18

A lot happened over the next few weeks, and for once, all of it was fairly positive. It turned out that Justina and Kary were able to find five women who were willing to go on the record about Mr. Fuller. The fact he hurt so many people wasn't positive, but stopping a monster like that was.

Justina made sure that it wasn't going to influence any of their studies or the colleges wouldn't give them a hard time. They gave depositions over video call to start, and it was enough for Mr. Fuller to be arrested. The school was shocked and appalled… And super pissed we didn't bring it to them first.

Why? So they could try and sweep it under the rug? This way, we hoped to get more evidence against them.

Emily's friend had been raped by him. At least four women had been, and the others repeatedly sexually assaulted. And yes, there were pictures found on his computers.

She wasn't willing to go on the record, but I swore to her that I wouldn't let her college acceptance and scholarship be pulled. The rest was up to her, but she was almost done with the school year so… She had to make the call.

But I went to the college and cheated to help her. I used my power to make it clear to a few deans, the head of her dorm, and a few freshman counselors that they would help her. They would protect her and give her what she needed, unlike the last school that failed her.

We needed to start being a society that didn't kick victims but took care of them like they should have been from the start. When the system failed, it wasn't on them. It was on the system to pick up the fucking slack and fix the mistake they allowed.

And if I had to "cheat" to make it happen now and again… Fuck free will. Seriously, I was so over it. If I had to force people to do the right thing and help people until I made the world pull its head out of its collective asses, then so be it.

Emily was also living with Megan and her mom. Emily had gone to the mat with her parents and said she'd move out and get a full-time job at the factory and let everyone know that it was because they'd failed at their job as parents and knowingly let her around a predator for a college referral letter… Or they could let her live with Megan until college.

They took the latter. It was easier to cover up with their friends. They offered financial assistance to Megan's mom to cover taking care of Emily.

From what the twins told me, the dad was ready to wash his hands of it all and make it happen, the drama too much for him. The mom wanted to die on that hill and thought Emily was an ungrateful brat and should grow up. But at least the dad was smart enough to believe we would help Emily and make it a disaster for his life if that was what she wanted.

Not everyone should be parents. Truly.

And then the witch had the balls to walk into my bakery while Emily was working. For the first time. Her parents had never come while she worked when she lived with them, but her mother showed up after she'd moved out to harass her.

I was around the counter and in her face so fast, at least she was smart enough to flee. I banned her from the bakery and threatened not only my attorney and the police on her, but a swim in the damn ocean.

While I scared several customers, Emily felt my love for her and my support. That was more important than anything when she was at such an impressionable age and in such a fragile state.

The pass card for men to use in the bakery was going well. It was now for men we'd met who'd come with female customers or someone recommended. Several were human friends of the covens or like the employees of the clinics Demarcus owns, so we knew them. It'd made some waves on social media, but Mary also told me that it's like a stamp that a guy was worth dating because he respected women.

Oh dear, we were starting trouble again and again.

I also met Holly, and she was basically Cora with a thick New York accent. I adored her. She stayed a few weeks to get a feel of how we do things and was all in. She agreed that each of her team will work here a few weeks and they start off slow, but they want to model our setup.

And we were going to need the help. Wedding season was upon us, and the consultations were more than we could handle already. It seemed to be all Cora was doing and she was completely overwhelmed. It'd helped that we added a huge gallery to the website, but with our popularity, all of the popular wedding venues in Boston and even Cape Cod were trying to work with us.

Cora and I were fine with it, but they had to pick up the cakes and take charge of that then. We were not making deliveries out to Cape Cod a normal thing. Our prices were reasonable enough that if they could afford a wedding in Cape Cod, they could come get their cakes or pay the venue to and then assemble.

So we also added a full-time wedding cake coordinator who handled a lot at the factory. Everything was great with the culinary school teachers giving classes and training employees, and dozens of them were truly talented.

Several of the factories were full throttle now or getting there while new ones were coming online. It's crazy, but I wasn't in charge of it all, and Jamie loved his new job.

Oh, and being a business owner. His and Colton's opening was a huge success. They sold out of several labels of wine and a few of sake that first night. It was all over Boston media that they were like the place for bougie booze and hard-to-get fun.

There were reporters there for the tasting, and the restaurants who paired up with them to provide food got a lot of good press as well. Colton said restaurants in NYC are dying to get access to the hard-to-get wines and now the ones they have exclusive deals with because of me.

