He gave her a searching look before cupping her face and kissing her. “I love you, baby.”
She smiled at him, magic and love flickering through her veins. “I love you, too.”
CHAPTER 39
There was a knock on the front door before it opened, and Brooke’s voice said, “Cece? You home?”
“In the kitchen,” Cece called.
She smiled at Brooke as she walked into the room, carrying a plant with pretty pink splattered green leaves. “They had the cutest plants at the Co-op, and I know grocery store plants are probably not the greatest, but… whoa.”
Brooke stared at the women gathered around the kitchen island. “Is there a party I don’t know about?”
Her mother laughed. “No, darling. More like an impromptu gathering.”
Brooke slid into an empty seat, setting the plant on the island. She smiled at the pretty Black woman sitting beside her. “Hey, Imani. Your braids are looking fantastic.”
“Thanks, Brooke. I went to Fairbanks yesterday and got them done.” She studied the plant in front of them. “That’s a really cute plant. What is it?”
“No idea,” Brooke said, glancing at Cece. “Cece?”
“It’s a polka dot plant,” Cece said.
She picked up the plant, and when the leaves vibrated lightly before turning toward her, Brooke said, “Man, I will never get over how cool that is.”
“It’s very cool,” Imani said. “Does that happen to all green witches, Cece?”
“It depends on how powerful their magic is,” Cece said.
“Yours must be pretty powerful,” Mari said as she studied the plants that Brooke had brought Cece last week. They were already starting to climb the walls, and their leaves and vines were lush and vibrant-looking. “Earlier, some of the vines were actually curling around her arms while she was making coffee.”
“Oh, that is so cool,” Brooke said.
Cece busied herself misting the polka-dot plant with water before setting it on the counter with the others. Her magic was particularly strong today because she and Briggs had spent most of the morning fucking in his spectacularly giant bed.
She smiled to herself. She’d been sleeping in Briggs’s bed for a week now, and she was certain she could never go back to sleeping in a normal-sized bed again. She wondered idly if she could buy a bed like Briggs’s back in Ashdale or if they’d have to have it custom-made. Probably custom-made. Not many -
“Cece?”
She turned around, smiling at the blonde woman sitting next to Mari. “Sorry, Anna. What did you say?”
Anna waved her phone at her. “I’m just texting with Rosalie, and she said to remind you her African Violet plant is looking terrible again, and she needs you home asap.”
Cece laughed. “She texted me a picture of it last night. It’s lost a few leaves, but it’s not as bad as she thinks.”
“My boy’s mate is wonderful, but plant care is not one of her strengths,” Anna said with a smile.
Cece grinned at her before sliding into her seat beside Brooke. She had met Hudson’s parents the third day she’d been in Wellington, and she’d liked them instantly. Anna, in particular, was warm and kind, and she made no secret of how much she loved Rosalie.
“Where’s Briggs?” Brooke asked.
“He went for a river swim,” Cece said. “He should be home soon, though. He’s usually only gone for -”
The door opened and slammed shut, and Cece’s magic flared when Briggs walked into the kitchen. He studied the women in the kitchen without surprise before leaning over and kissing Cece. “Hello, my mate.”
She inhaled deeply. Briggs smelled like snow and river water and crisp pine trees, and her magic flared again, a delicious flicker of power and pleasure that she would never tire of.
“Hi, honey. How was your swim?”
