“Soon…I wanted to see how you felt first. You were freaking out back there.”
“Hey, can you blame me?”
“No…it surprised me too.”
“Well, I’m cool with it so it’s going to be fun to watch our mate freak out when he finds out.”
Giggling, Alex turned around in Glenn’s arms, rising up on his toes to kiss his mate on the tip of his nose. “I can’t wait!”
~/~/~/~/~
“There, doesn’t that feel better,” Brady Whitmore muttered soothingly, snipping a few dead leaves off his prize rose bush. Stepping back, he tilted his head to theleft and then to the right, studying Matilda. “Perfect, sweetie…you look simply fabulous.” Moving on to Hilda, his finger lightly ghosted over the vibrant, deep red petals of one of her flowers, shivering slightly at the tactile sensation the smooth, velvet surfaces engendered. “Oh my, how beautiful you are today…you don’t mind if I cut one of your flowers for me to enjoy inside, do you Hildy girl? I have the perfect crystal vase for it,” he cooed to the rose bush. “Waking up and seeing you first thing in the morning will start my day off right. You do want to do that for me, don’t you?”
Stepping back, Brady watched, waiting for an answer. Then, it came. Hilda nodded in the gentle breeze, bringing a happy smile to Brady’s face. “Thank you, darling…now let’s see which one it shall be.” Circling the plant, he studied the bush; choosing the right flower was always difficult. Sometimes it was impossible, forcing him to forget his desire to take one for his enjoyment inside. But he had high hopes this wasn’t going to be one of those times, simply because his Hilda was covered with a myriad of sensuous blooms. All he had to do was pick the right one.
Shimmering air was the only warning Brady received before his friend appeared on the other side of Hilda. Shielding his eyes from the sun with a hand, he grinned at her. “Mystia, I’m so happy to see you.” Setting his garden basket on the ground, Brady walked around Hilda to greet his friend. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would’ve made my world-famous lavender shortbread cookies.”
Returning Brady’s hug, Mystia’s light laughter filled the air. Shaking her head, she murmured, “Don’t try foolingme…the day you don’t have some of them tucked away in a tin is a day the world will end.”
Chuckling, Brady muttered, “You know me too well, friend. I suppose you’ll be wanting a cup of my famous rose petal tea to go with it, hmm?”
“Absolutely. Of course, if you ever gave me your secret recipe, I could enjoy it all the time with Jimmy.”
Wagging his finger at Mystia, Brady smirked. “Uh-uh, don’t you try to weasel it out of me using Jimmy. I know for a fact he prefers Earl Grey. Besides, the recipe wouldn’t do you any good because it requires rose petals from my garden.”
Rolling her eyes, Mystia grinned before looking at the bed of roses in front of them, “My goodness, Brady, your roses are gorgeous.”
“Thank you, I’m very proud of my girls.”
“Girls?”
“Yes, they’re my girls…this one is Hilda, that’s Matilda, over there is Gilda…”
Smiling, Mystia said, “How lovely…did you name them or are those the rose’s name?”
Swatting his friend’s arm, Brady said, “I named them…and you better believe it took me some time to do it.”
Glancing around the rest of the garden, Mystia was impressed with the gorgeous array of multi-colored flowers. Turning back to Brady, she asked, “Did you do all this yourself?”
“Well, I didn’t use magic,” he muttered, struggling to rein in his feelings regarding that particular subject.Then, pursing his lips, Brady examined Mystia’s face, suddenly wondering why she didn’t call first as she usually did before arriving. Eying the tiny tension lines around her mouth and eyes, he realized her visit had a purpose he wasn’t going to like. Letting out a sigh of resignation, Brady said, “As much as I would love to show you around my garden, methinks it’s better if we go inside so you can tell me why you’re here.”
“I need your help, Brady…our world needs your help,” Mystia murmured, following Brady along the gravel path.
“You know how I feel about that world.”
“I do…but there isn’t anyone else I can trust.”
Opening the bright, pink door to the ivy-covered cottage, Brady entered the small living room, waving Mystia to a couch. “I’ll be right back.”
Nodding, Mystia sat down on the small, love seat covered in rose chintz, trying to still her trembling fingers. She wasn’t sure what would convince Brady, but try she must; otherwise, it might cost Remy and Carson their lives. Her gaze fell on the well-worn spines of law books shelved in Brady’s carved bookcase, hoping it meant he hadn’t abandoned his past, at least the part she needed. She’d been uncomfortable about coming here and using her friendship with Brady to pressure him to help, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Here we go, some rose petal tea and cookies,” Brady said, setting down the tray on the small trunk in front of his friend. “Why don’t you play mother.”
“Gladly,” Mystia agreed, “especially since you’re bribing me.” Picking up the teapot, she poured theheavenly scented tea into two cups, before adding cream and sugar. “This is such a treat.”
“For me, too,” Brady said. “I don’t take time out for afternoon tea anymore. I’m usually working in my garden until early evening and, by then, all I want to do is eat a quick dinner before curling up with a book.”
“So that’s why your garden looks so beautiful…good to know. When Jimmy retires, I know exactly what hobby he should consider taking up,” Mystia smiled, lifting her cup to her lips.
