Kade's door opened, and he stepped out. I heard him walk around the car, heard his footsteps on the pavement, and then my door opened and cold air rushed in. He stood there with his hand extended, palm up, an offer rather than a demand.
I took it with less hesitation than before. His hand was warm, calloused in places that suggested he did more than just sit behind a desk. He helped me out, and I stood, my legs slightly stiff from the drive, as I looked toward the glass structure.
“Where are we?” I asked, my voice shaking from the cold winter air.
“You'll see.” He released my hand but stayed close as he moved to the trunk. It opened with a smooth click, revealing athick, plaid picnic blanket, and a wicker basket that looked like it had come from some vintage photograph.
He gathered both, tucking the blanket under one arm and carrying the basket in his other hand. “This way.”
I followed him down the path, hugging my coat to keep the cold at bay. The glass building grew larger as we approached, and I realized it was some kind of huge conservatory. The structure rose in elegant curves, panels of glass fitted together with copper frames that had aged to a soft green patina. Steam or condensation clouded the glass from the inside, making it impossible to see what was within.
Kade pushed open a door, and warmth billowed out like an embrace.
I stepped inside and stopped.
The temperature shift was immediate and total, wrapping around me like I'd stepped into summer. But it was more than just warmth. The air was thick with moisture and the smell of earth and plants. Exotic flowers bloomed everywhere. The orchids were in impossible colors, while birds of paradise screeched with their sharp orange beaks, as something blue and delicate cascaded from hanging baskets like living waterfalls.
The light filtering through the frosted glass turned golden, diffused, and soft, making everything glow. Palms stretched toward the curved ceiling, their fronds casting gentle shadows. Vines climbed the support structures, flowering in whites, pinks, and deep crimsons that looked almost arterial.
I'd never seen anything like it. My breath caught in my chest, and for a moment I just stood there, overwhelmed by the abundance of life after blocks of decay and damage.
“Come on,” Kade said softly, and I followed him deeper into the conservatory.
The path wound between the plants, brick paving worn smooth by years of foot traffic. The sound of water reached me...a fountain somewhere, or maybe a small stream. Birds chirped from hidden perches, small, quick movements in the greenery.
And then I saw the table.
It stood in the center of a circular clearing. It was wrought iron painted white, fragile-looking but probably as solid as stone. Two chairs sat across from each other, cushioned in fabric that matched the surrounding flowers. The table was set with actual place settings, real cutlery, and crystal glasses that caught the light and threw tiny rainbows across the white tablecloth.
My confusion must have shown on my face because Kade paused, watching me.
“I don't understand,” I said, the words coming out smaller than I intended.
“You don't have to understand. Just... let me do this.” He set the basket down and pulled out one of the chairs, the scrape of metal on brick quiet in the plant-muffled space. “Please.”
I moved to the chair and sat down. Kade pushed the chair in with the same careful precision he'd used with my coat, then moved to his own seat.
Kade opened the basket and began removing items: a bottle of wine, real glass bottles of sparkling water, and containers of food that he opened with practiced ease.
He poured wine into my glass; the liquid caught the light as it fell, a deep red that looked almost black in the shadows. Then he offered me a plate, already arranged with portions of cheese and fruit, bread that still looked warm, and something that might have been salmon.
I looked down as he served me. Then, I thought for a moment, as realization hit... an Alpha actually served me. I almost shook my head in disbelief. But instead, I looked at him, truly looked. He was different. An Alpha, but not in his mannerisms, not with me at least. With me, he only ever showed how much he cared, how he considered me, and never forcedanything I didn’t want... and trust me, I wanted all of him. I knew I did. I just didn’t know how to let myself act on that.
“Please eat,” Kade said, gesturing to the plate in front of me. His voice was gentle in a way that made my throat tight. “That's all you have to do right now. Just eat.”
So I picked up my fork, and did just that.
Chapter Fifteen
Jasmine
The food was better than it had any right to be. The cheese was soft and sharp at once, the bread still warm enough to melt butter, and the salmon flaked apart under my fork like it was trying to cooperate. I ate slowly, partly because my stomach had shrunk from years of irregular meals and partly because I didn't know when this would end, when the other shoe would drop.
Kade ate too, but I caught him watching me between bites, his expression unreadable.
“The conservatory is open year-round,” he said after a while, breaking the silence that had settled between us. “The city maintains it. It’s one of the few things they actually kept funding for.”
I nodded, chewing, giving myself time before I had to respond. “It's beautiful.”
