Page 113 of Inked in Bloom
“My turn, Daddy!” Lilliana runs up to him.
Millie wraps her arms around me. “Will you take me, Monroe?”
“Of course.” I pick her up and bounce her on my hip,running up the line. Dani takes the blindfold from Juni and begins tying it around Millie’s head.
We spin and spin and spin, and I take a moment to steady myself, bumbling toward the poster. She reaches forward and tells me to open my eyes. A smile spreads across my face when I do.
The cottontail is between the bunny’s shoulder blades.
“Closest so far!” I shout with pride, setting Millie down.
She jumps up and gives me a ferocious high five that leaves my hand stinging. As I walk back toward the rest of the party, joy ripples in my chest, filling me with warmth. It doesn’t take long to find the source.
Briar’s lavender stare locks with mine, and I’m certain I’m done for. Because the only emotion stronger than the desire to bottle this moment up forever is the fear it’ll slip through my grasp and shatter.
46
MONROE
“Do you know which plants you’re interested in?” Briar asks.
He pulls out the key to the padlock wrapped around the greenhouse’s handles.
“Not really.” I scrunch my nose, picturing the layout in my mind. “Hoping for a variety. Is there a way to transplant them safely?”
“Of course.” Opening the door, he holds it for me. “What did you have in mind?”
I step inside. Mist floats down from the ceiling, and I shiver against its chill. Briar shuts the door, his focus warming me as he follows me through the greenhouse. Three stories of windows are bisected by a forest-green grid. Grow lamps, spinning fans, and large planters filled with experimental flowers hang above us while I inspect each plant variant, visualizing them within the pots we’ll be constructing. Briar shows me how to move them from one pot to another, keeping the roots intact with our magic. I wiggle my nose for the third time at a tulip with no results.
“What’s going on?” he asks, and I’m slightly annoyed he’s both perceptive and magically in tune to my emotions. Would he be asking if Fate hadn’t granted him access to my feelings through the bond? At the same time, I know if Idon’t let him in, I won’t truly be giving this connection between us a chance.
I take a deep breath. “Does Corrigan have a mate?”
“She does… Why do you ask?”
“I overheard your parents mention their kids being mated and was surprised it’s never come up.”
“It’s not something she likes to talk about.” The ball of his throat works and there’s a clear defensiveness behind his tone. But why? It seems as though I’m not the only one holding my cards close to the chest.
“Who is it? Do I know them?”
“You do.” He takes a long inhale and averts his gaze. “It’s Skylar.”
“Skylar? Really?” My brows furrow. “How did I not know this?”
Briar merely shoots me a look.
Did she know the entire time we were in the Netherlands? Was that why Corrigan had taken her post there—to be closer to her mate and satisfy the bond? Skylar was away now, though, so why had Corrigan remained here? “Is it true she sent her away for spring?”
“Not really. At least I don’t think so.” His lavender brows draw together. “Corrigan’s been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing, especially after you and Dani’s mate came into the picture.”
“How long have they been mates?”
“Over three years. It happened while Skylar was at the Conservatory.”
“Wow.” I’d spent day and night with her for months, shifted in and out of our bunny forms, and she never said a thing. To be fair, neither did I. “Poor Skylar.”
“Yeah. It’s certainly a complicated situation.” He clears his throat and pivots away from me, walking downthe path and tending to some of the plants spread around the edge of the greenhouse. I plump up a few tulip bulbs in front of me, and when I glance back over at Briar, I don’t see him anywhere.
