Give Me Butterflies (Oaks Sisters #1)

Chapter 6

Millie

“Craft kits are done.” Micah smiles wide as he steps into the lab room with a laundry basket full of paper bags in his arms.

His long sandy-blond hair is tied in a bun, and the green camp shirt we designed with our favorite insects on the back adorns

his broad shoulders.

I jog over to him and peek at the binocular craft kits he and Emil put together for the camp kids today. “You’re a lifesaver.”

I stand on tiptoe and kiss him on the cheek. “One-hour countdown until the kids get here.”

“Good. Plenty of time to dig into my breakfast.” Micah nods, depositing the basket on a table before pulling a thermos and

something wrapped in a beeswax cloth from his bag. He squats in a kids chair in the center of the room. “Emil made it fresh

right before I left.” He grins at his breakfast with greedy eyes as he unwraps it, and the smell of onion and garlic lures

me over.

“You lucky bitch.” I lean my elbow on his shoulder and inhale the delicious smells of his egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich

on an everything-seasoned bagel. “That looks divine.” I pull out my phone and snap a picture of Micah devouring his first

bite with what I can only describe as an orgasmic expression. I add the picture in our group chat with Emil.

Millie: Where’s mine? Also, I didn’t know someone could get this kind of pleasure from a bagel sandwich. I’m feeling extremely single

right now.

Emil: Micah, glad you like it, love.

Emil: Millie, I’ll send an extra one for you tomorrow.

Lena: Can I DoorDash it? Do you deliver? I’m only a few blocks over!

Micah holds his half-eaten sandwich out for me, and I practically dive at it to steal a bite.

***

“I think this piece goes right here,” a seven-year-old instructs me while I kneel next to a table, helping Oliver and his

brother Noah put together a butterfly-life-cycle puzzle. They were the first kids to arrive, and admittedly, I’m already a

little sick of their arguing.

“No, you’re wrong.” Noah swats his brother’s hand out of the way.

“Okay, boys, I think it’s time for a new activity.” I point them in the direction of a few insect habitats along the wall.

The exhibit room has short tables through the middle, and the outer walls are covered in plexiglass habitats for a variety

of insects. Tall, back-lit display cases bring out the bright colors of the insects, moths, and butterflies we’re showcasing.

The boys’ eyes widen, and they jump up to run along the row of habitats until they reach the biggest one.

Walking to the front of the lab room, I smirk as Micah explains to a mother that we cannot keep her daughter from touching any dirt while she’s here. He smiles patiently while the woman goes on a tirade about how her daughter is wearing a brand-new dress.

When I glance down the hallway to check if anyone is approaching, my mouth pops open at the sight before me.

Finn Ashford walks toward me with calm confidence, wearing a pair of black slacks and a black dress shirt that makes his tan

neck and face practically glow.

If there was ever a time to snap a secret picture for Lena, this is it. He looks like he’s been plucked right out of a men’s

fashion magazine and set here in front of me.

Damn. He may be an asshole, but he’s the kind women drool over.

And he is an asshole... right? If there were an asshole checklist in my brain, he’s definitely checked off some of the requirements.

But bringing me coffee and joking in emails aren’t on that list. He’s deviated from it, and it’s confusing me to my core,

leaving me completely unsure of his intentions.

My eyes follow the line of his starry galaxy tie, and I realize he has a little girl holding each hand.

I momentarily forget how to breathe and have to blink a few times to clear my vision.

But the image stays the same as I track my gaze over him again. Broad shoulders, black fabric over sculpted biceps, rolled-up

sleeves, strong forearms, and—yep—those are children.

Finn has kids?

How did I not know this?

My focus jumps to his left hand instinctively.

No ring.

When I look back up, his eyes connect with mine, and he gives me a small grin. Maybe it doesn’t even count as a grin so much as a flicker of his lips, but it does something bizarre to my equilibrium.

He’s not supposed to grin at me. That’s not on the checklist either.

I plant my feet firmly to steady myself and wave. “Hello, girls.”

The little girl tucked behind Finn’s right leg looks down at the ground as she drags her feet. Meanwhile, the other girl is

already smiling, bouncing toward me.

“Morning, Millie.” The sound of my name in his deep timbre melts my mind like ice cream on a summer day.

“Finn.” It’s all I can come up with while my brain recovers.

I squat to the girls’ level to greet them. “Welcome to camp! We’re so excited to have you. I’m Ms. Millie.” I smile, grabbing

the stack of tags and Sharpie out of my back pocket. “What are your names? I’m going to give you each a name tag.”

“This is Avery.” Finn tips his head toward the shy one before crouching next to her. Avery’s round cheeks are still pointed

to the ground, showcasing her raven hair in a smooth, neat ponytail.

Her navy eyes look up at me through her dark lashes. “Hello.”

“Hi, Avery. I’m so happy you’re here.”

