Page 57 of With All My Haunted Heart

Worry churns in my stomach as I answer. “Jackie? Everything okay?”

“Everything is amazing,” she says, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m a mom! Marisol gave birth last night.”

The whiplash of emotions makes my eyes prickle with sympathetic tears. “That’s incredible. I’m so happy for you both.”

“I know this is last minute, but I wanted to ask for a favor.”

“What kind of favor?” I glance up at Xander, who raises that single brow in question.

“We’d like you to provide the protection blessing before we go home.”

“Oh. Wow. That’s such an honor.” Hesitation creeps into my heart. There aren’t enough witches skilled in advanced healing to staff every medical office, but most hospitals have at least one. Plus, blessings don’t count as healing magic. Anyone can cast them. “Isn’t there a witch on staff who can do that for you? Or your brother-in-law? I’ve never done one before.” I bite back the bigger fear. I don’t want to screw it up like I do with everything else.

“There is someone here,” Jackie admits. “But we want someone who knows us. Reggie is out of town, so we’d love for it to be you. What you did for us made these last few weeks of pregnancy so much easier for Mari. It feels right that you be the one to bless our sweet boy.”

I glance up at Xander, considering. I’d planned to spend the rest of the day working on the ghost room again, but Xander did say that the ghost glasses and spirit boards were sufficient. And besides, a day away from the room could give my subconscious the space to find a creative solution.

“Okay, I’m in. Text me the location and details?”

“Thank you, Pippa! I’ll send everything now.” Somewhere in the distance, a high-pitched voice wails. “Hold on, baby. Mama’s coming.”

“Go on,” I tell her. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you!” The line goes dead, and a moment later, details for the regional hospital come through.

“What was that about?” Xander asks.

“I’m blessing a baby?”

Xander quirks the corner of his lips into a smirk. “You might want to work on saying that with more confidence. No one wants a nervous witch blessing their newborn.”

“Hilarious.” I tuck my arm through his and lead us back toward the car. “Let’s get you back to the manor so I can get my Camry.”

“Actually, I think I’ll stick around here. There’s a local chef I’ve been scoping out for the B&B.” Xander pulls the car keys from his pocket and drops them in my hand. “Go ahead and take my car. I’ve got one of those rideshare apps on my phone.”

“You sure?” I ask as my fingers close over the keys. I can’t tell if the swirl in my stomach is nerves or excitement.

“Go bless the baby, Pip. I’ll be fine.”

At the hospital, a staff member is already waiting for me at reception. I’m checked in swiftly, provided with a bag of properly sanitized crystals, and guided through the maze of hallways to the maternity wing.

Jackie is waiting for me in the hall outside room 222, looking exhausted but full of joy. She crushes me in a hug when the staff member drops me off. “I’m so glad you agreed to do this.” Her voice is thick with emotion, and when she pulls away, there are tears in her eyes. “Don’t mind me. I’ve been a crying mess all day,” she says with a chuckle.

“I think that’s pretty common.” I squeeze her hands and glance into the room, where a nurse is checking Marisol’s vitals.

We wait for the nurse to finish up, and then I follow Jackie into the room. She perches on the edge of Marisol’s bed and reaches for her wife’s hand. “Look who I found out in the hallway.”

Marisol finally turns to look at me, and the exhausted smile that brightens her face soothes away some of the concern I had about doing this. The woman radiates pure love. “Pippa. You made it.”

“I’m honored you wanted me here.” I glance past the new mothers to the bassinet on the other side of Marisol’s bed. From here, all I can see is a small, swaddled lump with a bald head sticking out the top. “How are you feeling?”

“Great doctors. Great healers. Great drugs.” She grins. “So, I’m great.”

“And the baby?” I step closer to Marisol and Jackie, and from the change in vantage point, I get my first real look at the little one’s face. His tiny nose. Itty-bitty lips. Eyes shut tight while he sleeps.

Marisol follows my gaze, and the intense love that lights up her face pokes at the hole in my heart where my family used to be. “He’s perfect. He’s got all his fingers and toes. All his tests are coming back great.”

“Does he have a name?”