Epilogue
T hree weeks later, the nursery had settled back into its natural rhythm, birdsong, the creak of wheelbarrows, and the distant bark of Sammy patrolling the rows like he owned the place.
Which, to be fair, he sort of did.
Callie paused near the back lot, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun as she watched Nate unload a delivery. A newer driver—one she’d personally vetted—hopped down to help him. No fake names, no shady excuses. Just a man with a clipboard and a genuine interest in succulents.
Progress.
The sting of what had happened hadn’t vanished, but the worst of the bruising—emotional and otherwise—was fading.
The feds had wrapped their part quickly once the dust settled.
Les and his brother were both in custody.
The DEA confirmed that Callie hadn’t been a suspect at any point.
In fact, they’d gone out of their way to thank her for not panicking and for preserving evidence.
She still wasn’t sure how much of that had been sincere and how much was sheer relief that she hadn’t come at them with a trowel.
Either way, her name was clear. Her business was clean. And for the first time in weeks, she could breathe deeply without a hitch.
Inside the nursery’s breakroom, the fan hummed lazily overhead. A water bottle sweated onto the counter beside a small bouquet of fresh herbs she’d trimmed that morning. Rosemary, lavender, and thyme. The irony still made her smirk.
Matthew sat across from her at the little bistro table Rosie had decorated with gingham fabric and a hand-painted sign that read Plant Kindness, Grow Love . The woman was becoming a true friend, opening up more, letting people in.
Callie picked at the edge of the label on her bottle. “You know what’s weird? I’m still angry. Not only at Les, but at myself for not noticing.”
Matthew shook his head. “You trusted people. That’s not a weakness, Callie.”
She looked at him. “I trusted someone who stashed drugs under my begonias.”
Lemon balm and climbing thyme to be exact, but begonias was an easier word to say to take out her frustration.
His lips twitched. “Okay, so maybe not your best judgment call. Still, you acted fast. You didn’t freeze. You gave them hell.”
“I did, didn’t I?” Her chest loosened a little at that.
“You did,” he said firmly, reaching across the table to take her hand. “You were never alone in this. And you won’t be, going forward.”
A warm flush spread through her.
He meant it. He always had.
The breakroom had gone quiet, save for the soft rhythmic thumping of Sammy’s tail against the linoleum every time Matthew shifted in his chair.
Callie squeezed his hand. “You know, it’s your day off. Most people use those to sleep in, not scrub down greenhouse benches.”
Matthew smiled crookedly at her. “I enjoy being here.” He gave a casual shrug. “Besides, you’ve seen my place. Not a whole lot of begonias or hand-lettered charm.”
Callie smiled, stepping closer. “You keep hanging around, and I might start thinking you actually like me.”
He reached for her free hand, gently tugging her closer across the small table. “Like you? Callie Morgan, I’m fairly certain I’m more than a little gone for you.”
Her chest tightened in that good, overwhelmed way that only came when he looked at her as if she mattered. As if she were his world.
“You know, this doesn’t scare me anymore,” she said softly. “Us. Letting someone in.”
“Good,” he replied, brushing a thumb over her knuckles. “Because I’m already all in. And I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
And when he leaned in to kiss her, she met him halfway, pressing her lips to his, softly and gently, savoring the sweet gesture with every stuttering beat of her heart.
When they parted, she rested her forehead against his. “Remind me to update the employee roster,” she murmured. “You’re officially on staff now. Perks include unlimited greenhouse access and the occasional inappropriate breakroom kiss.”
Matthew grinned. “Perks accepted.”
Sammy gave a snort from the floor, as if in approval.
Callie was about to steal another kiss when Maggie’s voice rang out from the hall. “Hope I’m not interrupting any passionate plant talk!”
Callie laughed and released Matthew to sit back on her chair as her sister strolled in with a bunch of colorful flyers in hand and sunglasses perched atop her head. “You’re always interrupting something.”
“Occupational hazard,” Maggie said breezily, waving a flyer. “I come bearing promotional materials. Art After Dark is officially next week, and Harland Main Street is about to get real pretty.”
Matthew accepted one of the flyers with a grin. “Crafterthoughts doing something messy?”
“You know it,” Maggie said. “Jenna and Kimmie are making an interactive mural wall out of recycled craft scraps and probably some dangerous amount of glitter. Kids will love it. Adults will need therapy.”
