Page 68 of The Florist and Her Alphas

August sets a plate in front of me.

Scrambled eggs. Fresh strawberries glistening. A small warm croissant, golden and flaky. And beside the plate, in a tiny glass vase no bigger than my thumb, a single peony—deep pink, the petals soft and perfect.

“Oh wow,” I say softly. “That’s so sweet.”

August turns red. Instantly. The blush crawls from his collar to his hairline, and he pushes his glasses up his nose and turns back to the stove. Julian pours my coffee, and Cole hands me a glass of cold water with a slice of cucumber floating in it. His slate-blue eyes hold mine for one beat, and he gives me the smallest nod.

“Pretty boy!” Pepper announces, directly at Cole.

Cole doesn’t look up from his crossword. “Fuck off, bird.”

Pepper bobs his head. Tilts exactly ninety degrees. His pupils pin to tiny black points.

“Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me,” he says into a moment of perfect quiet, Julian’s voice pitched perfectly, the timing so precise it’s almost artistic. Julian groans. Drops his forehead into his hand.

I laugh so hard I choke on my coffee. It goes down the wrong pipe, and I’m coughing, tears in my eyes, and Cole’s hand is on my back, patting gently between my shoulder blades, his touch steady and warm.

Ezra glares at the parrot. “I’m going to wring its neck.”

“Bedtime,” Pepper retorts in Ezra’s voice, and preens.

Julian threatens to sell him to a zoo. Pepper, unbothered, rubs his beak against Julian’s shoulder and makes kissing noises.

I’m halfway through my breakfast when my phone buzzes on the island. I hadn’t realized I’d brought it with me. The screen lights up.

Mira.

I pick up. “Oh, hey Mira.”

“Lia. Listen. A man came into the bakery at six-thirty this morning. Tall. Pale blond. Dark coat. Said he was looking for the florist. Said he had a delivery you’d missed.”

My stomach drops.

I put the phone on speaker without thinking. All four brothers lean in at the same time.

“He looked like your ex, Lia. He bought a croissant. Paid cash. Left. I didn’t want to scare you, but I couldn’t pretend it didn’t happen.”

The blood drains out of my face so fast I feel dizzy.

“Thanks,” I whisper. “I’ll call you back.”

I hang up. The kitchen goes ice cold.

Ezra is already on his feet. Cole has pulled out his phone, thumbs moving fast over the screen, his jaw set. Julian has gone very still beside me, his hazel eyes fixed on my face. August has set down the spatula. He looks at me. His blue eyes are wide behind his glasses, worried, and his honey scent has gone sharp with alarm.

I am shaking.

Julian pulls me off the stool and into his side. His arm wraps around my waist, holding me against the solid warmth of his chest, and I let him. August comes around the island and puts his hand on my shoulder, his fingers squeezing gently.

Ezra sits down on the stool beside me. Takes both my hands in his. His palms are warm, his grip firm, and his gray eyes are steady on mine.

“Liana,” he says. His voice is quiet. “Silus knows where you are. He will not stop. As of right now, until your heat is fully over and we have a full security plan in place, you are not going to be alone at your shop. Ever.”

My throat closes.

“Cole will be installing additional surveillance today. One of us will be with you at all times when you reopen. The shop will close for three days while the system is put in.”

I stare at him.