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Cassie walked from the kitchen to the living room with her cup of tea and sat down on the couch. She had spent the day with her friend Melanie catching up and exploring the town together. After an early dinner at Grey House, Melanie was picked up by a cab to go to the airport, and Cassie was now relaxing and reminiscing about the day.
She sipped her tea and smiled at the quilt that their loved ones had presented to her and Sam the night before, still displayed in the corner of the living room. As her eyes wandered the beautiful squares, she thought about how their wedding day was fast approaching.
It was exciting, but it also meant that there was a ticking clock on a promise she'd made to herself. The promise that she would reveal the biggest secret of her life to Sam before she became his wife.
She only had a few days left to tell him what it meant to be a Merriwick.
"Cassie," a voice softly interrupted her thoughts.
Cassie glanced over toward the foyer and saw Abigail. "Oh, hey."
Abigail had just walked down the stairs, and stopped at the living room entryway when she saw Cassie lost in thought. "Are you okay?" Abigail asked her. "You didn't notice me standing there." Cassie was usually quick to pick up when someone was nearby.
Cassie nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she casually replied.
"No, you're not." Abigail walked over to the couch and sat down beside her. "Something's on your mind."
Cassie shrugged in agreeance and smiled. "Well, yes, something is on my mind, but it doesn't mean I'm not still fine."
Abigail cocked her head to the side. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Cassie set her cup of tea on the coffee table and then leaned back against the couch. She took a deep breath and then explained to Abigail, "I promised myself that before Sam and I were married, I would tell him about the Merriwicks."
"Oh, and the wedding is next week, so you're thinking about how you're going to have to do that soon," Abigail presumed.
"Exactly."
"Are you nervous about it?" Abigail asked, surprised. "Sam has been curious about some of the things we've done for as long as I've known him. I don't think this is going to be a huge shock to him."
Cassie smiled at that. It was true, Sam had always been curious since the very beginning. She wasn't exactly nervous about how he'd react, but more so about having to initiate the conversation. "I know. It's just been a long time since I've had this discussion with anyone."
"Nothing will change with Sam," Abigail assured her. "He loves you so much, Cassie." She made a face as she added, "It's honestly kind of sickening how cute you two are."
Cassie laughed. "Well, I'm sorry our relationship sickens you. We can try to be less cute around you."
Abigail shrugged nonchalantly. "It's okay. I'm used to it by now." She smiled at her cousin and added, "And I'm happy that you make each other so happy."
Cassie smiled appreciatively and reached over to squeeze Abigail's hand. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." And then their Merriwick senses kicked in at the same time. They both glanced toward the front door and then back at each other. "Do you want to tell her?" Abigail asked.
Cassie nodded. "Yeah, I probably should."
"I'll leave you two alone," Abigail said, and as she stood up from the couch, the front door opened and Grace walked into the house.
"Hi, honey," Cassie called to her.
Grace smiled at them as she entered the living room. "Hey, guys."
"Hey." Abigail smiled and gestured toward the kitchen. "I'm on my way out. I'll see you guys later." They exchanged goodbyes and Abigail left.
Cassie patted the couch cushion beside her. "Come here, tell me about your day."
Grace kicked off her shoes and sat down on the couch. "I want to hear about yours first," Grace said. "How was it catching up with Melanie?"
Cassie smiled. "Oh, it was amazing. We filled each other in on all of our post-college adventures… traveling, life, family. And even after being apart for so long, it was like we picked up right where we left off."
Grace smiled. "That sounds really nice. I'm really glad you two had that time together."
"Me, too." Cassie patted Grace on the leg. "What did you do today?"
They chatted for a few minutes, and when there was a bit of a lull, Cassie decided to bring up the topic on her mind.
"So, honey," Cassie calmly started. "There's something important that I have to do before the wedding that I wanted to tell you about."
"What is it? Do you need help with something?"
"No, but I just wanted you to know that I'm going to talk to Sam about… us," Cassie explained. "About what the Merriwicks are, about what we can do."
Grace's eyes widened. "Oh, wow. That's a big deal."
"Yeah, I think it's really important to share that with him before we get married," Cassie said.
"I agree, he should know, definitely," Grace replied with a nod. "What about Nick… are you going to tell him, too?"
Cassie nodded. "Yes, Nick should know, too. I'm going to discuss that with Sam to figure out when we should tell him."
