Chapter 44 Briar
brIAR
Dani wouldn’t reach out if it weren’t urgent. They pride themselves on being the Didi that can handle anything. So when a rose with blackened tips floats into view, my stomach plummets with the immediate need to get home.
“I’m so sorry.” I hold the door open for Monroe. “Is it okay if we stop by my place before I take you home?”
“Of course.” There’s no hesitation in her voice. “I hope everything is okay.”
“Me too.”
I don’t know how mortal parents do it. Even with the alleviated worry of something fatal with an immortal child, it still leaves a slew of fears weighing on my mind.
And it doesn’t stop the guilt over not being there.
Since getting stuck in the mortal realm, time away from them has only become harder.
I was grateful Monroe was willing to return to Florezca when she did.
If she refused… While I want to say nothing would stop me from being with her, I won’t leave my daughters without a father.
Most Blooms are mated before they choose to become parents, but by the time I’d become a Radix, I’d wanted a family of my own for so long that it seemed needless waiting. Not when there were sprouts who needed someone to love and nurture them through immortality.
Our footsteps are hurried toward The Warren’s entrance. My floracycle waits on the curb, engine purring. Just as I’m about getting on the bike, a soft hand encircles my wrist. “Briar.”
“Yes?”
Monroe’s eyes drop to my crotch. “How about a fresh outfit?”
I follow her gaze to the large damp spot on my pants. Everything up til now has been incredible and the proof is apparent in both our current states. Monroe’s skirt is still unbuttoned and askew, pink floral lace peeking through the open slit.
“Good thinking,” I agree, swapping my trousers for a pair of dark wash jeans. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Her lashes drop, fanning over the blush staining her cheeks. The moment she twitches her nose, her skirt replaced by black pleather cropped leggings, I miss the evidence of our open mic night adventure.
She climbs behind me on the bike and wraps her arms around my torso.
While she did this on the way to dinner, she was gripping me for dear life—her entire body tense against mine.
Her hold is still firm this ride, but somehow more deliberate, body soft and melded to my back.
Nerves prickle along the bond, tangling with my own, though she doesn’t let it show.
Not even as we park and hurry through the front door.
The first thing I notice when I get inside is the towel smeared in crimson and the sniffles of Lilliana and Millie. Taylor is seated next to Juniper, holding her hand while Cherri holds a blood-soaked towel against her forehead.
Where the fuck is Dani?
I rush forward and drop to my knees. Juni’s face is tear- and blood-streaked, her eyes shut as Cherri whispers how brave and good she is. Dani’s boots creak against the floorboards, and my attention snaps to the crimson tinging their pale hands.
My little girl’s blood.
“What happened?” I ask, swapping duties with Cherri so she can fetch a fresh towel.
“She had another one of her episodes. Fell out of bed and smacked her head on the corner of the nightstand.”
Juniper’s nightmares have always existed, but they worsened after I returned from the mortal realm. Over the last year, they’ve slowly become less frequent. She usually delays bedtime, so I figured she’d still be awake by the time I got back.
Her eyes flutter open. “Daddy, you’re home.”
“I am, Juni B.” I smile reassuringly, despite the panic rioting through my veins. “Is it okay if I take a quick peek at where you bumped your head?”
She nods. As I lift the towel away, she hisses. A thick gash slices her forehead, blood bubbling up from the wound. Cherri hands me another towel, and I swap out the bloodied one, pressing it against her injury.
“The healer is en route to stitch her up,” Dani says. “Should be here any moment.”
A few minutes later, there’s a knock at the door.
Monroe opens it, stepping out of the way for the healer to come in.
They stitch up Juniper’s forehead, and I hold her tiny hand, reminding her how courageous she is.
Without access to their full harbinger magic until they reach maturity, children don’t have the ability to heal as quickly.
“Squeeze my hand with those big, strong muscles, Juni.”
She scrunches her face and tightens her grip, growling at me. I wince, feigning pain.
Monroe calls Cherri over, and the two of them take Lilliana and Millie into the other room. Out of the corner of my eye, mint-green waves sweep into my office, coming out a moment later with a thin stack of paper. Soft murmurs and a few giggles filter into the kitchen.
Dani stays with me, not leaving my side the entire time. Once the healer is done, they escort her to the door while I carry Juniper up the stairs and get her cleaned up. For the first time since I left the bookstore, I allow myself to inhale.
“Let’s get you to bed, sweetie. It’s been an eventful night, but you’re going to be just fine.”
