Interrupted Magic

by Karla Brandenburg

  I couldn’t be sure I was pregnant, not before tomorrow morning, at any rate, if then.

  I sat in the turnaround for fifteen minutes, tears streaming down my face—tears likely released by elevated hormones.

  All these tears might be due to PMS. My period was due. Overdue. Ian didn’t need to be subjected to this.

  I blew my nose, wiped my eyes and drove home.

  I set the bag from the drugstore on my kitchen counter and stared it down.

  Ash came bounding through the house and leapt to the counter beside me. She arched her back under my hand and I smiled as I petted her.

  “I have to call Nora,” I told the cat. “Come sit with me.” I left the kitchen, but the cat didn’t follow. Instead, she leapt to the floor, staring at the door.

  “Fine.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed my aunt as I collapsed onto my sofa.

  “Everything okay?” she asked when she answered.

  My voice croaked. “I may have discovered what’s interrupting my magic.”

  “That must be a relief. Is everything better now?”

  The fact she couldn’t sense my thoughts should be evidence enough for her to know the answer. I remained silent, waiting for the mental probe that usually followed. It wasn’t forthcoming.

  “Are you still there?” she asked.

  “I am. Is everything okay with you?” Maybe she was experiencing issues, as well.

  “As far as I know. What’s going on?”

  The elephant sat on my chest again, making it difficult to breathe. “I think I’m pregnant.”

  Her intake of air came through the phone clearly. “Have you told Kyle?”

  “I haven’t slept with Kyle in months.”

  She sputtered. “Are you suggesting immaculate conception?”

  “No...”

  Another intake of air. “You slept with the man from the grocery.”

  I nodded, even knowing she couldn’t see me.

  Ash moaned in the kitchen. I rose from the sofa to check on her and found her still staring at the door. “What...?”

  “What’s going on?” Nora asked.

  “It’s Ash. She’s acting strange.” I opened the door and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw the tall, dark man on my stoop. “I have to go.”

  Chapter 37

  Ash leapt to Ian’s shoulders and purred.

  I fumbled my phone to the counter, then clutched my hands together to control the shaking.

  Ian set his hands on either side of the door frame, leaned forward and bowed his head, Ash draped around his neck. “You knock me off my feet every time I see you.”

  “That makes two of us,” I breathed.

  He met my gaze. “I saw your car outside the folly.”

  I cleared my throat. “I wanted to talk to you, but I don’t know what else I can say. I’ve already told you I didn’t know Kyle answered my phone. Pretty sure I was puking my guts out at the time. He was doing his Boy Scout routine by helping me inside. That’s all.”

  Ian looked over my shoulder. “Can I come in?”

  I stepped aside and let him pass.

  Ian pulled Ash into his arms and cradled her, stroking her fur. Lucky cat. I steeled myself for whatever he’d come to say.

  He walked to the bay window behind the table and looked across the yard toward the woods. “I’m a jealous man, Brynn. An ugly trait, I know.”

  “I can understand how you might have thought what you did, especially when Kyle led you to believe...”

  When he turned to face me, his eyes glowed dangerously. I gasped.

  “I didn’t throw you away, but I couldn’t bear the thought of you with another man, one I know you cared about—care about still?”

  “I do care about Kyle. We have always been friends.” I took a step toward Ian. “My debt to him has been paid. When I met you, I found a part of myself I didn’t know was missing.” Tears threatened once more, definitely a hormonal imbalance, whether PMS or pregnancy. “You’ve come into my life during a period of upheaval, something that, unfortunately, seems to be more common where I’m concerned than the easy times. If you can’t trust me, you need to let me know now, while I’m still trying to right the ship, in a manner of speaking.”

  He set Ash on the floor, stood before me and rested his hands on my shoulders. “Who threw you away?”

  A tear escaped. “My best friend. My guardians. My high school boyfriend.”

  He nodded slowly. “I dated a woman who played on my jealousy. She flirted with every man she met. The more I tried to advance our relationship, the more she flirted with other men, especially when we were together.”

