Poppy blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Well, Wanda spent years with her magic twisted by vampire blood. That had to be scary for her, right? The magic she’d depended on her entire life didn’t play by the same rules any longer. She had her share of mishaps, from the stories I hear. But guess what?”
“What?”
“She got through it. She found a way to make it work for herself. I’d say she’s now thriving.”
I wasn’t sure if Wanda was thriving, but I figured he had a point. “Okay, point taken.”
“And Fifi?”
“What about Fifi?”
“Didn’t she come to you for a potion to help her strip her demon half because she couldn’t find love? She was afraid of killing people with her powers? It sounds like she knows what it’s like when you fear something inside yourself. Something you can’t always control.”
My throat felt tight. I couldn’t look at him. He was right. I knew he was right. But...
Andre continued as if he hadn’t witnessed me swallowing hard. “Now she’s married to a sasquatch who adores her for every inch of herself, demon side included. They get it. They’llunderstand what you’re going through, my love. More than anyone else, maybe. So stop punishing yourself for being afraid, and let the people who love you walk you through it.”
“It’s different,” I said weakly.
“How? Because it’s you? That’s silly, Poppy. Every spell, every potion, every charm—it’s all a gamble. You know that as well as I do. And that applies to all magic, not just your new, incredible brand of it.”
“Why do you always have to be so right about everything?”
He chuckled. “Because I know you. You don’t back down. You’ve always been the bravest person in the room. And this?” He gestured loosely toward me. “This isn’t about whether you’ll master this alchemy. It’s about when.”
My breath caught. I finally dared to meet his eyes. They were wide, earnest, and so gentle that I could feel his gaze like a tangible weight on my skin. I wanted to kiss him. But then I was afraid to kiss him, in case it hurt him. The words sank deeper than I expected, past the guilt and fear, into the place where long-buried hope lay. I felt it stir, just a little.
Maybe I could do this.
I blinked away a tear. “You really think so?”
Andre gave me a crooked smile, his hand brushing against mine. “I don’t just think it. I know it.”
I was quiet for a long time after Andre finished speaking. The steady weight of his words, the warmth of his hands brushing mine, seemed to fill the silence with something unspoken. He believed in me. He always had.
And yet, a familiar knot coiled in my chest—the doubt I couldn’t ever quite shake. I’d told myself it was just habit, scars from the past. A few good boyfriends didn’t erase a lifetime of disappointment. Being a single mom had meant putting Finn first, always, and guarding my heart like a locked vault.
But Andre wasn’t just another man. He was my soulmate. I felt it in my bones, and yet I didn’t always trust myself to believe it.
“Hey,” I asked softly, surprising even myself. “Can I ask you something?”
Andre turned his head, curious. “Of course.”
“I… I want you to move in with me… with us… Finn and me.” I blurted the words out before I could second-guess myself. Then, in the quiet that ensued, I had to swallow around the pulse in my throat. “I know it’s a lot to ask. And I know my track record is… well, not great. I keep waiting for things to fall apart. But I don’t want to wait anymore. Not with you. Not when I know what we are.”
For a moment, I couldn’t look at him. I was bracing for hesitation, for the shadow of rejection I’d come to expect.
Instead, Andre reached over and gently untangled my hands, lacing his fingers with mine. “Poppy,” he said, and there was such certainty in his voice that it made my heart ache, “I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”
“You have?”
He nodded.
“But you never mentioned it!” I started.
“Well, it wouldn’t be proper for me to invite myself to move in, would it?”