So it went way better than anyone could possibly have considered. I was glad for that… And I took a bit of credit.

Not just for all the good karma they both received from my power—which they deserved—but I did bless the event. So that absolutely worked out well. I was glad for it.

Really glad for it, even if Jamie was always working too hard and not spoiling me as much. All I had to do was give him a pout and he's gobbling me up and apologizing for ignoring his sexy girlfriend.

Yes, I do know that I'm spoiled. I like it and spoil him too.

As best as I can. I'm working on it.

And I did set an appointment to speak with the psychiatrist. After Mother's Day, we've got our first appointment set. I wasn't happy it was so far away, but she had something out of the country already going on, and she said sometimes people got so wound up to attend sessions and be "fixed" after traumas that it could actually be counterproductive.

I had a feeling she was putting me in that category as if she knew how fast I'd taken her business card. Fine, I could take a few weeks and come to terms with the idea of therapy.

Things were going amazing with Costco. They keep ordering more and more of our spring items. And the festival of pies was a huge hit.

A huge hit.

It was all over social media and trending all over.

The only complaint? People wanted more notice. They were fair about it and knew we hadn't been open even a year, but they wanted to mark their calendars and plan their lives better.

I fully understood that, and we even posted on our social media that we appreciated all the support and love, and we were sorry that it made everything so chaotic for us and them. That we were going to do better in the future, and we couldn't have blown up like this without their love and patronage and we knew that.

We had everything up for Mother's Day over a month in advance and were taking orders that early too. We knew people needed to plan. We got it.

We just needed more in place to make that happen, or we would have had such a limited amount of inventory to offer that people would have been upset about that as well.

Also, we announced other festivals for over the summer and fall after scheduling them out with Costco. People knew what was coming up, but there wouldn't really be orders for that, just the fun, and they could get it at Costco or at the bakery that weekend. We were maybe setting ourselves up for some crazy for that, but we would see and go from there.

But after making it through Easter and so much else, when Isiah said we should take his boat out the Tuesday after the festival of pies, I was all for it.

And that was before the man took off his shirt.

I met him at the dock he told me, and he was already there when I arrived. It wasn't one of the fishing boats they used all of the time, so he said it was the first use of the season and he'd been working to get it all ready. I had no idea what that really meant or like painting? Attaching sails?

Clearly, I wasn't the god in charge of water vessels.

"Wine?" Isiah muttered under his breath as I approached the dock number he told me. "No, no wine. I don't want her to think I'm trying to get her drunk and take advantage of her. She's already probably annoyed with me I thought of something she'll wear a swimsuit for. Idiot. We could have done anything on her day off and your mind immediately went to her in a bikini."

"I thought it was you sharing your passion with me, but I don't mind putting on a bikini," I said, letting him know I was there.

He froze in what he was doing and slowly looked at me over his shoulder. "Any chance you could ignore what I was just saying?"

"None. I thought it was adorable," I chuckled. "Permission to come aboard, Captain?" I held up the large basket to show I brought food and I was ready. There was more in my SUV, but I could make that just appear.

He seemed to shrug off his embarrassment. "I'm fine with being adorable." He stood and hurried over, offering me a hand to step up. He smiled when I pursed my lips for a kiss once I was on the boat. "Hey."

"Hey." A giggle slipped out when he lowered his mouth to mine. "Hi."

"Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for inviting me." I cleared my throat and thought of more to say before we got trapped in this awkward. "I haven't been out on a boat in many years. I was always worried… It doesn't matter now. This is a perfect day for it and not too hot yet."

"Yeah, it looks like our crazy New England weather will hold out," he said, getting the idea.

But then he winced. We were really talking about the weather?

He took the basket from me and showed me where it was going down below. I made the rest appear from my SUV and he chuckled.

"You're shocked I made too much food?"

"No, I think how much you care is one of your best qualities," he admitted. "You show how much people matter to you by looking out for them. The fact your brothers each have filled freezers with meals for them in your garage is fucking adorable, and my coven talks about it all of the time. They wished their sibling or relative cared that much about them."

"They would if they had the means or power to make it so easy," I muttered.

He gave me a look that he didn't think the same. "You put in your valuable time to keep it loaded. I know your power keeps things from spoiling, but—it was stuffed to the brim when I sneaked a peek last time. You love your brothers and dote on them."