  “I never learned the fine art of flirting.” I met his gaze, determined to show him I was sincere. “When I’m with you, every other man fades into the background.”

  He closed his eyes. The tenseness in his shoulders eased. “Good grief, Brynn. From the moment I met you, you shined light on the path that has been dark for so long. You are the air in my lungs. I can’t breathe without you.” He clutched me tight. “I feel I’ve known you forever, and yet I don’t know anything about you. That terrifies me.”

  A shudder ran through me imagining how terrified he’d be with an unexpected baby.

  He held me at arms’-length, studying my face. “I have no intention of throwing you away, but I can’t promise to be so understanding if anyone tries to steal you away from me.” He dropped to a knee, holding my hand. “I pledge myself to you, Brynn Taylor, but I ask the same in return. I need the same in return. I don’t want to be apart from you another day.”

  My heart kicked. Was Ian just another man who wanted to control me?

  From the beginning, Kyle had tried to solve my problems for me. Ian had flat-out refused to help me reverse the spell. He’d made his feelings for me plain, but he hadn’t pressured me.

  My mouth was a desert, and nerves prickled my skin. I swallowed hard. “We will have challenges ahead,” I managed to say. “I need to know you aren’t going to throw me away like everyone else I’ve ever cared about.” I tugged him to his feet, staring into his eyes. “If I return your pledge, it means I will trust you more than my own insecurities. Can you promise the same?”

  He nodded. “I admit, I gave into my insecurities when Kyle answered your phone, but this thing between us, this is extraordinary. I can’t imagine my future without you.”

  I swallowed again, afraid to confess my fears to him, but if we were going to make it for the long haul, I couldn’t hold back. “Does your future include children?” I asked.

  “I don’t think that’s an option for us.” He chuckled. “But we’ll have fun trying. Once again, I find myself struggling to control myself around you. I’m looking for a flat surface to press you against.”

  A knock on the door broke his trance over me.

  “Brynn? You okay?” Kyle’s voice.

  Ian raised his eyebrows.

  “Sometimes it’s better to face your demons,” I said, nipping his lips. “I want you to meet Kyle and put your insecurities to rest.”

  Ian’s eyes narrowed, but he let me go.

  I walked to the kitchen and opened the door. Ian followed, standing at my shoulder.

  Kyle glanced at Ian, and then at me. “After what happened with Daria, I wanted to make sure you didn’t have other uninvited guests.”

  As if I needed more proof I should sell the house. “I’m fine.”

  Ian moved to my side. “You’re the man who answered her phone when I called the other night?” His voice, low and threatening, sent a shiver through me.

  Kyle’s eyes grew large. He took a step back. “Uhh...”

  I couldn’t imagine Kyle being intimidated by anyone. More often than not, I’d seen swagger when someone challenged him. I’d never seen him back down. The two men were close to the same height, and I knew for a fact Kyle had more muscle mass than Ian.

  “I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression when you called,” Kyle said. />
  “You did, but that impression has been corrected.”

  Kyle shot me a glance. “Are you okay?”

  “I am.”

  He returned his gaze to Ian. “Sorry to have intruded.” He turned and left.

  I set my hands on my hips and looked at Ian. His eyes glittered. “What did you do to him?”

  Ian blinked and smiled at me. “Me? Not a thing.”

  I laughed. “I don’t believe you.”

  He closed the door. “Nothing every little boy doesn’t learn the first time they’re bullied. You have to stand up for yourself.” He wrapped his arms around my waist, staring into my eyes. “Is there something more I should know?”

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  Chapter 38

  I led Ian to the living room and sat beside him on the sofa, holding his hand, my head bowed. Where to start?

  “I told you my products don’t seem to be working the way they should,” I began.

  “And I told you I suspect that’s a result of interfering with someone else’s magic,” he said. “When is the spell fulfilled?”

  “Madeleine said she canceled it.” I shot him a dark look. “I didn’t have a problem with my magic until after I’d met you.”

