Swallow the Moon (29 page)

June didn't answer; she didn't look at him. Eric thought there was only one thing that could make a woman dig her heels in like that – another man.

"Is this because of Jake?" It was time to put Jake to rest, forever.

June blushed, looking down she gathered the sheets to her chest.

"I'm serious." Eric smacked himself in the head with his open palm. "Don't tell me you believed that lying bastard?"

June wouldn't look at him.

"They lied, babe. They said whatever they thought it would take."

June shook her head, tears slipped from her eyes.

His frustration bubbled out him, with a curse, Eric got out of bed.

"I can't believe you took the word of that murdering fuck up!" He didn't care that he was nude, he didn't care that he was shouting. "He told you what you wanted to hear. Don't you get that? He sold his frigging soul to the devil for a motorcycle. What kind of man would do that?"

"You did the same thing."

"I never made a deal with Van Man Go!" Eric sputtered. "Jake the Federal Fuck Up tried to cheat him out of three grand. You don't freaking cheat the devil!"

"Van Man Go is not the devil!" June sat up, brushed the tears from her cheeks. "He's just another victim."

"Ha! That is so wrong!" Eric said. "You never saw the crazy freak spit fire. That – I don't know what the hell to call him! He's not just
a
freak. He's the crowned prince of freaks!"

"You know I went to his shop." June let go of the sheets, they slithered to her lap. "He was freaking scary, but he was just as – as much of a lost soul as the other two."

"Ah, goddamn!" Eric pulled at his hair with both hands. "You are so frigging naïve!"

"I'm naïve? You fell all over that dead stripper. Now that she's in hell, where she belongs, you come to me. What the hell is that about? Can't get a dead girl, but hey, June's a damn fool. She'll leave everything to chase half-way across the country for you." The sheet was forgotten, she was sitting up completely exposed and mad as hell.

Eric stopped pacing, stopped shouting at her. His body responded as he admired the view. June's breasts quivered and swung with every outraged breath she took. This was getting him no-where. It was time to take a different track.

"Lexington is seven hours drive from here." He grinned at her. "That's just on the other side of the Ohio river. It's a straight shot down I-75. Not more than an hour from Cincinnati."

"I have a house."

"That you can't afford to heat." Eric came back to the bed.

"I have a job."

"Had a job." He sat down beside her.

"My family is here." She leaned away.

"It's not that far." He came closer, put one hand beside her.

"I'll never be able to sell this place." June shifted backwards.

"You told me your sister would kill to get this house." He put his knee on the bed, looming over her.

"I'm comfortable here." She scooted away, shaking her head.

"A three bedroom house is too big for one person." He had one arm on either side of her, pressing her back to the pillow without touching her.

"Where would I live?"

"With me." Eric breathed in the scent of her hair, of her. He rubbed his cheek against hers before he whispered in her ear. "I'm irresistible. Even dead chicks dig me."

"You'd live with a witch?" Her voice was low, vulnerable.

"I'm under your spell," Eric crooned in her ear. "You saved my soul from the devil." He nibbled the edge of her ear. "Come to think of it, you owe me. I saved you from a lying sack of shit pretending to be your soul mate so the devil would drag you off to hell in his place."

"Don't go there." June stiffened and jerked away.

"He lied like a damn dog."

She shook her head.

"Yes, he did." Eric used his fingers to bring her mouth where he could kiss the edge of it. "I've known you were special since the night we met." Eric broke the kiss long enough to gather her in his arms.

"Stop it." June pushed at his shoulder. "You're making fun of me."

"Nope." Eric nuzzled her throat. "I wouldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"Jake didn't love you." He kissed her hard, until she was pliant and panting. "I do."

Then he made love to her until she believed.

~^~

June surveyed the empty rooms of her house, with mixed emotions as she took her final walk-through. She felt grief, excitement, remorse and, curiously, relief.

She heard Eric and Ken, her brother-in-law, as they closed up the U-haul trailer.

She had tried to keep the house. Without a job, it was impossible. A couple of months on unemployment had eaten her nest egg. Even the modest sales of her herbal soaps and lotions couldn't make up the difference.

The stairs creaked with footsteps, but the house was empty. June turned to the stairs.

"Aunt Lizzie." She swallowed, trying to talk past the lump in her throat. "I'm so sorry. I can't afford to live here by myself."

More masculine voices, the excited barks of the dogs, told her that the guys were done outside.

"Beth and her kids are coming with their stuff." June sniffed and cleared her throat. A soft breeze stirred her hair. "You won't be alone, not even for a day."

"I've got a job as an accountant for a horse farm." June walked out of the living room, trailing her fingers on the brick hearth. She sat on the stairs. "Eric bought a little farm not far from town. The house is half this size, but it has some fruit trees and a big garden. There is even an old barn.

"Lexington is beautiful." June felt the excitement flair. "I'll make twice the money I used to make." She couldn’t talk; she bowed her head and cried. "I miss you so much." She knew how much Eric wanted her to come to Lexington. The last two months they had spent talking on the phone, texting, emailing and traveling back and forth. June had fallen in love with Lexington. The climate boasted mild winters. It was still fall in Lexington, while there was snow on the ground here in Ashtabula.

The kitchen door opened; Rags scrambled across the floor. He raced to her and leaped into her lap. He licked the tears from her face with quick swipes. June laughed, letting her eyes dry up.

"Hey, you all right?" Eric came around the corner. He had asked her that a half-dozen times today. He wasn't the type to hover; they had been too busy for that.

