Love & Curses(19)

She narrowed her gaze on the doorway. He did love her, didn’t he? Her Andy.

Beyond everything she knew, she loved him. There was no doubt he was the one she was meant to spend the rest of her life with. He was unlike any other man she’d ever known, and she was at a loss for how she could’ve been so blind over the last eighteen months. Wasted time.

She fiddled with the napkin in her lap, her fingers knitting the soft cloth only to smooth it out again. Of course, she hadn’t repeated those three little words she’d uttered in her smoke-filled bedroom to him either. Why not? She knew the truth in her heart.

“Calista,” her aunt’s quiet voice called her attention.

She turned, meeting the older woman’s gaze. The woman who’d watched over her since she was a child. The woman who’d cursed Ben Walker because he’d broken her heart. The woman who stared at her now, a sage expression in her eyes—pride, love, and something else indefinable swirled in her golden stare.

Aunt Nadya reached up and tucked a strand behind Calista’s ear, her mouth curving into a gentle smile. “Don’t over think things, child.”

“I’m not,” she lied. “I was just wondering what was taking Andy so long.”

“Things take as long as they will.” Auntie patted her hand. “Now fix yourself. You should look nice for your Andrew when he returns.”

Peering at the napkin she clutched in her lap, she spotted the dark peach stains on the white cloth. She grabbed her purse and fished out her lipstick.

“There you are,” her aunt remarked after Calista had swiped the color onto her lips and returned the tube to her bag. Aunt Nadya sipped her coffee. “Perfect.”

“Sorry I was gone so long.” Andy slipped into the seat next to her. “Chefs can be so temperamental. Not me, though.”

“Of course not.” Giggling, she stared into his dark gaze, and her heart stuttered. God, he was gorgeous. Everything about him called to her, and she took a deep breath. No more waiting. Her heart belonged to him, so why not tell him?

“Andy, I wanted to—”

“Calista—”

She laughed. “Okay, you first.”

His expression sobered. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” A few more seconds wouldn’t change the way she felt or what she intended to say.

His gaze flicked to Aunt Nadya and then back to her. He swallowed and glanced down as though gathering his thoughts. Good Lord, what was he about to tell her?

Dread flooded her chest. Oh no. He was getting ready to dump her. Her lungs squeezed, and tiny darts of pain pricked her heart.

“I’ve lived next door to you for a year and a half,” he said, his voice so serious each word jarred her nerves. “And these last few days have been….” He lifted his gaze to her aunt again. “Enlightening.”

Aunt Nadya gave a quiet snort and tapped her finger on the table.

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he shifted his attention to Calista. Taking her hand, he drew her focus. “Your aunt’s, um, special talents. I mean, she cursed a guy. And not that I ever believed in any kind of magic, but some really strange things happened afterward. Scary things. Whatever she did, she worried how the consequences would affect you.”

“I know.” She leaned toward him. “I didn’t mean for you to hear—”

He squeezed her fingers. “Death.” He clenched his jaw, and a shadow passed over his face. “You almost died, Calista.”

“But I didn’t.”

He nodded. “True. But some people believe you can’t change fate, can’t alter destiny.”

She gulped. Oh crap, he was about to tell their relationship was destined to fail, that she was too much trouble to have in his life—what with her aunt’s crazy notions and her own episodic emotional implosions. That she’d nearly suffocated to death had merely been the last straw. Her eyes burned with tears, but she blinked them away. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to leave her. Hell, she would escape her own life, too, if she could.

Andy gave her a serious stare. “Love can.”

She frowned and trembled with the myriad sensations whirling inside her.

“Love can change destiny. It already has.” He slid from his chair and dropped to one knee before her. Still holding her hand in his, he lifted his gaze to hers. “You are my whole life. The other half of my soul. You’ve done the one thing no other woman ever has. You’ve made me whole.”

Releasing her hand, he dug into his pocket and retrieved a small box. Anticipation danced in his eyes as he opened the velvet lid to reveal a marquis diamond set in a band dotted with gold topaz stones. Behind her, Aunt Nadya gasped.