  He pulled away. “You think I’m responsible?”

  I blew out a slow breath. “In a way...”

  “Brynn, I’m as surprised by how quickly we’ve connected as you are, but I promise you, I haven’t cast a spell on you.”

  I held up a finger to silence him. “Let me finish.”

  He leaned into the sofa. “Go on.”

  “It didn’t occur to me until I was at dinner with my cousins tonight.” I winced. He didn’t care about my cousins, but I wanted to explain how I’d come to the conclusion I had. I gave Ian a brief history of how Jason had stopped at my house last year when he was worried his daughter had inherited the family legacy, with a stern admonition that my aunt and I were not to encourage her differences.

  “Then his wife stopped into the shop,” I went on. “I didn’t see the magic in her right away. She was very pregnant.” Chills jumped over my skin as I remembered how LeAnne had wanted my help to raise her child prodigy. I met Ian’s gaze, hoping he’d follow the logic, but he might not know pregnancy suppressed our gifts. The concerned look on his face didn’t indicate he understood what I was telling him.

  “How does this relate to your problem?” he asked.

  My hands were shaking. I didn’t even know for sure if I was pregnant.

  I knew.

  “When we met in Gupta’s. You knew I was like you, right?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I saw the glow in your eyes, yes.”

  I returned his nod. “And then we went into the woods.”

  His pupils dilated and his lips quirked into a smile. “We did.”

  He hadn’t even asked about birth control. A renewed sense of outrage shook me, and then I reminded myself I was a willing participant, and equally at fault. Then again, I’d been led to believe, as he was, that I couldn’t have children. I fought to control my shaking hands. “I suppose the first thing I should ask you is if you’re healthy. We might have shared diseases that day.”

  “I’m healthy. Are you telling me you aren’t?”

  “I’m telling you there are consequences for unprotected sex,” I said bluntly.

  He straightened and blinked. “I’ve been told the legacy is never passed directly, that people with our talents are unable to conceive.” His voice trailed away.

  Tears threatened again, fearing his jealousy would assign another man the role of father. I rushed ahead. “My cousin’s wife had talents. She enchanted my cousin with the intended goal of combining his latent genetic make-up with her direct genetic link to the magic to create a child with enhanced talents. The result was my niece, who did, in fact, exhibit extraordinary talents. She’s four years old.”

  Ian’s face lit up. “Seriously?”

  I nodded. “Unfortunately, once LeAnne gave birth to my nephew and her gifts were restored, she tried to cast a spell to take my gifts away. Georgia intervened, even at three years old, and they both suffered as a result. I’m not certain Georgia’s powers were completely canceled, but it’s a reflective spell. LeAnne lost her gift.”

  “Brynn, are you telling me your magic isn’t working because you’re pregnant?”

  I pushed off the sofa, walked into the kitchen and came back with the bag from the drug store. “I don’t know for sure, but all indications point that way. I bought a test on my way home. That’s why I stopped outside the folly. I was debating whether to tell you. I haven’t taken a test yet. I was planning to in the morning.”

  “The baby’s mine?” he asked. “Are you sure?”

  I winced, prepared for the jealous nature he’d alluded to. “I’m sure. I haven’t slept with anyone else for four months—more than four months.”

  Ian stood beside me, set the bag on the couch and pulled me into his arms. “I never imagined I could be a father.” He took my hands in his and kissed my knuckles. “I’ve never acted so carelessly before, and I have no excuse for my behavior other than the fact you overload my senses—the way you look, the way you smell, the way you feel, the way you taste. I can’t seem to get enough of you. When I saw the magic in you, I never considered this might be an eventuality.”

  He stopped to take a breath. “Please tell me you want this baby as much as I do. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were my future. I’ve already made my feelings clear to you, I hope, and Brynn—oh, Brynn—I do hope you feel the same, as crazy as it all seems.”

