Page 43 of Wooing the Wiccan
“Have you asked him what he would need from you to take things further?” I ask gently. Eoin and Dáithí are paired souls, so Iknowthey can be happy together, but that’s not something I like to volunteer unasked. Sometimes people need to find their own way, and just because their relationship would be long-lasting and happy doesn’t mean they have to choose that path.
Eoin’s silence is the only answer I get.
“You’re afraid he might say he doesn’t want to, no matter what you do,” I guess, and the pained noise Eoin makes is my confirmation.
He turns the car into the driveway of the condo building’s underground parking lot and presses the button on the keyring to open the garage door. “You think I should do it.”
“I think you should decide what’s most important to you,” I correct. “Would you rather continue like this and be fairly certain that Dáithí will stay in your life, albeit ‘casually,’ or is a full commitment the only outcome you can be happy with?”
He stares beyond the opening door into the garage. “Both those options include the chance that Dáithí will walk away from me.”
“That’s how free will works.” I hesitate. “I haven’t spoken to Dáithí about this, but from what you’ve said, it’s likely he’s trying to protect his heart from being broken.”
“I can’t change my past.”
“Nobody asked you to.”
I’m still thinkingabout that when I walk into my office the next morning, far earlier than I usually arrive. I couldn’t sleep, and Eoin was anxious to be here early, too, so there was no point in hanging around at the condo. Maybe if I get some work done, later I can…
No. I’m giving Jared space. I won’t come up with an excuse to visit the CSG offices when he’s there, in the hopes of seeing him. Just like Eoin, I can’t change my past, can’t change who I am, and if Jared wants to be with me, he’ll make that decision in spite of the things that concern him. Me pressuring him isn’t going to help any.
The quiet of an empty floor gradually gives way to the sounds of people coming in to start their day, and it’s not a surprise when someone knocks on my door. My days are full of people wandering in and out.
I look up, mouth opening to bid them enter, but the door’s already opening. There’s only one person who does that. Sighing, I sit back in my chair. He might be one of my oldest and dearest friends, but I’m not sure if I can handle Brandt today.
Unexpectedly, he doesn’t launch immediately into speech, instead closing the door and coming to sit opposite me, his face solemn, eyes searching mine. A pang of unease has me sitting upright.
“What’s happened?”
“That’s what I came to ask you,” he says. “I had a call from Dustin almost before dawn this morning. He heard through a grapevine of about forty people that you were at a hockey gamewith a human last night and left before the end, after some sort of kerfuffle.” His gaze remains steady. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
Wonderful. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that gossip is racing through our part of the community, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t. This is hardly the welcome Jared deserves. “Where do you want me to start?” It’s a genuine question, because I’m so muddled this morning, I have no idea.
“You never told me you liked hockey.” The accusation sits between us like the most confusing weapon to ever exist.
I blink. “I… don’t. I don’t know much about it.” The game was fun, though, when I wasn’t worrying about Jared seeing something he shouldn’t. And I liked how much Jared was enjoying himself.
“So why were you there?” Brandt settles himself more comfortably in the chair. I study him.
“Are you sure that’s the question you want to ask?” If I’d needed to put money on what he’d be asking, neither of the questions so far would have been on my list.
“No, I want to know about the human. But I promised Percy?—”
He’s interrupted by a knock, and I hold up a finger. “Just let me deal with this.”
“It’s Percy,” he informs me.
Since Percy’s supposed to be hours away at their estate and, unlike Brandt, can’t fly, I really hope he’s not right. “Come in,” I call.
Percy enters, a sleeping toddler draped over his shoulder, and I sigh, standing. “I can’t believe he dragged you here.”
Brandt gets up to take Cecy and lay her down on the couch against the wall, and Percy comes around the desk to give me a hug. “There was no dragging. After I spoke to him, Sam called me. He didn’t give any details, but said he thought you mightneed some support from Brandt and me this morning. I brought Cecy because I wasn’t sure if you’d need cuddles too.”
Glancing over at the sleeping dragonet, I admit to myself that it might be easier to recount this whole mess to my friends if I had the baby as a distraction. She’s asleep, however, and we all learned the hard way never to wake her when she’s sleeping, so I’m on my own.
I wait until we’re all seated, and then launch into my story, keeping my voice low so I don’t disturb naptime. Brandt opens his mouth to say something at a few points, but each time Percy gives a firm shake of the head, and he closes it again.
“…and then I left, and Eoin drove me home,” I finish.
