“Yes. I will marry you, Logan. I love you, too.”
He didn’t say a word. He took the ring out of the box and handed it to me.
“Don’t you want to put it on me yourself?”
“It has an inscription. Read that first.”
I held the ring up to the light and squinted to read the carefully inscribed words. My tears flowed freely now. I knew I would love this man for the rest of my life. I handed the ring back to him and softly said, “Please put my ring on my finger.”
He did. I threw my arms around his neck, sobbing tears of love and joy. He had inscribed my engagement ring with the word he’d whispered in my ear at our friends’ wedding: Someday.
And now, our someday had come.
Chapter Thirty-five
SERENA
Two days later, the entire coven gathered in the living room for the announcement. Of course, since practically everyone but me had been in on the big sting, it came as no surprise to anyone when Logan and I got up and made our way to the front of the room. Eden prefaced us.
“Everyone, Serena and Logan would like to make a declaration to us all. Please give them your attention.”
All eyes in the room watched us make our way to the head of the gathering. Knowing looks and smirks accompanied our path. I let Logan take the lead.
“So, most of you know this already, but I’m here to make it official. Serena has agreed to marry me.” It wasn’t like him to drag it out. The roar in the room became deafening. We were stampeded. Even though I knew most everyone had been aware of the engagement, it appeared no one had seen the ring except for Jade and Lily. They all wanted to check out the inscription and hear the story.
Eden quieted us down, which wasn’t easy. Finally, everyone took their seats and directed their attention to her at the front of the room. It appeared she had another announcement. By the looks of things, this one involved Jade. She sat just to Eden’s right and had an expression on her face as if she might burst. Eden gave Jade a nod and Jade struggled to her feet to address us. Sully hurried to her side.
“Well, I guess we are going to have to get moving on this baby shower.” She glanced around the room as the expected buzz rose up and grew in volume. She seemed extremely pleased. Eden nudged her discreetly and she continued. “So, my doctor says the babies are getting too big for me to carry, and we are scheduling a caesarean section for next week.”
This time the noise in the room became unbearable. Lily rushed to her daughter’s side and crushed her in a hug, reaching for Sully at the same time. My coven sisters all over the room went to Jade and Sully to issue their congratulations at the imminent and impending birth of their twin boys. Only four of us remained behind, exchanging glances of unquestioning dread; Eden, Prudence, Logan and myself.
We four knew that the births of Callum and Caleb would be too tempting of a circumstance for Christophe. We had no doubt that he knew about them. It was the only reasonable explanation for why he sent the hooded goons, and he wasn’t going to stop until he got to them. Prudence had been having nonstop visions regarding the unborn twins since Jade revealed to us that they could mindspeak. Even though Christophe had not shown himself, he had sent underlings to battle Logan, testing his powers. Prudence truly believed he was biding his time until the babies were to be born. She took us aside now while everyone else was preoccupied with Jade and her news.
“You know this wonderful news could be just the distraction Christophe is waiting for, right?”
Eden weighed in. “Prudence, have you had any visions directly relating to the safety of either Jade or the unborn twins?”
“No. But I have had vague foresights of impending danger. I have known for some time now that we are destined to lose someone important to us. I don’t know who. It tears into my soul that I can’t see it, but I cannot. I’m sorry.”
Eden reached forward for one of Prudence’s hands. “Never mind for now, Prudence. It will come to you. It always does, when the time is proper. In the meantime, we again must remain vigilant and aware. As always, Christophe will strike where we are soft and vulnerable. And I cannot think of anything more tender and defenseless than the new lives Jade is about to bring into this world.”
Logan slipped his arm around my waist. “Eden, I gave you my all last time we had to tap dance with that monster. And you know, there were enough reasons then for me to take him down. But, I need you to know, this time, there are even more.” Logan stared into my eyes before continuing. “Now, I’m about to marry the girl of my dreams and my sister and my best friend are going to make me an uncle…..times two! I belong to this big, crazy coven full of the most amazing and wonderful women I’ll ever know in my life and if this wasn’t enough, this insanely beautiful woman who came into my life brought me something else I’ve never had – a brother! I have a family, the likes of which I could never have dreamed. Plus, I’m a warlock!” Serena smiled at that. “No way am I going to let that demon freak take any of this away. I don’t know how he got out, but this time, he is going back in forever.”
I couldn’t have been more delighted by his impromptu speech. I knew Logan to be a man of few words. For him to have spoken at length like this, I knew it had been from his heart. And I could tell, by watching the faces of Eden and Prudence, they had realized the same thing.
“Logan, your loyalty and dedication to us and our coven family has never once been questioned or doubted,” said Eden, nodding gravely. “You are as much a part of this family as any one of us. That being said however, I must say, hearing you speak so eloquently is touching. I can tell, Prudence feels the same.”
I glanced over at Prudence in time to catch her dabbing at a tear.
“Wow, Prudence. Emotion is not normally your thing.” Logan handed her a tissue. She grabbed it and swiped at her dampened eyes.
“I know. But, darn it, Logan. That moved me. I didn’t expect it from you.”
