Chapter 37 Addie
Addie
“Will I get kicked out of the family if I’m bad at this?”
Zane’s question has me cracking up as Ryan flips on the lights at Blooming Beautiful.
It’s stupidly early to be awake on a Sunday morning.
The flower shop we own isn’t even open today, but Ryan got a call twenty minutes ago from a panicking bride whose flower delivery never showed.
He’s a sucker for a damsel in distress, so he told her he’d throw together some quick centerpieces for her tables and a few bouquets for her wedding party.
He called in the whole family for help. Mom, Dad, and Vivi brought a sleepy-eyed Zane, and Michael and I hitched a ride with Ryan.
“Yep. Better start studying,” I tease.
“Welp. Guess I’d better leave now. I was always shit in school.” Zane pretends to turn around for the door, but Dad stops him, throwing an arm over his shoulder.
“Oh, no, you don’t. If I can be helpful, so can you. We’ll decorate the vases and let the creative types work their magic.”
Zane melts under Dad’s acceptance. His small smile is adorable, and I find myself feeling incredibly grateful for my family. They’ve brought Zane under their wing without a moment of hesitation.
“All right,” Ryan starts. “Mom, Vivi, and I will handle arrangements, Michael and Addie will de-leaf and trim, and Dad and Zane will prep the vases.”
“Sir, yes, sir.” I salute him. He glares at me without any heat behind it. I don’t think Ryan is capable of that kind of negative emotion.
He continues as if I didn’t interrupt him. “The bride said her main color is navy blue, but she’d take black roses if it meant she got to hold a bouquet as she walked down the aisle.”
Mom frowns. “Aw, poor girl. We just got those blue thistles in our last order, didn’t we?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Along with some Nigella.”
“Yes! And eucalyptus is a must.”
“Focus, you two. We need directions,” Dad teases.
Mom and Ryan grin apologetically. Ryan hands out specific instructions, and we all dive into our jobs.
The morning flies by while we work. The sun shines through the glass front of the building, highlighting the fairy-garden feel of the store.
Over the past few years, Mom has slowly been handing the reins over to Ryan.
She’d have given him the whole store a long time ago, but he kept saying he wasn’t ready.
We all knew he was just too nervous to take over, so she started getting sneaky about it.
Every few months, she’d ask him to help with a different business task, until he was basically running the store while she merely helped out up front.
Ryan called her out on it one day, and she just gave him a wink and told him she knew he was capable of running the store the whole time. He’s been managing ever since, and I swear they’ve never been more successful.
Eliza, the full-time employee Ryan hired a few months ago, comes in a little while later with a tray of coffees and a bag of what I hope are pastries from The Café in hand.
She flicks her brown bangs out of her eyes as she moves deeper into the store.
“I figured you guys might need an energy boost and someone to tap in soon.”
We’ve gotten quite a bit done in the three hours we’ve been working. Beautiful sprays of blue, lavender, and greenery fill a table on the side of the room. We’ve just finished the centerpieces, and now Ryan and Mom are working on the bouquets while Vivi wraps the boutonnieres.
“You have perfect timing.” Dad helps Eliza with her armload of treats.
Her pregnant belly looks more like a basketball under her shirt than a baby.
She’s yet another lost soul we’ve adopted into our family.
I’ve never met someone so genuinely kind despite all the reasons she has to be angry at the world.
She moved here with nothing but the shirt on her back after escaping her abusive ex.
She didn’t even know she was pregnant until a few weeks after she started working at the shop.
The whole town has rallied around her, supporting her the way only a close-knit community can: with love, food, and nosy neighbors unafraid of barging in to check on her.
We take a break, chatting with Eliza while we fuel up on coffee and pastries.
“How’s the little mister doing?” Dad asks her.
Eliza rubs a hand across her belly. “Great. At the last ultrasound, he was hamming it up for the techs. Then the little turkey kept bouncing around too much, and it took forever for them to do their checks.”
“Sounds like this one.” Dad pulls one of my braids. “She loved showing off during the ultrasounds.”
I blush at the attention. Michael is smirking at me, his eyebrow raised as if he’s saying, “See? I’m not the only one who thinks you’re trouble.” He frowns as he pulls his cell from his pocket. He walks across the store to lean against the windows as he talks on the phone.
I can’t keep my eyes off him. His tall frame looks like a shadow against the bright sun.
The darkness that used to surround him like a shield has faded in the week since he told me he loved me.
I’d been prepared to never hear him say it out loud.
I knew he loved me. Every action he took proved how he felt.
But I can’t deny that hearing those words did something to me.
It’s as if our relationship has healed something in Michael.
I’d have taken him exactly as he was when we first discussed being together.
I loved every piece of his dark soul. I didn’t need him to be anything other than who he is, but this version of him, the one who’s settled into his belief that he’s worthy of love? It’s heart-wrenchingly beautiful.
His smiles are real. The laughter that had to be dragged out of him before now bubbles to the surface as easily as the pop of a champagne cork. I would never have believed I could love him any more than I already did, but somehow, he’s proven me wrong.
Michael straightens, his relaxed pose becoming rigid in a fraction of a second. The stricken look he sends my way has the blood draining from my face.
What’s happened?
Then he’s turning toward Zane as he hangs up the phone.
My gaze bounces between Michael and Zane. Energy vibrates between the two men, something dark and scary that makes my heart pound.
“Zane.” Michael’s voice is hard, his features carefully blank. “I need you to come with me.”
Zane swallows, his body sagging in defeat. He nods his head as if he knows exactly what’s happening.
“Wait…” I step forward. “What’s happening? What’s going on?”
Dad steps up next to me, trying to get a read on the situation before asking questions.
“It’s okay, Ads,” Zane says, sadness lining his face. “I need to go with Michael for a bit. I’ll call you later.”
“But—”
Dad interrupts me with a hand on my shoulder. I hadn’t even realized I was moving. “Let them go. We’ll find out what’s happening when we can.”
Michael gives me a stern look, a silent demand for me to stay where I am.
And then they’re gone, the happy chime over the door a jarring tone compared to the icy atmosphere left in their wake.