Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up 4)

“Go.” I waved Jimmy away. “Go! Go find money. Mr. Tom certainly put way too much in the eggs.”

“Did he say…” Jimmy shook his head and turned. That had done it. There was too much to unpack in what Mr. Tom had said, and Jimmy’s brain had shut down. It happened about once a day.

“It’s not the blood I’m worried about, Mr. Tom,” I said through clenched teeth, then drained my mimosa. “It’s the responsibility. I’m being asked to make a choice that will shape the rest of my life. I won’t be able to get out of it until I die. I know I took the magic, but I guess…” I pushed my hair over my shoulder, turning so the cool breeze could stroke my face. “I guess I didn’t realize the magnitude of it. I just need… I don’t know, I need a little more time, I guess. It’s thrown me for a loop.”

“Well.” Mr. Tom pulled the champagne bottle out of a silver ice bucket on the grass at the corner of the tent. “You can redo the house in your style of choice, and when you are ready, which will hopefully be soon, we can get everything squared away. A little permanence would do us all some good.”

There was nothing little about this sort of permanence.

Fourteen

Austin checked his watch as he climbed out of the Jeep, careful not to touch anything that might transfer dirt onto his crisp white pants or sky-blue polo shirt. He felt a little ridiculous in these preppy clothes, but Mr. Tom had assured him this was Dick and Jane Easter attire, similar to a garden party, and they’d all be celebrating in order to give Jimmy the best send-off they could.

Austin could use a little distraction today. His brother hadn’t just accepted his invitation—he was already on his way, expected to arrive tomorrow. Austin got the feeling that Kingsley was curious to see what Austin had made of himself. Which made him more than a little anxious, given the state of his territory. Every dick-slinging hotshot across the world, it seemed like, women as well as men, wanted to pull off Austin’s newly created mantle. Once subdued, they fell in line, but the constant challenges of lesser-powered shifters were starting to wear on him. It was tedious at best, and it sucked focus and time away from matters that desperately needed his attention, like organization and enterprise.

He caught sight of Niamh across the way, exiting her house in black pants and a black T-shirt, a small hat with a black veil pulled down in front of her face. She looked like she was headed to a funeral.

When she reached him, she said, “Well, what’s the craic?”

“Not a thing. I see you dressed for the occasion.”

“That bollocks is thick if he thinks I’ll dress how he says.”

“I did it for Jess and Jimmy. This is apparently what people wear at Easter parties.”

“What is the deal with the Easter Bunny, do ye suppose?” She headed for the side gate leading to the backyard, where the house crew had fanned out.

“What do you mean?

“Well…it’s a bunny that secretly lays eggs. Is it some sort of science experiment gone wrong, or have we gotten the laws of nature wrong, and the proof is in the mutant bunny?”

He laughed, the decorative gravel along the side of the house crunching under his feet.

“Jessie is goin’ta be a puddle of sad when the boy leaves.” Niamh slowed as they reached the grass. “She almost seems…softer when he’s around.”

Jess stood in the center of the bright green grass, dressed in a cream summer dress flowing in the breeze, two little straps clinging to her shoulders and the bodice hugging her torso. Golden light glinted off her shoulder-length brown hair, and she had a hand perched over her eyes, shading her beautiful face from the sun. Her smile lit up the yard, outshining the bright pops of fragrant flowers hugging the grass.

“Her softness seems to make yer personality a wee bit harder, no?” Niamh said.

“I hadn’t noticed her being softer, just happier. And no, it doesn’t make my personality harder.” He gritted his teeth, trying not to complain about his job. Then, because they were technically in Jess’s territory and he wasn’t the alpha here, he just admitted it: “Having to ask my brother for help with defense makes me want to scrap the whole alpha thing and go back to my old life, where I had very little responsibility.”

“Ye were wasted in your old life. Look, it’s a load of shite right now, with all these people creating hassle, but as soon as you get a few capable people in yer top tier, it’ll take the load off. I think yer just about to turn the corner, so I do.”