Page 12 of Starlight Witch

“Bourbon, neat.”

“And would you like any appetizers?” She stood ready with her pen.

“I’m not sure,” I said. “I’ll have to look over the menu.”

She nodded, smiled, and walked away.

As soon as she was gone, I let out a slow breath and leaned against the back of the booth. “This is nice,” I said. “It’s quiet, and as fancy as the restaurant is, it still gives off this cozy vibe.”

Bran nodded, resting his elbows on the table. “I suppose you wonder why I asked you out tonight?”

I shrugged, opening my menu. “We go out every few nights, so on one hand—no. But I am wondering about the request for me to dress up, and coming here to Carter’s. It’s not cheap. I know that neither you nor I are desperately poor, but we don’t often come to places like this.”

“I talked to Kyle today,” Bran said.

That got my attention. I jerked my head up to stare at him. “What about?”

“About Faron. About his memory loss. I know you think it may not be my place to do so, but as the other interested party in this three-way relationship, I felt like I needed to know what was going on.”

My first reaction was to bristle, but I calmed down. Bran was right. Another thought occurred to me: was Kyle telling me everything? Would he tell Bran things that he wasn’t telling me?

“What did he say?” I paused as the waitress brought our drinks, setting them on cocktail napkins in front of us.

“Have you had a chance to look over the menu yet?” she asked.

“I’m ready, if you are,” I said, nodding to Bran.

“Yes, I know what I want.” He stared directly at me, making me blush.

The waitress turned to me. “So, what can I get you?”

“For an appetizer, I’d like the mozzarella sticks. And for my main course, I want the breaded pork chops with macaroni and cheese.”

“Would you prefer mixed vegetables, green beans, or corn with that?” she asked.

“Mixed vegetables, please.” I motioned to Bran. “What are you having?”

“I’ll try the pumpkin risotto with lamb croquettes. And for an appetizer, I’d like the stuffed mushrooms.”

We handed her our menus and she left for the kitchen.

Once she was gone, I returned my attention to Bran. “So, what did Kyle have to say?”

“I asked him directly about Faron. About his chances of healing up completely.”

“And what did he say?” I was on the edge of my seat, wondering whether Kyle had told me the truth. I didn’t like doubting people, especially people that I had grown close to, but there was a part of me that couldn’t help but be suspicious. For one thing, I wasn’t part of the shifter community, and Faron was the King of the Olympic Wolf Pack. If and when he married, choosing a non-shifter mate would be controversial.

“He told me what I gather he told you. They don’t know—they don’t know whether Faron will remember everything he’s forgotten. The doctors say that over the next two months, Faron should remember everything he’s going to.”

I sighed. Kyle hadn’t lied to me. “Thank you. Thank you for verifying what I was told.” I took a sip of my spiced cider. The flavors of cinnamon and apple and cloves and raspberries filled my mouth, soothing my throat.

“I was going to do this later, but I want to now,” Bran said. “Elphyra, I want to marry you. And before you answer, let me offer you a proposal of a slightly different nature. You say yes to me now, and you wear my ring except if you are around Faron. If he remembers what you two had, then we deal with the complications. But if within two months—let’s say February 1 for good measure—he hasn’t remembered, then we get married.” He held out a ring box, black velvet, and opened it. Inside was a beautiful canary diamond, cut in a brilliant shape and set in platinum.

I gasped. “This is absolutely beautiful.” I looked up at him, thinking about the proposal. It made sense, but I also didn’t want him to feel like he was compromising. “Are you sure that you would be happy under those circumstances?”

His eyes flashing, he gave me a single nod. “I told you that I could share you with Faron. I stand by that. I know you love me, and you know I love you. I also know how you feel about Faron, and I realize that in matters of the heart, logic doesn’t always make sense.”

“Logic seldom plays into love,” I said.

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