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Then he moved toward me, blocking me from Kendall. He lowered his voice. “Can you get away? I’m sorry, I should have asked before I just showed up.”
“I was already scheduled to meet with bridal clients this afternoon, and I’m done. I wasn’t planning to work.”
He raised a brow, his tone eager. “So, you can come with us?”
When I hesitated, he rushed to say, “I thought we could spend some time together and see how things go.”
“What about Kendall?” I barely voiced the words, worried she’d overhear.
“Let’s see how it goes. We’re friends first, right?”
Something about the wordfriendshad me swallowing over a lump in my throat. “Of course.”
I wanted a declaration of something more, but I couldn’t expect that with Kendall here.
Then Mark smiled, and it reminded me so much of when we were younger and carefree. He was excited to spend the afternoon together, and I couldn’t help but get caught up in his excitement.
He grabbed the bakery box and drink carrier while we headed to his truck. Once we were situated and he’d pulled into traffic, I asked, “So, where are we going?”
“I thought we could go to the sunflower garden.” Mark glanced over at me, his tone uncertain. As if he wasn’t sure I’d like his plans.
I settled into the leather seats. “That place is beautiful.”
Mark winced and threw a thumb over his shoulder. “I thought it would be fun, but not sure how Kendall feels about it.”
I looked back at Kendall, whose earphones were in, the faint sound of music emanating from them.
“It’s a great place to take pictures,” I said to Mark, pleased we’d have some time alone to talk.
“You’ve been before?” Mark’s voice rumbled pleasantly through my chest.
“I have.” It was a romantic location, and I loved the bouquets I gathered there. The owners frequently posted about couples getting engaged, but I wasn’t going to tell Mark that.
I appreciated that he wanted to spend the afternoon together. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to spend time with both of them.
Mark nodded toward the backseat. “It’s tough to find things Kendall will like other than arcades. And she didn’t even like video games until she met Drew.”
“She’s almost a tween now, right? It’s only going to get harder.”
Mark sighed. “I regret missing so much of her childhood, and I want to make up for it before she wants nothing to do with me. I have this tiny sliver of time and then I worry she’ll be lost to me.”
“That happens with all teenagers,” I said, remembering my sisters going through the same phases. She’d test his patience many times before she matured.
“I know.” Mark fell silent, and I was content to let it ride. It was comfortable spending time with them. I could easily imagine us doing this more often.
Kendall took off her earbuds a few times to ask how much farther. Unfortunately, the garden was about an hour north of Annapolis. When Mark turned at the sign for the gardens and followed the stone path to the parking lot, I was excited to show him around.
We got out, and I was pleased to see that Kendall removed her earbuds and put them away. If we were going to have a future, Kendall was part of that, and we needed to see if we could operate as a unit.
We’d gotten along in the kitchen of the bakery, but this was different. If she knew we were dating, she might see me as a threat to her relationship with Mark. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I couldn’t imagine how I would have felt if Dad started dating after my mom died. He hadn’t, or if he did, we didn’t know about it.
I appreciated that when we were younger, even if I worried he was lonely.
First, we passed a wooden wagon with a sunflower garden sign on the side.
“Can you take a picture?” Kendall asked, climbing onto the wagon and settling her hands over the side. She smiled, and I could almost see the little girl she was and the woman she’d become. Strong and beautiful.
Mark dutifully took several pictures and showed them to me to approve. When he was done, Kendall joined us on the ground.
