They ended up sitting on the couch, with her leaning her head on his shoulder. Something in her felt very tired, and he supposed he couldn’t blame her for that. Wrestling with yourself had to be hard work. The box in his pocket was grinding into his hip, but he didn’t care. He wouldn’t have moved from where he now sat for all the world.
At length, though, Margot straightened up and reached for her mug of tea, which had to be mostly cold by now. Lucas had the feeling she’d done so out of reflex, or to give herself a reason to move away from him.
“I still don’t know exactly what you expect me to do,” she said.
There was the opening he’d hoped for. “Well, I suppose we’ll need to talk to the other elders, let them know that they might want to start looking for a replacement.”
That comment made her turn her head toward him and give him a sharp look. “Oh, really? We’re going to talk to them?”
“I think that would be best. A united front, and everything.” He paused and dug the box out of his pocket, opening it as he went on, “They might take the whole situation more seriously when they know how serious we are.” Taking a breath, he said, “Margot Emory, will you marry me?”
Her response wasn’t quite what he’d hoped for. Her eyes widened, and she said, “Are you out of your mind?”
No turning back now. He pulled the ring out of the box and held it up, pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “I could be out of my mind over you, Margot, but otherwise, I’m deadly serious. I’ve waited too long not to know what I want now. I want you to marry me and come live with me.”
Silence. Her gaze flickered from the ring he held to his face and then back again. “Drop everything and come to Flagstaff with you.”
“I don’t expect you to drop everything. I don’t expect you to get rid of this cottage, or never come back to Jerome. But I realized after you were gone how right it felt for you to be with me in my home, and I don’t want it to be my home anymore…I want it to be our home.”
She moistened her lips. When she opened her mouth to speak, he found himself not daring to breathe, not wanting to do anything that might upset the delicate connection between them.
“I — all right. That is, yes, Lucas Wilcox, I will marry you, even though I have no idea how we’re ever going to make any of this work.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said, his blood seeming to flow normally again, even as he reached out and drew her toward him, kissed her, felt her mouth open to his, her exquisite taste stirring the heat within him once again.
“Wait,” she protested, pushing him away slightly.
“What?” Oh, God, please don’t tell me she’s changed her mind….
She lifted her left hand, spread her fingers in front of him. “Does it look like it’s missing something?”
Missing…oh. He took the ring, which had gotten mashed in his palm, and slipped it onto the third finger of her left hand. It glittered there like a promise of better days. “Better?”
“Much,” she said, cupping his face in her hands and bringing him close so she could prove just how much better it was.
14
Lucas insisted on going out to celebrate, despite the rain. So they climbed into his Porsche, and he took her to the top of the hill to the Asylum restaurant at the Grand Hotel, a place she’d been to maybe twice in her life, merely because it seemed like such a special occasion sort of venue. Then again, if this wasn’t a special occasion, she didn’t know what was.
The ring was a new and unexpected weight on her left hand. She couldn’t help staring at it as Lucas ordered a bottle of what had to be an extravagantly expensive wine. When would he have even had time to buy an engagement ring? And how had he managed to choose one that was so perfect? It was large, but not so big anyone would think it was vulgar. But still, that had to be at least three carats of flawless emerald-cut diamond sitting on her finger, flanked on either side by a single baguette-cut stone. The metal was white, and could have been white gold, but she had a feeling it was platinum.
“How did you know?” she asked, after the waiter had gone to fetch the wine.
“Know what?”
“Exactly the right ring to get me.”
He shrugged. “I saw it, and I thought it looked like you. I didn’t think you’d want anything fussy.”
No, she wouldn’t. Fussy had never been her style. “And how did you know I’d say yes?”
“I didn’t.” He rested his hands on the tabletop and leaned forward slightly. “But I figured I’d better have the perfect ring if I was going to ask.”
Some might call that hubris of the worst sort…Margot preferred to think of it as Lucas trusting in his very singular gift. “We still don’t have any sort of game plan.”
“We’ll figure it out. I have an ace in the hole.”
She raised an eyebrow, and he said,
“Trust me.”
Normally that was the sort of thing which only served to irritate her. Now, though, she realized it was the simple truth. She really could trust Lucas, in a way she wasn’t sure she’d ever trusted anyone else.
The waiter returned with the wine, removed the cork, then poured a sample for Lucas. He drank, then nodded, and the waiter tipped a decent measure into Margot’s glass, then topped off Lucas’ as well. They placed their orders before being left blessedly alone again.
“I feel so…conspicuous,” she admitted.
“Why? Is the restaurant packed with McAllisters?”
A quick glance around told her that they were safely surrounded by civilians…tourists mainly, she guessed. “No. We’re not much for fancy dining, luckily.”
“Well, that’s something I expect to change with you. I already have plans to take you to all my favorite places in Flagstaff, and we should nip out to Winslow to go to the Turquoise Room, maybe stay overnight so we don’t have to drive home afterward….”
“Lucas,” she said, and he stopped abruptly, looking a little sheepish.
