Page 56 of Witch Upon a Star

She picked up her hand. The IV tube was inserted into the back. She pointed at herself then pointed at me. Fuck, I sucked at charades.

“You and me?” I asked, thinking that was the simplest translation.

She couldn’t nod with the neck brace. She stared at me a second before blinking once.

Okay, so I’d been right, but that still wasn’t an answer to my question. I was trying to be patient, and none of this was her fault. But that didn’t make all of this any less frustrating. “You and me, what, Winnie?”

She picked up the dry erase marker and wrote a very shaky heart symbol.

My anger cracked and I found myself blinking hard as my chest felt heavy. I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. I understood her message now. “You love me?”

She blinked once.

I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Fucking hell, Winnie.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I made my way around to the other side of the bed where she didn’t have a million wires, cords, and tubes attaching her to bags or machines. I slipped into the bed, carefully maneuvering myself so I was on my side next to her. I was barely able to squeeze in, but I got myself situated where I could wrap my arms gently around her.

There was nothing in this world like holding Calliope Hutchins-soon-to-be-Miller. I hadn’t asked her yet, but there was no point in denying the inevitable.

I fit my head on her pillow right by her ear. “I love you, too. And if you think for a single second that I would be okay allowing you to risk your life for me, then you don’t know me as well as you think you do. But that’s okay. I plan on spending a lifetime teaching you.”

Her hand found mine and squeezed it once. I took that as her agreement. Relief filled me, and for the first time in three days, I felt a modicum of hope. That everything would be okay. Dosia placed Oolong and Joe on the bed with us before she, Carlos, and Pumpkin slipped from the room, closing the door behind them.

EPILOGUE

CALLIOPE

Two Years Later

The future had a funny way of correcting itself. And things that were always meant to be end up happening regardless of interference.

Despite that I never told Starbucks where my vision had taken place, somehow we still ended up at that restaurant on that date. He was clean shaven and wearing the same suit I’d seen him in on my twenty-second birthday. We ordered the same meals and had an amazing time.

And true to form, when he went to pay, the pen refused to work. “You know, if this is the only thing that goes wrong on our first date, I think we did pretty well,” he laughed, mimicking the words exactly as I’d heard them four years ago.

I pulled a pen out of my purse and handed it over to him. “First date? We’ve been together for two years.”

He took the pen but also took hold of my hand. Lifting it to his mouth, he kissed my rings. “First date as a marriedcouple, Mrs. Miller.” Then he leaned over the table to claim my lips. “Thank you for bidding on me.”

I smiled, my heart filled with elation and so much love for this man that I thought it would burst from my chest. “Thank you for being my future.”