She swallowed around the lump in her throat and reached over to pet Beastie’s head as the dog looked between her and Roan with all the love a dog could have.
“I know I don’t deserve this,” Roan said quietly, reaching under Beastie’s chin to scratch her, “but I am grateful that it’s happened, even if it took getting cursed to get here.”
“I’m the one who doesn’t deserve it,” Abigail said, the words catching in her throat. She’d done some terrible things in her time “helping” her father, and to find herself here, feeling like she belonged…it was something she’d never expected to find.
“How about we agree that we both deserve it and treasure this moment?” Roan asked, reaching over to take her hand, even as he avoided her gaze by looking down at Beastie. “Is that a fair compromise?”
A compromise. “I suppose so,” Abigail said, the corners of her mouth turning up.
If she didn’t feel the headache coming on, she could almost have forgotten that she’d just been sobbing hysterically on his shoulder. This moment was pretty near perfect.
She would remember this forever.
“As long as we don’t forget,” she said quietly.
Roan’s attention snapped to her. “What do you mean, as long as we don’t forget?” he asked.
“Sometimes when a spell is broken, the person it was cast on doesn’t remember everything that happened,” she said, a sinking feeling in her chest.
“But you’ll remember, right?” he asked.
“Probably,” she said, the words bitter in her mouth. What would she do if the curse broke and Roan didn’t remember that the two of them had become something different these past few days? If he went back to being the grumpy man he’d been for so long?
Could she break through his walls again without the help of a curse?
“You’ll just have to remind me,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I don’t want to forget any of this.”
As if she would feel comfortable telling a pre-curse Roan anything about magic. He probably wouldn’t listen to her.
“The fact that you don’t remember the curse happening is not a good sign,” Abigail pointed out quietly.
“I don’t care. I don’t plan on forgetting any of this, or anything that’s happened with you.” He pushed Beastie off his lap and pulled her to her feet. “And just in case, I think we’d better make a few more memories worth holding on to.”
Abigail’s cheeks flushed as she let him pull her to her feet. He reached for the half-finished dress and held it open for her to step into it. “Maybe the waking memories will stay,” he said. “And I definitely don’t want to forget dancing with you.”
Abigail could hardly believe this was real. She certainly didn’t deserve this happiness, no matter what he said, but she allowed him to help her into the dress, which was a tad snug in the sleeves over her other dress. She hadn’t finished the back yet, so it gaped open, and it was still far too long.
But Roan didn’t care. He pulled her into his arms and began swaying with her as if there was music playing, and instead of a tavern kitchen, they were in a grand ballroom.
“This moment is far too perfect to forget,” he whispered as he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, and Abigail wholeheartedly agreed with him.
This moment was perfect.
Chapter eleven
Roan
Roanopenedhiseyesto find Conrad sitting on a bar stool in front of him. He had his apron on, a towel slung over his shoulder, and a handful of clean utensils. Apparently he’d been in the middle of doing dishes.
“I see the way you’re looking at her,” Conrad said. His voice was serious, which was a little unlike Conrad, especially when the topic of girls came up. “I don’t know what changed today, but I think the two of you ought to figure it out. And if you hurt her, you’ll have me and the rest of the men here to deal with.” He took a swig of his ale and set it back down.
“I am not going to hurt her,” Roan said, his eyes drawn to Abigail, who was across the room, serving a bowl of soup to Tom and Edgar.
“I know you don’t plan on it, but no one does,” Conrad said.
Abigail must have sensed that they were talking about her, because she turned and grinned at him.
Roan’s heart skipped a beat as he put the utensils down. “She’s incredible,” he told Conrad.