"I'm a little soggy." June dug in her pocket for a tissue.

He bent over to give her a kiss. They both felt the puff of warm air.

"The trailer is full," Eric said. "Ken called Beth, she's on her way."

"I don't know if I want to be here," June sighed. "If she's going to rub it in, I'm going to smack her." She hugged Rags until he growled, then she set him on the step.

"Ken says the kids are excited." Eric eased his lean body to the next step down. "His daughter wants a pony. His son wants to take over the chickens. He's going to sell eggs to all his friends."

"He'll end up a farmer if Ken isn't careful."

"Those kids are great." Eric grinned. "I can't wait to have our own."

"It may be sooner than we think." June laughed. "I skipped again."

"Seriously?" Eric sat up, his eyes wide. "Don't bullshit me about this."

"I don't know for sure." June looked down. "The night at the spring was – powerful magic."

"What are you waiting for?" Eric asked. "All you need to do is pee on a stick."

"I'm not sure," June admitted. "It could be a false alarm. Stress does this to me." But the look on Eric's face reassured her. She could see that he wanted her to be pregnant. "I thought it was too soon for us."

"How can you doubt us after what we've been through?" Eric shook his head. "I've loved you since day one."

June's eyes filled again. She blinked the tears away.

"Believe it," his voice dropped in tone and timber. He pulled her close and kissed her until she was soft and pliant. "I owe you my life. I want you to have my children, a dozen children."

"Oh, no!" June pulled back. "Not a dozen."

"We can pretend." He grinned.

June giggled, giving him a playful shove. He pulled her back. They wrestled on the stairs until Rags barked at them. Tasha trotted over to see what they were doing. She wagged her butt and licked Eric's hand. Red ribbon dangled from her collar.

"What's that?" June patted her knee. "Tasha, come here."

Tasha jumped up and licked her face. June groped for her collar. Eric grinned, sitting back. June tugged the ribbon. A ring dropped into her hand. June sucked in a breath. She stared at the diamond ring before she looked at Eric.

"Will you?" he asked. "You know I love you. I'd do anything for you."

"Yes." June slipped the ring on her hand. "I will." She threw herself into his arms.

"When?" Eric asked. "I think we have a deadline."

"Yule?" she thought about it. "Christmas?"

"The sooner, the better." Eric hugged her. "I think we need to get a move on."

Tasha huffed and Rags raced to the dining room, barking.

"My sister is here." June sighed. "If she gloats, I'm going to slap her."

"Just show her the ring." Eric chuckled. "I know how you women are: engagement rings, and babies trump everything else."

June laughed. "That's not fair."

Doors slammed, the shrill voices of the kids faded as they scattered.

This was the worst moment of them all. She squeezed Eric's knee.

She was the first Van Allen to leave Ashtabula in thirty years. The ring on her hand reminded her that she wasn't leaving in disgrace. She was passing on her beloved house to someone who would take good care of it. This was the family treasure, the place where they had all sprung from, her grandparent's home, her Aunt's home, her home, now home to her sister's family.

Beth stepped into the kitchen, looking around with wide eyes. She walked to the breakfast bar, trailing her fingers on the smooth surface.

"I can't believe it," her voice was soft and almost reverent. "Oh, you left the table." The family celebrated all the holidays at the mahogany table with its sliding leaves and six chairs. All the big family dinners had taken place around it for generations.

"A house warming gift, from both of us."

Beth's eyes filled and spilled over. She walked to June and hugged her, then hugged Eric. She dashed the tears from her eyes.

"Take a look." Eric grinned, took June's hand in his. "She said 'yes.'" There were more hugs. Beth called Ken and the kids in to tell them the news.

"We need to go." Eric put his arm around June's shoulders. "It's after noon. It will be dark before we get home."

June hugged the kids, then she pulled two sets of keys from her pocket. She handed one set to Ken, hugged him, then gave the second set to Beth. With Eric by her side, she left her house for the final time. She walked past the garage where she could smell the paint she'd used to cover up her protective circle. There was only a faint, lingering tingle of magic in the garage. In time, even that would fade.

She heard the patter of feet inside the garage. Her niece was dancing with one of her dolls, her feet following the outline of the circle that had been painted over.

Maybe there would be another generation of Wiccans in this house.

Eric opened the Explorer's door for her. The back was packed with her clothes.

They left the driveway and headed south. They held hands and talked about the new house and the new job waiting for June. They drove west to pass through the suburbs of Cleveland, south through Columbus; it was already dusk when they drove through Cincinnati. They crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky, but had a couple of hours left.

"Almost home," Eric remarked awhile later as he checked traffic in the mirrors. He took the exit off the highway to a wide paved road.

June was tired. She'd had mixed emotions all day – happy and anxious to get started in her new life – sad and afraid because she was leaving her home and family behind. She rubbed the ring on her finger the way she used to rub her worry stone.

"Smile." Eric was looking at her. "You are getting that 'deer in the headlights' look again."

June smiled.

"Just a few more miles," he assured her.

They were deep into horse country. Thoroughbred farms with their black double fences dominated the night with their lighted barns. They turned off onto a side road. Eric slowed down to turn into a tree-lined driveway. The white house had dark windows – until Eric did something on his cell phone. The house came to life – light shining from every window.

"It's cute." June leaned forward to get a better look at the house she'd seen only once. Eric had been living here for a couple of months, working on the house at night.