A few minutes later, I’m sitting at the kitchen table with a gently steaming cup in front of me. But I can’t shake off myconcern for Jade. Is he sick? Will Brodie be able to help? He is a great healer, gods know he put me back together. But Jade is part fey and nobody knows anything about them. Their anatomy and physiology is a mystery.
I sip my hot tea, but I still feel cold. My worry for Jade is heavy in my gut, and my nearly brimming magic is swirling through me. The combination is making me feel nauseous.
Fuck this. Abruptly, I get to my feet. I can’t do anything about Jade, but I can get rid of this blasted magic. I can go to Monty’s van right now. His tea is better than mine. I can enjoy it while admiring his kind eyes.
Then we can get into bed.
My cheeks heat. Thank goodness no one is here to see me. Hastily, I pour my barely touched tea down the sink and put everything away.
Then I hurry towards the garden. Birdsong and sunlight greet me as I open the back door. I pass Blue’s swimming pool and cross the lawn.
Suddenly, my feet stop. My jaw hangs open. My eyes blink several times. I still can’t believe what I am seeing. Or rather, what I am not seeing. Monty’s van is not here. It is gone. There is a tuft of yellow grass where it used to be. But that’s it. No other sign it was ever there at all.
Monty has gone.
Numbly, my fingers scramble for my phone. Blindly, I tap at it. I hold it to my ear as it rings.
“Hello?” says Monty’s voice.
“You left.” I blurt. “I understand. I mean, I’m surprised you were able to stay for so long, I really am.” I’m rambling but there is not a thing I can do about it. “I’m sorry to call and bother you, but I wanted to thank you…”
“Pink,” interrupts Monty. “The van needed an oil change. I’ll be back this evening.”
His words don’t register. I don’t want to hear them. Platitudes are the last thing I need. What I need is Monty. But it is too late for that. I missed my chance and now I’m never going to see him again.
“You’ve been so kind Monty, you really have, and I appreciate everything you have done for me. You respected my boundaries and I’m so grateful. I’m just sorry if they seemed a bit harsh.”
Monty is saying something else, but I can’t process it at all. My mind is consumed by the devastation of Monty leaving. My heart is beating frantically. My body is trembling violently.
Is this shock? Have I gone into shock?
I’m still rabbiting on, but I have no idea what I am even saying. Oh, I think I’m begging him to come back so I can say goodbye in person and see him one last time. It is probably a terrible idea.
Suddenly, a blast of cold air hits me from behind. I whirl around. A black portal is opening.
I stare in astonishment as Monty steps through it, his mobile phone still pressed to his ear. The portal winks out of existence. Leaving Monty in the garden, in front of me.
“Pink,” he says firmly. “I haven’t left. The van just needed to go to the garage.”
I try to swallow, but my throat is too tight. Oh my. His words are finally sinking in. He hasn’t left. Monty hasn’t left me. I’m panicking over nothing.
And incredibly, Monty opened a portal. That takes a ton of magic. He is going to be drained for months. Yet he did it because I was being all hysterical on the phone.
An anguished sob escapes me as I run forward and fling myself at him. My arms wrap around him and I burst into tears. His strong arms pull me even closer and hold me tight.
He doesn’t say a word. He just holds me and lets me sob my heart out.
He really is the best man in the world.
Chapter nine
Monty
Pink looks adorable. Sitting in his bed, all swaddled up in a soft beige blanket and cradling a cup of tea.
I’m glad I’ve managed to get him settled in his bedroom. A room I have never set foot in before. In fact, I’ve never been inside any young man’s bedroom. It is awfully intimate.
But it is what it is. It may be awkward for me, but it is comforting for Pink to be in his own space, and that is all that matters.
