I was going to court you. Figured flowers were the best way to start.”
Something warm enters her eyes. It softens her whole face and gentles her entire demeanor. She sighs, but I can see her fighting her smile. I can tell it’s just itching to spread across her face.
“I told you I can’t date. We shouldn’t date.”
I shrug, thrusting the bouquet toward her. She takes it with caution, staring down at the flowers with wide, disbelieving eyes.
“I guess I’ll have to stop by every day with flowers until you give me a yes, won’t I?”
Her laughter finally breaks free, and it’s so beautiful. It transforms her entire face and takes my fucking breath away.
“You can’t be serious? That’s…that’s insane.”
Shaking my head, I step into her, causing her breath to hitch. “Not insane. That’s courting, babe. And I’m just getting started.”
Unable to help myself, I reach out, tucking the thick strand of hair hanging in her face behind her ear, settling it just above the braid. I haven’t touched her yet, but I can feel the tremor that rolls through her body. She quickly darts her gaze around us, taking in the few people watching what will happen next. Her flush brightens the color of her cheeks, and she traps her bottom lip between her teeth.
I fight my grin. “Need a ride back home? That’s where I’m headed anyway.”
She pauses, looking unsure for a beat, but then shakes her head. She tips her chin toward the parking lot.
“I have my dad’s car. But thanks.”
“See you later, Selene.”
I start walking back toward my truck, but I pause, turning back at the sound of her voice.
“Thank you, Endymion. For the flowers.” The grin that’s on her face is one I want to keep there forever. One I want to bottle up and remember. Because I put it there. And I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.
As I drive off, I spot her getting into her father’s car, but not before cradling that bouquet to her chest and sniffing the flowers.
I smile the entire way back to her house.
“Where did the flowers come from?” is the first thing I hear when I walk inside the front door. Forget offering to help with these grocery bags. Apparently, the flowers are much more important.
I ignore my mother’s question, and instead, I pretend I don’t hear her at all. I set the bouquet down gently and start putting away the groceries. My ignoring her only gets me so far when I hear the soft, lilting laughter of my daughter echoing off the walls. Her bare feet slap against the hardwood floors the closer she gets.
I stand in front of the fridge with the carton of milk in my hand. “Slippers on now, Luna Drake.”
She skids to an abrupt halt, then I hear her frustrated growl before her feet stomp back the way she came as she looks for her slippers.
Children.
I can feel my mother’s gaze on me as I empty the bags and put everything away. In my peripheral, I spot her lift the roses and sniff. She props one hand on her hip, and it’s the start talking stance.
“So, who are the flowers from?”
“What flowers?” I ask, my voice high-pitched with the lie.
“Don’t give me that, Selene. You know what flowers I’m talking about. Are they from…Endymion?”
I swing to face her, my brows slanted in confusion. An odd sensation brews in my gut. It is one thing to process the idea of End buying me flowers of his own volition, but it’s another entirely to think he only bought them because someone else suggested it. I feel…special today. I’ve never been pursued so thoroughly before, and the last person I would’ve expected the sweet gesture to come from would be Endymion. I spent years hoping a day like this would come, and now that it’s here, I have no idea how to handle it. That light billowing sensation shooting through the center of my chest suddenly dissipates at the thought of someone else putting the idea in his head. “What would make you think that? Did you put him up to this?”
My mom’s grin starts in one corner of her face and quickly spreads all the way across. “So you admit it? He bought the flowers for you?”
I narrow my eyes at the smug look on her face. I stupidly fell into her trap without meaning to. I rack my brain, trying to think of something that’ll get her off my back. The last thing I