Jesus Christ.
“Graham…” Katie placed a hand on my shoulder. “Go easy on her. This whole thing is hard for her.”
“This whole fucking thing is hard oneverybody.” I grabbed the attic doorknob and whipped it open, following whatever-the-hell that was upstairs.
The resinous incense and cedar smoke mixed with something else smothered me.
When I reached the top, I knew what that something else was. My knees buckled at the sight in front of me and I landed hard on them—Flowerbomb.
Maggie was on the floor chanting a spell from a big leather book on her lap, and the candles surrounded the pentagram around her.
Standing in front of her like no time had passed was Rebecca, as beautiful as ever. And holding her finger was my sweet baby Wren.
I couldn’t breathe.
Time stood still, and the wound on my heart started to bleed again.
“Talk to them, Graham,” Maggie said, rising to drape a small silver pentagram necklace around my neck, then returning to the floor to chant.
“Do as she says, lad,” Silas said, appearing near the stained-glass window.
“Dada!!!” Wren screeched and plowed into me. It was like she was actually there. She almost felt warm—alive even.
“Oh, my sweet baby girl… I’ve missed you so much!” The words caught in my throat as I tried to hold everything back. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed tight.
But feeling her there broke the dam and tears flooded down my cheeks. I just hugged her tighter and tighter, until she… vanished.
“Kitty!” she yelled, reappearing by Chester, who was curled up with Tophie on the couch, completely unfazed by the new ghosts in the attic.
Everything inside was fire and ice at the same time. Seeing her alive and playing, like nothing ever happened, was bittersweet. She would have been thirteen in a week.
My life right now was supposed to be me sleeping in my uniform, ready to inform all the pimply-faced twerps waiting to date her who her daddy was and what size his gun was.
Instead, the past ten years were nothing but lies, broken promises, and a whole lot of sex and alcohol trying to convince myself their ghosts weren’t real.
Then a hand found my cheek.
Bec turned my face to hers, and I stood.
I couldn’t help myself. I wrapped my arms around her and lifted herup to me. I kissed her—hard. Part of me felt bad about doing that in front of Maggie, but I knew she’d understand. Why else would she bring them here?
It wasn’t like Bec was an ex.
She was my wife.
We didn’t break up or choose other people.
We had plans.
Plans that were taken from us.
She was supposed to be my forever.
But none of that mattered now. She was stuck in another realm—away from me.
Bec pulled back and looked at me with those molten eyes. “I don’t blame you.”
I set her down and looked to the floor. “Well you should,” I muttered.
