AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. How about you come up and take a look since you haven’t seen it yet?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Rhett. Plus, I gotta head back soon.”
“You said Mom had Brendan for the day,” he gently pushed, his eyes focused on mine.
“I know.” I paused, trying to come up with a better excuse. “But—”
“You know we need to talk.” His expression was pained, and I felt myself wavering.
I sighed, knowing he was probably right.
“After last night, that much is obvious,” Rhett continued. “Do you really want an audience or my family around when we hash out our shit?” He raised one eyebrow, challenging me to disagree. “Besides, you told me months ago you would come out to look at my flower beds and help me decide what I should plant there.”
He changed tactics on me, hitting me with loyalty. I regretted telling him I’d look at his flower beds, even though I did love a good excuse to get my hands dirty.
I fidgeted with my bags and let my eyes close for a moment. I didn’t want to tell him no, but this was areallybad idea. I mean, what good was going to come from me telling him he was marrying a crazy-ass blonde with big tits, that it probably wasn’t his baby,andthat I would be moving to Asheville because I would lose my shit if I had to witness any of that.
“Fine,” I said, caving. “But I do need to get back soon.”
There was that smile again on his face.
“Great. Want to ride with me and then I’ll bring you back to your car afterward?”
“Nope. I’ll follow you.” No way was Inothaving an escape in case this went sideways.
“Where are you parked?”
I pointed over my shoulder. “Across from the bakery.”
“Did you get blueberry scones?” He smirked.
I laughed. “You know me so well.”
“Yeah—” A frown appeared, but only for a second. “I’ll meet you at your car, and then you can follow me.”
I nodded, swallowing a lump in my throat and trying to calm my nerves. We had never been good at communicating, but maybe this was a step in the right direction.
Fifteen minutes later, I stood staring at the two flower beds directly in front of the long porch with a freshly painted white railing. He wasn’t kidding when he said he needed help. I shook my head as I took it all in. Two overgrown boxwoods sat on either side of the stairs, their uneven limbs in need of a desperate trim, and a single gardenia that needed a little pruning as well.
“I’m confused. I thought you said you planted a bunch of stuff last year,” I said.
“I did. I planted some marigolds, pansies, and petunias.” He ran a hand through his hair, clearly out of his element.
I rolled my eyes and huffed. “Seriously? Those are annuals. They only last for one season, and then they need to be replanted. Your base for these beds needs to be all perennials. They’ll last for several years before you have to touch them again.”
He looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “Could you pick them out and tell me where I should plant them?”
“You’re incorrigible. You know that?”
He shrugged. “You know me. I’m good at a lot of things, but gardening isn’t one of them.”
“Apparently, you’re also quite cocky,” I mumbled.
Of course he heard me and flashed me a smile that had my heart beating faster.
“Come on. Let me show you the inside.”
We climbed the steps to the porch, and I followed him through the front door. There wasn’t a female’s touch anywhere to be seen, but what he had done so far was gorgeous. The new wood floors were beautiful, and I loved the paint color of the living room.
