Page 34 of The Pushy Pixies Are Going Down
“Wow,” I breathed out. “That’s highly unusual.”
Fatma sighed sadly. “Agreed. I think she’s the runt on top of everything else because she’s small for her age, so that’s probably why she was left.”
“Do you think the local sprite flutter will accept her?”
Fatma nodded. “I think so. I hope so. They’ve integrated other sprites into their flutter before, so I think they’ll be okay. Hopefully.”
“What’ll you do if they don’t?”
She shrugged. “I’ll bring her back here and make some calls to other sanctuaries. If no one can take her, I’ll call some people I know who take in faeries that can’t be integrated back into the wild.” She sent me a small smile. “Don’t worry, Winter, we’ll find her a good home, whether it’s here, another sanctuary—obviously not Whispering Pines—or with a person who can give her a nice life, even if it means being domesticated.”
I gave her a nod. “Good. She deserves a family.”
Fatma softened a little. “Yeah, she really does.”
After we helped her put all the faeries we’d brought in into other crates and rooms—so we could take our traps back—Miles and I said our goodbyes and headed back to the truck.
***
Once we were home—well, we went to my house to collect Goliath and then came to Miles’s home—I said, “What do you want to do this weekend?”
He shrugged from his spot on the couch beside me. “I’m up for anything. Do you have an idea?” I could tell he wanted to ask about my sister but was trying to give me time to process it.
“Not really.” I reached over and gave his thigh a squeeze. Before I could pull my hand back, he covered it with one of his and linked our fingers together. I grinned at the casual touch coming from the same person who didn’t like touching anyone else at all.
“We could take Goliath to the dog park again.”
Gah. This man. The fact he liked my dog so much made my heart flip. “He’d like that. There’s also a farmer’s market we could check out. And I think there might be a small fair up at the elementary school. That might be next weekend, though. We’ll have to check. Maybe we could go to one of those for a couple of hours.”
He shrugged. “Sure. Both sound fun.”
Miles shot me a smile, and I couldn’t help but look forward to a relaxing weekend with my guy… my—hopefully I could get him to admit it—boyfriend.
With the warm feeling in my chest, I felt solid enough to text my sister back.
Me: Okay. When and where?
Simple and to the point. To my surprise, she texted me back right away.
Magnolia: Tomorrow at noon? Brew For You Cafe. Do you know it?
I did a quick search on my phone to make sure I knew where it was, then asked Miles, “Is tomorrow at noon okay for meeting my sister?”
“Yeah, sure. Of course.”
I nudged him with my shoulder and texted her back.
Me: That’s fine. Just so you know, I’m bringing my boyfriend with me.
There was a brief pause this time. I saw the three little dots wiggle like she was typing, then they went away, came back, went away, came back, and then finally a text came through.
Magnolia: I’m looking forward to it. See you tomorrow.
I… didn’t know how to feel about that text or the fact that it took her so long to reply. My insides were feeling weird and raw, so I set my phone down without replying.
Miles must’ve noticed my mood because he didn’t hesitate to lift his arm in invitation. Without missing a beat, I slipped under it and into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head, and I closed my eyes, turned my nose to his shirt, and breathed him in for a long few moments.
Once I felt a little more together, I scooted closer and wrapped my arms around him, bringing my legs up so I was kind of curled into a ball but hugging him. He hugged me back.