The other girl reaches out her hand, and I take it as she says, “I’m Eloise!” Her lighter brown hair is in wild waves around

her face, her eyes perfectly matching Avery’s and Finn’s.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Avery and Eloise. We’re going to have so much fun together.” I make their name tags and pass

them out. Avery puts hers carefully near her collarbone, and Eloise sticks hers sideways, right over her stomach.

“If you go inside, to that tall guy over there”—I point in the right direction—“that’s Mr. Micah, and he is showing everyone

our tarantula, Terrence.”

Eloise drops her lunch box next to me and makes a mad dash for Micah, but Avery grabs Finn’s hand again and looks at him with a frown.

“Do I have to go?” she whispers.

Finn’s eyes turn the softest I’ve ever seen them, creasing along the edges as he gives Avery a small grin. “Yes, piccola . I know you’re going to have fun, and I’ll see you in astronomy this afternoon.” He settles his hands on her shoulders, and

I stand and turn slightly to give them some privacy.

Hearing Dr. Black Hole comfort his girls is warping my impression of him.

Avery sniffles but gives Finn a hug and walks right past me toward the table with the abandoned puzzle. His eyebrows draw

together as he watches her.

“Don’t worry—she’ll have a great morning,” I try. “We have so much planned, she won’t have time to miss you.”

Finn stares at Avery like he’s in a daze, his lips a flat line. He looks to Eloise, who’s giggling as Terrence climbs up her

arm. “Can you try not to split them up, if it’s not too much trouble? They need each other sometimes.”

“Yeah, of course.”

He does one more scan of his girls before he turns slowly, almost like it pains him to do so, and walks back down the hall.

***

“How old are you, Ms. Millie?” Elijah asks, tugging on my hand while we walk toward the front of the museum.

“Twenty-nine.”

His head droops. “My mom said I can’t have a girlfriend if she’s more than one year older than me until I’m an adult.”

A laugh snorts out of me. “Your mom sounds like a smart woman. How old are all of you?” I ask the herd of children around

me.

Avery is holding my other hand, with Eloise beside her, while Oliver and Noah walk in front of us.

We’ve had a few hiccups this morning, including Oliver pulling Adrian’s hair because of a dispute over the best pizza topping.

We also had a close call with a butterfly after Noah tried to whack it off his shirt in the vivarium.

Despite all that, it’s been a success. The kids loved seeing the monarch butterflies emerge from their chrysalises, and our

binoculars turned out perfect.

“Eight,” Oliver shouts at the same time Noah says, “Seven.”

“We’re both five because we’re fraternal twins,” Eloise informs us, pronouncing “fraternal” perfectly, like she’s done it

a thousand times. “Mama said having twins in your belly makes it reeeeeeally big because there are two babies in there.” Eloise

holds her hands out in front of her. “Like as big as that table!” She points to the front desk where Eleanor is sitting and

waving at us.

“Is it fun having a twin?” I ask the girls. “I always wanted to be one. I thought sharing secrets would be amazing.”

Surprisingly, Avery answers first. “Having a twin is the best. I never have to be alone.” She gives me a small smile, but

it doesn’t reach her eyes.

Eloise puts her arms around Avery’s shoulders and says, “It is the best thing.”

The kids come to a standstill under the Quetzalcoatlus fossil and lean their heads back to stare at it. A chorus of questions starts, and luckily, Micah steps in to answer them

the best he can.

As I watch Avery smile timidly and Eloise grill Micah with questions, my mind wanders to Finn.

Is he the one who put Avery’s hair in that sleek ponytail and helped them pick out their clothes this morning? Eloise’s shirt

has a little astronaut figure being held up by planet-shaped balloons, while Avery’s has a peace sign made of flowers.

I’ve been telling myself Finn is a scowling, rude grump, but something about the coffee delivery and the emails and the way he spoke to the girls this morning has me admitting to myself that I might not have the whole picture.

Micah reaches the end of his dinosaur knowledge, so we shuffle the kids outside the main doors of the museum and line them

up on the sidewalk.

“Okay, everybody,” I call, cupping my hands around my mouth. “If you sit down in your spot, Mr. Micah and I will bring each

of you a plant, and then we can help you find a good place in the soil to put it.”

Paisley shouts, “Do you have gloves for me? My mom said not to get dirty.” She smooths the tulle of her purple dress.

“Your mom sent you to the wrong camp, then,” I mumble to Micah before calling louder to the kids. “We don’t have gloves, but

we can wash our hands after. Trust me, it’s going to feel so good to dig your hands in there and get some dirt on them. That’s

my favorite part.”

Paisley’s curled lip says she doesn’t believe me.

Micah and I make our way around to all the kids, passing out yarrow, bee balm, and penstemon seedlings. Aside from Paisley,

everyone seems excited to get dirty. Even Avery is on her knees in the flower bed.

I crouch between Eloise and Avery to get them started. “Where should we plant your seedlings?”