"I have a lot to make up for," I mumbled. "I know food won't ever fix it, but I really missed them."

"They missed you too, and none of it was your fault." He stood and moved his fingers to my lips. "You all made mistakes. I've heard you three say you all share responsibility. You do, but Zeus was the monster who stacked the deck. Stop putting so much on yourself."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure, the moment you figure out how to manage that too."

"Fair," he accepted. He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine again. "Easier said than done. I totally get that. A hundred times over even. I just wanted you to hear it from an outsider's perspective and someone who cares for you still."

"Thanks." And I meant it. I knew he wasn't just saying what he thought I wanted to hear and was being objective. He wanted me to know the truth and he took the time to see all of the sides.

I leaned in and gave him a deeper kiss. I was shocked when he actually pulled away first and cleared his throat.

"If we start that, then we'll never get out on the water for real," he explained, giving me a wink to take the sting out of his pulling away.

But I was sort of fine with us just having fun time on his boat if I was honest. No, we should have a date and fun.

Jamie was spoiling me too much and making me hungry for naked time.

All of the time.

I shook off what I was thinking and nodded. He handled all of the preparation and then we were heading out onto the water. He showed me how the controls worked and then kicked up the motor. It was a combo boat that could sail or use the motor.

Or maybe they all really had that once it was a certain size? It made sense for safety at least. What if the wind died or was too crazy and you had to get back to shore?

We were going for a bit when Isiah cut the motor and lowered the sail for something gentle according to him. I nodded… And then about swallowed my tongue as he peeled off his shirt. He was only in cargo shorts and boat shoes and it was a good look on him.

Seriously, the man had a lot of muscle that one wouldn't expect on his frame. It wasn't gym sculpted like Colton but hard work and manual labor, so it wasn't as much of a factor to Isiah. He didn't even seem to notice how good he seriously looked and how any straight woman would seriously drool watching him move and his muscles work.

Until he must have caught something from me. He blinked at the line in his hand and then slowly looked at me. "Really?"

"Yes, really," I drawled, gesturing to his body. "Seriously, you look like you just stepped off a manly man magazine cover there."

"You did not just say that," he whispered, staring at me with wide eyes.

"What? You say all kinds of nice things when I'm less clothed and will when I'm in a bikini."

"I'm not sure." He smirked at me. "I'd have to see you in a bikini to know for sure."

"Cheeky brat," I grumbled. I went down by our stuff and took off what I was wearing to reveal the swimsuit I'd picked out. It wasn't a bikini, so I switched it to a modest one, but still... Maybe a two-piece? What was the line between two-piece and bikini?

My mind was a very scary place sometimes.

Most times.

"Holy fuck me dead," he whispered as I rejoined him. "I don't have a single functioning brain cell."

"See, you say things like that. How come I can't say nice things too?" I muttered, moving closer. "You deserve to be told you're sexy too."

"Thank you for making sure I'm not abused," he teased, giving me a soft kiss. "So do you want to fish or just lounge in the sun and eat? What does your perfect relaxing day have on the agenda?"

"What about you? It's your day off too," I hedged.

"I just want to spend it with you."

"I feel the same." I ignored my cheeks flushing but then cleared my throat. "You fish for a living. Let's not do it on your day off. Let's be bums and eat what I brought."

"Sounds nice. We haven't had much of a chance to catch up, and I always feel like there's so much to tell you," he admitted.

"I want to hear it all." I did. He always focused on helping me and fixing my issues—helping me through my issues and drama that I wanted to just be there for Isiah today. Or just pretend we were a normal couple having a day to be together and talk about everything going on.

That couldn't be too hard, right?

No, no, it wasn't. It was great.

He told me that the younger warlock in his coven who couldn't find his homeless friends over the winter finally did. They even worked for me now, and I'd been so bogged down with so much I didn't know that. Plus, I was still a bit tender when it came to talking about his coven after the misstep we'd had.

"Honestly, it was the descendants of my priests showing up," I told him. "Please let them know that their misstep really—I'm over it. Those men showing up—that cult and then Colton and that whole mess was triggering for me. I feel like I took so many steps back just seeing them and all of it. They had this whole idea of what I would be for them, and it was…"

I wasn't going to cry on him again. Not again. I shook my head even when he tried to get me to talk about it. He respected when I said I didn't want to. Today was for fun and relaxing.

