Page 97 of Wild Scottish Rose

The gnomes.

Owenknew. There was nothing more to hide.

Gnorman strolled on screen, peacocking as he pretended to flirt.

“The man dated easily, but never let anyone too close, always finding fault with his dates. He pretended it was because he was always on the search for the truth, holding his dates to an impossibly high standard.”

The screen showed Gnorman on a date with a hedgie in a pink wig, and the hedgie threw a mini glass of wine at him.

“But then one day, a woman like no other, walked into his life and changed the path of his future forever.”

Gnora walked on screen, wearing jeans and a jumper similar to mine, carrying a gardening rake. Tears filled my eyes.

Gnora, being Gnora, tossed her hair and openly flirted with Gnorman on screen, even though I was sure I didn’t flirt quite like that. Then she caught her toe, tripping forward, and Gnorman caught her in his arms.

“Damn you.” I laughed through my tears.

“The man fell for the woman, understanding he’d never meet another like her in his life. Except, old patterns are hard to break. You see, he’d learned from his mother that people were disposable when they did wrong. And from his father that being truthful was merely a suggestion at best. The man’s biggest insecurity was being lied to, being kept in the dark, feeling helpless with his own emotions. It was easier not to trust, you see? And because of that, when he was scared of losing his newfound love, he seized the first reason he could not to trust her and pushed her away. Just like his mother had taught him to.”

Gnorman crossed his arms over his chest, pretending to scoff as Gnora pleaded with him on camera.

“The woman was cautious. She was right to not share herself with the man, for she could sense that he’d reject her. And for that, the man is very sorry.”

Owen sighed.

“Not my best work, but we do the best we can, don’t we?”

The screen faded, as tears streamed down my face. I turned to Owen, opening my mouth, but he held a finger in the air.

“The big finale,” Owen whispered. Taking my hand, he drew me to standing and pointed to the grass.

“All right, gentlemen, don’t screw this up!” The hedgehogs stood in a line along the yard.

Eugene skidded around the corner, racing into a spot at the front of the line and my heart clenched.

Gnorman had put him in the front.

“And, one, two, three, four, go!” Gnorman shouted, and the hedgies scuttled forward. Together they formed the words:I’m Sorry.

“Oh, Owen.”

The hedgies disappeared and came together for another formation.

Will you forgive me?

How could I not? I went to turn to Owen, but he held me in place, nodding to the grass where the hedgehogs dispersed and then came together to form the shape of a heart. In the middle, Eugene held up a rose.

Now I was just a mess, openly crying, as Owen turned me to him.

“Owen, I’m sorry,” I began, and he cut me off with a finger to my lips.

“No, please. Don’t apologize. I didn’t make you feel safe enough to share with me. And I’ve learned from my gnomie, G, that you’re new to magick. You were still just figuring itout. I can’t be mad at you for not being ready to share that with me. I’m the one who should apologize. I got too bullheaded with having to make this movie. I’ve always been that way, hyper focused on something often to my detriment. I did it again this time, but I hurt you in the process.”

“You have every right to make your movie, Owen,” I said, blinking up at him through tears. “It’s what you love to do. I should’ve?—”

“No, Shona. We both made choices. You made your decision based on the information you had—which was that you knew I cut people from my life fast. It’s not a good trait, and one I’m determined to work on. I kind of got slapped in the face with it, when I realized how much my mother had ingrained that habit in me. I don’t want to be so unforgiving that I cut everyone out of my life, Shona. And I did that with you because I was so scared, I was so damned scared to lose you that it was easier to push you away first.”

My heart bloomed. Be it the tea I drank or my understanding of how hard it was for this man to see things with fresh eyes, but either way I was irrevocably, head over heels in love with him.

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