He laughed—a real laugh, the kind that shook his chest and made me smile just from hearing it. "You're ridiculous."
"You keep saying that."
"It keeps being true."
My phone buzzed.
I considered ignoring it. Considered letting the outside world wait, just this once, so I could hold onto this moment a little longer.
But it buzzed again. And again. The pattern I recognized as Cassie's particular brand of text-urgency.
"Uh oh," I muttered, fishing the phone from between the couch cushions.
Cassie: DIANE
Cassie: Something weird is happening at the winery
Cassie: Apparently the vines have been MOVING
Cassie: Like MOVING moving
Cassie: Luna says something's waking up over there
Cassie: I think we have another one
I stared at the screen. Read the messages again. Let out a long, slow breath.
"Oh no."
"What?" Marcus leaned over to look. Read. Closed his eyes with the resigned expression of a man who'd learned that magical chaos was simply part of his life now. "Another one?"
"Looks like."
"Another magical romantic catastrophe?"
"Probably. The vines moved, Marcus. That's not normal vine behavior."
"No," he agreed. "That's not normal vine behavior."
I should have felt tired. Overwhelmed. Ready to hide under the covers and pretend the magical world didn't exist.
Instead, I felt something like excitement. Like anticipation. Like the beginning of a story I couldn't wait to hear.
"I should probably call her," I said.
"Probably."
"Make sure she's okay. Offer support. Bring wine, eventually."
"That does seem to be your specialty."
I started to get up, but Marcus caught my hand. Pulled me back down.
"In a minute," he said. "She can wait five minutes."
"The vines are moving."
"The vines will still be moving in five minutes." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and the gentleness of it made my heart clench. "Stay. Just for a moment."
