Chapter 37

thirty-seven

LUKE

Well. That was an unexpected turn of events.

One minute I’m inside Fables and Folklore, grabbing Lucy a copy of Beauty and the Beast; several minutes later, I’m fake engaged to Ella.

And also real life dating Ella.

So much for keeping things uncomplicated.

Marriage isn’t something I casually think about. I used to, often. Before I lost Ella, before the letters stopped coming, before Aubrey decided family life wasn’t for her. My parents have always been a beacon of light, showing me what genuine love looks like.

The first two events taught me I didn’t want to lose anyone again.

Aubrey taught me different lessons. Not everyone will put in the same amount of effort. Not everyone means what they say. Not everyone grasps what love looks like. Not everyone will stick around when things get tough.

That’s the hardest lesson, I think.

I glance at Ella, then grab the back of her chair and scoot her closer to me. Holly came back from her phone call and insisted I join them while Ella shows her the wedding inspiration photos. I couldn’t exactly say no under the circumstances.

People continue to walk by and pat me on the shoulder as they shop the square, offering various congratulations. I know it’s not real, but it feels like it could be. The idea of taking this step with someone again — maybe because it’s Ella — doesn’t make me want to run in the opposite direction screaming.

Over a decade ago, I stepped into a situation that really wasn’t my business. Since Ella got back, I’ve repeated that same decision multiples times. There’s something about that woman that draws me into her orbit, and I don’t think it’s magic.

At least I hope it’s not.

I want the way I feel about her to be natural. My emotions and mine alone. No aid from fairy godmothers or the town; just me realizing what’s been in front of me.

I once thought she needed a knight on a white horse to sweep her away, remove her from the things that caused her pain. Ella doesn’t need anyone to rescue her—she’s always been braver than she’s given herself credit for.

Now I realize that being Ella’s white knight is a lot like taking care of our farm. It’s giving Ella the right words when she’s too often heard the wrong ones—like when Mom praises us for our individual talents. The farm wouldn’t thrive without all the love and care we pour into it.

And neither can she.

It’s apologizing so she can feel safe, like mending a broken fence to protect our livestock. I can’t understand what she’s feeling right now, but it’s not any different from a sudden storm coming up. Me agreeing to this farce isn’t any different from covering our crops with a tarp to keep them safe.

She hesitated when she asked, like she actually thought I might say no. Which means I need to pull up my boot straps and offer more of the courage she’s showing me. Since she said she wanted to use our fake engagement as a chance to see what’s there, I’m choosing to see this as a clear, green light to show her how I’ve felt for years.

I don’t want to leave room for her to hesitate asking me for anything, again.

Just like anyone else of importance in my life, I’d give her the moon if she asked.

There’s just the pesky matter of navigating a new relationship when we’re supposed to be past those steps already. In a fake engagement.

What could go wrong?

I scrub a hand down my face and stand as Holly and Ella gather their bags and toss their empty cups in the trash. Like two chattering hens, they huddle together and forge ahead toward The Spellbound Scone for a wedding cake tasting. Somehow, they roped me into coming along because they insisted they need a man’s opinion, since Cade isn’t here. And Holly thinks we should also taste test our wedding cake.

While I have a minute to myself, I yank my phone out of my back pocket. On the off chance that my siblings haven’t found out through HollowHub or through the phone tree that Ella and I are planning our nuptials, I should probably clue them in.

Plus, I’ve been gone for longer than I said I’d be. My family knows my schedule is wild and chaotic with Holly’s wedding in the mix. They’ll probably tell me they have it covered and to do whatever I need to. Which will probably include a lot of suggestions I don’t ask for.

With a heaving sigh, I pull up the sibling chat Violet started for us a while back.

LUKE

Ignore whatever you hear through the phone tree. Or see on that app.

GABY

Whatever could you be referring to?

LUKE

Just local gossip. Not important.

GABY

You’re such a chicken.

I can’t believe you popped the question and didn’t tell any of us.

DEAN

Do we get input on colors? I look really good in blue.

SAM

Should I pencil in your honeymoon?

VIOLET

What season are we aiming for? I’ll start a Pinterest board!

ROSELYN

You should probably let me write your vows.

ANNIE

I always hoped you’d find someone like Ella.

GABY

The phone tree has been really busy.

Mom hasn’t left the kitchen in at least half an hour.

I stare at my phone as the messages pop up, little bubbles dancing between each sibling’s photo as they carry on a whole side conversation like I’m not even here.

My brain can’t process the texts fast enough.

Why are they so enthusiastic about the possibility of us getting married for real?

I can’t tell if they’re serious or joking around.

LUKE

It’s not real.

GABY

The man doth protest too much, me thinks.

LUKE

I’m not protesting when it’s a fact.

Assumptions were made. The town did its thing. Here we are.

VIOLET

Camellias would be perfect for a winter wedding!

LUKE

What makes you think Ella wants a winter wedding?

GABY

Do you even know your bride, bro?

SAM

Her parents got married in the winter.

DEAN

I could dig a wedding in the evergreens.

LUKE

I’m disowning all of you. Every single one.

VIOLET

You’re not allowed to disown me, I’m your favorite.

GABY

Get in line.

LUKE

As delightful as you clowns are, please read my words.

Not. Real.

ROSELYN

Yet?

LUKE

GABY

What are you doing right now?

LUKE

I ran to town to get a book for Lucy.

GABY

You’re not about to be cake tasting?

SAM

Try the churro flavor.

LUKE

Why do you know what to taste?

SAM

This is about you.

LUKE

Gabs, why do you know where I am?

DEAN

You’re not even denying it? Oh, man.

