He chuckled, imagining his brother screwing the chain into the wrong spot. “I guess I’ll have to be extra careful then.”
Serena pulled a chair to his side. “So, why are you out here all alone when everyone else is inside?”
His lips twitched. “I’m not all alone,” he told her with a nod at the bar and the group in the distance.
“Right. You know, I can’t blame you for needing some fresh air. Your family is…” She let the sentence trail, and he raised a brow at her. Serena chuckled and shook her head. “Not going to help a girl out?”
He grinned. “Nope. I was genuinely curious as to what adjective you’d come up with. I’m kind of all out.”
Serena threw her head back and laughed, emitting a loud, boisterous sound that made him join in. He could not remember the last time he laughed so hard, but when they finished, his mouth hurt from smiling. His gaze moved past Serena as the mysterious woman quickly turned away.
“I see you’ve noticed Mia,” Serena stated with a smirk.
Mia… The name suited the woman well.
“We shared a rather strange interaction at the bar. How do you know her?” he asked and sipped from his whiskey.
“Brandy introduced us a little bit ago. She’s the one who helped Vanessa out at your café.”
He sifted through his memories and snapped his fingers. “Oh yes, we replaced a few tables.”
Serena watched him closely. “Yes… Things broke, but more importantly, Vanessa would have died if not for Mia’s help.”
Edward looked inside but couldn’t see his brother and his brother’s girlfriend. He hadn’t realized how serious the attack had been. “I didn’t know…”
Serena pat his knee, and he met her eyes. “I know I don’t know you well, but I can tell you they’ve missed having you around. It may not seem like it, but they do.”
Dropping his gaze to the amber liquid, he gave it a swirl. “Do you know why I went into business?”
“No.”
“Facts and figures are black and white. They must add up, and when they don’t, there’s a variable out of place. It’s rare you can’t fix it and make it work. Here with the family? I’m that variable, and it’s never black and white.”
Before Serena could do more than set sad eyes on him, he kissed her cheek and pushed to his feet to head inside. “You made a lovely bride,” he told her with a smile. “Welcome to the family.”
Chapter 2
The group around her chatted excitedly about the upcoming full moon ritual, but Mia’s mind—and body for that matter—were miles away. Or feet away, to be more accurate. Her attention flitting toward the patio where the handsome Broderick sat.
They had never been formally introduced, but it was clear he was one of Brandy’s many brothers. His dark hair, the shape of his face, and his build were similar to the others’. The only guests still at the house after the wedding were the immediate family or members of Serena’s coven, present company excluded. She was surprised when they invited her to join them later. And even more astounded at how comfortable she felt within the group.
Mia Hemlock had known she was a witch since childhood. It had never been a secret, and everything magical flowed through her naturally. But she had never participated in any formal coven, accepting her magic and practicing it in her own way.
The beauty of earth magic was it was all around her. With her natural affinity for it, she didn’t really need soil or sunrays to work her magic. Spells could assist her with other magic, but the exhilaration of connecting to Mother Earth was incomparable.
Perhaps it was why she was eager for the upcoming ritual, coven or not. At least, she had been. All she could think of now was the handsome man with hard eyes. She couldn’t figure out if he was solely arrogant or awkward as hell.
A man that good looking? She chalked it up to arrogance.
Mia adjusted the skirt to her dress, wiping away imaginary lint from it. The green fabric was light and felt amazing against her skin, but for the barest of seconds, she questioned her boho style. It was far from conservative, something she expected was the norm for the women in the handsome Broderick’s life.
She never cared for other people’s opinions of herself. It never mattered, and it was far from her business what another thought of her. She refused to start caring now. So what if her skin came abuzz at merely the sight of him?
Mia had met plenty of devilishly good-looking men and women alike. It was never their looks that caused her to accept a date but rather the inner spark she felt. It didn’t matter to her if their reproductive organs matched hers.
“Mia?” Hugh called and from the sound of it, not for the first time.
“Hmm?” she muttered as Serena stepped onto the patio.
