Breach of Crust: A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery by Ellery Adams

Author:Ellery Adams [Adams, Ellery]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-04-05T06:00:00+00:00

* * *

When Ella Mae saw Hugh the following night, she was tempted to rail at him for speaking to her mother about securing a Luna Rose ceremony, but she’d promised to consider it and she kept her word. However, she’d also made a vow never to lie to Hugh again, so when he asked her if anything was wrong, she was torn. They stood side by side at the sink, cleaning up after a supper of chimichurri skirt steaks, corn on the cob, and watermelon slices. Ella Mae dried her hands on the dish towel and looked at Hugh.

“Last night, my mom told me about your request. It made me really angry.” Unbidden, tears filled her eyes. “I’m not looking for a shortcut. Other people take chances and go forward blindly believing in their love. That’s what I want to do. I don’t want to rely on magic to predict our future.”

Hugh opened his mouth to reply but Ella Mae put her fingers to his lips.

“Hold that thought for just a second.” She moved to lower her hand but he grabbed it instead. Laughing, she went on. “I promised my mother that I’d weigh my options. To do that, I need to know what motivated you to ask for the ceremony. So convince me that it would be good for us. Why should we, the two people who have deliberately turned our backs on magic, use it to decide whether or not we should spend the rest of our lives together?” Her voice trembled. “Because you know what happens if we touch the rose and its light goes out? It means that we won’t make it. Sooner or later, we’ll fall out of love.”

“Never,” Hugh whispered hoarsely and enfolded Ella Mae in his arms. He pressed her so hard against his chest that she could feel his heart hammering as though it might break through his rib cage. “I don’t doubt what we have,” he said into her hair. He then released her and cupped her face with his hands. “But I fear what the past has done to us. The scars it’s left on us. In places we can’t see. It’s these holes in my memory, Ella Mae. I know they’re the result of magic and I don’t want them to hurt us later on. After we’re married and have our own family. I can’t let that happen. I need to know that there isn’t something terrible lurking inside me like some sort of latent time bomb. Your happiness is all that matters to me, and the Luna ceremony is the only way I can be sure I’m the man who can deliver that happiness.”

Ella Mae let her tears fall unchecked. “Damn it, Hugh. Why did you have to present such a practical and yet incredibly romantic argument?”

Hugh smiled. “We have two weeks until the full moon. Just think about it, okay? I know the Camellias are coming tomorrow and you’ll probably be too busy to give this serious thought, but if those women start driving you crazy, I want you to picture this.

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