Page 79 of Extra Witchy

Shit.She had almost forgotten, between her distant husband, the older brother who kept texting her, her political career, coven stuff, and her secret seat on the witch council. Sometimes she felt like pulling her hair out because too many things were happening at once, and she didn’t know how to deal with any of it.

I’ll be there.

After checking the calendar, she realized it was happening tomorrow night. She hadn’t been involved in the planning this year, as Gladys’s coven tended to take over big community events. And she wished with all her heart that she could share it with Trev, demonstrate how amazing it was to be a witch, all the little secrets and joys he could never experience.

And then, it was like a switch flipped in her head. Or her heart. Maybe both.

I want that so much. I want it with him.

When she started her term on the witch council in January—ironically the same as the city council—she would lobby relentlessly for witches to come forward. In this day and age, the secrecy was both ridiculous and unnecessary, and it impacted quality of life for those with nonmagical partners. That word was better than “mundane.” Not being able to do magic didn’t make people lesser, just different. Leanne couldn’t speak eight languages even if she could cast a spell, nor could she bake delicious cinnamon rolls.

Closing her eyes, she tried her best to banish her fears. There were so many now, fluttering in her brain like the endearment Trev used for her had multiplied, butterflies everywhere. Terror that he’d leave her before she could sort things out, or worse, be taken by the council, worry that she couldn’t achieve the goals that would allow her to live as she wished.

I want him to stay. If Trev’s having second thoughts, I’ll change his mind.

When he got home an hour later, she had food ready. Nothing fancy, but judging by his surprised smile, he appreciated it. Then she hugged him, the way he used to do to her and buried her face in his shoulder.

“What’s wrong, Butterfly?”

Wow. He hasn’t called me that in weeks. Didn’t realize how much I wanted to hear it.

“Nothing. I just missed you.”

“You did?” He pulled back slightly to study her face. “Have you been crying?”

Leanne tried not to display her shock, but she had no idea how successful that was. “How do you know? I put a cold compress on my eyes,” she added hastily, because it wasn’t like she could admit her face should be layered with the usual protective glamour.

“That’s a yes,” he said.

Be brave, she told herself.

“It seems like something is bothering you. I miss…us.”

“Us?” Trev repeated the word with an expression she couldn’t read. “The last time I tried to talk about that, you shut it down. Hard.”

“What—oh.” He must be referring to that day in the car. Leanne winced, realizing how hurt he must be if he’d withdrawn over that. “I didn’t meanever, hon. But…my dad had literally just died. Is it so surprising I didn’t want to—”

“You could have brought it up,” he cut in. “At any point. But it’s beenweeks. How am I supposed to feel about that? Are you sure you’re not just trying to patch things up so I won’t give the wrong vibe when we start attending public events next year?”

She drew back, stunned. “Do you really think I’d do that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know you that well, do I? You won’tletme.”

***

Trev knew he was hurting Leanne, but he couldn’t stop talking.

He’d kept a lid on this shit for too long. And all those nights he’d slept in the guest room, when she never came looking for him? Not even once. That hurt so bad, he could barely breathe. It underscored the fact that she didn’t really care about him. She needed a warm body, someone capable of wearing the right clothes, and he’d been…available.

Not just available. Desperate, frankly.

Come on, tell me I matter. Apologize. Say you want this to work as much as I do. Please, Butterfly. Don’t send me out into the cold.

“I guess we need some time,” she said finally. “I’ll stay with Vanessa for a while. She has a spare room. I’ll tell her…” She paused, apparently unsure what to say.

“This is your place. I’m the one who should leave.”

He packed in a hurry, hardly looking at what he was grabbing, then he headed for the door. All the while, he kept hoping like hell that she’d stop him, say the magic words, but only silence followed him out. Trev went in a rush, feeling like the ground was crumbling beneath his feet. All that time, and this was how it ended.

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