Without waiting, I spun on my heels and marched in the direction of the greenhouse. The grass and warm earth tickled the bottoms of my feet before it ended in smooth, flat stones at the greenhouse doors.
I slipped inside, not at all surprised when Ames followed. His long fingers captured my elbow, and I was made to face him.
“What is it?” he demanded, searching my face.
“Nothing,” I returned with a grumble that was not at all convincing.
“Len,” he warned softly.
I sighed and tried to turn my face away. My chin was captured instead, and I was made to keep eye contact.
“It’s been too hot this summer,” I murmured. “My plants aren’t getting enough water and I’m spending half the day watering them.”
“What else?” he prompted gently, the pad of his thumb sweeping along my cheek, brushing at a bit of dirt, gritty against my skin.
“My green house is too small and I’m running out of room.” I cast a glance around the spacious box of glass.
“Anything else?”
Feeling slightly ridiculous, I added softly, “I broke my favorite spade trying to dig up a root.”
He hummed quietly. “You’ve had quite an afternoon, haven’t you?” He leaned down to brush my brow with his lips. “We’llbuild you a piping system for your garden and we’ll expand the greenhouse. And tomorrow, I’ll personally take you to the store to pick up a new spade that looks exactly like yours even if we have to get it custom made.”
I scowled up at him even while I had to bite my bottom lip to contain my grin. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”
“I do, actually.” He smirked and kissed me soundly on the lips. “It’s our job to make your life easier.”
My arms slipped around his shoulders, and I pushed up on my toes to meet that delicious mouth of his.
“You both make my life perfect.”
His kiss deepened, pausing only a second for him to murmur, “Good.”
“Linny?”
I give a start and come out of that lazy afternoon with Ames in the greenhouse, his palms warm against my back. His mouth, steady and insistent over mine.
He’d done exactly as he promised.
The very next day, he had a crew run irrigation lines through my garden and started the layout to expand my greenhouse. The only thing we weren’t able to do was find the same spade. Honestly, there wasn’t anything fancy about it, except I liked the way it fit in my palm. The one we replaced it with was too new, too stiff. I made it work, but it wasn’t the same.
Marcus touches my cheek and I focus on his face.
“You should rest. When’s the last time you slept?”
I’m not certain.
“I’m not tired,” I lie.
I’ll rest once I see the entire Duval bloodline in the ground.
I don’t miss the hesitance, the flicker of uncertainty that crosses his face before he looks away.
He’s having doubts.
Either in his abilities to fulfil his promise to me or in me to uphold mine. I try not to think he is correct in the latter.
“I think I would like to work in my greenhouse today,” I decide with all the confidence in me.
