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Jake: They’re almost as beautiful as you. But they’re not enough.
What did that mean?They’re not enough.Was he still feeling badly about last night? I’d forgive him if it meant we were going to work on this together. But so far, he’d only sent the flowers with the note of apology.
I wanted to talk. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the mystery call last night and if something happened at the party. Still confused when no more texts came in, I sent the picture to the girls on a group message chain with the contents of the note.
The responses came flooding in. Everyone had an opinion, but at the end of the day, only I knew what the right thing to do was. My heart was telling me to give him time and a chance to make this right. Flowers were an amazing step in the right direction, but it wasn’t enough. I didn’t just want him in my life. I wanted to know his hopes, fears, and dreams. I wanted to work through whatever was going on with him.
I took the vase home at the end of the night, not willing to part with it. When I arrived, the porch was covered in more yellow arrangements. Window boxes had been added to the bottom windows and were overflowing with flowers. Pots hung from the ceiling of the porch. All of them were yellow with a few white flowers mixed in.
I held my hand over my heart as the tears threatened to spill over. It was amazing. Some might say it was too much, but it was just right. You could never have too many flowers.
I snapped another picture, this time with me standing on the porch and the caption,I’m waiting for you.
I wasn’t sure if he was ready to talk about last night, but I wanted him to know I’d hear him out whenever he was.
I held my phone to my chest. I’d shared the last bouquet with the girls, but this was between Jake and me. It felt like something big was happening, and I wanted to keep it to myself.
I admired each pot and vase of flowers on the porch. I walked around to the back and saw that the flowers were there too. He must have spent a fortune to deliver all of these.
I slowly moved the vases inside, filling each room with the blooms. The house smelled like them, and I loved it. It was the ultimate luxury to fill my home with flowers. And Jake had made it possible.
I placed the last few bouquets in the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water. I had so many flowers that I didn’t feel bad pulling leaves off a few of the yellow roses and letting them float in the water. Keeping my phone nearby, I removed my dress and panties and stepped into the warm water.
I allowed the stress of the last couple of days to ease as I rested my head on the rim of the tub. This was almost perfect. Jake was making some sort of move. I wasn’t sure exactly what, but I was going to enjoy the process. I wouldn’t rush him or do anything to stop whatever his plans were.
I stretched my legs out and allowed my mind to drift. Was this Jake’s way of apologizing to me? What else did he have planned?
My heart soared as I considered the possibilities, him apologizing, asking me to forgive him, telling me he’d made a big mistake. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but everything was pointing in that direction.
I gathered the petals and pulled them toward me so they covered any part of my body that was visible. Then I dried my hand on a nearby towel so I could snap an image of myself in the bathtub.
I snapped a few, then carefully considered them. I chose the one where the petals covered my nipples, my cheeks were rosy, and my lips a little pouty, and then I sent it to him with the caption,Thanks again for the flowers. Petals come in handy.
Jake: You’re killing me.
I smiled widely because that was the idea. As much as I was enjoying the slow seduction, I was more than a little eager to race to the end and get my prize. I wanted Jake.
I settled back in the still-warm water, allowing my love for Jake to fill me. He hadn’t said it yet, but I was hoping he was working up to it. That he was realizing what I meant to him and what he meant to me. We built something that no one else could tear apart, not his mother or mine.
I wanted to go through life with him, but only if he had the strength not to let other people come between us. I had faith he could rise above his past, and mine, but I needed him to figure things out.
I’d be patient. In the meantime, I had plenty to keep myself busy between readying the farm for weddings and handling the increased subscriptions that came in today.
Twenty-Four
LILY
Every day, I was greeted by new flowers and notes. Each handwritten note was more heartwarming than the last. I was practically floating on air as I went about my day. But I was getting a little tired of reading Jake’s thoughts on paper instead of from the man himself. I understood he was making a big gesture here, and maybe sorting through his feelings, but I was ready for more.
On the way home, I thought about how each night I’d waited on the porch, but he hadn’t come. I went to bed alone with only his flowers and notes to give me hope. I was ready for Jake to make his next move. I just hoped he wouldn’t wait too long.
I parked in my usual spot in front of my house, determined not to wait on the porch for him. Except this time, the porch was filled with red flowers. The meaning hit me square in the chest.
Love. Jake loved me.
He’d alluded to it with the flowers and his notes, but this was a declaration. He was shouting his love to me, and I was here for it. My heart rate picking up, I touched one soft petal, then another as I walked around to the back of the porch, the flowers continuing like they had that first day.
I stopped when I saw the addition of a swing on one end of the porch. My eyes stung with unshed tears as I sat on the swing and gave it a tentative push with my foot. It was perfect.
