Page 146 of Under an Endless Moon

“That is the plan.”

She let go of a breath, and her tone turned serious. “Just be honest with him, Raven. Let him know what you want and what you need, demand it in return, and if he can’t give it to you, then let him go. You deserve every joy this world has to offer, and you can’t wait around your entire life for someone who isn’t willing to return it.”

“I will,” I promised her. “It’s time. It’s been time for a while, and I’m not willing to pretend any longer.”

“Good.” Then she frowned, taken back to what had brought her here in the first place. “Be careful, okay? It’s so scary that someone is threatening you like this. Are you sure you can’t think of anyone it might have been?”

A face rose up from the depths. From the darkest place where I’d kept my own secrets hidden.

But it was impossible.

There was no chance.

I shook my head. “No. There’s no one. I keep thinking it has to be random. Some weirdo who saw me walking down the street or saw my picture or something. I don’t know…it feels unreal. Like another one of the nightmares I suffer.”

“You know they’ll figure out who it is and take care of it.”

A quiver rolled through my insides when I thought of the way it would be handled.

“I know,” I told her.

“Auntie, I finished the whole thing, and I think I did a really good job, so I think you should probably pay me about a milliondollars.” Nolan’s little voice broke through the tension that strained the atmosphere, and I pulled away and pinned a smile on my face as he came bounding out into the main area of the shop.

“You finished them already?”

“Yup, because I’m a really good worker.”

He held the bundle up for inspection. Most of the flowers had been smashed, the stems bent and petals falling off, half with crooked bows and the other ribbons were in knots.

I suppressed a laugh. “Wow, you did amazing.”

“Do I get a million dollars?”

I ruffled my fingers through his hair. “Not quite, but how about twenty?”

He lifted the flowers overhead. “What? Twenty whole dollars? It’s a deal.”

He shoved the flowers into my hands then jumped toward Charleigh. “Mommy, you gotta take me to the store to get a new toy because I worked really hard, and when you work hard, you gotta play hard. That’s what my uncle Otto told me.”

Stark affection rolled out of her as she brushed back his messy hair. “Sure, we can do that. Why don’t you go use the restroom really quick before we leave?”

“On it!” he said as he fist-pumped the air then went scampering into the back, the door of the restroom slamming behind him.

When he was out of earshot, Charleigh slanted her attention my way, mischief on her face. “And Otto is working extra hard today, so I bet my BFF is hoping he wants to play extra hard tonight.”

I tried to stop it, but a cackle got out. “How did you know exactly what I was thinking?”

“It’s written all over you.”

My gaze moved to Otto. It didn’t matter that cars were traveling back and forth on the street between us. I could still feel the intensity of his stare cutting across the distance and burning into me.

Anticipation slithered down my spine. It was precisely what I wanted.

I wanted Otto Hudson written all over me.

FORTY

OTTO

---