Page 140 of Much Obliged
I resumed my perch beside him, putting an arm around his shoulder and kissing his cheek. “I’m prou?—”
Petey cut me off. “I know.” He kissed me softly, sweetly, on the lips. “It means the world to me.”
I booped him on his adorable little nose and took a swig of the cider.
“You never answered my question. What are we celebrating? What is Mabon all about?”
“Ah, well.” I was nuzzled beneath his jaw. “It’s the time of year when we show gratitude for the harvest and all its abundance. It’s a time to honour the ancestors. And to let go of things that no longer serve us.”
“Like the trees letting go of the leaves?” Petey asked.
“Exactly.” I sat upright. “Or horrendous paintings.”
“We do have alotof very empty walls now.”
“I have no regrets.”
Petey turned my face to meet his. He leant in and I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead, he pulled my necklace out from inside my shirt and over my head.
“Speaking of honouring the ancestors,” he said, undoing the clasp on the chain, letting my ring go free. “I think it’s time you wore this.”
Before I could protest, he grabbed my hand and slid the ring onto my pinkie finger.
“You’ve earned it.”
I looked down at the circle of onyx in the band of gold. My father’s ring. My grandfather’s ring. His father’s ring. Generations of Barons Buckford. Now it was mine. Not because I’d inherited, but because I had earned it.
“I’m proud of you too,” Petey said.
A tear rolled down my cheek. I cupped my hands around Petey’s jaw and pulled his face towards mine, gently kissing his lips—then kissing him more passionately.
“I love you,” I said. “Somuch.”
Petey’s eyes sparkled. “I love you too.”
Three grown witches made noises like mocking schoolchildren.
“Shall we get out of here?” Petey asked.
I nodded. “Let’s go down into the ancient oak woodland and fuck like wildlings,” I said. “I know just the place.”
THE END.
