Page 131 of Charmed, I'm Sure
“No, Magpie.” Her voice softened. “I don’t want to talk about me. And I need you to hear me when I say this, okay? I’m here. I’m safe. I’m… relatively unharmed. But, babygirl, I’m fine.”
I swallowed hard, nodding as she squeezed my hand, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay.
“Now,” she continued, her expression shifting back to something far too knowing, “tell me why Taylor brought you this morning. I thought y’all took a break—or whatever it is y’all call it?”
I sighed. “I maaay have stayed at his house last night.”
“Uh-huh, go on.”
I groaned and dropped my head onto the thin mattress. “I don’t know, Aunt Evie.”
“Yes, you do. You just need to have the courage to say it out loud.”
“But what if—”
“Don’t even let that thought finish forming in your mind, Magnolia Lynn.” Her grip on my hand tightened. “You and I both know that man is in love with you. But after everything you’ve been through since y’all started seeing each other, and everything you’ve endured at the hands of that silly little town we call home, he’s probably scared shitless to say it.”
“But what if he doesn’t?”
“Doesn’t what? Love you?” She let out an exasperated sigh. “Magpie, there is a greater chance of twenty feet of snow in the middle of June than there is that he doesn’t think the sun shines out your ass.”
“But… there’s still a chance.”
“Well, if you wanna be a negative Nancy about it, then yes, there’s still a chance.And if—and that’s a bigif—he doesn’t, then I’ll turn him into a toad.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “So, you’re saying I should tell him?”
If there was ever a picture in the dictionary next to the worddeadpan, it would be of the look my aunt gave me in response.
“Alright, alright. You win.”
“Magpie, I didn’t win anything.Youdid, when you decided to give that boy an actual chance.” Her voice softened. “I couldn’t imagine a better man for you to be with.”
“You barely know him, Aunt Evie.”
“I don’t need to know him. I knowyou. And I have never seen you light up about anyone like you do for Taylor. I’ve seen you smile more in the last few months than I have in years—even when you claimed to hate him.”
My cheeks burned, and tears pricked at my eyes, but she just held onto my hand tighter.
“You deserve to be happy, Magpie,” she said. “You just have to let yourself.”
I stayed at the hospital until the nurses came in to prep Aunt Evie for surgery. Before I left, I whispered a quiet prayer of protection and healing over her, then promised to come back when she was out of recovery—to which she promptly and emphatically told meno.
Feeling lighter as I made my way toward the elevator, I pulled out my phone and fired off a quick text.
Magnolia
Aunt Evie is getting prepped for surgery, so I’m going to go home for a bit.
I must have caught him between patients, because almost immediately, three little dots appeared.
Taylor
Swing by the ER lobby and I’ll give you the car keys.
Magnolia
I can call ZydeGeaux and get a ride.