[gif of Chandler making ‘woo- pah’ sound]

VIOLET

LOL

GABY

SAM

Good one, Dean.

LUKE

GAbrIELLE.

GABY

Not the full name! Ella is also texting me, Mr. Fiancé. I suggest the red velvet or the chocolate caramel.

VIOLET

Carrots are a year round crop. You could do carrot cake!

DEAN

I saw The Spellbound Scone has a new s’mores flavor. Try that one.

ANNIE

Mexican chocolate?

ROSELYN

Caramel apple could be really romantic. You could pick the apples from the orchard together.

LUKE

So you’re all just going to ignore me saying that this isn’t real.

GABY

Enjoy your cake tasting! I can’t wait to see what you pick. Tell Ella I look great in blue too!

VIOLET

Winter wonderland! We need pine cones.

LUKE

You’re all impossible.

I close the text thread. That’s definitely not how I expected that to go.

The Spellbound Scone is one of the older buildings in our downtown area. We sidestep the bistro tables on the sidewalk and head to the entrance. The building itself has a slightly uneven roofline above exterior walls of exposed brick, a chipped light purple on the trim of the doors and windows. When I open the front door for Holly and Ella, a little chime announces our arrival.

“This is so fun.” Holly smiles. “I’m so grateful you’re here with me. The choices for everything are overwhelming, even though we’re keeping this small.”

The vibe here reminds me of Lucy’s books we’ve been reading every night. Shimmery gold accents and muted colors give it a certain charm. The floors creak as we cross to a corner booth filled with oversized cushions.

“Do you have any favorite flavors?” Ella scoots in before I do and produces an iPad from her Mary Poppins bag.

She’s always pulling things out of it, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she magically removed a lamp, too. Always be prepared is a motto she seems to take seriously.

It’s hard for me to stay focused on their conversation, even though I know I should. They could turn and ask me for my input and I’ll have no clue what they’ve even been talking about. But there’s something at the edge of my memory that’s been plaguing me since this morning. Something I can’t grasp but feels urgent.

“I always wanted to get married in the winter,” Ella replies, and my mind snaps to back to attention.

Fine. Okay.

Sam knew she wanted to get married in the winter. He’s got an unfair advantage because she’s at the bed-and-breakfast. It’s probably something we all knew and I just… forgot. But it doesn’t seem like something I’d forget.

“If we wanted to wait, I’d probably choose late spring. The flowers on the farm are magnificent and since that’s when we met again…” Holly shrugs. “It’s such a minor detail when we just want to get married.”

Even though I’m struggling through some unease, I try to focus and be the supportive family Holly needs.

She’s hardly the same woman we found on our farm months ago. That woman was eager to disappear from her life and find happiness again; she wanted to escape the darkness of fame. Somehow, in the chaos of all that, she created a whole new path for herself. The fame stayed, and she found Cade.

There’s a lesson in this.

Maybe the town nudged them together, maybe it didn’t. Maybe it was the farm, or a Godmother who got a little bored. They’ve could’ve tossed a coin into the wishing well.

People come to Enchanted Hollow expecting these things to happen for them. To them. That magic will somehow fix everything that is broken or fill in a hole in their life.

But what really happened to my friends is that they put in the work. They recognized the pieces in each other that were important, held tight, and refused to let go.

Just like Ella and I are doing now .

“—pumpkin carriage. It’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to ride in one.”

There’s no context, but my mind hones in on this tiny detail like my life depends on it. Ella hasn’t ever mentioned this to me specifically, but there’s someone else who has.

Do you suppose pumpkins are magical here? Never mind, I don’t think I want to consider any other options. I think, with the right aide of course, they might be a really comfortable way to ride around. At the very least, you know they’d smell good. Maybe someday I’ll find out.

It can’t be.

As calmly as I can muster, I snag the water bottle off the table in front of me and twist the cap off. I’ve got no clue where it came from, but my mouth and throat feel like I slept all night with my mouth open.

Ella can’t be ShutterBelle, can she?

L.

Ella.

Suddenly all these tiny details shift into place, one after another, and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to prove something so obvious. My sisters always joke about how dense men can be and I’m ashamed to admit how firmly I’m grasping that sentiment at the moment.

The clues have been right in front of me this whole time.

I might have been onto something when I told Violet that magic was preventing me from figuring it out sooner, but that’s something for future me to worry about.

“Luke, are you okay?” Ella lays a hand on my forearm.

Her touch is like a cattle fence. A zap straight from my skin to my heart. My jerk splashes the rest of the water bottle all over me, but I don’t care.

I’m looking at her through fresh eyes.

I can’t count the amount of times I wished for this exact thing. Maybe my heart always knew, and that’s why I struggled so much. It was an impossible choice all those years ago, because they were the same person.

“Yeah, I just…” I swallow.

Now isn’t the time or place to fall down this rabbit hole. But my brain is moving a million miles a minute as it’s piecing things together.

Her eyebrows knit in concern as she watches me. “Should we go? Is it the farm?”

“No.” My voice breaks.

There’s too much space between us right now, the whole person of empty space between us, so I scoot sideways until our legs brush against each other. I reach my hand up and cradle her cheek, still in disbelief.

She leans into my touch before she covers my hand with her own. A slow smile spreads across her lips at the contact, like it soothes her as much as it does me.

Only now I’m thinking about what it’s like to kiss those lips, because I’ve done it once before.

And I’ve never forgotten the magic of it.

“Are you sure?” she asks quietly.

I nod my head. “I’m just trying to understand how I got so lucky.”

“ We’re lucky.”

If only she knew the full weight of that statement.