I just needed him and his coven to know that my pushing them away wasn't equal to their mistake. There were a lot of other factors and problems that had popped up.

"Jacob is actually a really good fit," he told me, letting go of what I'd said and moving things along.

I winked at him and loaded his plate up. "Yeah, he's doing a great job now that he's not being a pain in the ass. He's a bit of a rogue sometimes going out on his own and contacting people when Jamie was doing that as the CFO, but—he's doing better. I thought Renee was going to flatten him a few times."

He blinked at me a moment. "I meant for the coven. I didn't know there were issues with him at work."

I blew air through my lips. "Yeah, they cut him slack a bunch of times. Libby said she was ready to suck him dry for his island act. You can't be the manager working with other managers and do that. And they set it all up. But given his situation—they trained him." I popped a strawberry in my mouth with a smirk.

"Well, thank you for that. I'm sorry. I thought he was doing great."

I shrugged. "It was work. He was worth the adjustment. They get along much better now, and he is good at the job. Renee, Libby, and Rebecca agree he's got great potential. He just needs to learn how to be a team player better."

"Yeah, that was exactly the issue I had with him too," he admitted. "He was left—his family is so fucked. And it's stupid. His dad shouldn't have cheated. Full stop. But it happened and he had a kid. Like enough of the old-timey bullshit that it's the kid's fault and his wife was horrible to him. It wasn't his fault—he went through in life. He had to be an island to survive."

"Which they all understood and were willing to accept to make it work. Has it been for the coven?"

"Yes. He's actually better with magic than I am." He nodded when I couldn't hide my shock. "My dad actually was a slacker on that side and—my training was kind of shit. He was such a damn drunk and—then I took over and it was keeping everyone afloat and out of trouble. Jacob might be an island, but he knows when people are drowning."

"Very true. He's been great with that. He just tends to take over."

"He does," Isiah agreed. "He does best when he can right the ship and have his own area. Something his. So now he's in charge of training the younger ones. In two months, he's killing it. Their control is better than with me. He's really a great teacher."

"Renee said the same when he showed her the new software for something and something," I told him. I saw the worry in Isiah's eyes. "Hey, you kept everyone safe. That's the bigger job. You kept the coven going. You have help now. I'm glad he's doing good. I won't beat him up anymore."

He snickered, reaching over and rubbing my knee. "Yeah, we all have those kinds of regrets. Thanks for helping me not get swallowed by mine."

I nodded that I heard him. We all needed that perspective and help.

We talked some more about things going on and life. I was glad to catch up more about the coven, but then I lost track of the conversation as I watched his mouth a bit too closely as he drank from his water bottle.

And I wanted it on my body.

"Fuck, Arabella," he whispered. "If I get images like that from you—I don't know if I should act on them or not."

I shrugged. "I think this time you should but yeah, normally, check. I think checking best."

Our plates were moved and suddenly I was straddling his lap and he was sitting up. His lips were a breath from mine. "You want my mouth on you. You want me to eat you out. Tell me you really want that and I can taste you."

I nodded. "Yes, I want that. I can't—I'm not there yet or—"

"Do whatever you're ready for when you're ready for it." Then he mashed his mouth to mine. He kissed me like a man dying for me and desperate to make me his.

But in a bit of a scary way.

No, not scary… Overwhelming. I wasn't scared of Isiah, just what he was and the way he could hurt me.

"Stop thinking so much, Arabella," he whispered. "I can be gentler and like him."

I frowned. "I don't want you to be like Jamie. I like you. I don't want another Jamie."

"No, I meant… I'm not sure how I meant it. My blood isn't in my brain." He gently brushed his lips over mine. "I can be what you need too. That's what I want to be. Not because of him. Because I feel that for you."

I nodded, not sure what else to say and feeling a bit selfish that it was always about what I needed or my issues.

But Isiah made me forget about that. He made me feel worth taking the time with. He slowly kissed all over my body and made me feel precious instead of like a burden, a problem that had to be managed.

And it meant the world to me.

So did progressing with him. I touched him too even if it probably wasn't exactly what he wanted and he had to finish himself. I was able to handle him doing that next to me, helping it.

Oh, and he said he loved the taste of me.

Yeah, we needed more days off to simply enjoy life and each other.

The End