“Sorry. It’s just that I’d been hoping for a future I could plan for, but until earlier this evening, I wasn’t sure it was really going to happen.”
Something warm and happy seemed to grow somewhere in her breast. This wonderful man didn’t want anything except the chance to be with her. What woman wouldn’t be moved by such uncomplicated devotion? “Don’t apologize. I want to do all those things with you, too. It’s just — I guess I’m having a hard time seeing how we’re going to get from here to there.”
“We will.” He reached out and laid a hand on hers, his thumb brushing over the smooth surface of the diamond and moving to stroke the skin along her finger. “In the meantime, we’re going to have a great meal, and then….” Letting the words trail off, he gazed across the table, his dark eyes catching hers. Something in his stare made her shiver; she had a very good idea what he hoped would happen after that “and then.”
She had to say, she was hoping for the same thing. Even so, she didn’t think that precluded a bit of teasing. “Presuming a little much, weren’t you, Mr. Wilcox?”
“Not presuming. Hoping.”
What could she possibly say to that? Luckily, she didn’t have to say anything, as the waiter came by with their salads at that point, and it seemed easier to turn her attention to her food. Lucas seemed to understand that she needed some time to gather herself, so he ate in silence for a few minutes. Then he said,
“When do you think would be a good time to talk to the other elders?”
Good question. Tomorrow was Friday, and after that it would be the weekend, never a good time for important clan business, as the town tended to get very busy with tourist traffic. And she couldn’t imagine putting all this off until Monday. Better to get everything out in the open as quickly as possible so it could be dealt with equally as quickly.
“No time like the present,” she replied. “Or at least as close to the present as we can get. Tomorrow afternoon, maybe? I’ll have to check with Allegra and Bryce, but they’re
available most of the time.”
Lucas appeared to make a few mental calculations. “That should work. Do you want to call them now?”
“Now?” she asked blankly, setting down her salad fork.
“Well, before they make other plans, or it gets too late….”
He really seemed to be pushing this, but okay. Might as well set things up now and not have to worry about it again…well, until the moment of the actual meeting arrived.
She reached into her purse, pulled out her phone, and put a call through to Allegra first. As she did so, the waiter came by and gave Margot an inquiring glance. She nodded at her empty salad plate, indicating that she was done, and he took it away, piling Lucas’ plate on it with a clank that made her wince. Good thing the phone was still ringing and Allegra hadn’t picked up yet.
But then she did answer. “Margot? What is it?”
No magic there…only caller I.D. “Hello, Allegra. Something’s come up” —across the table, Lucas flashed a grin at Margot, and she sent him a quelling glance— “and I need to talk to you and Bryce tomorrow. Would two o’clock at my place work for you?”
“That would be fine for me, I think, and Bryce, too, I’m guessing.” Curiosity sharpened her tone as she added, “What’s this about, Margot?”
“We can talk about it tomorrow. Do you think you could call Bryce for me to confirm?”
“Of course. If he’s not available, I’ll let you know, but otherwise, we’ll see you at your place at two.”
“Perfect,” Margot said, inwardly relieved that she wouldn’t have to call Bryce as well. He’d be sure to ask more questions than she was willing to answer right now. “I’ll see you then.” She ended the call and shoved the phone back in her purse.
Lucas was watching her carefully. His expression was hard to read; the smile from a moment earlier was gone, and now he seemed almost thoughtful as he regarded her. “That wasn’t too hard, was it?”
She shook her head. There was no point in telling him that the hard part was yet to come.
* * *
Maybe it had been, to use Margot’s word, presumptuous of him to think he’d be staying when the last he’d seen of her, she’d stormed out of his house and made it clear she never wanted to speak to him again. But that sense of his had been tickling at the back of his thoughts, telling him he should probably pack an overnight bag, just in case, and so he’d followed his instincts and thrown the bag in the trunk of his car before heading down here to Jerome.
Now more than ever he was glad of this odd gift of his, the one that had always guided him to make the right choice. Because he could come back to Margot’s house after a truly marvelous dinner and know he didn’t have to go anywhere else.
Almost shyly she led him into her bedroom, which was less than half the size of his, but charming, with the dark wood trim around the window and the crown moldings and the blue and white quilt on the bed. “I hope your feet won’t be hanging off the edge,” she said.
He gave the bed a once-over. “It’s a queen, right?”
She nodded.
“Then I’ll fit.”
Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Oh, so you have plenty of experience with all the different bed sizes, then?”
“Some,” he acknowledged. “Considering I always made sure to go to my dates’ houses, rather than the reverse.”
“What?” Her expression was a study in confusion. “You mean….”
He came to her then, took her hands in his. Her fingers were so delicate, so slender, so lovely…and none more so than the one that wore the ring he’d given her. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever had come to my home. It was something I didn’t want to share with anyone until I knew I was serious about her. Part of it was being careful, I guess — I mean, if you’re seeing a civilian, you want to keep some things hidden until you’re absolutely certain things are going to get serious, and none of those relationships ever did. Get serious, I mean.”
“But you knew ours would be.”
