And nothing else would ever come close to this.

“This is the absolute best thing,” I told her, lifting a hand to cup her warm cheek. “The best gift anyone has ever given me.”

“I have been known to be thoughtful to a fault.” Her smile widened, teeth snaring her lower lip as she nuzzled into my palm. “But don’t thank me just yet. I haven’t even told you where we’re going to celebrate.”

“Well then, enlighten me, woman.”

“The Wormwood Suite, back home. I’ve got something . . . very special in mind for us.” She tangled a hand in my hair and drew me close, for a slow, lingering kiss that made me catch my breath. “I promised to show it to you, remember, way back at the gala? And like I said, Avramovs never forget. Especially not when they’re kind of in love.”

“You are such a hopeless romantic, Talia Avramov,” I told her, laughing against her lips. “Lucky for you, I’m kind of in love with you, too. And you know what else? Matching tattoos can be very tasteful.”

“That’s the spirit, Harlow,” Talia whispered, drawing me back in. “Always knew you’d come around.”

Acknowledgments

Every book is the culmination of a long dream—but this one was special to me, a story I’ve been gearing up to tell since I began writing. It was also a refuge, a safe and happy haven in a seemingly endless, terribly difficult year that robbed so many of us of so much. As such, I’ll always be profoundly grateful to the many people who helped make this magical escape (and next step in my writing career) possible for me.

My agent, Taylor Haggerty, and all the other sorceresses of Root Literary: you spin dreams into books (and advances, heh), and I can’t imagine navigating this journey without you. I’m especially indebted to Taylor for lending me her exceptional brain to help develop the original premise behind this book. Tay, your brainstorm emails are second to none in both inspiration and comedic gold, and it’s a continuing joy and privilege to trust you with my stories.

The entire team at Berkley Books, including but not limited to: Jessica Brock, Stephanie Felty, Elisha Katz, Bridget O’Toole, Katie Anderson, and Angela Kim. You’ve done so much for me and this book already, and I feel so lucky to have you at my back.

My magnificent editor, Cindy Hwang, an all-around exceptional person—working with you is a dream in itself. I’m keenly aware of how few authors are lucky enough to ever get the kind of opportunity you extended to me; I’ll never forget how hard you fought for me and this story. Thank you for loving and “getting” the witches of Thistle Grove every bit as much as I do, and here’s to us spending lots more time with them!

My critique group buddies—Chelsea Sedoti, Adriana Mather, and Jilly Gagnon—who are always among my first readers. You’re all very shiny diamonds, and I hope our Tuesdays together stretch out as close as possible to infinity.