“I have my moments, I guess.”
Eden had composed herself enough to move onto the next topic. Gypsy and Finola and Cordelia had joined us and some of the others had finally broken away from Jade and Sully, giving them some air. She gazed over at the two of them, watching the way Sully lovingly poured Jade something to drink and made sure she wasn’t uncomfortable and had everything she needed. Finally she spoke.
“I know Jade had her heart set on having the baby shower at one of those fancy restaurants you girls had seen on your shopping day, but Prudence and I have decided that wouldn’t be advisable. Given the tempting nature of Jade’s circumstances, we feel it would be best if the shower were thrown here at the house.” Here, she turned to Gypsy and me. “I’d like it if the two of you could express to her how much better it would be here. Make certain she sees the… well, the benefits of having it in a controlled and protected environment.” Now, she addressed Logan. “And you, my dear, you have done such a masterful job recently in turning the back yard into a wonderland, I’m certain you can help the girls to do it again.”
Jade wandered over since now the group hovering near us loomed larger than the one crowding her.
“What’s going on over here? I thought we,” she patted her belly, “were the main attraction.”
I decided I’d better start running spin control early and fast. “Jade, Eden has just come up with the most wonderful idea. Why don’t we have the baby shower for you and the twins here?” I watched doubt cloud Jade’s face, and jabbed Gypsy in the side for backup.
She jumped in. “I think that’s a terrific idea! We made the patio and terrace sparkle for Serena’s engagement. We can make it absolutely adorable for a baby shower, Jade. Just leave it to us, it will be precious.”
Prudence chimed in, too. “We’ll take care of everything, the food, the decorations, the games, everything. Oh, Jade, it is going to be the best baby shower ever. You will love it!”
Jade searched our faces, one by one, going from mine to Gypsy’s, over to Prudence’s and finally back to mine. I watc
hed the doubt fade from her eyes as she got caught up in our forced enthusiasm. Logan stood beside me, not daring to say a word. The magic had worked, and he didn’t want to ruin it. Finally, Jade broke into a huge smile.
“We can have barbecued ribs, right? Those are my favorite. And I have such a craving for them!”
I laughed and threw my arms around her huge, pregnant tummy. “Of course, we can. We’ll have all your favorite foods. This will be a party for you, sweetie, all about you. We can have anything you want.”
Logan laughed too. “Make us a list, Sis. I’ll barbecue anything you want.”
Jade gazed up at him. “Make one? Brother, I’ve had a list for a month!” And we all started laughing then. It was so like Jade. If we had only known it would be the last time we would be together for a happy reason, I would have stayed longer and laughed more. Christophe was much closer in our future than we would have guessed.
Chapter Thirty-six
LOGAN
“Honey? Where do you want me to put the ice chests?” Sully stood in front of my sister, holding a loaded cooler, patiently waiting for her to tell him where to put it. She was directing people all over the place, and her husband was no exception. He shifted his weight, one foot to the other, while he waited. As I suspected, Jade snapped at him.
“Sully, I told you already–put all the drink chests by the table on the right. I don’t want people tramping water all over the kitchen every time they want a drink.” Jade pointed Sully to the table setup, then stomped back into the house.
I sighed. I had told her she didn’t have to be involved in the planning or setting up, but I may as well have been talking to a wall. She had awakened early, grabbed a clipboard, and hadn’t sat down since mid-morning. In good news, Serena and Eden had brilliantly decided to have the party catered. While bummed not to be manning the grill, it seemed I would have my hands full peeling Jade and her attitude off of everyone anyway. Forget bride-zilla….she’d turned into preg-zilla.
“Excuse me! You in the white! Please bring those chairs over here!” She barked orders at the event set-up people. I went over to rescue them. My dog Charlie, followed. Eden had decided to allow the caterers and event planners in only because the guardian dogs were all over them, confirming they weren’t demons in disguise. And we expected some. Jade had unknowingly chosen an unfavorable date for her baby shower, June twenty-first. In any other world, that date would celebrate the beginning of summer. In the world of witches and demons, the summer solstice equaled a time of magic, when evil spirits were most likely to appear. Throw in the impending birth of super-powerful twin warlocks created from the DNA material of a genetically-gifted witch, and you could nearly guarantee that appearance. We weren’t being just cautious, we were being wary. We had Zena stationed at the door, River in the kitchen, and Charlie and Sage out in the back yard. No personnel got in or out of the house without going by at least three of the guardian dogs. On top of that, Sheba and Astrid, the guardian cats, were lurking about as well. Demons might be able to hide from one of the coven sisters, but they would never be able to camouflage themselves from the hyper-sensitive olfactory receptors of our protective animals. Just like dogs and cats could sense an earthquake moments before it hit, they would be able to sniff out the foul stench of an evil fiend long before I, or one of the coven sisters would ever be able to. We were more than safe with the supernatural animals around us.
Serena came outside, her arms full of baby shower decorations. Gypsy and Skylar trailed after her. I could barely see him under the pile of pale blue streamers he carried.
