Page 102 of Accidentally in Bloom

Is this what it would always be like? Nestled between her family, found and blood, and this gorgeous, annoying, adorable, loving man in front of her?

“Ready.”

GRAY

Nerves gripped Gray’s chest as he looked down into Rose's face. She hated surprises, he knew that, but maybe just this once, he could sweep her off her feet and not fuck it up.

“Close your eyes.”

“Gray, it’s my store.” She huffed, sticking out her bottom lip in irritation, but she closed them after a brief eye roll.

“I saw that, Parker.” He pulled her in for a quick kiss on her temple. It was very unfortunate she was so adorable when she was irritated. He’d never get enough of that pout as he teased her incessantly. He wondered if she’d still make that face in twenty or thirty years as they grew old together.

First things first, though. He turned the antique door handle and led them both inside the cool chilled air of Bloom. The smell of fresh flowers was stronger than usual, smelling like it was perfumed just for them. He flipped on the lights and dragged her hands down from her face to finally let her see.

She gasped, and his heart leapt in his throat. Her eyes widened at the site in front of her. Thousands of peonies filled every single surface of the store. He brought them in buckets and baskets and whatever he could find. He laid them on the tables, in vases, in the candles display, the chocolate display, in heaps on the check-out counter, and there was barely any spot visible on the floor that wasn't taken up by bundles of milky white, vibrant fuchsia, pastel orange, and ballerina pink peonies.

“Gray, when did you… how…” she trailed off, not able to compute. “When did you do this? Why did you do this? How did you do this?”

He brought her in close and smiled into her hair. Of course, he should know that she would want all the answers. “Rose, just—”

“Take it in, yeah, yeah. I got it.” She waved her hand at him. “I am. I'm just—my brain is on overdrive.” She leaned down to smell a bouquet of fuchsia peonies in front of her.

She looked like an absolute picture, leaning down with her chestnut hair falling against the petals. He wished he could take all the flowers out on the floor and make love to her like he wanted to, surrounding her with beauty.

He saw her breathe in the scent of flowers, close her eyes, hold them closer, and breathe deeply again. A shimmer of a tear threatened at her eyelashes, and he leaned down beside her, placing a hand on her back. She fluttered them open.

“Why would you do this?” Her eyes searched his. “I'm not…”

His heart sank. Was this it? Was she going to tell him she didn't love him back yet? They had the one date, the one deal, the one partnership, and it was over? Had he gone too far? Fuck, he could never read the room.

Her eyes went back down to the fluttery petals. “I'm not worth it,” she whispered.

What the actual fuck? “You’re worth ten times this, honey. A thousand times this.”

She shook her head and fought her lip from quivering. “I’m too much. I’m bossy. A know-it-all. You said so yourself.”

“You are bossy.” He grabbed her arms as they stood up and brought her close. He pressed her head to his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

“And I have to have things a certain way.”

“Yep,” he nodded, running a hand down her hair as his thumb stroked her waist. The thud in his stomach built into warmth when he realized where her head was at.

“Rose, I know all this about you. Those are all the things I love about you.” She pulled back to look up at him, and his hand came to cup her cheek. “I love that you’re fierce and stubborn, you’re ambitious, and you’re smarter than anyone else I’ve ever met. I love that you want things a certain way because it turns out usually they’re the best way, which is very annoying but also pretty cute.”

She leaned into his hand and laughed.

His hand grasped the back of her neck, and he threaded his hands through her hair. “I love that you fight fiercely for your family and for what you believe in. And most of all, I love who you are. But…” The tension came back. He needed to ask how she felt. “The real question is…”

Her mouth tilted into a nervous frown. “Falling for you was…an accident. I tried to stop it, I tried to logic it away, but goddamnit, I love you.” Her brows drew together as she said the best, sweetest words he could hear.

Of course, his grumpy girl would scowl at him as she made his every dream come true.

“You said it in front of all those people,” she talked rapidly, gaining speed. “And then here, again and again, and again, and—”

He brought her mouth to his to shut her up. He wondered if this would ever get old, having her right here, safe in his arms. If it would still give him a thrill, just the same way that it always had. He pulled back, and his thumb ran along her cheekbone, flush from the chill of the night air. “I had to show you I'm so fucking glad you're staying. I want those next twenty-three years. I want every single bit because I don't think it will be enough for me.”

“They’re yours,” Rose said, looking up into his eyes. Her hand grasped at his wrist as his hand held her face.

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