Page 50 of Down and Dirty

“First, can we quit calling her Talia? How about we call her Max, after her distant relative Maxine?” Cassie said.

“Fine by me. So how are we going to find Maxine?” I asked.

“We re-evaluate the situation, and we’ll form a plan,” Cassie answered.

“I’m in, but it has to wait,” I offered and rose to my feet. “We were on our way out. It’s time to put Mary’s soul to rest with the others.”

“You’re going to the woods?” Cassie asked.

“She loved it there,” I answered, crossing the room and pulling the satchel out of a drawer. We walked Cassie out, and I locked up.

Within thirty minutes of arriving in the forest and walking around, I found the perfect peaceful spot beneath a strong tree that overlooked the waterfall. “This is it.”

Keaton wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek. “I agree. So how about we send them home.”

I smiled, and we sat down. I opened the satchel and whispered words Mary had made me memorize. My hair flew around my face as a wind came from the pouch and circled around us, brushing up leaves in circles that surrounded us. One by one, the spirits shot up into the sky, disappearing out of sight until Mary’s face was the only one left. She whispered, “Thank you,” before she winked and shot up with the others.

The leaves and debris around us fell to the ground as if a light switch had been turned off, and the forest turned silent again.

A tear slid down my face. It was the end of an era. The end of a long line of witches.

Keaton pulled me into his hold. “Why the tears? She’s at peace.”

My heart clenched as I looked at Keaton. “Her legacy is gone. There’s no one to carry on their traditions.”

His brows dipped. “You’re thinking about your own mortality now, aren’t you?”

It was strange that he knew what I was thinking before I even opened my mouth, but he was right. Who would carry on the Bennett name if my sisters and I were to die tomorrow? None of us had children; there were none to carry on our line.

I rose to my feet, cupped Keaton’s cheeks, and kissed him hard. “I want kids with you.”

He eased me back. “We will have kids.”

“I want to start now,” I said and kissed him again.

And he eased me back again. “We have time, Faith. Let’s do this right. Marriage and then babies.”

“Okay,” I said as a smile lit my face. “Then marry me.”

He chuckled and captured her mouth with his. “You’re serious?”

“You’ve seen us married. We have kids. Marry me. Why wait?”

“Faith.” Keaton cleared his throat, all humor gone from his face. “You’ve only known me a month and a half. Your sisters might think you’ve lost your mind.”

“I love you, Keaton. I love us. Be spontaneous and marry me. We’ll figure out the rest.”

His lips twisted at the edges. “This isn’t how I saw it in my vision.”

My shoulders deflated as Keaton pulled out a box from his pocket and dropped to his knee. “This is how I saw it in my vision. Right here on this very spot. But it wasn’t you asking me to marry you; it was me doing the asking.”

My heart sped up as more tears gathered in my eyes.

“Faith Bennett, I loved you long before I met you. I’ll love you through all of our days. I’ll love you through all of our tomorrows. And I’ll love you in death. I even promise to help haunt your sisters.”

My tear slipped free.

“Marry me and be my partner through eternity.”

“Yes.” The word was a whisper as he slipped the engagement ring onto my finger and rose to his feet. “Yes, yes, yes.”

Cupping my cheeks, he kissed me like a man I knew would keep his promises.

The wind around us lifted again, tossing leaves as if we were in a cocoon. Mary and the others reappeared and twirled around us before shooting up into the air a second time; this time truly gone.

---