Grace nodded and then moved closer to Cassie and rested her head against her shoulder. "It's been so long since anyone new was added to the inner circle of Merriwick trust," Grace said.
Cassie ran her hand down Grace's hair. "Yes, it has been."
Grace was quiet for a moment before she softly asked, "Do you remember when you first told Daddy?"
Cassie smiled and nodded. "I do." She put her arm around Grace and rubbed her shoulder. "We were engaged, but we hadn't set a wedding date yet. We went out to dinner one night, and when he brought me back to Grey House afterwards, we were sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea. I wasn't planning to tell him that night, but this sudden feeling came over me that I should. So, I told him."
Grace's eyes were closed as she listened to Cassie's words. She loved hearing old stories about her parents.
"I explained everything," Cassie continued. "And he wasn't new to Middleton, he knew a little about the Merriwick history, so it wasn't completely shocking. And, as you can imagine, he was supportive from the start."
"Of course."
Cassie kissed the top of Grace's head. "And I also told him that when we were married and eventually started a family, it was a gift that would be passed down to our kids."
Grace lifted her head and looked at Cassie. "And was he worried about that?"
Cassie smiled and shook her head, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered Jake's reaction. "He said the only way he could be luckier than by having me as a wife would be for our kids to be just like me."
Grace's face lit up with a smile, and her eyes soon became teary like her mother's. She rested her head back against Cassie's shoulder and hugged her. They sat quietly for a few moments, each of them feeling their own nostalgic emotions.
"So, when are you going to tell Sam?" Grace finally asked.
"I'm not sure," Cassie replied. "He had dinner plans with Liam tonight, and he said he would stop by afterwards. If it feels right, that might be a good time to – "
"To say 'surprise, you're marrying a witch'?" Grace finished.
Cassie laughed. "Yes, exactly."
"Well, I have a feeling that nothing you say to him will change the way he feels about you," Grace told her. "He would do anything for you, Mom."
"I know. And he would do anything for you, too," Cassie added, giving Grace a little squeeze on her arm. "He adores you."
Grace smiled. "The feeling is mutual."
…
Later that evening, Sam stopped by Grey House to spend time with Cassie. He had picked up some pastries from the bakery, and they sat at the dining room table to eat while they filled each other in on their Saturdays. Cassie told him all about her day with Melanie, and thanked him again for arranging her visit.
"You're welcome," he replied, smiling at her. "I'm glad you had such a good time with her."
"And I have her contact information now, so at least we can keep in touch more regularly," Cassie said.
Sam nodded. "Hopefully she can come for a visit again." He took a bite of his food, and then wiped his mouth on his napkin as he looked over at her. "Oh, I almost forgot, I'm meeting with a realtor this week to put my house on the market."
Cassie smiled. "That's exciting." She gestured around the room with both hands. "I can't wait for you to call Grey House your home."
"Me, either." Sam smiled and reached over to squeeze her hand. "And I can't wait to call you my wife."
Cassie squeezed his hand back. "Six more days. It's coming up fast." She had finished her dessert, and she gestured toward his plate. "Are you finished? I'll take it to the sink."
Sam stood up from the table, offering, "I'll help you."
They carried their plates and glasses to the kitchen, and then headed to the living room to sit on the couch.
Cassie sat next to him and rested her head against his shoulder, and she glanced over at the Grey Lady hanging above the mantle. That portrait was a beautiful daily reminder of the Merriwick legacy, and as she sat with Sam on the couch, Cassie could feel that it was the right time to share it with him.
Cassie kept her head against his shoulder as she softly said, "Sam."
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember the first time we met?"
Sam smiled. "Of course. I remember every word."
"And you know how you always ask me how I knew the key box would open?"
"Yes, the elusive question I never get an answer to," he replied with a laugh.
Cassie lifted her head from his shoulder and sat up straight on the couch. She turned her body to face him, and smiled before she said, "I'm ready to answer it if you still want to know."
Sam's eyes widened. "Really?"
Cassie nodded, and then she stood up from the couch and walked toward the fireplace. She stood beneath the Grey Lady and turned to face him.
"You may have noticed that the Merriwicks have some… special characteristics," Cassie started. "Abigail, Grace, myself… we have some unique abilities."
"Yeah, I've noticed," Sam replied, sensing that this was going to be a more serious conversation than he'd expected.
"You've seen things happen that you've questioned," she continued. "Like when I know something before you tell me, or when I know that you've entered the room before I even turn around." She paused for a moment. "There's a Merriwick explanation for that."
