I look back over at Lana and she’s got her arms around Grace, hip cocked out, and her brow arched. “Yeah, Christian. Men can have gardens. Are you scared about the flowers emasculating you?”
“No—”
“I thought you were better than toxic masculinity, man.”
Julian shakes his head and Lana snorts. They look at eachother and start snickering. “I don’t know how I feel about this duo,” I grumble and grab a glass of water for myself. “But it’s not my garden.”
“Get over yourself, Christian,” Lana sighs.
“Yeah, Christian, get over yourself,” Julian says.
“I’ll be outside. I don’t feel like getting ganged up on.”
Lana sticks her tongue out at me. “Boooo.”
“Boooo,” Grace adds into the mix of taunts.
Lana laughs. “Yousecuremen go on with your garden, me and Gracie are gonna have ourselves a tea party.”
“Yeah!” Grace claps then whispers, “Can we have cupcakes?”
“It’ll be our secret,” Lana whispers back.
I roll my eyes, hiding my amusement, and go back outside. Julian follows suit holding all of the gardening tools I never knew he had. I get over to the section I’ve picked out to dig holes and place the flowers while Julian sets down his things.
“So a garden?” Julian asks, pulling on his gardening gloves.
I shrug. “Lana likes flowers, so I just wanted to give her flowers.”
“How cute.”
“Shut up,” I grumble. “You garden so often you have gloves?”
“Haley… She liked gardening and I do it with Grace now.” Julian frowns. “If you’re still groveling by next spring, you should get some.”
Julian hands me his extra pair and I pull them on. “I probably will be,” I sigh. “That or I’ll just…keep growing this garden.”
“Great plan,” he deadpans as he lowers onto his knees to get started.
“I don’t have any other plans, Julian,” I sigh heavily, again, and join him.
“Christian, man,” he breathes, annoyed and already digging out holes. “Honesty is the best policy.”
“You sound like a dad.”
Julian freezes and shoots me a look. “It’s a policy I’m teaching Grace. And apparently you too.”
“Right.” He’s the gardener, so I just follow his lead. “Honesty.”
“Have you not told her anything about rehab?”
I shake my head.
“Idiot,” he mutters. “Have you told her why you went?”
I shake my head again.
“What about the meetings?”