Footsteps echo up the stairs, and Dani comes into the doorway holding Juniper’s favorite stuffed animal, a brown rabbit named after her favorite earthside candy bar, Snickers. I’ve smuggled a few back during quick trips. Luckily, a bunny stealing candy stuns people long enough to get away with it.
I tuck Snickers in with Juni. She hugs the rabbit, closes her eyes, and is out a minute later.
“I’m so sorry, Briar,” Dani whispers.
“It’s not your fault.” I get up from the floor and place a hand on their shoulder. “Thanks for watching the girls and for getting word to me and the healer. You did good.”
Their shoulders lower and they nod their head. “I’m going to take Cherri home. We’ll get Monroe back as well. They just got the twins back into bed.”
“Thank you.” As much as I don’t want my night with Monroe to end, I can’t leave the girls here without an adult. I also don’t want to leave Juniper.
Dani heads back downstairs, and a little while later, the front door snicks shut.
Sitting on the floor, I rest my head on the mattress next to Juniper. I don’t know how long I watch her sleep, wondering if the nightmares will come, wishing I could chase them away.
Feeling helpless I can’t.
My neck twinges when I wake up at 2:26 a.m. I try straightening it out after being awkwardly tilted on the mattress. Slowly getting up from the floor, I change into purple plaid pajama pants and go brush my teeth. I should be able to get a few hours of sleep before one of the girls wakes.
I tiptoe down the stairs, wanting to quickly check on the others for my own piece of mind, clean up any remnants of Juni’s accident, and get some much-needed rest.
Thankfully, when I get into their room, all three girls are peacefully sleeping and there’s no blood on the floor. I exhale, glad I don’t have to try to clean it up silently in the dark.
Lilliana and Millie are both curled up under their covers, a sea of stuffed animals filling every inch of bed they don’t take up.
Across the way, Taylor’s tiny snores rise from the upper bunk.
I suck in a breath at the long leg hanging over the bottom bunk’s edge, trailing my gaze upward where mint-green strands sprawl over the pillow.
Monroe.
I’m about to shuffle out of the room and let her rest, but she yawns, rubbing her bleary eyes.
Nerves bubble in my chest. Does she have regrets about tonight?
It’s still hard to believe it was real, that she let me touch her.
Of course, I had to overwhelm her straight after with my chaos as a father of four.
I grab her glasses off the nightstand and hand them to her.
“I thought Dani was taking you home?” I whisper.
She swings her legs out from the bed and gets up with another yawn, following me into the living room. “Lily and Millie asked if I’d stay. They saw the blood”—she gestures toward the pristine floor—“and refused to go to bed. I sent Dani and Cherri home and took care of it.”
I lift her chin with the crook of my finger. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.” Her minty gaze glints in the darkness. “But I wanted to be here for them. And you.”
The confession cracks my ribs, and I drop my hand. “Thanks again for stepping in.”
“Of course.” A sly smile spreads across her face, and she places a hand on my chest. The mate mark tingles beneath her fingertips. “Though I have to admit, my intentions are not all pure.”
I swallow thickly and arch a brow. “Is that so?”
My cock twitches. Our time at the bookstore feels so long ago. The memories of her watching, her scent invading me, her velvet skin and slick warmth engulfing my fingers.
“Well, you were so confident about your cooking skills at dinner,” she teases. “Figured I’d give you the opportunity to show off in the morning for our next date.”
“Next date…” I tilt my head at her. “Admitting last night was our first?”
There’s a momentary shock that flares through her, and I wonder if she’ll draw those walls up again, if I’ve pushed my luck. But then she inhales slowly and shakily says, “I think I am.”
I brush back her hair and kiss her forehead, resting mine against it. There’s so much I want to say and do, but we remain silent, holding each other, and I never knew the world could feel so still.
Eventually, Monroe peels herself away, says goodnight, and heads back into the girls’ room. She curls up in the small bunk, nestled and lovely and perfect. When I climb into bed next to a snoozing Juniper, I’m buzzing with possibility.
I thumb over the mate mark, the bells of her foxgloves and the petals of my peonies. For the first time since its arrival, I’m excited without the stain of guilt or fear of rejection.
I haven’t dared wishing for anything. Not even when she agreed to dinner. Not even while I made her come in my lap. But as I stare at the ceiling, anticipating what tomorrow brings, I pray to Fate and Time there will be many more memories alongside Monroe.
My mate.