It happens so fast, Rhys has Vin up against a wall. “You fucking apologize right now or you won’t see tomorrow.”
Vin struggles to breathe, and I immediately spin around to make sure no one sees this. No one will care that Vin is rude and says disgusting things. Cameras usually capture the outcome, not the catalyst.
“Apologize,” Rhys hisses.
“Sorry. All right?” Vin wiggles to get out of Rhys’s death grip.
I shouldn’t be turned on by this. But oh my… I am.
“Where’s her money?” Rhys hisses.
“I…” Vin stutters. “It’s in the office.”
“Get it. Now. If you make me wait, I’ll break a bone for every minute you waste.”
“Jesus, dude. It’s just a bunch of fucking flowers. I’m going to throw them out on New Year’s Day.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, hating that all of these will end up in the trash.
“Two men who work for me will come here to pick them up.” Rhys turns to me. “Wewill donate them.”
“How will I know they work for you?” Vin is still struggling to breathe.
“You’ll know. Trust me, you’ll know.” Rhys gives Vin a knee to the nuts. “Now, I’m going to help my girlfriend put her hard work on your shite tables while you get her money. You have five minutes. Every thirty seconds you’re late, you’re going to pay her twenty-five percent more.”
Rhys shoves Vin, who struggles to stay upright and rushes to his trailer, not looking back at us.
Rhys returns to me like nothing happened, dark coat flaring in the icy breeze. He brings me to one of the tables and sits me down.
Stroking my hair, he says, “Fallon, that jerk didn’t treat you like garbage because you think and act differently. Or dress differently. Or see the world as a much better place than it really is. Guys like that treat all women like shite.”
I nod, taking in every word. “Not every woman has you.”
“No.” He kisses my mittened-up knuckles. “No one else has me. Just you.”
With Rhys’s help, I start unloading the pots, putting one in the center of each table. The red petals, green sprigs, and white blooms tipped in pink pop against the gray metal. I hum under my breath as I place them. The little clinking sounds of ceramic drown out the chaos of the market.
When I step back, the whole place looks brighter. Like now it has a heartbeat.
“What made you want to do this in the first place?” Rhys asks, scanning everything.
“Because…” I smile a little, setting two pots in equal formation on the longest table. “I stopped by one year, and they had fake poinsettias. I came back and dropped off a few extras from Friendsgiving on empty tables. I loved how people smiled when they sat down and saw something alive and green on a cold day.”
Rhys stares at me like I struck some kind of nerve. “Jesus, you are so pure and good.”
I worry he’ll think I’m too good for him. That I’m all glitter and sunshine. I step up to him and grab his belt to remind him there is a woman under all this.
“I can’t believe you threatened Vin,” I whisper, my heart doing double-time in my chest.
He glances down at me, then at my plants brightening the tables with holiday colors. His expression softens, but it still breathes his signature edge. “I loved doing that for you. The way it was personal excited me.”
Heat creeps up my neck. “Like the other night, excited?”
“Aye.” His jaw tightens as he looks at my hand gripping his belt. “Is there something you want?”
“You. I can handle you, Rhys. I have the strength buried deep.”
“I know, Fal, I know.” He leans in to kiss me, but turns toward Vin, staring at us.
