She glanced over her shoulder. “Well, of course he is.”
Regge cleared his throat. “Archie is a familiar, Marjorie. He has the gift of sight, yes. But he is also a fierce protector of his family, and often to do that he will shift his form.” He took a breath. “He is both a crow and a cat.”
Mom stopped laying out bacon strips on a cookie sheet. “Well, I’d like to see that.” She popped the bacon in the oven. “Hunter has told me lots of stories about his friends—the girl who flies, the bartender who has a tail, but a bird who is also a cat?”
Archie didn’t wait for Regge’s okay. He simply lifted his wings and flew off the chair, making a tight circle in the kitchen, and landing on the kitchen table with his four cat paws.
“Arch, not on the table, please.”
If a cat could roll his eyes, I was sure Archie did. But he leaped off the table to the floor before sauntering over to a basket and settling on top of a stack ofFood and Winemagazines.
I watched Mom blink away her disbelief. “My stars, that is…” She looked at Regge. “Tell me you’re not a creature also. Please.”
He chuckled and even blushed a bit. “I assure you, I am quite human. But the world is a strange place, and I hail from not only distance but time. Thanks to Izzy and Theo, I’m alive and here.”
Mom studied him a moment. She put her hands on her hips. “That’s lovely, dear. Why don’t you open another can of tuna for him. It will be a few minutes before the bacon is ready, and he looks positively starved. Hunter, keep an eye on the bacon. I’m going to grab a shower.” With that, she left us in the kitchen.
Regge looked at me. “She took that remarkably well.”
“Well, she’s either totally freaking out and didn’t want us to see, or she really only cares about how you are with me. Where and apparentlywhenyou come from is not as important. And you’re really, really good with me.” I leaned over and kissed him. It didn’t last long as a plaintive yowl emitted from the magazine basket.
Regge pulled away and sighed. “I know what she said, Archie. Can I have a minute to kiss my lover good morning?”
“I like that. Lover.”
“I understand boyfriend is the more modern term, but it feels so juvenile. And possibly premature?” He looked suddenly vulnerable.
I rushed to reassure him. “Not at all. I’ve been wanting you for a boyfriend for a very long time. If you want that, I’m up for it.”
“Definitely more than friends with benefits. That simply caused heartache.” He pulled me in close, his arms strong and comforting. This time the yowl was closer, at our feet where Archie sat, his tail swishing with impatience.
By the time breakfast was over, I sat back in my chair, listening as a fully open and unleashed Regge told stories of Shakespearean plays and the Elizabethan era that were equal parts hilarious and inappropriate. My mother didn’t even blush.
Sometime that morning, Theo had texted that they were back in Manhattan for a meeting. I’d urged Regge to invite them for dinner at my mom’s. It would be a family dinner.
After a day of shopping for whatever was on my mom’s list, we walked through Brooklyn Bridge Park, holding hands, seeing the sights, and talking. Talking most of all.
I’d placed the last of the groceries in the fridge when I felt Regge’s hands on my hips.
“Your mum’s not home.” His breath was hot against my neck.
The kitchen clock—a kitschy retro rooster with a dial in its belly—crowed two thirty. Theo and Izzy would be at the house at seven. Plenty of time for Mom’s baked ziti.
“It’s the second Saturday, right?”
“What?”
“Today. It’s the second Saturday of the month, right? Mom has her aqua class.”
Regge spun me around, his lips nipping along my jawline. “Why do I love that you know your mum’s schedule so well?”
I closed the fridge. “I’ll tell you why. Because I know that she loves her aqua class—says it keeps her arms from getting flabby. She never misses it. And the best thing is, she won’t be home until four.” I grabbed Regge’s hand to haul him upstairs.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Regge and familiars, friends, and fooling around
“Your mum will be home soon. We should get up.” My words belied my actions, because I had no intention of leaving Hunter’s bed. We were both sweaty and sticky, and I couldn’t bring myself to get up.