  I smiled and nodded, tears spilling down my cheeks. I laughed. “I seem to be awfully weepy lately, along with a dozen other symptoms I wasn’t paying attention to.”

  “We have so many plans to make.” He kissed me and eased me onto the sofa. “Tell me what you want to do. Whether it’s here, or in Pratt, or somewhere else altogether, and we can build our life. Together.”

  I pressed my lips to his. “I’m in.”

  I woke in Ian’s arms some time later, sated and content, my ear to his chest.

  “I have no cousins,” Ian said, his voice rumbling. “No siblings. I always believed the family legacy would end with me.” He kissed the top of my head. “If your cousin’s wife could enrich her line, perhaps our child...”

  I pressed a finger to his lips. “Let’s not place that burden on an unborn child, a child we aren’t even sure exists yet.”

  He sighed. “Apparently, I was something of a prodigy. While my father was excited about the prospect, my mother was frightened and chose denial as her coping mechanism. She refused to have another baby she didn’t understand.”

  “That’s not uncommon, from what I’ve seen, which is why what we share is such a burden. When someone is different than everyone else, they are isolated. I don’t want my child to be isolated.”

  “Don’t you see? It already has at least one cousin who understands, and it will have you and me.” Ian hugged me tight.

  I laughed. “We don’t even know for sure if I’m pregnant.”

  “You said you had symptoms, aside from the interruption to your magic.”

  “Or it’s nerves, or even PMS,” I said. “With all the changes going on in my life...”

  Ian turned to meet my gaze. “Baby or no baby, I want to be with you. Tell me how you envision our future.”

  He was giving me the power, not dictating how he wanted our life together to be. My heart kicked hard. “First, I sell this house. The folly is kind of quirky, but how much fun is it, when you’re different, to live in a different kind of place?”

  He grinned. “Exactly. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to sell it when my uncle died.”

  “Are we talking about marriage?” I asked.

  “It’s a commitment I’d like to make,” he replied. “To you. To the world. I hope you’re willing to do the same. I realize its only words, but it’s a promise for the future.
Our future. Together.”

  I nodded.

  “If the test comes back positive, to my way of thinking, we should get married sooner rather than later,” he added.

  A thrill of excitement propelled me out of bed, a thrill I’d never experienced when Kyle insisted I marry him. “I don’t need something big or fancy. Cassandra would stand up for me. Do you have a friend you want to invite? If not, I’m sure Lucas would be a second witness for us. And Nora. Nora would have to be there.” I stopped. “I can’t leave Lisa out.”

  “My parents, too.”

  “At the folly,” I said.

  “I’d marry you tomorrow,” he said. “If that’s what you want.”

  Again, I laughed. “Your parents will need more than a day to make arrangements.”

  “I’ll call them now and see when they can make the trip.”

  I kissed Ian. “Let’s wait until morning, and then we’ll have a better idea of how much time we have to work with.”

  That sobered him. “That day in the woods was what? Two weeks ago? Will the test be accurate this early? How late are you?”

  “The tests says three days from the first missed period. I was due August 29. Tomorrow will be the third day.”

  He leapt out of bed and wrapped his arms around me. “Somehow I don’t think we’ll be getting much sleep tonight.”

  I laughed. “That seems to be a pattern when we spend the night together.”

  “Do you mind? The way I crave you?” he asked.

  “I don’t mind, although I’m not sure what I think matters. Nature seems to be having a good laugh at our expense, sort of a chemistry experiment.” I leaned into him. “We’ve proven we react to each other.”

  “Spontaneous combustion.” He threw his hands in the air in a mock explosion.

  “Then we might as well combust some more while we’re waiting for morning.”

  Chapter 39

  After waiting the prescribed time, I picked up the stick on my bathroom sink, my hands shaking. Ian hovered at the door, clutching his hands together.

  I closed my eyes briefly and let out a slow breath, then checked the results—and dropped the stick. Spots danced across my vision and I was lightheaded, grabbing the sink for balance. Ian set one hand on my shoulder and retrieved the stick.