Page 55 of Charmed, I’m Sure (Witches of Bellevue #1)

Brace for impact

Magnolia

“I’m not an invalid,” Aunt Evie sniped, swatting at me as I tried to help her out of the front seat of Taylor’s Bronco.

“No, of course not. You only got hit by a car and are recovering from surgery, but what do I know?” I drawled, fixing her with an exasperated stare.

“Magpie, just because you’re datin’ a doctor doesn’t mean you get to treat me like I’m your patient,” she huffed.

“Oh, well, by all means. Let’s consult a doctor. Taylor?”

“Don’t drag me into this,” he exclaimed, raising his hands in surrender.

“Smart man,” Aunt Evie muttered—but the words barely left her lips before a wince stole across her face as she shifted.

“You gonna keep being difficult?” I deadpanned, crossing my arms over my chest.

She’d always been stubborn, always insisted on doing things her own way, in her own time—and she wonders where I got it from.

But even I’d learned when to lean on people, that I couldn’t do everything on my own.

That it was okay to ask for help. Sure, it might have taken the man standing behind me to show me that I didn’t have to shoulder every burden myself, but that wasn’t the point.

She was being more stubborn than a mule.

Aunt Evie and I locked eyes, neither of us flinching, blinking, or damn near breathing as we silently willed the other to back down.

“Come on, ladies, it’s Christmas,” Taylor said brightly, clearly trying to defuse the standoff.

“Shush, you,” we snapped in unison.

At least we were aligned there.

I raised my brows, barely hiding my smirk as my aunt’s face twisted in pain when she attempted to turn in her seat. With a groan of frustration—and a scathing glare at Taylor when he chuckled—she finally caved and accepted my help.

“It’s a Christmas miracle,” I whispered, carefully holding her elbow and supporting her shoulder just as the physical therapist had instructed before her discharge.

I let her set the pace, only moving when she did, while Taylor hovered behind me just in case.

Mother above, if I didn’t already love that man, I would now. He was always a strong, steady presence at my side—never overstepping, but always there when I needed him.

Aunt Evie sighed in relief, her head falling back as her feet finally settled on solid ground, shoulders dropping from her ears. But when she opened her eyes again, confusion flitted across her face. “What’s with all the cars?”

“Jae and her parents are here. I asked them to bring some food over since I, uh, haven’t really had time to cook for Christmas with everything else going on.”

The sun dipped below the horizon, a velvety blanket of deep purple stretching across the sky as night settled in. In the fading light, I saw the shimmer of unshed tears brimming in my aunt’s eyes.

“Aunt Evie? Are you okay? Are you in pain?”

Glassy green eyes—so much like my mother’s—met mine. “I’m fine, Magpie. You just… you have so many good people in your life, and I am so very proud of you.”

My breath caught. My mouth opened, but no words came out.

Silence stretched between us, my vision blurring as my own tears welled. How I had any left after the last few weeks, I wasn’t sure. But I couldn’t deny she was right.

I did have good people in my life.

Not many, maybe. Probably not even enough to count on both hands. But I’d rather have a few I could trust than a hundred I couldn’t.

“Y’all ready to head in?” Taylor asked quietly, his hand a warm brace against my back as the winter wind sent a chill through me.

I nodded, offering my aunt my arm for support as we made our way toward the house, the sound of laughter filtering out onto the porch as we climbed the steps.

“Aunt Evie!” Meredith screeched when she saw us, her face lighting up as she practically skipped down the hall toward the door. “You’re here! Guys, they’re here!” she hollered back toward the kitchen.

“Where else would I be, Gator?” Aunt Evie asked with a laugh, stepping inside just as my sister pulled her into a careful but eager hug.

“Gator?” Taylor murmured as I stepped past him, his brow winging up so comically high I nearly choked.

I tried—and failed—to stifle my laughter, my hand flying to my mouth as a snort slipped free. “Oh, cowboy. My sister may look like sunshine and rainbows, but she is the definition of ‘fuck around and find out.’”

“Elaborate,” he demanded, eyes narrowed in amused disbelief as we lingered outside the kitchen, the clink of dishes and murmured conversation drifting toward us.

Keeping my voice low, I explained, “Mer has a temper. A bad one. When she was little, she’d go off like a bomb over the smallest things—throwing herself on the ground, rolling around—”

“Like an alligator,” he guessed, lips twitching at the corners.

“Exactly. She’s reined it in over the years, but there are certain things that make her fuse extra short.”

“Such as?” he asked, palming my waist and pulling me into him.

“Such as her sisters being mistreated. Bigots. Idiots. Men being all of the above simultaneously.”

