Addicted to Witch (12 page)

“Me,” she repeated blankly.

“Hells, come on, it’s been a debilitating day as it is. And it’s barely ten in the morning.”

“I know. But…”

But she needed reassurance. He unpeeled the towel from her body, but looked her in the eyes, feeling lighter than he ever had in his life. “I am in love with you. Which is why I can tell you all my deepest darkest secrets and Romely can’t do a thing about it.” He touched his mouth to her collarbone and felt her shiver beneath his touch. She tasted like home. “Now can we go? I’ve had enough of Kent.”

Her lips parted in expectation. “What are we going to do?”

He lifted her into his arms and made his way up the stairs. “Everything.”

Chapter Fourteen

Helena flew through patients at the Thursday morning walk-in clinic. She’d never felt as confident in her abilities as she did now, all of it to do with Auden. He refused to allow her to buy her own ring. Because marrying him was simple fact. It was happening. They just knew.

“Just be patient, Hells. I’ll get myself sorted and be able to support myself and you like an adult.”

“Why don’t you just pay me back?”

He sent her a look of masculine disgust that made her grin. “No.”

She had the strangest sensation when she wanted to know how Auden was. No mobile phone for her. All she had to do was look down at her left palm and the letter
A
glowed red and happy.

“Well, okay.” She grinned.

“Okay that I’ve got pus leaking from my armpit?” a patient asked incredulously.

“No, no. Never mind.”

In a break, she called Ophelia.

“What have you done now?” Ophelia growled.

“I’m sleeping again.”

She heard the frown in her sister’s voice. “What are you taking?”

“Sex.”

Ophelia laughed. “Good choice. Natural. The guitar banding scruff from Kent?”

“He’s going to be your brother-in-law, so please stop calling him that.”

Helena held the phone away from her ear at Ophelia’s piercing scream. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Not even a bit.”

Helena held the phone away from her ear as Ophelia screamed again. Then her sister yelled. “My sister just got engaged! I will scream if I fucking well want to!” Ophelia returned to Helena to sigh, “Dad is going to go spare. Mum will be happy, though.”

“Why will Dad be mad?”

“You’re his baby.”

“Des is the baby.”

“Des is mentally incompetent, you’re the baby.”

“He’s going to be fine,” Helena assured her. “He wants me to be happy.”

“Mum will be okay because of the prospect of babies. Dad will be fuming that you’re marrying someone you’ve known for a hundred meter dash.”

“Feels longer than that.”

“We went to the retreat less than a week ago.”

Oh. Right. Really? “Definitely feels longer than that.”

“I’ll get someone to draft up a pre-nup for you. Actually, that dude is rich.”

“Draw up a pre-nup if it makes you feel better. I don’t need his money.”

“I need his house. I could have country parties.”

“I thought you hated Kent.”

“It’s improving by the minute. Now, let me know when you want to go dress shopping.”

“Picked it already. Temperley.”

“Show me,” Ophelia demanded. Helena sent her the link and Ophelia gave another ear piercing scream. “You are amazing. Thank you so much for finding me something. But what are you going to wear?”

Helena rolled her eyes at such cheek. “Shut up, Fee. Can you come for dinner? Meet him properly?”

“I’m obliged to hate him, you know. For corrupting you.”

Helena gave a mild shrug, “You can give it a go, but the hate won’t last long though. He’s incredible.”

“At least have a long engagement.”

Helena paused for a half second. “No. Listen I’ve got to get back to work. Thank you for taking me with you. It’s the best thing I could have done.”

“Hmm. Wish I could agree with you. Let me distract myself with the pre-nup.”

They disconnected and Helena felt instantly uneasy about her father and his reaction. Finishing the clinic, she took a lunch break and zoomed to the rooms her father hired for mid-week sessions with clients. He was sitting in a neutral coloured room with a huge palm plant in the corner and classical music playing in the background.

“Hi, Dad.”

He got to his feet in surprise. “Helena! What’s all this about?”

“Just…er…I wanted to say hello.”

“I was supposed to have a client right now, but they’re obviously taking their time. Sit down please. Do you want a cup of tea?”

“No, I’m fine. I actually just wanted to speak to you about something.”

