I’m caught a little off guard in part by her touch and her question. A wistful smile forms on my lips as I bring up the memory. “We used to pick wild daisies for your music teacher. Daisies were her favorite, and that is how you paid her for lessons. You liked lavender.”
I pause to swallow the emotions threatening to rise and take in a stuttering breath. The memory—while a good one—still brings heartache to the surface.
“I once brought you a bundle from one of my trips with my parents. The woman I got it from said it makes you feel calm and helped with a bunch of other ailments I didn’t really understand at that time. It made me think of you, and I wanted to help make you feel calm when things just felt out of control. So, I bought it and gave it to you.” I place my hand over hers and softly laugh. “You declared it was going to be your favorite flower. Although I pissed you off when I told you it wasn’t a flower but an herb.”
She laughs softly, and her eyes brighten. “I know it’s not a flower, but it’s still my favorite.”
“That’s exactly what you said, back then.” A small twinge of happiness surrounds my heart knowing that, even though she lost her memory, a small part of what we once shared still remained with her. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with you.” I lean down to kiss her cheek.
Her hand covers her cheek, eyes wide at the spark that ignited from our touch.
Before she can respond, I retreat to greet her family.
With a quick glance over my shoulder, I see her watching me with a bemused expression.
Chapter 40
So You Want to Play
JESSICA
“Girl, you’re in so much trouble, mmhhmm,” Auntie taunts behind me as she freshens my hair. “I saw the way those two men looked at you. That Larson Alpha has some competition. Yes, he does.” A chorus of hmms and amens come from the other women in the room.
I roll my eyes at Auntie through the mirror. “Alpha Larson? Why him?”
“Girl, the chemistry radiating off the two of you last night was so obvious.”
A harsh laugh burst from my mouth. “Chemistry?! I fainted. We barely had an exchange.”
“Oh, no, girl. There was chemistry. He caught you before you hit the ground and then kissed you like he was waking you up from a cursed coma. Mmmm, I wished I was you. That hunk of a man can save me from a coma any day.”
Collective sighs emit from a few others. I shake my head.
“He kissed me? This isn’t a fairy tale.”
One of Auntie’s assistants lightly smacks her arm. “He kissed your temple, but it was so sweet. He was genuinely concerned about you.”
“It should have been on her lips. He is sex on a stick! Yummy!” Auntie exclaims.
Butterflies in my low belly flutter when I think about his body all over mine this morning. Stop it, I tell myself. I need to focus on this game.
“You’re blushing, baby girl. That means I’m right. You felt it, too. Don’t deny it.”
“I wasn’t in a coma,” I grumble. Auntie laughs and turns my chair to work on my makeup next.
“I have to say I kind of like the Oriental one. What’s his name? I liked how you were with him, too. I think he was holding back—that look in his eyes. Girl, he wanted to eat you up!”
“Owen. His name is Owen.”
“I’m rooting for the Rhineheart Alpha,” a woman on Auntie’s team chimes in. “He is so handsome, and you could see the hearts in his eyes when he looked at you.”
“Chemistry,” Auntie cheers.
“There was no chemistry. It was an awkward exchange.” I contort my face as she runs a brush over my cheeks.
“Yes, there was,” she sings. “I saw the way you looked at him, too. There’s something there. I can feel it. Oh, and mmh, that judge is hot. If you’re going to end up with one of those old biddies in that room over there,” she points to an empty space with the brush, “it’s him. He can sentence me to a life of just staring at him. Mmm... mmm... mmm.”
I can’t help but laugh at her antics.
