“Well, I mean, I hate to sound like I’mbragging, but my supplierisvery consistent.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Some people worry that once their stock gets to a… certain age… it’ll justwilt, you know?” He held his hand up straight then let his wrist go slack and gave an exaggerated frown as his hand sank. “So disappointing when you have limp stems. Fortunately, I haven’t had to worry about anything like that.” He smiled broadly. “Yet.”
“Lauren,” Theo piped up. “Would you like to go for a walk? Toanywhere that’s not here?”
Lauren laughed and rubbed her belly. “I would if I could, Theo, but you’d end up delivering this little boy along the way and that might be even more traumatic than listening to these two discussing their… plants. Besides, your mom’ll be along in a little while. She’ll keep them in line.”
Lord knew the woman tried, but with limited success.
“Yoursupplier has never had an issue with wilting stock,” I reminded Constantine. I folded my arms across my chest.
“That’s what I’m saying,” Con agreed. “I mean, I haven’t been with my supplier long enough to guarantee that it wouldneverwilt.” He wrinkled his nose. “Wilty stock happens to everyone once in a while. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m sure you’ve gotten some, too.”
“Not. Even. Once.” I pushed each word out through my clenched jaw.
Con’s head went back and he stared at me appraisingly.
Lauren made a strangled noise. “Boys, you can whip out your… stocks… and compare them later. Micah, maybe now you could help thecustomer?”
Constantine snickered and I rolled my eyes.
“I’m sorry about that. Can I— Oh. I know you. You’re—”
“The man you were supposed to have coffee with, months and months ago?” He gave me a warm smile and stuck out his hand. “Robert, in case you’ve forgotten.”
I had. I’d totally forgotten. But I shook his hand anyway. “Of course. Nice to see you again.”
“I’m going to assume you’ve been dying to call for the last year and just… misplaced my number.” He grinned archly, and his teeth were very white and even. “So, this time I’ll be a little more persistent. How about that coffee?”
“That’s very flattering, but—” I began when my better half—my provoking, troublemaking better half—sauntered across the aisle.
“But that would be bad for Micah’s health,” he said with a rueful smile.
Robert frowned, looking from Constantine to me and back again. “Coffee would?”
“Coffee withyouwould,” Constantine said. He came around the back of the table, wrapped his arm around the back of my waist, and held out his hand to Robert. “I’m Constantine. Micah’s fiancé.” The hand at my waist tightened, and I felt a stab of lust in my gut.
Thatwas something that sure as hell never changed.
“Fiancé. Ah.” Robert screwed up his mouth and nodded. “Next time I’ll need to be persistentfaster,I see. Best of luck.” He smiled as he walked away.
I turned to my future husband, the love of my life, and stared into those blue eyes that took my breath away. “Would it help if you rub your scent on me? You could get me a t-shirt that saysProperty of Constantine. Or I could get it tattooed. On myforehead.”
I was joking. Constantine wasn’t often jealous—we never gave each other reason to be—and that little display had gotten me more aroused than angry.
But Con wrapped his other arm around my waist and pretended to consider it. “Nah. I like this handsome face just the way it is. The t-shirt might work… But it’d need to be washed occasionally.”
Lauren snorted. “Knock him up, Connie. Then no one will look at him.”
Constantine gave Lauren a wink and a bright smile. “No way. With my luck, he’d take after you and Leandra, and then he’d be even more gorgeous when he was pregnant.”
Lauren grinned back, then turned to me. “Constantine’s my favorite brother now.”
Theo yelled from across the aisle, “No give-backsies, Lauren. You want him, he’s yours.”
Constantine turned to give Theo a nasty look…
Which was, of course, when Angela bustled up, tying a Micah’s Blooms apron around her waist.
Once upon a time, I would have thought that was a sign of the apocalypse. Now it was just a typical Saturday. Since she no longer manned her own booth, she came to help out at mine… and to cluck over whichever of my sisters and their babies happened to be here with me.