Taylor hummed, leaning closer. “And should I be worried about your sister?”

His words were a whisper over my lips, sending goosebumps cascading over my skin. Would there ever be a time when he didn’t affect me like this?

Mother above, I hoped not.

“No, of course not,” I breathed, pressing myself against him and winding my arms around his neck as I pushed up onto my toes. Lips hovering a hair’s breadth from his, I whispered, “You have to worry about both of them.”

His arms tightened around me, our smiles mirroring each other’s. “It’s a good thing you love me, then.”

“It’s a good thing they know you love me.”

His mouth had barely brushed mine when Jaelyn poked her head into the hall.

“Are y’all just gonna hover out here all night, or actually come in and help us get this holiday started?”

“Your timing is impeccable as always, Jae. Thank you,” Taylor groaned, resting his forehead against mine.

Chuckling, I turned over my shoulder. “We’ll be right there.”

“Superhero!” Maddie shouted.

“Pretty sure he’s a villain,” Taylor responded, quirking a brow in my sister’s direction.

“Watch it, doctor boy. That’s my husband you’re talking about.”

“Loki,” I said with a laugh, flipping the phone downward just as the timer dinged, signaling the end of the round. “Oh, cool. I got thirteen out of fifteen.”

“I still don’t understand how you missed Magneto,” Maddie huffed, leaning back in her chair.

“You said ‘magnet,’ you can’t do that,” I retorted, passing the phone to Meredith before sinking onto the couch next to Taylor with a contented sigh.

He immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

“You sure you don’t need to be at your parents’ house?” I asked.

“I’m right where I want to be, sunshine. Plus, they went up to Baton Rouge with Addy to celebrate with Colin’s family.”

“If you’re sure.”

His response was another kiss—just a quick peck, nothing crazy—but it still made my toes curl.

“If you two are quite finished, I’d like to kick your ass now,” Meredith scolded, bouncing on the balls of her feet in front of the fireplace like she was about to step into a boxing ring.

“By all means, do carry on,” Taylor said in a mock English accent, waving his hand dramatically in her direction.

“Pretty sure you have a death wish, cowboy.”

I chuckled when Meredith cut him a scathing glare, but before I could shout my first clue to my sister, the doorbell chimed through the house.

Pushing up from the cushion, I glanced at Meredith and said, “Bitten by an eight-legged creepy crawly.”

“Spider-Man!”

“I’ve got the door. Y’all keep going.”

“You want me to come with?” Taylor asked as I rounded the corner of the couch.

“No, it’s okay. Should only be a minute.”

I laughed to myself as the sound of clues being shouted at my sister followed me down the hall, each one more ridiculous than the last. But my steps slowed as I took in the person standing on the other side of the screen door.

“Magnolia, how ya doin’, honey?”

Geraldine—one of the oldest gossips in town—stood there, her bright blue eyes flicking nervously over my face.

“I’m fine, Ms. Geraldine. What… what can I do for you?” I asked, pushing open the screen door and wrapping my cardigan tighter around my torso.

“I heard about your dear ol’ auntie. Awful, just awful.” She sighed, shifting the covered dish in her hands. “And, well, I got to thinkin’, what with everything y’all have been dealin’ with, and, well… Here. I made y’all some crawfish étouffée. Freezer and reheat instructions are taped to the top.”

My limbs froze as I stared down at the dish she was trying to hand me. “Why?”

She heaved a heavy breath, a sorrowful smile barely lifting the corners of her mouth.

“We take care of our own down here. I know we haven’t always been the most welcoming, and I know I’ve said some things I shouldn’t’ve. But you ladies are just as much a part of this community as anyone else. And I’m sorry if we… if I ever made you feel differently.”

“Everything okay, Mags?” Taylor’s voice carried down the hall, his footsteps growing closer as I held the old woman’s gaze.

“Yeah,” I whispered before repeating the word louder. I hesitated before taking the dish from Geraldine with a soft, “Thank you.”

It was still warm, the scent of spicy crawfish enveloping me, making my mouth water despite the fact that I was far too full.

“Hey there, Ms. Gerry,” Taylor said smoothly as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

“Why, Taylor Hallows, good to see you, dear.”

“You too.”

“Well, I’m gonna skedaddle. Don’t wanna take up too much of y’all’s night. Y’all have a Merry Christmas.”

“You too, Ms. Geraldine,” Taylor and I responded in unison—his tone chipper while mine still carried the weight of confusion.

We watched as she made her way back to her car, and once she was safely inside, Taylor asked, “What was that about?”

“She brought us étouffée.”

“That was nice.”

“That was… confusing.”