"The Merriwicks are psychics?" Sam guessed.
"The Merriwicks are witches," Cassie said, and then she placed her palm against her chest as she added, "I am a witch, Sam."
Sam let out a laugh and casually replied, "Right."
But then he looked at her expression and his eyes slowly widened. There was no laugh or playful smirk or any indication that she was joking. He knew Cassie, and he could tell she was one hundred percent serious. He moved forward on the couch until he was perched on the edge of it.
"Oh, you're not kidding," Sam observed. "You're a…"
"I'm a witch," Cassie confirmed. "It's something that Merriwicks are born into. It's in our genes, in our blood… it's a part of who we are. There is a gift that we all possess inside of us, and it's why we can do things that we can't really explain, things that seem…"
"Magical," Sam finished.
"Yes."
"Wow." That was all he could say.
Sam rubbed his face with both hands and then left them there for a few moments. Cassie watched him from the fireplace. She knew he was taking it in, wrapping his mind around it, trying to understand it, and she gave him time to do so.
With his face resting in his hands, Sam closed his eyes and thought about what he'd just heard. He repeated the phrase in his mind… Cassie is a witch. Moments started popping up in his head from the past few years… moments where she had known or done something that made him wonder how she did it. He had never been able to figure it out.
And what he found most surprising in this moment was not her revelation, but with how easily he was accepting it. If anyone else in the world had tried to tell him that witches were real, his reaction would have been completely different.
But it was Cassie. He trusted her with his life, he believed everything she said with his heart and soul. If she said that witches exist, that she was one, that she came from a family of witches, he was going to believe it.
It was less than a minute that he had been quietly thinking to himself, but it felt like hours as Cassie watched and waited for him. And when he finally lifted his head, she instantly felt relief when she saw his eyes. Soft, warm, loving… they were looking at her no differently than they were five minutes ago. That made her feel better, even though he still hadn't said anything.
But Sam had a slightly different feeling looking into Cassie's eyes. While she appeared her normal, calm self, she also looked a little… vulnerable. Concerned. Maybe even a touch nervous. And he realized that his silent reaction may have been worrisome for her, that she needed to know where he stood.
Sam stood up from the couch and walked over to her. "Cassie." His voice was calm and soothing.
"Yes, Sam?" she answered softly.
Sam put his hands on her upper arms and rubbed them comfortingly. "I don't know exactly what this means… what being a witch entails or what sort of things you can do that I haven't already witnessed. But I do believe what you're telling me."
Cassie felt the tenseness in her body dissipate. "You do?"
"If you say you're from a family of witches, I believe you," Sam said. "If you tell me that you're from the moon, I'd believe you. I trust you more than anything."
Cassie smiled. "Thank you. I can assure you I'm not from the moon… but the witch part, yes… that's true."
"I don't understand it," he admitted. "But I'd like to know more about it."
"You can ask me anything," she told him. "Anything you want. I want you to be comfortable with it."
Sam was looking into her eyes. "Well, obviously, you're not a wicked witch because you're the best person I've ever known, and I can't imagine that's been an act this whole time. So, I guess…"
Cassie smiled. "I'm a good witch. The Merriwicks only use their gifts to help people."
"Even Abigail?" Sam joked.
Cassie laughed, and it felt good to see that he was still his usual joking self. "Yes, even Abigail. Sometimes she approaches things a little differently than I would, but her intentions are always good."
"Who else knows about this?" Sam asked.
"Our family members are the only ones who know for certain… Brandon, Lori, George, and Tara," Cassie replied. "They all know."
"Not Martha?" Sam asked. "I would think she knows all of the goings-on in Middleton."
Cassie smiled. "Well, there are certain people, like Martha, who make some assumptions based on what they know about the Merriwick history, but I've never confirmed it to anyone outside of the family. And it's really important that it stays that way."
"I understand," Sam assured her. "I won't tell anyone."
"We can tell Nick, of course," Cassie added. "But I wanted to talk about it with you first to decide when to tell him."
Sam nodded. "He's made some comments over the years about how you or Grace have known certain things. I'm sure it'll click for him right away like it's clicking for me."
"We can have Grace there, too, when we tell him," Cassie suggested. "The whole family together."
Sam nodded again, and then stared at her for a few seconds. Cassie could see that his mind was spinning a little, that he was processing something.
