“I hope he’s ready to share the spotlight,” Harrison teased. “He’s been the sole nibling and grandchild for too long.”
“Oh, that kid cannotwaitto have a cousin,” Logan said. “He’s got his own countdown clock.”
“Okay, that’s super cute. I had no idea,” Harrison grinned at him.
“He’s the freaking best, that dude.” Logan leaned over to punch me in the arm. “All this could be yours, you know. We never thought big man over here would settle down and look at him now. Married and about to be a fucking dad.” He shook his head. “And me? Yeah, having a kid wasn’t in my plans but now that he’s here I couldn’t imagine life without him. We’re your case studies. Some forms of commitment can be agoodthing.”
I shifted, because suddenly the sun felt too hot and I was convinced I’d gotten sand in my pants.
“It’s not like I’m out here living like a wild man,” I countered. “That wasyou, Logan.”
“Agreed,” he said. Of the three of us, he’d always been the one who’d partied the hardest—right up until some not-safe-enough sex led to a pregnant one-night stand. Even though Noah only visited for a weekend a month, Logan had still slowed down alotto be the kind of dad he thought Noah deserved.
“I’m just …. busy. I don’t have the time or inclination to worry about relationships.”
I forced myself not to keep going and add that romance never lasted. Logan might agree with me, but I knew that Harrison wouldn’t.
“Damn,” Harrison sighed. “I really regret not having my board with me.”
“Hey, we’ll be back here soon enough, right?” Logan said. “Things are gonna change.”
“Yeah, and that’s what I’m afraid of,” I said under my breath as thoughts of corporate restructuring and my dad floundering in his retirement filled my brain.
7
EMILIA
It hadn’t beenmyidea to go to the Longwood Estates greenhouses, but I sort of wished it was, because it was a gorgeous location.
Dorian the producer had insisted that the show needed a variety of settings to keep it visually interesting, which was why we all packed up and headed for the greenhouses. Kristen and Carter hadn’t picked a florist yet, so this scenario was essentially a tryout for three local florists, all vying for the job. I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn’t been forced into a reality-style competition for my job like these poor folks.
“I want to get some b-roll of you guys strolling around looking at flowers, okay?” Dorian coached. “Look at all of your options, be cute with each other, smell the roses, yada yada yada. Once the florists get here we’ll start the Q&A with them.”
I glanced to where Drew was hovering in the background. Did hehaveto be here? Because he was downright distracting standing in the corner with his arms crossed, all the better to show off his ridiculous biceps. He’d arrived in his usual blazer but the heat in the greenhouse had forced him to take it off and reveal the golf shirtunderneath. I swear time downshifted into slow motion as he removed it, so each movement was a little ballet of flexing and posing.
Okay, all he did was take it off and lay it over his arm, but tomeit felt very show-off-y.
“This is overwhelming,” Kristen said as she walked around with her eyes wide. “I don’t want to make the wrong choice.”
“Babe,” Carter laughed. “If you’re having a tough time with the flowers then we’re screwed. This part should be simple.”
He walked to her and draped his arm over her shoulder, and I noticed that they were casually color coordinated. Not in a ‘senior citizens on holiday’ way, though. They were both in shades of tan and cream that were wedding adjacent while still being the perfect backdrop for the true stars of the day: the flowers. I guess that’s life as a celebrity—someone bustles around to ensure the world is coordinated to match you.
I joined them, well aware that the camera was recording every moment. “You know, Carter is right. Have you ever seen an ugly wedding bouquet?”
Kristen giggled. “Actually, no. Good point. That makes me feel a little better. But I’m having a hard time visualizing how to make a bouquet come together. Like, would it be weird to include sunflowers? Because they’re my favorite.”
“Hold up!” Dorian’s voice echoed through the greenhouse and everyone froze. “Do we have sunflowers in here? I’d like to get that moment once again, but by actual sunflowers.”
A nervous looking woman in a Longwood logo shirt appeared. “I’m sorry, we don’t have them at the moment. And they’re an outside crop because of their size.”
“Well,shit,” he complained. Dorian turned back to Kristen. “Can you pick a different favorite?”
I watched her face crumple a little. “No? Sunflowers mean a lot to me. They were …” she sniffled. “They were my grandfather’s favorite, and we used to grow them together in his back yard. Heirloom seeds, from the prior year’s flowers. He had it down to a science, and he taught me everything about them. What kind of soil they needed, the best light for them, which strains grew best in our climate.”
Her chin started to tremble as she spoke. She looked like she needed a hug, but Carter had drifted off and hadn’t yet noticed that she was upset. I walked over to give her arm a squeeze.
“He sounds like a very special person. What a gift he gave you,” I said.
