“What in the fresh hell are you doing?” he asked.
I looked over at him, and I couldn’t help the chuckle thatescaped me at the picture he presented—hands on hips, legs spread in a steady, fighting stance, brows drawn low in annoyance.
I found what I was looking for and moved away from him without answering. I wore my only sundress—something about today felt magical, made me want to revisit that free-spirited girl I’d been…before—and the tall field grasses tickled my calves as I waded through them, deeper into the field but still close enough to the road that the flowers could be seen when they started to bloom.
“Ella!” Liam shouted as he crashed along behind me. “What’re you doing?”
I held up one of the packets of flowers and handed it to him. “Spreading wildflower seeds.”
The skin between his brows bunched in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
I opened the packet and shook some out into my hand, holding it up for examination. They were all shapes and sizes, some long and conical, others small and round, barely larger than a grain of sand.
“I’ve been collecting these for years,” I said, closing my fist and turning my hand so some of the seeds funneled to the ground. “Just waiting for the perfect opportunity to spread some beauty. I’ve dropped a few packets here and there on the peninsula and on our travels through Michigan, but this trip has been my first real chance to drop these in new places.”
“But why?”
I shrugged. “I guess it’s my way of leaving my mark on the world in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone and could potentially bring joy to people passing through here.” I swept my arms outat the field, flinging some more seeds out as I did. “And we’re turning this small space of this dry, boring field into something beautiful and magical.”
When I faced him again, Liam had opened the seeds and was carefully sprinkling them on the ground around his feet, careful not to step on any.
“Have you been spreading these all along?” he asked when he’d finished.
I nodded. “I started in Munising, right on the tree line of the campground where the grasses met the sand. We’ll have to go back next year and see how well they came in.”
“Whatever you want, Wildflower.” He gave me a soft smile. “That nickname feels even more appropriate now.”
“It’s not much,” I said, dipping my head, suddenly shy. “But…it’s something.”
His hand found my face, cupping my cheek, and I raised my head to look at him. “You’re incredible. You know that, right?”
I wanted to believe him, but…something always held me back from thinking so.
“Can I tell you a secret?” I whispered.
“Always.”
“I haven’t even told my family this, but…Fanny offered to let me buy the flower shop from her.”
“Ella! That’s amazing. You’re going to do it, right? You have to.”
“I don’t know,” I told him honestly. “I’m…what if I fuck it up?”
It was my greatest shame, to be so unsure of myself in the face of something I knew I was good at. Well, at the very least, I wasgood at creating beautiful bouquets and arrangements.
But that didn’t exactly translate to being a business owner.
“My sisters are so talented and secure, you know?” I continued before Liam could say anything. “Chloe, the best-selling author. Amara, the CEO. Delia, the distillery owner, marketing whiz, and hella popular influencer. Brie, the bakery owner and incredibly talented pastry chef. They’ve all always known how they fit into the world—and into our family. I just…I’ve never felt that pull to anything. Not until I started working at the flower shop. I went to college because it was what was expected of me, but I didn’t take it seriously. Not when I felt so fucking listless the entire time. It’s silly—” I started, but cut myself off.
Not missing anything, Liam tilted his head to the side, regarding me in that quiet way of his. From anyone else, the assessment would’ve had my skin prickling with unease, but with him…he was on my side, one thousand percent, no matter what I wanted to do. And for the first time in months—hell,years—I felt safe enough to dream.
“What were you going to say?” he prompted, exactly as I knew he would.
“I love the flower shop. I’m good at it. I love working with different textures and colors and stem heights and bloom sizes. I love creating those beautiful arrangements and knowing my hard work is going to make someone feel special and loved.Iget to do that. But…it also feels kind of silly, compared to my sisters, to want to spend my life playing with flowers.”
“It’s not silly at all,” he said. “A lot of people never find their calling, Ella. Your sisters did, but so have you.”
I leaned my face into his palm, closing my eyes andletting his warmth seep into me, bolstering my confidence, letting his words sink deeper still until I believed them.
