their approval of Luke and Richard’s relationship was a boost to his confidence.

He wanted to excel at being Richard’s soulmate. It was the most important thing in his life, and his feelings for Richard grew every day. Maybe it should’ve been frightening how quickly he was losing his heart, but Luke reveled in it.

Although it was tempting to spend the late afternoon hours mooning over Richard, Luke couldn’t forget the man who’d resurrected him. Richard was upstairs getting ready for their date, which left Luke at loose ends since he’d already donned a suit and tie. Sitting on the edge of the guest bed he had never slept in, he stared at his phone.

He’d sent Foxe numerous texts. They’d gone unanswered. His calls were ignored, and Luke had stopped leaving voicemails. He didn’t know where Foxe was or if he had any money. So, he was worried.

Scrolling through his contacts, Luke tapped Foxe’s name and put the ringing device to his ear. He waited patiently and wasn’t surprised when he heard Foxe’s short recorded message. Would the necromancer ever speak to him again?

A knock on his door had Luke standing and setting aside his issues with Foxe. Tonight was about spending quality time with Richard. Luke opened the door to find Gabe in the hallway.

“Come on,” Gabe said.

Luke followed the other inspirit to a car. They sped away from the mansion, and several minutes later they walked into a florist shop.

“Pick something out for Richard,” Gabe suggested. “I need to find something beautiful for Eric too since Rosalind says I skipped the courtship phase of my relationship thanks to my secrecy.”

“Ouch,” Luke muttered as the inspirit stomped off. A bouquet immediately caught his attention. They were roses in a mixture of purples with a few black ones to catch the eye. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but it immediately made him think of Richard.

Gabe was still scowling as he perused the selections, but Luke didn’t need to keep shopping. He grabbed the bunch and headed for the cashier.

“Did you need a card?” she asked after greeting him.

“Do you have anything with a dragonfly on it?”

“You know what, I think we do,” she replied, then handed him a white card with a black dragonfly stamped in the corner.

“Thanks, this is perfect. Can I trouble you for a pen?”

“Of course.”

She handed him the receipt and a pen. Luke shuffled out of the way of any other patrons and bent to write on the card. He opted to keep it simple.

Dragonfly,

If I was given a choice of soulmates, I would’ve picked you.

Yours always,

Luke

He slipped the card into the envelope and spotted Gabe. The other inspirit had nothing in his hands, and the crease between Gabe’s brows had deepened. Careful not to squish his bouquet, Luke joined Gabe.

“Have you narrowed it down?” Luke asked.

“Am I supposed to go with something that reminds Eric of the wedding? Or can I grab something else because it makes me think of him?”

“Richard and Rosalind picked your floral bouquets with some input from you and Eric,” Luke replied. “Pick something that makes you think of him.”

With no hesitation, Gabe grabbed a bunch of flowers. There were various blooms in the same pale blue of the irises Rosalind had passed along to both her sons. Gabe had picked well. Minutes later, they were back in the car and headed to the mansion.

“Do you ever get used to it?” Luke asked.

“Used to what?”

“Having a soulmate? Does it ever stop making you marvel that such a thing exists? That destiny decided us inspirits deserved more than an extra chance at life?”

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