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Elliott was kneeling next to a little girl. Her eyes were red, streaks of old tears on her cheeks. A woman I assumed was her mom was picking up funnel cake from the sidewalk, while Elliott was talking to the little girl and…was he doing a magic trick?
“Where did it go?” the little girl asked, now smiling brightly. She didn’t seem to care about her treat anymore and was just interested in Elliott.
“I don’t know. It’s magic.” He shrugged.
“Do it again!” she pleaded.
The mom joined them, and I watched as Elliott made another quarter vanish into thin air. His audience clapped and cheered, and he stood and gave a bow.
His gaze caught mine and he winked, my face flushing at being caught watching them. I walked over just as the little girl asked him, “What’s your name?”
“Samantha,” her mom warned.
“It’s okay. I’m Elliott, and this is my husband, Parker.”
I tripped over my own two feet at hearing him introduce me that way. It sounded so…natural, like he’d been saying it for years. There was no real reason for him to do that, so I wondered why he did.
“Hi, Samantha,” I said.
“Your husband is magic!” she replied.
“I’m seeing that.” I nudged him, hoping it wasn’t obvious I’d just learned this tidbit about my husband myself. I gave my attention to her mom. “I own the bakery. If it’s okay, she can go in and pick out a free treat to make up for the one she dropped.”
“Oh, wow. Thank you! That’s so nice. Tell Parker and Elliott thank you, Samantha.”
She did, and I went with them to the door, sticking my head through to let my employees know Samantha could pick something on the house.
“Bye, Elliott! Bye, Parker!” Samantha waved, then pressed her face against the glass cases to choose what she wanted.
Elliott motioned toward the sidewalk, and I followed him. I pushed my hands into my pockets, trying to figure out what he was going to say and why it made my heart punch against my chest. Also…thinking about seeing him with Samantha, how sweet he’d been. Doing magic tricks for a little girl he didn’t know made my heart soften—something I needed to keep from happening. Been there, done that. I didn’t need a broken heart yet again. “So…are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Hmm?”
Seeing the mischievous smile on his lips, I pulled my hand free and swatted him playfully. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Oh. That. It’s nothing. If you’re free this weekend, we have to go meet my parents. How was work?”
My feet stuck to the ground like I’d stepped into wet cement. “Already?”
“Yes, dear. Come along.” He hooked his arm through mine and began to walk again. I had no choice but to go with him.
“Yes, dear?”
“You’re right. I forgot you like it when I call you beautiful.” He winked, and butterflies played chase in my belly.
Ugh. I did like it. Why did I like it so much?
“My mom threatened a surprise visit to the house to ambush you if we didn’t come over. She doesn’t make idle threats. If you try to hide from her, she will find you.”
My chuckle wouldn’t be held back, so I just let it free-fall from my lips before I thought about my own mom. “I wonder what my mom would do right now if she were still around.”
He continued to hold my arm as we walked. “I’m sorry you lost her. You deserve for her to be here…for her to see you get married for real and know your husband.”
I did deserve that, and so did she, but that wasn’t the case. “The world doesn’t work on what we deserve or not. There are millions of people who should have the same thing but don’t.”
“No, I guess not. It sucks, though.”
“It does.”
“Can I ask how she died?”
I hadn’t told him? But then, that made sense. It wasn’t something I talked about often. “It was a freak accident—like something from a movie, to be honest. A driver had a heart attack, swerved toward a child. Mom, being who she was, pushed her out of the way and was hit.”
“Jesus. She’s a hero.”
His reply was absolutely perfect, filling my chest with the best kind of warmth. “She is. Thank you for saying that.”
Elliott let go of me and cleared his throat. He glanced my way as if unsure what to say. “You’ll like my mom, and she’ll adore you. If you really can’t do this weekend, I can figure something out, though she won’t let it go for long.”
I sighed. “No reason to keep stalling. We’ll have to do this sooner or later, so I might as well do it now. I’ll make it work.” The reality of the situation hit me, and I let out a laugh that scared me a little. “I can’t believe I’m going to meet my in-laws for the first time when I’m already married, and oh—my husband isn’t in love with me.”