"You must have more questions," Cassie said softly. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that… there's a reason that you're telling me this before we're married," he realized.
Cassie gently nodded. "Yes."
Sam shook his head and he sighed. "Oh, Cassie." He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I really hope you didn't think there was even the slightest chance that this could be a dealbreaker, that it would make me change my mind about the wedding. I hope you weren't worried about that."
"I wasn't," Cassie replied as she hugged him back. "Of course not. But it didn't feel right to save that kind of information until after we were married. It's something you needed to know beforehand."
Sam pulled back from the hug to look at her, and he gave her an understanding nod. "I get it. But let me just reiterate what I just said… this is not a dealbreaker, Cassie. It doesn't make me look at you any differently or love you any less, okay?"
Cassie smiled and nodded. "Okay."
Sam glanced up at the ceiling for a moment to gather his thoughts, and then looked at her again. "You mean the world to me… you are everything to me. I love every single thing about you," Sam continued. "I want to marry you and spend my life with you, and nothing will ever change that."
Cassie stared at him lovingly. She felt so lucky to have him by her side, someone so understanding, someone who cared about her so much. "Thank you, Sam," she whispered.
Sam kissed her, and then added, "And this news certainly doesn't make me want to do that any less."
Cassie giggled and shook her head slightly. "Good." She pressed her palm to his cheek. "You're pretty amazing."
"So are you." Sam caressed her arms down to her hands, clasping them both in his. "Can you tell me more?"
"Of course. What do you want to know?"
Sam led her over to the couch so they could sit down, and he rested his hand on her thigh. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't even know what questions to ask, where to start."
Cassie smiled. "I know, it's a lot."
For some reason, the first thing that popped into his mind was witches making potions, and he gestured toward the kitchen. "Those different types of teas that you always make for people… are they potions, or are they really just tea?"
"Most of the time, they're just tea," Cassie confirmed. "But sometimes, yes, they might have a little something extra in them. Sometimes the drinker needs a boost to help clear their mind and help them make a decision."
"Have you ever given me a tea like that when you thought I needed something?"
Cassie shook her head. "No. You're pretty good at making your own decisions."
"Have you ever cast a spell on me?" he asked, and then he added, "I won't be mad, you can tell me."
Cassie smiled and shook her head again. "No, of course not. It's not really something we commonly do."
"But you can cast spells?" he asked, getting more intrigued with every question.
Cassie nodded. "Yes."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Is there a spell that could keep me in great shape forever?"
Cassie's smile widened. She loved that he was making jokes and was so relaxed about everything. "Yes, it's called exercise."
Sam laughed. "So, you've never used any magic on me at all?"
"Not on you directly, no," Cassie replied, and then her eyes twinkled a little as she added, "Maybe occasionally on something around you."
Sam's eyes lit up and he threw his hands up in the air. "Like the key box!"
Cassie grinned and nodded. "Like the key box."
"All this time I thought you just somehow knew it was going to open, but it was actually you who made it open?"
Cassie smiled. "That's right."
Sam shook his head in disbelief. "This is so fascinating." He settled back against the couch and exhaled a deep breath. "Talk to me about how you see things, like when you know I'm in the room."
"There are two ways that happens, actually," Cassie replied. "Sometimes I get a vision in my mind where I can see you walking into the room, and other times I can just feel your energy. It's hard to explain, but everyone has a different energy, and I can usually feel who is in the room without seeing them."
"And when you say you get visions, what does that mean? Does that happen a lot?"
"Practically every day," Cassie confirmed. "I can't control what visions come to me. It might be about Grace, or you, or a customer at the shop, or an object, or a place. It could be anything."
"So, they just pop into your mind?" Sam asked confusedly. "Randomly, without any warning?"
"Pretty much. Sometimes it's something that doesn't make sense right away, and it takes time to figure out why I had that vision." Cassie paused for a moment and added, "Sometimes big things happen that I wish I'd had a vision about, but didn't. And then I wonder if I could've changed the outcome if I'd seen it coming."
Sam was realizing that being a witch carried a lot more weight with it than he could've ever imagined. He comfortingly squeezed her arm. "I'm sorry. That must be frustrating, not having that control over it, not seeing everything you wish you could have seen."
"It would be especially frustrating for you," Cassie pointed out with a smile.
Sam laughed. "Yes, I prefer to have some control. I would make a terrible witch."
