Page 28 of Enduring Magic

Alastair cocked his blond head to study him a moment, and Coop understood this was the man’s way of summing up a situation and all the feelings of those associated with it. His empath ability allowed Alastair to read the room like no other.

“You’re in turmoil, son. Unless you intend to jilt my daughter, there’s no need to be,” Alastair assured him.

“I lost Summer’s wedding ring,” Coop blurted. His eyes widened in horror at his diarrhea of the mouth. Why in the Goddess’s name he had regurgitated that information was anyone’s guess. Perhaps, like some of the criminals he’d put away, he needed to confess to assuage his guilt.

Other than for Alastair’s brows to shoot up, his reaction was tame.

Tootame.

Coop narrowed his eyes. “What do you know about the ring, old man?”

“Old man?Do you have a death wish, Cooper?”

Normally, he’d have said no, but maybe the part of him that didn’t want to disappoint Summer would rather be struck down by Alastair than face her with the truth.

“Maybe a small one,” Coop finally said with a wry smile. Overhead, the sound of Summer’s laughter could be heard above that of the women and girls with her. He glanced up at the ceiling and smiled involuntarily at the joyful quality of her laugh.

“Thank you for recognizing how special my daughter truly is.”

Shocked by Alastair’s sudden sentiment, Coop could only stare.

“Close your mouth, my boy. You’ll catch flies.”

With a small shake of his head and a chuckle, Coop shook Alastair’s hand. “I’m just grateful she’s stubborn and refused to give up on me when she could’ve and probably should’ve.”

“Some people take a little longer to accept change. You had a lot thrust on you in a short amount of time. She understands that.” Alastair’s grip tightened over his. “But now that you’ve acclimated to the witch world, you’ve no reason to ever break her heart again. Correct?”

Oddly, the show of force didn’t intimidate Coop like it probably should’ve. Maybe it was because he had no intention of ever hurting Summer and felt confident of that fact. “Mr. Thorne, I love your daughter with every fiber of my being, and I’ll spend every day of my life reminding her that I do.”

“Good enough. Make your way to the altar. You’ll find your brother outside, waiting for you.”

Coop was halfway to the door when an idea occurred to him. “Do you think you could conjure a temporary ring for me to give her? Just until I can find the missing one. So she’s not embarrassed during the ceremony.” He almost stuttered over the request, feeling like a careless fool for having to ask in the first place.

“Something can be arranged. I’ll have a ring for you by the time you’re ready to exchange your vows.”

Coop had never experienced a more heartfelt gratitude, with the exception of when Summer gave him a second chance after he’d royally screwed up their courtship. Perhaps Summer didn’t need to be disappointed at all.

He returned to Alastair’s side and used his smartphone to show him a picture of the original design. “If you can make it look like this, I can wait until after the ceremony to tell her I lost the one Knox created.”

“Of course.” Alastair barely spared the image a glance, and he checked his watch impatiently. “Anything else?”

“No. Thank you, sir.”

With a slight smile, Alastair nodded and turned away, leaving Coop to believe he might just hang him out to dry. But surely, he wouldn’t ruin his own daughter’s wedding in such a way, right?

Coop made a pit stop to the downstairs powder room. As a fire elemental, he ran hot, and the added stress of this particular situation had completely engulfed him, causing him to become excessively warm. He needed to find a way to cool down, or he’d combust. Taking a spare moment, he stripped down to the waist, and using the hand towel, he wet it and wiped down his entire torso, rung it out, and repeated. Then he held the damp towel to the back of his neck to cool his body temperature. When he finally felt marginally less overheated, he dressed, straightened his tie, fussed with his hair, and smoothed his tux.

It was go time.

If Summer didn’t leave him at the altar, he’d be a married man within twenty minutes. With a smile for his reflection, he nodded, intent on making this wedding the best experience possible for her. His love for her required it. He opened the door and stepped into the hall full of hope and determination.

12

As Summer stood within the walls of the temporary tent by the side of the house, she closed her eyes and inhaled slowly to the count of four, then exhaled for the same count. She did this five more times, striving for tranquility and to prepare for her upcoming vows.

During the planning stages, she’d explained to Coop how this type of ceremony worked. How their souls would connect on a deeper level after today due to the handfasting ritual. Damian Dethridge, with the permission of the Goddess Isis, would bind their souls together and bless them in the process. They would become two halves of the same whole.

Coop had stated he understood, but Summer couldn’t help but have misgivings. Yes, in the time they’d been in a relationship, he’d mellowed somewhat. The rigid, unrelenting side of him had learned a few tough lessons when it came to magic and the Thornes. Family was everything to them, and while Coop was a welcome addition, Summer and her immediate family had an unbreakable bond. They would always drop everything to be there for each other—without fail. Regardless of which side of the law their escapades fell on. And now, he would be marrying into that world, and it could possibly test his sense of right and wrong if things went sideways and unknown enemies rose up to, once again, disrupt their lives.

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