Page 85 of May: Bloom & Bane

“It is,” he says, struggling to control his face. “Come here. Let me carry you.”

“Pffft. I don’t need to be carried, Sage.”

I take a very dignified step… sideways, and he catches me with one arm, the fruit still in his other.

“You absolutely need carrying.”

“You’re getting very good at catching me,” I whisper, staring into his beautiful mismatched eyes.

“I have accidentally drugged my mate with my apology.”

“Such. Good. Grapes,” I hum. “What are they actually called? They taste like fizzy peaches. I kind of want to take a bath in them.”

“I think that’s enough of the fizzy peaches, vaelmi.” (Darling)

“You can think whatever you want while I continue to eat these.” I wiggle another cluster in front of him.

“I’m just going to set some of these down,” he says.

I slowly back away from him. My foot snaps on a twig, and his eyes snap up.

“Eden—”

I take two more big steps.

“Don’t you dare.”

I take off, not fast, or particularly straight. But with tremendous confidence in a direction that is approximately away from him.

“Eden Noelle!”

Is that my middle name? A pure light-hearted giggle spills out of me.

He drops the fruit and strides toward me.

This is going to be so fun.

“Hide and seek, Sage!” I yell as I zigzag through the trees. I keep running until something purply catches my eye.

“Oh—” I breathe, crouching down. “Sage! Pause the game. Did you know there are so many little buggies in this clover?”

He stops behind me, breathing harder than he’d like to admit. “I did know that,” he says. “Because the meadow is part of me. Come here, sweet girl.”

“They’re so small! I bet we look like giants to them… especially you.”

“Eden.”

“Like tiny little decisions just living their whole lives right here in our clover.”

“Our clover.” He kneels beside me to look at the bugs.

“We should take them into the house and build them a terrarium.”

“Okay,” he says, scooping me up. “We’re going inside.”

“But the bugs…”

“The bugs will be fine.”