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I spin around at Lex’s voice. Was this her idea? Or Kordin’s?
“My husband regrets not being here himself, but I hope you’ll accept this gift on behalf of us both. Congratulations to you and your bride on your wedding this weekend.”
Wedding?She thought that’s what the dressy outfits were for?
My gaze bores into hers, but she gives nothing away.
I feel a slap on my back and blink long and hard so I don’t break Kaisin’s jaw right fucking now. I hate him touching Lex but I’m not a fan of him touching me either.
“Congrats, dude,” Kaisin says. “When you said your wedding was soon, I didn’t know you meant this soon.”
“Kordin’s the fucking man,” someone says.
“He gives the best gifts,” someone else agrees.
Lex crosses her arms but not before I catch her balling her fists.
There’s my answer. She bought the tree. But does she know what it is? What it actually is?
“Yeah,” Kaisin says, eyeing the tree. “My brother usually does give good gifts, but a shrub… That’s a first. What kind is this?”
“It’s called a—”
“Pepper Bush,” I rush to cut off Lex, citing only one of the names used for the Chaste Tree. Just from the name alone, she has to know. Unless the place she bought it from called it something else.
“It smells like pepper.” Kaisin bends down to inspect the cone-shaped flowering spikes. “I guess it could pass as Lavender. Lenox, why’d Kordin pick this one? At least Lavender smells good.”
“It has medicinal uses,” I tell him while staring at Lex. Other than her eyebrows sinking, nothing else on her moves.
“Really?”
“Yeah, it helps women with hormonal imbalances.”
Lex’s eyes shoot to mine. “It does?”
I nod slowly, not blinking. Maybe she didn’t look up this plant before buying it, she just saw the name and thought it’d be funny.
I might believe that if she hadn’t told me she doesn’t joke.
“So…pregnancy?”
Because I’m watching Lex like a hawk, I see her wince at Kaisin’s question, her shoulders caving in as if someone punched her in the gut.
“Like pregnancy?” Kaisin repeats when I don’t answer, and I finally tear my eyes off his sister-in-law to look at him, shaking my head.
“No, not like pregnancy.” Does he understand women’s hormones change constantly and not just when they’re pregnant? Menstrual cycles are pretty much the main topic of conversation anytime I’m within earshot of my sisters. They’ve both been dealing with PMS symptoms since they were nine years old, well before either of them needed any of the pads or tampons my mom kept our shared bathroom stocked with. I used to think just hearing about it was fucking gross, then I got my first girlfriend and realized periods, hormones, all that shit, are a regular part of females’ lives, and since I like females, it’s a regular part of mine, too. Now it’s like discussing the weather to me. Nothing about that stuff fazes me anymore.
Elbowing me in the side, Kaisin mock-whispers, “It’s not a shotgun wedding, is it?” Which earns him a round of laughs from our small audience.
My eyes slingshot back to Lex. I should say yes just to see what she does. I should, but I don’t want to. Just like I didn’t want her hearing I was getting married to begin with. I don’t want her to think I’d actually do the things I’ve done with her if I had a fiancée. I’m not like Kordin. I’ve never cheated and I never would.
Her focus on the floor, Lex says, “You don’t have to answer such a personal question, Mr. Souza.”
“It’s not a shotgun wedding,” I say loud enough for everybody to hear.
After an awkward silence, several other people offer me their own well-wishes before fucking off back to their work. Without another word, Lex turns for her office.
I contemplate going after her—our interrupted conversation is far from over—but Kaisin reminds me he’s still next to me by saying, “Too bad you didn’t get a bachelor party.”