Callie raised a brow. “And you?”
“Oh, Mom, Grandma Jo, and I are turning our booth into a walk-through vintage gallery. We’ve got antique sculptures, framed embroidery, and some weird little porcelain dog collection that Grandma Jo swears was art deco.” She winked. “What about you and your leafy kingdom?”
Callie smiled. “I’m building a living art exhibit. Moss wall, vine sculptures, and a few flowering arrangements with hidden meanings.”
Matthew tilted his head. “Hidden meanings?”
“Floriography,” Callie said with a shrug. “Victorian-era flower language. I’m calling it ‘Whispers in Bloom.’”
Maggie whistled. “Okay, now I feel basic.”
Callie laughed. “Wait till you see it at night. Rosie and I are adding solar lights and a motion-triggered misting system.”
Matthew leaned in. “Did I mention how sexy your brain is?”
“Gross.” Maggie groaned. “Okay, I’m leaving before this turns into a garden romance novel.” She handed over a few extra flyers. “Put these by the front register. I’ve got three more shops to hit.”
She kissed Callie on the cheek and sauntered off, leaving behind the faint scent of vanilla perfume and the right amount of chaos to feel normal.
After Maggie’s exit, the nursery settled back into its gentle rhythm. Rosie taking care of the front. Nate and Fred, the new guy, helping customers out in the yard. Easy, breezy, normal.
Hopefully, it stayed that way.
“Want to go for a walk?” Matthew asked, holding out his hand.
She smiled and slid her hand in his. “Sure.”
They headed outside, Sammy rushing ahead, and her smile widened at his enthusiasm for life.
Something she’d been working on—enjoying life a little more.
More strolls with Matthew, hand-in-hand.
More date nights, two-stepping together on Tuesday nights at Texas Pub.
More opening up and letting him into her home, her bed… her heart.
The guy took up permanent residence there now, and it didn’t freak her out. It warmed her, calmed her…made her want more of him. All of him.
She just wasn’t sure how to say it.
But she was working on that too.
The sound of a breeze rustling leaves and the faint hum of bees near the lavender beds accompanied them on their walk. After several warm, companionable minutes, she led him to the lean-to.
Their spot. It would always be their spot to her.
Sammy sped ahead and sprawled dramatically in the shade as if exhausted from all the walk-related excitement.
Callie leaned against the edge of the table and glanced up at him. “So…with fall around the corner and this art event, things are about to get busy again.”
Matthew stood in front of her, his thumb lightly brushing hers. “Busy’s okay. I’ve seen what you do with busy.”
“True.” She tilted her head. “You’re not heading out of town again?”
“Not unless Mac sends me,” he said. “But even then, I’ll be back before you know it.” He paused. “I enjoy being here. With you. For you.”
Callie softened, her shoulders relaxing in that way she didn’t even realize she did when she was letting him in. “I wasn’t sure we’d end up here, you know. At the beginning.”
“Same,” Matthew admitted. “But somehow it feels right. The most natural thing in the world.”
She smiled, her heart swelling. “I agree.”
No hesitation. No caveats. All truth.
“I didn’t expect to feel this settled,” she added quietly. “With everything that’s happened…I thought it would take longer. But with you? It doesn’t feel hard.”
Matthew lifted his free hand to caress her face. “That’s how I know it’s real.”
She nodded once, then said it again, firmer this time. “It is real.”
It was also something good.
Something worth growing.
He smiled at that—at her—and brushed his thumb gently along her cheek. “Should we add it to the planting schedule?”
She snorted softly, loving his humor and how his mind was in sync with hers. “Right between the creeping thyme and the emotional baggage?”
“Definitely.” His grin deepened. “But this time, let’s label it correctly.”
Callie leaned in, eyes bright, her heart full. “Let’s call it what it is.”
“What’s that?”
She smiled. “Us.”
Adoration deepened his gaze as he lowered his lips to hover above hers. “Us is my favorite.”
Then he kissed her long, thoroughly, and deeply. She returned his kiss, giving him everything, holding nothing back. She was done with that. There were no boundaries with Matthew anymore.
She'd spent so long tending roots alone. But, this— this was how things were meant to grow. Together.
“Next time I try to shut you out,” she murmured against his lips when they broke for air, “remind me with one of those kisses that I said yes to us .”
His smile was all-in. “I plan to remind you every damn day.”
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