Chapter 15
LEIGH
Emma’s Flower Shop was tucked between the hardware store and the café on Main Street, its windows bursting with color even from the outside. Buckets of sunflowers, roses, and wildflowers crowded the sidewalk display, and through the glass I could see more blooms in every shade imaginable.
It was exactly the kind of place you’d expect in a small town. Charming, established, the kind of business that had probably been here for decades.
I pulled into a parking spot across the street and sat for a moment, hands on the steering wheel, trying to calm my racing heart.
This was just a meeting. Just wedding planning. Just me, Trace, Delaney, and Dex discussing flower arrangements like normal adults.
Except nothing about Dex and me was normal anymore.
And while Delaney might know, Trace was still in the dark.
I was starting to see the flaw in our logic in keeping this secret.
Because it was a secret. Or at least not to anyone but the people I’d come here to try and build a relationship with.
Maybe we were dealing with this badly. Maybe we should tell them.
But Dex and I wanted to be cautious and surely we were entitled to some privacy while we figured things out.
I might be here to get to know all the Farringtons but that didn’t mean I owed them complete access to every part of my life.
How had this become such a mess and yet possibly the best thing that had ever happened to me?
It had been two days since Sunday at Dex’s house. Two days since I’d fallen asleep in his arms and woken up with him watching me like I was something precious. Two days since we’d had that conversation about his mom and fears and the way we both stayed on the outside of things.
Two days since I’d started to suspect I was in way over my head.
I’d texted him last night, just goodnight, nothing serious, and he’d called instead. We’d talked for two hours about nothing and everything, and when I finally hung up my face hurt from smiling.
This was supposed to be casual. Temporary. Just for the summer.
But it didn’t feel casual anymore.
I got out of the car, grabbed my camera bag, and tried to look like I didn’t have something to hide. Normal. Like I wasn’t about to spend the next hour trying not to stare at the man I’d spent the weekend in bed with.
The bell chimed as I pushed open the door, and I was immediately hit with the sweet, earthy smell of fresh flowers.
“Leigh!” A woman emerged from the back, wiping her hands on an apron. She looked to be in her thirties, with dirt under her fingernails despite wearing a nice blouse, and a smile that was genuinely warm. “You must be Leigh! I’m Emma. Come in, come in!”
Before I could respond, she pulled me into a hug like we were old friends.
“Delaney’s told me so much about you,” Emma continued, ushering me further into the shop. “We’re so glad to have you as part of the family. And your photography work is beautiful. I looked at your website. That shot of the lighthouse at sunset? Stunning.”
“Thank you,” I managed, charmed despite my nerves. “You looked at my website?”
“Of course! When Delaney said her photographer sister-in-law was covering the wedding, I had to see your work.” She led me toward the back of the shop where a large workbench was covered in sample arrangements. “They’re already here.”
My heart jumped.
And there they were, Trace standing next to Delaney, his hand on her back, both of them looking at flower samples. And Dex, leaning against the far counter with his hands in his pockets, wearing a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up and looking unfairly good for a Monday morning.
He glanced up when I entered, and for just a second, one perfect unguarded second, his whole face softened.
Then he caught himself, looked away, and I tried not to feel the loss of his gaze like a physical thing.
“Leigh!” Delaney pulled me into a hug. “Perfect timing. We were just looking at the wildflower arrangements.”
“They’re gorgeous.” I set my camera bag on a chair and pulled out my equipment. “I’ll get some shots of the samples so we can reference them later.”
“Perfect.” Trace smiled at me. That easy, paternal smile that still felt strange coming from my brother. My brother. Ugh it was getting easier to say but still felt weird. “Emma’s been incredible. She’s got all these ideas for the ceremony space.”
“Speaking of which,” Emma clapped her hands together. “Let’s talk through the full plan. I want to make sure I’m capturing your vision correctly.”
For the next forty-five minutes, we discussed flowers. Wildflower and rose combinations for the bridal bouquet. Eucalyptus and baby’s breath for the ceremony arch. Mason jars with simple arrangements for the reception tables.
I photographed everything. The color combinations, the textures, the way Emma arranged each sample. I tried to stay focused on composition and lighting and all the technical things that usually came so easily.
But I kept getting distracted.
By Dex standing on the other side of the table. By the way his voice sounded when he made a suggestion about the centerpieces. By the accidental brush of his arm against mine when we both reached for the same sample arrangement.
By the electricity that shot through me every single time.
And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
“Leigh, what do you think?” Emma was asking. “Would these photograph well in that afternoon light?”
I blinked, refocusing. “Sorry, what?”
“The delphinium. Would the blue pop or wash out?”
“It’ll pop. The blue should be stunning against the gold of the setting sun.” I adjusted my camera, taking a test shot. “See? It’s perfect.”
Emma smiled, but there was something knowing in her expression. Something that made my stomach flip.
Had she noticed? Could she tell?
“These all look wonderful,” Delaney was saying. “I think the wildflower mix is perfect for the centerpieces. And the bouquet with those cream roses mixed in? That’s exactly what I pictured.”
