Page 85 of Marrying the Gardener
Blinking rapidly, I stare as the mossy land beyond the pond steadily fills. Women. Wives. Daughters. A spattering of fathers and brothers I know as my father’s clients. My attention catches and halts when Crisis comes into view, surrounded by the three Bachelors who aren’t on a music tour right now.
She beams, and I’m very worried that she’s less than five feet away from an open body of water, but at least Viktor’s hand is on her shoulder.
Tense, I say, “Kaleb…what’s going on?”
“Crimson, will you marry me?”
I drag my attention to him. Stare. “Yes. You already know that.” I nudge my head discreetly toward the crowd. “But what aretheydoing here?”
“I think they’re here to both congratulate us…and talk business. Don’t worry. Only a few of the girls from the pool party know the truth. I guess it’s a good thing your father never thought to formally introduce your husband to his crowds, otherwise proposing right now might be a bit awkward for everyone.”
Yes. I think…that makes sense. Lashes fluttering, I latch on to the most important thing he’s just said. “What kind of business are they here to talk about?”
“Yours, Rose-red. Subject to the edits you deem appropriate as CEO, of course.” He references the crowd. “You’re looking at your investors and clients…who have recently switched from dealing with your father to dealing with you. As it turns out, people really want a human element when it comes to managing their businesses full of people. All I had to do was make a few calls and let everyone know that the humanity they’d grown used to was branching out on her own.”
“You didwhat?” I hiss. “I have no experience running abusiness, Kaleb. What promises have you made to everyone that convinced them to drop my father in favor of me?”
“I made no promises. I told them you were starting a business. They lunged to support you.”
“This will cause problems with my father. How am I, as a startup, going to weather the backlash?”
“With the Bachelor name backing you.”
Bitterness fills my mouth. “Kaleb…I’ve told you…”
“YourBachelor name, Crimson. As Crimson Nightingale-Bachelor.”
“What?”
“As my wife.”
“You’re…a Charter. We got legally married. You signed the papers KalebCharter.”
“When I ran away from home, I changed my name. I’m ready to change it back, when I become your husband.”
I can’t handle this. “You’re a Bachelor? A long-lost Bachelor brother?”
“The long-lost middle kid, yup. Does knowing I’m the middle kid help at all?”
“No.”
“Ah. Well. I was homeschooled, too.”
I narrow my eyes. “Listing stigmatized reasons for you to be a weirdo doesn’t help me understand why you didn’t tell me this sooner, Kaleb.”
“Would you have married me before if you’d known I was a Bachelor?”
“Absolutely not.”
He rubs at his scruffy, days-old beard and adjusts the Snow-white and Rose-red roses in his arms. “There you have it, then. You’re very bad at letting people help you if you perceive that it inconveniences them at all. It’s likely on account of your upbringing, you know. The fact you were homeschooled.”
My eye twitches.
Kaleb smiles, too warm, too perfect. “In case no one’s told you, I like when you take up space. I hope that you’ll steal every spotlight for the rest of our lives and let me bask in your fire, forever.”
Oh, great. He’s proposing. Again. “Kaleb,” I grit, “I’ve already saidyesa dozen times. I’ll marry you. Once we’re completely divorced, we’ll plan a wedding and get married. How many times are you going to make me sayyes?”
He shrugs. “Until I get sick of hearing it.”
