Page 21 of Enduring Magic

The meltdown was no longer imminent. It was upon her.

With a small shake of her head, her sister sashayed forward, her hands resting firmly on her hips. “It’s simple. Have Knox make you a new one.”

“You don’t understand. He mined the metal or some shi—”

“Don’t swear!We don’t need the entire rodent population of Leiper’s Fork showing up on our doorstep.”

“Pregnant, remember? No mice will show while I’m carrying another Thorne.” Summer buried her face in her hands. “And Coop will understand, won’t he?” Shaking her head, she groaned. “I can already picture his disappointment.”

“Trust me, sister. It’s going to be all right.”

“You don’t know that. How does it look, starting off a marriage without a ring to give to your new husband?Thering. The one lovingly designed together. Explaining that I was so irresponsible as to lose it in less than a month’s time?”

“It’s Coop, and he loves you, Summer. You’re being a Bridezilla.”

“How can you even say that right now? I’m so far removed from a Bridezilla!”

Amusement flashed in her sister’s amber eyes, and a smirk curled one side of her mouth. “Really? Next, you’re going to tell me that you didn’t have Spring change the color of the lilies five different times or that you didn’t have Winnie, who was trying to bake you the perfect wedding cake, alter the frosting from vanilla, to lemon, to chocolate, back to lemon, all within a two-hour span?”

Too stunned for words, Summer stared.Hadshe done that? The planning had been a blur. Which was probably why she couldn’t remember where she’d put the blasted ring in the first place.

“It’s okay.” Autumn wrapped her in a tight hug. “Really. None of us have minded, and dress shopping was fun for Mama and me.”

That last bit sounded extremely tongue in cheek.

“But GiGi conjured a…Oh.I was a bear about the dress, too, wasn’t I?”

Her sister held her index finger and thumb an inch apart but remained quiet. Which, for her snarky sibling, was a feat.

“None of it matters without the ring.” Summer absently glanced at her familiar, who suddenly appeared too innocent by far, and frowned. “Saul?”

“What?” He put a paw to his chest, puffed up his tail, and looked around with fake indignation. Or maybe it wasn’t fake. One could never tell with her squirrel. “You blamin’ me? Me? Like I’d take your freakin’ ring?”

The longer he protested, the more Summer was convinced he knewsomething. She squinted her eyes in a threatening manner. “Saul.”

“I don’t freaking know nothin’.”

“Saauuul.”

“What? I’m not a rat fink!”

Autumn picked him up by the scruff of his neck. “Spill it, furball. Where’s the ring?”

“Saul,please.” Summer rescued him from her sister, not convinced Autumn wouldn’t fry his fuzzy butt to get the info she needed. Sure, Summer wanted answers, but the tiny thug was connected to her on a cosmic level and still one of the Goddess’s creatures. “Please tell me where it is. I can’t get married without it.”

“Good riddance, I say. Coop’s a mudderfuc—”

“Saul!”Summer and Autumn hollered in unison.

“You promised to be nice!” Summer said, reminding him of their conversation the previous month.

But her familiar had worked up a full head of steam, and there was no stopping his rant. “He said I had a screw loose!Can you believe that?” His pint-sized body was vibrating in the palm of her hand. “Me! A screw loose!”

Autumn opened her mouth to speak, but Summer frantically shook her head, praying to the Goddess that Saul didn’t turn around and see the retort forming on her sister’s lips.

“I should’ve shanked him when I had the chance. Never did believe he was good enough for you. And neither did Rocco or any of the others.”

“I love him, Saul. He puts both Olivia’s and my needs above all others.” She ran a calming hand down her familiar’s back and smiled as his anger melted away under her touch. “You have to admit, Coop has come a long way from when we first got together.”

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