Eric asked again, as he picked up a bracelet and examined it.“Oh, Eric, please stop. This is natural. You really didn’t do anything wrong,” Mabel said.“Then why do I feel like I’ve just ruined her life?” Because that’s what he had just done. Ruined Megan’s life. Something occurred to him; something so awful, a chill slithered down his spine. “What if we end up like Mitch and Millie? I don’t want to hurt her.”“Would it be so horrible if you ended up like them?”Eric huffed. “Don’t give me one of those crappy all-knowing looks. All they do is fight.” He put down the bracelet and headed out of the store. Why was it so hard to find a present? Damn, he used to be so good at it, but nothing seemed right.Mabel walked alongside him and linked her arm through his. “Yes, but they love each other just as fiercely.”He thought about her words, trying to find some truth in them. They stepped into a fancy candle store, and Eric set about picking up candles and giving them a sniff. “Sometimes I don’t think they actually love each other. It’s more like infatuation. He loves the idea of her. He’s connected to her, but damn, he can be so selfish. I can’t even count how many times I’ve picked her up from one of their fights.” He picked up a pink and white swirled votive and drew in a deep breath of strawberry and vanilla.“Hmmm.”He gave Mabel a sideways look. “It’s true. Mitch never thinks about her feelings. He just pushes and pushes, and when he doesn’t get his way, he punishes her like some spoiled kid.”Mabel gave him one of her stern motherly looks. “He’s teaching her, Eric. Not punishing her. Mitchell is a very powerful man and with that power comes responsibility. He can’t just think about what Amelia wants all the time. He has hundreds of people and vampires in this town that are affected by his actions. The problem with Amelia is that she thinks with her heart and not always in the most logical way or with the residents’ best interests in mind.