Cassie's smile widened. She was so impressed with how he was handling this situation. Not that she expected anything less from him, but she was happy that he already seemed so comfortable with it. "You know, you don't actually seem all that surprised," she remarked.
Sam shrugged. "Well, I've spent 4 years seeing things happen around me that couldn't be explained," Sam replied. "And now this offers an explanation for them. And no, it's not an explanation I would've easily accepted from anyone else, but coming from you, and seeing the things that I've seen over the years, I can't believe I'm saying this… but you being a witch makes total sense."
Cassie smiled. "The New York Sam Radford never would've said that someone being a witch makes sense."
Sam laughed and shook his head. "No, the Middleton Sam Radford is a very different Sam Radford." He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "It's definitely not a spell?"
Cassie smirked. "I promise there is no magical spell on you."
"Can you show me something magical though?" Sam asked. "Can you make something happen right now?"
"Uh, sure, yes." Cassie glanced around the room, noticed the two unlit taper candles on the coffee table, and she gestured toward them. "Watch the candles."
Sam looked at the candles on the table, and Cassie stared at them, using her Merriwick powers to light them. One at a time, the flames popped up, and Sam's eyes widened.
"Whoa." He glanced at Cassie and then back at the candles, and then moved closer to them. He put his hand over them to feel the heat, and his eyes widened further. "Wow. It's real fire."
"Yes, it is."
Sam's incredulous expression turned into a laugh. "Wow." He put one hand on his forehead, still staring at the candles in disbelief. "That's amazing."
"It's all part of being a Merriwick."
Sam looked over at her. "So, Abigail and Grace can do things like this?"
"Abigail can, yes, but Grace's full potential is still developing," Cassie explained. "She can sense things, her intuition is strong, but she still has some time before the magic really takes full effect."
Sam nodded. "And you said that Merriwicks are born into it, so if Grace or Abigail has kids one day…"
"They'd be born into it, too," Cassie confirmed. "It'll be part of who they are, and they'll have to learn to understand and appreciate their gift just like all the Merriwicks before them have done."
"It sounds like a big responsibility. I'm sure that can't always be easy, especially for a kid."
"No, it's not always easy," Cassie agreed with a nod. "For the kids or the adults."
Sam could tell there was more behind that statement, and he waited for her to say more. When she didn't, he put his arm around her and gently prompted her with, "Can you tell me what it's like?"
Cassie leaned into him to cuddle up against him. She exhaled a breath and then pondered a bit before replying.
"I'm lucky to have this gift, I'm lucky to be able to use it to help people, to make their lives better if I can," Cassie explained. "I get a vision of something or I get a sense of what someone needs, and I'm usually able to guide them in the right direction… to help them figure it out. And it feels amazing when it works out and I was able to help them. Helping others find happiness makes me happy."
Sam smiled at that. "That's something I've loved about you from the very beginning, the way you love helping people. It's so genuine and so endearing."
"And I really do love it," Cassie said with a nod. "It brings me so much joy."
Sam waited for a beat. "But?"
Cassie exhaled a shallow breath. "But this gift doesn't only show you positive things," she continued. "Sometimes I see visions where something isn't going to turn out well, but there's nothing I can do to change it. So I have to let it play out, and then figure out a way to help the person cope with the thing they didn't see coming."
Sam frowned and squeezed her arm affectionately. "Wow, Cassie. That's gotta be hard, and I'm assuming a little emotional."
"Yeah, it can be," Cassie admitted, and then she added, "But the positives of having these gifts certainly outweigh the negatives by far. It's part of who I am, I can't imagine being any other way."
"I can't imagine you being any other way either." Sam smiled at her, holding her gaze for a few moments before he added, "Thank you for telling me."
"Thank you for accepting it," Cassie replied sincerely. "For accepting me."
"Always." Sam leaned in closer and gently rested his hand against her neck as they shared a kiss.
When they separated, Cassie said, "I know this was a lot to take in, and you're going to think of more questions, more things you're curious about. You can ask me anything, you know that."
Sam nodded. "I do. And if you get sick of my questions, just put a spell on me to make me stop asking them."
Cassie laughed. "Never. I want to hear your questions, I love being able to talk about this with you now," she told him, and then she smiled at him. "I love you."
"I love you," Sam replied, and he smiled as he ran his thumb over her engagement ring. "And I'm so excited to marry you."
Cassie's smile widened. "Me, too," she said, and she rested her head against his shoulder, feeling content, lucky, and more in love than ever.
…