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After my mother left us, Chase said, “You’re such a natural with him.”
I smiled. He’d become more paternal than me, hinting at how nice it would be to have one of our own. I wondered if he was under pressure to sire a child by a certain age.
After the fiasco of our short-lived engagement, I kept questioning his actions and responses—overthinking, as usual.
We’d been inseparable for nearly a year. Chase had even asked me to move in with him, which I was considering doing now that my mother and Mitch had created a family.
“So, when’s the… what’s it called again? When’s that happening?” Chase asked.
“The Wiccaning starts at two, I believe.”
I turned to my mother, who came to take Jupiter from my hands.
She nodded. “That’s when the planet Jupiter moves forward into Leo.”
Chase looked at me with the same crooked smile he always wore in response to my mom’s fixation with astrology and alternative spiritualism.
Mitch entered the room, looking tanned and healthy after their Caribbean cruise. He cut the fine picture of a happy father.
“Everything’s set,” he said, taking his newborn and kissing his cheek.
Jupiter was in for a whole lot of love and support.
Mitch gave my mother a warm smile. Yes, they were much in love, which brought me nothing but joy. Not because I hated how crabby she got without a man in her bed, but purely because I wanted happiness for her.
Two hours later, on a lovely sunny afternoon, we stood in a forest, among a colorful array of my mother’s friends. A table had been set in the middle of a clearing. Sara, Hunter, Liam, and Ambrose had arrived the night before and were staying at local B and Bs.
Swept away by the theatrics of the circle casting taking place, Liam seemed to jump out of his skin.
Chase leaned in and whispered, “Do you think Jupiter’s going to be freaked out by the knives and Lord of the Rings outfits?”
I giggled. He was referring to the four elements—chalice, pentagram, knife, and stake—each held by a participant standing in the circle.
My mother’s friend Serenity Luna took on the role of high priestess, and Jupiter was placed in the center over a green velvet blanket.
“They’re not going to sacrifice him, are they?” Chase asked with a smirk.
I knocked his arm. “Don’t.” But my lips curled anyway. It was impossible not to react to the silly shit that spilled from those sexy lips.
Serenity chanted a verse, then finished it with “I Wiccan you, Jupiter White-Starr.” She dabbed oil on his belly and drew what looked like a star.
The poor little baby’s legs thrashed about, and he started to howl. I would have, too, with Serenity and that eye drawn in the middle of her eyebrows.
“White-Starr?” Liam whispered.
“White is Mitch’s surname.”
“Oh. How apt.”
I had to agree. When my mother announced that they were hyphenating their surnames, I’d thought it a bit long-winded. But it suited the astronomical theme.
As the priestess continued the prayers, raising her arms to the universe and asking for its blessings, I continued to think I was on a movie set. Of course, I had two sidekicks, with both Liam and Chase whispering silly little comments on either side of me. I nearly gnawed through my lip, trying to stifle my laughter.
Out of respect for my mother, I remained blank-faced and quiet. I had to look anywhere but at Chase’s goofy expression. That sexy buffoon was my boyfriend.
As with other kinds of religious ceremonies, I was glad when the Wiccaning was over and my little brother was back in his stroller, looking peaceful and cute.
After we waved our goodbyes, Chase took my hand as we walked toward the house through the forest.
