Page 57 of Petals & Promises

I poked at the grits, unsure what to make of the stuff. “I have to agree with you on that, but I’m not sure grits are on my list of favorites. Why is it so… gravelly?”

“It not gravel, it cornmeal,” Vili corrected, scooping up a large spoonful of the stuff. “I find it very tasty.”

This was just going to be one of those things I was willing to give a chance but wouldn’t be something I’d try again. Not wanting it to go to waste, I slid the bowl over to Vili, who was more than happy to finish it off. My favorite thing had to be the blueberry muffins, reminding me of the ones my mother and I made.

“Those are baked with berries from her garden,” Gareth shared as I grabbed my third one out of the basket. “Mom believes the best food starts with the best ingredients, so she likes to grow all she can to control the quality. Guess it’s not surprising she ended up bonded with a pack who runs a cattle ranch.”

Once we finished stuffing our faces, Gareth took us out to the garden. Now, when I think of a home garden, my mind pictures a small plot of land with vegetables and such growing. Deanna had other visions of what she wanted from a garden. The woman had a damn greenhouse that you could fit an entire house in. I suppose if you wanted to have fresh food through the winter, this was the way to do it.

“Oh, you’re all up and happening, I see,” Deanna called, waving at us with a gloved hand.

We walked down the path between the corn and tomatoes to reach her. Deanna tugged off her gloves and gave us all big hugs.

“Did you sleep well? The beds were comfortable? It’s been so long since anyone has used them… I wasn’t sure,” Deanna asked.

“I slept like a rock,” I answered, then jerked my thumb at the guys. “Not sure about them since they all decided to sleep in the big bed with me.”

“Oh?” she questioned, cocking her head slightly, reaching out to brush my cheek. “Are you all right, darling? That sounds like you had your Alphas rather worried about you.”

Unsure how to answer, I looked at Yun-Sun for guidance. He took the hint and gently gripped the back of my neck, rubbing a thumb over his mark as he explained about Randall. Deanna looked absolutely horrified and pulled me into another hug.

“You poor thing, how could someone be so awful?” Deanna demanded, squeezing me so tight I was worried I wouldn’t be able to breathe. Finally, she let me go, holding me at arm’s length, a serious expression on her face. “You are more than welcome to stay here as long as you like. We can change up the guest room to make it more comfortable for y’all. It’s no trouble at all.”

Smiling at my mother-in-law, I leaned in to hug her this time. “It means the world to me you offered that to us. My hope is that he will be caught soon, and my life will find a new normal with my family. Either way, I refuse to let him keep me from my home, even if it scares me to return, knowing he’s still out there.”

Deanna sniffed, cupping my face in her hands. “What a brave, beautiful soul you are, Bailey-Rose. My son is a lucky man, and I’m so relieved to know he has you to look after him.”

“Lately, they’ve been looking after me, but I will always be there for him,” I assured her.

Quickly, Deanna brushed away a tear as she turned away from us to collect herself. “I don’t want to keep you if you plan on exploring the ranch. They said it’s probably going to rain later today, so you best get a move on. Oh,” she called out as she spun around. “Sugar bear, there’s a present for you in the machine shed. I hope I picked out the right thing. It was a bit of a rush to get it here before you got up.”

Gareth looked puzzled. “You didn’t have to get me anything, Mom.”

“Yes, I did. Once you see it, you’ll understand,” Deanna assured him.

“Dee,” I cut in, resting a hand on Waffles’ big head. “Would you mind if I left these two here with you? I promise they won’t cause any trouble, but there’s no way we can take them with us.”

Deanna smiled and clapped her hands. “I’d be glad for the company. Don’t you fret. I’ll make sure these two are looked after. You go have fun.”

Giving Waffles his commands, he laid down right where he was with a heavy sigh. I had no doubt he’d be asleep in no time—it was his favorite hobby when he was off duty. Nugget, on the other hand, would happily be Deanna’s shadow for the foreseeable future. Gareth kissed his mother’s cheek before leading the way out of the greenhouse.

The machine shed wasn’t really a shed. It was a barn full of equipment they needed to run things around the ranch. Massive tractors and trailers meant to be filled with hay took up most of the space. However, it wasn’t hard to figure out what Deanna had delivered since it had a giant red bow on the hood.

“Holy shit,” Gareth swore as he walked around the shiny new off-road vehicle. “This is amazing. Look, it has a roll cage and a harness so even if the thing gets flipped, I’ll be fine. Not to mention it’s a two-seater, so I call dibs on getting Bailey-Rose to ride with me.”

I could feel his excitement as he explored the features of his new toy. Deanna had not only given Gareth more than a new ride but the ability to enjoy a hobby he’d lost the day Callie died. Now he could relax, knowing this vehicle would protect against the same tragedy happening again.

“So, are you just going to drool all over it, or are you going for a ride?” I asked.

Gareth scooped me up and twirled around before setting me on the hood. “Oh, we’re going for a ride, all right, but first, we need to put your helmet on.”

“Helmet? Why would I need one of those?” I questioned, looking at the thing. “I’m going to be strapped in, so I doubt that’s a necessary step.”

“Baby girl, keeping you safe is always a necessary step,” Gareth pointed out, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. “If you want to come on this ride, you’re going to wear a helmet, and not just you, but all of us will be wearing them.”

Sighing, I gave in because there was no way I was going to miss out on this adventure. It would appear that Deanna not only had the off-road vehicle dropped off but also had new helmets for us. She’d gotten black for all the guys and a purple one for me that was small enough to fit just right. Glancing at the label, I noticed it said child’s size—figures. Now that everyone was suited up, Gareth helped me climb in and get buckled up. With how snug the harness fit, I wasn’t going anywhere, no matter what the hell happened on this ride.

“Okay, so follow my lead. I’m going to take us all the way out to the back pastures then head back in. This way, if or when it rains, we’ll be heading home instead of having to turn around,” Gareth explained. The guys all gave him a thumbs-up and started up their rides.