“Excellent.” Emma made notes on her pad. “I’ll prepare full mockups for you to approve before we finalize the order. And Leigh, I’ll make sure you have samples for the engagement shoot too.”
“The engagement shoot,” Trace said. “I almost forgot. We still need to schedule that.”
“Next weekend?” Delaney suggested. “Before things get too crazy?”
“Works for me.” Trace looked at me. “That work for you?”
“Yeah. I’ll re-scout the locations this week and let you know the plan with a list of our best options. Text me what time what works best for you and I’ll make sure to check the light levels at the right time of day.”
“Dex can help,” Trace said easily. Too easily. “He showed you around before, right?”
Dex’s eyes met mine across the table. “Yeah. If Leigh needs help.”
“I might,” I said carefully. “Depends on the locations we decide on. But we shouldn’t need too much equipment, I can edit the shots digitally.”
The air felt charged, heavy with everything we weren’t saying.
Emma was watching us with that same knowing look.
Trace checked his watch. “Damn. Delaney, we need to head out. We’re supposed to meet with that potential chef in twenty minutes.”
“Already? It’s been an hour?” Delaney looked surprised. “Time flies.”
They gathered their things, thanked Emma, and headed for the door. Trace paused, looking back at us.
“You two coming?”
“I want to get a few more detail shots,” I said. “For the album. Different lighting angles.”
“I can help,” Emma assured him. “Don’t worry.”
After they left, the shop felt suddenly very quiet.
Emma was arranging stems in a vase, humming softly. Dex was still standing by the counter, while I was pretending to adjust my camera settings.
None of us moved.
Then Emma spoke, not looking up from her flowers.
“So. You two?”
I froze. “What?”
“You and Dex.” She glanced up, smiling. “You’re together.”
“We’re not… there’s no…” But I could feel my face burning, giving me away.
“Honey, I’ve been arranging flowers for couples for years. Weddings, anniversaries, Valentine’s Days, the works.” She set down her shears and looked at us directly. “I know chemistry when I see it. And you two?” She whistled low. “You’re practically vibrating with it.”
Dex cleared his throat. “It’s complicated.”
“It always is.” Emma wiped her hands on her apron, completely unbothered by our panic. “But you should know. People around here will notice. These things don’t stay secret for long.”
My stomach dropped. “Notice what?”
“That there’s something between you two. The way you look at each other when you think no one’s watching. The way you’re so careful not to touch. The way you both tensed up when Trace suggested you work together on the location scouting.” She smiled gently. “Subtlety isn’t your strong suit.”
“Have people been talking?” Dex asked, his voice tight.
“Not yet. Not really. But they will.” Emma moved to sit on her stool behind the counter.
“Look, I’m not going to say anything. Your secret’s safe with me.
But Willowbrook is a small town. People notice things.
Patterns. And eventually, someone’s going to put two and two together.
And you know how much they love to talk about secrets around here. ”
“We’re being careful,” I said, though the words felt hollow.
“I’m sure you are. But careful only goes so far in a place where everyone knows everyone.” Emma’s expression softened. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m giving you a heads up. If you want this to stay private, you might not have as much time as you think you do.”
I looked at Dex. He was staring at Emma, jaw tight, and I could see the wheels turning in his head.
“Thank you,” he said finally. “For the warning. And for keeping it quiet.”
“Of course. Like I said, you’re both adults. If you want to be together, that’s your business.” She paused. “But maybe consider telling the family before they hear it from someone else. It’s always better coming from you.”
After a few more minutes of awkward small talk about flower delivery timing, we left. Dex held the door for me, and we stepped out into the bright afternoon sun.
We walked toward our cars in silence.
“She’s right,” Dex said finally, his voice low. “People are going to figure it out.”
“I know.”
“Maybe we should tell them. The brothers. Get ahead of it.”
Panic fluttered in my chest like a trapped bird. “Not yet. Please. I just... I need more time to figure out how to explain this. How to make them understand that this isn’t some huge dramatic thing that’s going to complicate the family.”
“Leigh…”
“Please, Dex. Just a little longer.”
He studied my face, and I could see the conflict there. The desire to protect me warring with his loyalty to his brothers. To my brothers. To the people I should want to build bridges with as well, not potentially tearing them down by sleeping with their best friend behind their backs.
“Okay,” he said finally. “A little longer. But we need to be more careful.”
“We will be. I promise.”
We stood there on the sidewalk, two feet of careful distance between us, and I wanted nothing more than to close that gap. To lean into him. To let him wrap his arms around me and tell me everything would be okay.
But people were walking by. Someone I didn’t recognize nodded hello, and then patted Dex on the shoulder as they passed.
Small town. Everyone watching.
“I should go,” I said.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Neither of us moved.
“Text me?” His voice was quiet, just for me.
“Yeah. Tonight.”
“Okay.”
I forced myself to turn, to walk to my car, to get in and start the engine like a normal person.
But I watched him in my rearview mirror as I pulled away, watched him standing there on the sidewalk watching me go.
And I wondered how much longer we could keep pretending this was something we could control.
How much longer before someone noticed that when I looked at Dex Moore, I saw my entire future?
And how much longer before I could finally admit that to myself?