“I hoped it would.” Lifting one hand to his lips, he pressed a kiss against her palm. “If it didn’t work out with you, I knew it would never work out with anyone. So I took the chance.”
“You know, your taking a chance is a little different from everyone else’s.”
“True.” He fell silent then, seeming to consider her words. “I guess that was when it came to me. I have this talent, this gift, and yet I never had any luck in the one thing I wanted most, which was someone to love, to share my life with. But then I realized my gift was smarter than I was, since it was making sure I didn’t make the wrong choice along the way. I had to wait, so the luck could bring you to me.”
In response, she took his hand and cupped it against her face, then pulled him closer to her. “I love you, Lucas.”
Something in the simple way she said those all-important words made the breath catch in his throat. He’d dreamed she might tell him that one day, but now that the moment was here, he couldn’t believe it was real, that she did love him, and, even more miraculous, had agreed to become his wife. “I love you, too, Margot Emory.”
She crushed her lips against his mouth then, tasting him, and then his hands were on her, undoing the ties of the wrap sweater she wore, feeling the silk of her skin beneath it. They fell onto the bed, which creaked faintly, and one by one the clothing they wore was tossed to the floor, until it was only the two of them, flesh to flesh, losing themselves in one another while the rain came down and the night became theirs, and theirs alone.
The next morning, Margot realized that probably the entire town of Jerome knew Lucas Wilcox had spent the night at her house. After all, it was pretty hard to hide a screaming-red Porsche, even on a rainy November evening. If she’d been thinking more clearly, she would have cast an illusion to hid the sports car, but she hadn’t been thinking about much of anything except being with Lucas. Since she figured she had very little left to lose, she went out to breakfast with him at the Flatiron Grill, then brought him back to her place, even as they passed Tobias Miller on his way down to his studio. Clearly he had spent the night up at Rachel’s, and so he just grinned at Margot and Lucas, said, “morning,” and continued on his way. It took a good deal to ruffle Tobias.
The same couldn’t be said about Bryce McAllister. Margot was definitely not looking forward to that confrontation, but the wheels had been set in motion, so there wasn’t much she could do about it.
To distract herself, she’d shown Lucas around the garden, although November wasn’t exactly the best time to show off its bounty. But it did have a spectacular view, and so they settled on the stone bench that had been placed near the edge of the property, just before it dropped down to the terraced beginning of the Willis homestead, which was immediately below hers.
The storm had disappeared with the night, and now only a few clouds lingered in a sky so blue it might have been carved from a single enormous sapphire. Margot could see the red rock cliffs of Sedona, and the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, now crowned with white. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel a shiver of dread as she looked at those dark, dark mountains, but rather a thrill of anticipation. Soon they would be a part of her life, each and every day.
Lucas reached over and laid his hand on top of hers where it rested on the bench between them. “It’s a beautiful view. And we’ll come back often to see it.”
“I know we will. It’s just….” Her gaze remained steady on those faraway mountaintops, on their promise of a life she never thought she’d be able to live. “Everything is going to change.”
“Well, yes,” he said reasonably. “But change is good. At least, that’s what everyone tells me.”
She couldn’t help smiling, and shifted on the bench so she could lean over and kiss him on the cheek. “I think this is going to be a very good change. But it’s still change, and that’s something I haven’t had much of in my life.”
“You won’t be going through it alone, though.”
No, she wouldn’t. She’d have Lucas at her side, and that thought was also both reassuring and unsettling. Her life hadn’t given her much practice at being with a man. Yes, she’d been engaged to Clay, but they’d never actually lived together. Her mother still lived in the cottage back then, and Margot and Clay had begun planning to find their own place when she’d found herself unexpectedly asked to become an elder.
But she’d caught a glimpse of what it would be like to be with Lucas, and she thought she couldn’t imagine a better way to live her life. It would be an adjustment, but it would be a good one.
His phone chimed, and he fished it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. “I think we’d better go inside now.”
“Is it two already?” she asked, puzzled. A quick glance at her watch told her they still had almost fifteen minutes until the fateful hour struck.
“No, but — you’ll see.” Smiling, he got up from the bench, then extended a hand to her. Still mystified, she took it and followed him along the gravel walkway to the back door.
Sure enough, as they entered the house, she heard the doorbell ring. Something in Lucas’ sphinx-like expression told her he knew exactly who was at the front door, but he remained silent as she went and opened it.
Standing on the front porch were Connor and Angela. She looked so very pregnant that Margot wasn’t sure how she’d made it up the steps, let alone climbed out of Connor’s SUV, but it was definitely her.
Flicking a glance up at Lucas, Margot murmured, “Ace in the hole?”
“Precisely.” His gaze moved to the young couple, who were standing there, staring at them expectantly. “I’m so glad you could make it down here. Come on in.”
“Yes, please come in,” Margot added, trying to push past her stupefaction and recall her manners. She couldn’t help asking, “Are you sure you’re okay to be out and about, Angela?”
“I’m fine.” Her hand went to the small of her back, and she added, “Well, mostly fine. I think I’ll take a seat on that sofa, though.”
Sympathetic Magic (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 4) Page 18