“All right. Is anything wrong?”

“No, not at all. Um…I met someone.”

Her father’s dark eyes narrowed. “Who?”

“You know him, Dad.” Okay now she felt like a guilty five year old. “His name’s Auden Garceau.”

Her father’s jaw tweaked. “How did that happen? He’s got a curfew.”

“Um, the retreat Ophelia and I went to. He was performing there. Turns out he and I have history together. And er…well…we’re sort of getting married.” Her father’s face turned thunderous. “But only a little bit married.”

“Helena,” he said with a sigh. “I know you want to help everyone, but that young man is very troubled.”

“I know, but it’s solvable and not at all chronic. Are you free this evening? To come for dinner and have a chat with him? He’s been let down so badly by things and he needs reassurance that he isn’t the big bad drunken druggie manic depressive he’s been painted to be.”

“I saw the notes, Helena. He needs a lot of help and I don’t know how you can give that to him.”

“Done already.” She gave a guilty grin. “He’s better because I love him. And I’m better because he loves me. Does that make sense?”

He lowered his head with a sad breath out. “You have always been so fragile. I’ve always been afraid that the smallest thing would whisk you into a shell and you’d never come out again. This guilt about your aunt abandoning you and this desperate need to save everyone around you, it can’t continue. There has to be a point where you stop.”

“It’s not about that, Dad. I promise. If anything, Auden understands that better than anyone else. That’s why he’s moved in with me.”

There was a knock at the door and a neat looking man stepped in. “Oh I’m sorry. I thought I was late.”

“No, come in, I’m on my way out.” Helena jumped to her feet. “Come over tonight, with mum, please?”

“We’ll see.” His eyes softened and he caught her hand so he could kiss her cheek.

“Bye, Dad.” With a bright smile, she closed the door and made her way back to the surgery. Well, that had gone down okay. Leave it to Auden to charm her parents over a well-cooked meal and they’d be home free.

***

Charlie patiently sat through the session and gave insightful comments leading his client to his own conclusions. The session finished and his client handed over his usual cheque for the next three sessions. Calmly, Charlie got into his car and drove to his daughter’s home in Angel. His mind was quite clear as he locked the car and rang the doorbell. Hair tied at the nape of his neck, Auden answered the door.

“Hey Char—”

Before he finished the sentence, Charlie’s fist connected squarely with Auden’s right eye, sending the younger man sprawling.

Wincing, Auden sat up, while Charlie heaved air into his constricted lungs. “Guess I deserved that.”

With those words, the rage abandoned Charlie and he wondered with fear and sadness how on earth he’d explain himself to Helena.

Chapter Fifteen

Helena waited for the patient to leave before calling her younger sister.

“Hi Des. How are you?”

“Fucking exhausted! How are you?”

“Good.” She checked her clock. “What are you doing up so early? Isn’t it going on six in the morning?”

“I’ve got to be on set in an hour. Fee told me you were banging some failed musician at the retreat.”

“Oh yes, I’m going to marry him.” There was silence on the other end of the phone. “Des?”

More silence. Helena gave a shrug and disconnected the call. She was online looking at potential wedding shoes when Desdemona called her back.

“You know I hit my head on the corner of my sofa because of what you said. I may have a concussion.”

“Go to A&E,” Helena said firmly. “Get someone to keep an eye on you.”

“You can’t spring that sort of surprise on me and not expect me to go mental!”

“Why is it a surprise?”

“What do you know about this bloke?”

“Everything,” Helena shrugged.

“Because he told you or you accessed his medical records?”

“Because he told me and he let me find out myself and he is a wonderful man. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

“You can’t marry someone you’ve known for five minutes! You’re like some desperate reality TV star! Are you getting money for this? Is Fee going to sort a pre-nup?”

“Des, honestly. He’s imperfectly gorgeous. The wedding will be next month. At his home in Kent. There are just a few things to sort out and he’ll be able to get it looking the way he wants.”

“Hold on a minute. What are we talking?”

“Enough that we’ll have to ban the press.”

“Oh my god, I’m buying Cavalli.”

