“Yeah, I initially wanted to do an enclosure, but then decided I didn’t want to confine them, so I’m making a place impressive enough for them to come to me.”
“I’m not even sure what to say. Why butterflies?”
He shrugged, “My nanny. Rosalina would always tell us butterfly quotes when she was explaining why they were her favorite creatures. She’d say things like ‘change is a beautiful thing’, ‘break free from your cocoon and give yourself thefreedom to fly’, or ‘a butterfly always reminds us there is beauty at the end of all the pain’. It sounds cheesy as hell, but the message to McKenna and me was constant; we could transform to be anything we wanted, and we could fly anywhere we wanted to go. I didn’t understand the veiled insinuation when I was little, but looking back, I know she was telling us we didn’t have to follow in my parents’ footsteps or stay stuck there. We could create any life we wanted. This is my reminder to create the life I want. Plus, I think they’re beautiful. We used to go on butterfly spotting walks with her, and it was one of my most cherished memories from growing up.”
My heart melted. The duality of this man. I didn’t feel comfortable pushing him for more information about his childhood, even though I was desperately curious given the little tidbits he’d shared.
“It’s a spectacular space, Donovan. It’s going to be remarkable when all the plants and flowers come in. Will your nanny get to see it?”
“Unfortunately, no, she passed away before I moved to Savannah Springs. But she lived long enough to see me break free. As for the garden, I’m excited. Last year was my first attempt, so I kept the things that worked, scrapped the things that didn’t, and added a couple of other things to try them out. It’s going to be an exceptional year for butterflies!” His voice had a childlike excitement about it, and it was obvious how much he cared about this. His joy made me want to hear more, even though we all knew how I felt about gardening. Walking over to the extra-large bench in the garden’s corner, I sat and smiled at him.
“Tell me all about it, Donovan.”
Without a second of hesitation, he came to sit right next to me, despite the size of the bench, and put his hand on mythigh, making my stomach tumble in nervous excitement. I only half listened to him explain all his big plans in detail, because I was really focused on his thumb that was making small circles against my skin. Though I might not understand the details of what he was saying, the passion with which he spoke was contagious, and I hung onto every word.
32
DONOVAN
After Audra let me geek out about my butterfly garden for a half hour, I gave her the full house tour. She ribbed me a couple of times about the size of it, but it was all in good fun. When we were eating the breakfast I had prepared, I brought up the elephant in the room.
“So, are we going to call the police today?” I asked.
The defeat in her body language was immediate. “I don’t want to.” Her finger twirled her hair nervously.
“I know, I get it. But this behavior is irrational, erratic, and scary. Last night, you evensaidyou were scared, and you have every right to be. This isn’t normal, Audra. Part of me feels like you’re under-reacting to this because of your past with him. But this is worrisome.” I held her gaze as her eyes welled up.
“Can’t I just hide here forever? I can become a full-time butterfly caretaker,” she joked, wiping the bottom of her eyelids before the tears fell. I mean, I’d be down.
“I mean, you can, but then you’d be a prisoner. Because I wouldn’t let you out of here with Theo lurking around unchecked.”
“You have a library. I could definitely be Belle.” She laughed again. “All we need is a talking clock.”
“Easy. Echo Dot and the Roomba.” I laughed and tapped my temple. “Problem solved. And I’ll even buy you fancy dresses.” That spurred a memory. “Oh, that’s right. I just remembered I have something for you.”
She quirked her head, looking confused.
Going to the front closet, I pulled out a shoebox. When I was patching her up the night of the dart league, I realized she wouldn’t be able to salvage her shoes. So I noted her shoe size and the brand to get her a replacement. Though there wasn’t an exact match because the ones she had were from a couple of seasons ago, I found a similar enough pair. But standing at the closet, I got a wave of nervousness at the thought of giving it to her. It seemed like a good idea when I bought them, but I startedsecond-guessing myself. Who buys someone shoes for a first gift? But I had to give her something.
When I came back and handed the box to her, she tilted her head again, recognizing the brand. “What is this, Donovan?”
“It’s just a little something I grabbed for your bar bravery.”
She lifted the lid to inspect the wedge shoes inside and then looked between the shoe and me a couple of times before she spoke. “How? Why? These are beautiful. How did you know my shoe size? You didn’t just grab these; you looked to find them.”
“We both knew you weren’t getting that blood and, whatever that sludge was, out of the white. I looked when I was putting the Band-Aid on. I’m well acquainted with that brand because my sister loves them.” That was a lie, but I was feeling a little weird, so I had to cover my bases.
Then she cradled the shoe up to her chest. “I don’t evenknow what to say, Donovan. I love them. You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”
Before I could answer, my phone rang. Speaking of my sister. Her ears were probably ringing because I blatantly lied about her liking the brand. I let it go to voicemail, which was abnormal for me, but then she called again right away. Since she wasn’t particularly prone to war dialing, I excused myself and went to the office off the kitchen to take the call.
“Hey McKenna, what’s going on? Is everything ok?”
“Hey, Donovan. Yes. Kind of. No one is hurt or in danger.” Not exactly the kind of answer I was looking for.
“What’s wrong?”
“Before I tell you, you have to promise that you are still coming to New York.” Shit. This didn’t sound good at all. I already didn’t want to go.What could she possibly be laying on me right now?