“Let me help you with those.” I grabbed a handful of the paper decorations from him. Gypsy reached over before I could get all of them.
“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not ruining these delicate streamers with your big ol’ meaty man fists. I barely wanted Skylar touching them. You’re both going to tear them. Now, gently hand them to me.”
I did as told and handed over the cheap paper decorations to Gypsy. I wondered why she worried so over them. I didn’t have to for long. As if she had radar, my sister came charging over.
“What happened to those?” she cried, and looked as though she might burst into tears.
“Jade, you are overreacting. Nothing happened to your colored paper thingies. See?” I pulled some from Gypsy’s hands and showed them to my sister. “They aren’t torn or anything.” I used my most soothing voice and it appeared to work. Jade stopped yelling and gathered herself. It gave me time to ask her another question.
“Why are you even here, anyway? Isn’t the baby shower supposed to be a surprise to the guest of honor?”
Jade made a face at me. “You’re my brother, Logan. You know I hate surprises. Anyway, I want to make sure everything is perfect.” She turned and started to walk away. When no one followed, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Um, Serena? Gypsy? You guys going to help me? These streamers aren’t going to string themselves, you know?” I muffled my laughter watching the girls scurry after my sister. Man, she could be a handful.
Stepping back, I watched the progress of the party as it came together. I had been pleased with the way the coven sisters and I had been able to make the patio look pretty for the night I asked Serena to marry me, but it paled in comparison to how it had been converted for today. The event planners and caterers were professionals and they had helped the coven sisters transform the back yard into a baby shower fantasyland. There were tables set up all over the patio and terrace area, decorations in varying shades of blues stretching from the trees to the house itself, and all over the place there were baby items, like giant baby blocks, rattles, and pacifier.
Serena came hurrying back over to me. “Logan, hadn’t you better get over to the bakery?” I checked my watch and freaked. My sister had only given Skylar and me one job, picking up the cake. And I had nearly tanked it. I scanned the crowd of workers and spotted him hovering at the corner of the garden with Gypsy, still tangled in the streamers. About to holler his name, I didn’t have to when he glanced up and caught my eye.
I jerked my head toward the door and he understood immediately. He kissed Gypsy goodbye, and we picked our way through the servers and caterers. I wanted to get out of there before Jade saw that we were leaving three minutes past the hour. As tightly wrapped as she looked now, the slightest thing would cause her to blow like a volcano. Successfully dodging her, we ducked out the front door with my dog Charlie in hot pursuit, jumped in my car and headed down the road.
“Man, don’t you feel sorry for Sully?” Skylar leaned over and punched my radio buttons until he found a song he liked.
“I don’t know. Jade’s just got a lot on her mind. And in her stomach.” I didn’t want to admit though, putting the baby shower circus in the rear view felt great. We drove for a while listening to music, joking around and enjoying the freedom of being a couple of guys on a honey-do errand. Charlie hung her head out the back window and I knew she, too, loved the feeling of being out of the house for a change.
Skylar and I handled the cake without incident, except for the bakery being choked with customers and it taking longer than we expected. When we finally got the cake and loaded it in car, we had been gone almost two hours.
“C’mon, Logan. Jade is gonna have our hides!”
“Are you really that scared of my sister, Skylar?”
“She freaks me out when she yells, man.”
“Wow. Some warrior warlock you turned out to be.” I laughed and punched him in the shoulder. He slugged me back. I felt a warm rush when I realized he’d truly become like a brother to me. I’d had a sister all my life, but it somehow had never felt like this. I turned to thump him back when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Quickly, I shut the tailgate of my car and spun so I could yell to Skylar.
“Sky, on your right!”
“Way ahead of you, Logan!” Faster than me, already twisting to the passenger side of the car, he crouched and prepared to spring. I started t
o run over and join him when what I had seen suddenly stepped right in front of me. Instead of the hooded demons I had come to expect, the face of the figure sent me staggering back against the side of my car in shock. Skylar watched the change in my demeanor and instantly went on the defensive, ready to attack whoever or whatever stood in front of me. But, I ended that with five heart-stopping words.
“I think that’s my dad.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
SERENA
I gazed around the back yard and nodded. The transformation had been completed and it looked simply beautiful. The food waited in place on the tables. Elizabeth had brought huge bunches of flowers from the flower shop, and all the tables and chairs were in position. The guests had begun to arrive and best of all, Jade had finally calmed down. Aisling and Echo had pried her away from her clipboard and coaxed her upstairs to get changed for the party.
With Jade out of the way, we could bring in some of the wonderful gifts for her and the babies that we had been squirreling away. When we began to drag them out, it shocked me how many there were! It became apparent we had probably gone overboard, so excited were we to be having babies to shop for. At least two of everything waited to be unwrapped! Car seats and bouncy chairs, diaper pails and bassinettes, and more clothes than two babies could ever wear. Then, Eden and Lily proudly wheeled out the most gorgeous cribs, complete with blue lace linens, followed closely by Eve and Gypsy, who were pushing an enormous double stroller decked out in playful colors of browns and greens.
Spellbound 2 - Everspell Page 17