“Great. I’ll send you the invitation by email for approval. The design is so pretty I think I may frame it after the wedding.”

“Whoa, wait a minute. Have you told Dad?”

“I did. I think he’ll be okay with it.”

Desdemona made a groaning sound in her throat. “You’re the baby, he will not be okay with it.”

Goodness, when did those two make that decision about her status in the family? “I am not the baby, you are.”

“No, Ophelia is the mentally scarred one. I’m the pretty one. You’re the baby.”

“You and Fee really need to sit down and work some things out,” Helena admonished. “Listen, all Dad has ever wanted is for me to be happy. And I am. It’s complicated, but I’m thirty-four, he should trust me by now to know my own mind.”

Desdemona sighed. “You can say that again when we’re standing over your lover’s grave.”

“Des!”

“I wish you’d listen to me for once. Bet you any money Dad’s going slowly spare behind a mask of calm. No father wants his daughter marrying some guitar banding scruff. What’s his name anyway?”

“Auden Garceau.”

“Fuck right off! Yeah, I am definitely getting Cavalli, and Dad’s definitely going to go mad.”

***

Auden pressed the pack of frozen peas to his eye. Charlie sat next to him, a pack of frozen mixed vegetables balanced on his knuckles.

“How’d you feel?” Charlie ventured.

“Like I’ve been punched.”

“I truly am sorry. I’m a man of words and not violence.”

“Understandable, I’m going to marry your little girl.”

Charlie sighed again, shifting the packet over his hand. “You understand why I’m worried. Not just about Helena, but you. Are you ready for this sort of commitment?”

“Helena is the only person on this planet that could save me. And she has.”

“You won’t fall back into your old ways? You know why we insist that you don’t form a relationship while you’re in recovery.”

Auden breathed out and tested whether he’d be able to say this to his counsellor. “Charlie, I was never in any sort of addiction. I’ve never had a problem with alcohol. Like some guys my age, I messed about with drugs, but never to the point where I survived on them to feel anything. I did have issues with depression because three boys tried to hang me when I was ten. For years, I’ve had an over-ambitious GP drugging me into submission because she harbours sexual feelings for me.”

Charlie stared at him. “Dr. Deans?”

“Yep. She’s still around.”

Lucky for her. Helena hadn’t killed that crazy bat. Romely had tried to get back into his house. In that attempt, Auden revelled in how magic could be a wonderful deterrent. At the gates, Romely received electric shocks every time she touched the rails. So she tried telephone calls only to have the same welcome in electric shocks. The shocks sounded right after the answer machine beep. Auden didn’t think he or Helena had laughed as much hearing her yelp each time she tried to speak. Persistent bitch, he couldn’t wait to get rid of her.

“Yes. Same pattern for seven years. Why do you think I’ve been in the system for so long? When you asked her, what did she tell you?”

“That you have repeated manic episodes. Medication is not working due to your reluctance to take it, and your addiction to the highs you experience when you are manic. You are mentally unable to let go of your reliance on illegal and artificial methods of emotion or accept that you have a disorder. That you are a danger to yourself and your judgement is severely impaired by your illness. She recommended hospitalisation but your trustees did not wish to make that decision on your behalf. She was lying? About everything?”

He nodded, once unsurprised by the detail in Romely’s conviction. “Yes. Charlie, it’s been going on for seven years. Put me through any tests you want to. Physical, psychological whatever. You’ll see I have no additional issues. I’m the focus of an obsessive one.”

Charlie was quiet for a long time. “Helena absolutely believes you without question. I don’t want her to put her career at risk because of you.”

“She won’t.”

Charlie shook his head, seemingly unable to accept the inevitable. “Do you know her, truly know her, what she’s been through?”

“She told me.”

The pack nearly slipped to the floor. “All of it?”

“Her aunt, the witch doctor, coming to live with you, not being able to sleep, the nightmares. All of it.”

Charlie couldn’t seem to comprehend what he was being told. “She doesn’t talk to anyone about that. Not even her sisters.”

“Or you?”

“No,” he admitted. “It took years to take the fear from her shoulders. It took years, for her to learn how to trust me and her sisters. To accept a simple hug because she believed anyone who touched her would be violent to her.”