Page 26 of A Home for Harmony (Blossoms #16)

UNSURE OF ME

“ B arnes.”

He and Harmony turned their heads at the sound of his name being called out the following Saturday.

Micah knew this was a risk taking her out on Valentine’s Day, but he felt as if they didn’t do much and maybe he should put more effort into things.

It surely had nothing to do with Scarlet getting on his ass to make sure he did something nice and romantic for Harmony and that she’d stay at her mother’s tonight.

Talk about embarrassing. But he had to get over it.

“Hey, Brooks,” he said. At least it was someone that Harmony knew, but now their relationship would get out.

Brooks was grinning. “My wife noticed Harmony and made me call your name.”

“Oh my God,” Ivy said, sitting down at their table. “I had no clue this was going on. No one said a word. I’m going to give Daisy a piece of my mind.”

Harmony laughed. “It’s only been a few months. Micah hasn’t met Daisy yet. We are having dinner at my house tomorrow for him to meet them.”

Ivy gave a little playful clap. “This is so exciting. I love knowing things that others don’t.”

“Are you joining them at the table?” the server asked, coming over.

They’d just been seated and their water brought over, but their drink orders hadn’t been taken. Brooks and Ivy were walking in.

It wasn’t his preference, but the two women were chatting. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to do that.

Brooks was closer to his age and Ivy close to Harmony’s. The other couple didn’t have as big of an age difference and Harmony seemed happy having someone else at the table with her.

“It’s up to the women,” he said.

Brooks pulled out a chair. “I know the answer to that. Sorry to do this.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

The server took their drink orders and brought over two more menus.

“You look so cute,” Harmony said. “Look at your little baby bump.”

Ivy ran her hand over her belly in her fitted cotton shirt. Micah remembered when Trinda hid her pregnancy in baggy clothing.

He viewed it as a part of life and shouldn’t be hidden.

He took it to heart that Trinda didn’t want to be pregnant back then.

No, they didn’t plan it, but it hurt she wasn’t as excited about it as he was.

They were probably doomed from the start, and Harmony was right—doing what was right for others didn’t mean it was for them.

They could have saved each other years of fighting.

“Thank you,” Ivy said. “Did you hear it’s a girl?”

Micah laughed and looked at Brooks. “Guess Luke was right,” he said.

He hadn’t heard either.

“No,” Harmony said. “I haven’t talked to Daisy much. We’ve all been busy.”

“Plus the excitement of Erica’s engagement,” Ivy said. “Daisy said they are talking about a destination wedding in the fall. That’s fast.”

“Yes,” she said. “She wanted to wait until Daisy had a few months to recover after the birth, but she’s not doing a big wedding party. Just me as the maid of honor and Tucker’s cousin is the best man.”

Micah frowned and wasn’t sure why Harmony hadn’t said anything to him about this.

He didn’t want to bring it up and look like an idiot that he didn’t have the knowledge.

“That will be so much fun,” Ivy said. “But they haven’t decided where yet?”

“No,” she said. “They will do that soon. No date yet either. It’s going to be small, with only siblings and our immediate family.

Which isn’t much either. Just Tucker’s mother and boyfriend and his grandfather, then our immediate family.

” She turned to look at Micah. “And you. It all came about this week. We haven’t talked yet. ”

That made him feel a little better.

“I’ll make it work,” he said.

“I have to say,” Ivy said. “I don’t really know you, Micah, other than meeting you a few times in the office, but I never saw this coming.”

Ivy’s hand was waving back and forth between him and Harmony.

“Neither did I,” he said, causing Brooks to laugh.

“It might sound like me and Ivy. She saw it before me.”

“Don’t let Micah kid you. I think it was mutual, but it’s taken some work,” Harmony said. “I don’t care about him being older, but I think he’s more concerned about me having an issue with it. I told him he’s in better shape than anyone I’ve dated my age.”

Ivy giggled. “Yep, I’ve said that about Brooks too. Not to mention older men have some perks to them.”

Ivy was wiggling her eyebrows and Harmony smiled. “I don’t want to embarrass Micah. He flushes and he might not want to do that in front of one of his men.”

Brooks smirked. “It won’t leave this restaurant. My wife can be a bit much, but we are all used to her.”

“She’s fine,” Micah said. Maybe it was a breath of fresh air and gave him a chance to see how Harmony interacted around other people.

She was so good with Scarlet last weekend.

If he could have scripted it, it wouldn’t have gone any other way.

He’d worried over nothing, and as long as Scarlet was accepting, that had always been his biggest concern.

But now he had worries about whether Harmony was good with things too.

“We don’t get out much,” Harmony said. “I was stunned when he wanted to come out tonight. It’s sweet. I would have been happy to cook for him.”

“We cook at home a lot and you’ll be doing it tomorrow,” Micah said. “It’s nice to get out so you don’t think I’m cheap.”

“I’d never think that,” she said, her hand running on his arm.

There was a soft look in her eyes and he was trying to figure out what it’d been for a week.

He saw it when Scarlet was questioning them and then again midweek when they’d met for lunch. It was the only other time they’d seen each other.

“That’s good to know,” he said.

“Do you have any names picked out yet for the baby?” Harmony asked.

“Not yet,” Ivy said. “You know we girls are flower names and Brooks and his siblings are water names. I thought it’d be neat to start a theme or something for our kids.”

“Kids,” Harmony said. “How many do you want?”

“Not five,” Brooks said. “Not even three. I told Ivy two.”

“We agree,” Ivy said. “Do you want any more kids, Micah?”

“Ivy,” Brooks said. “That’s personal.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I enjoy being a dad. I’d like another one, but don’t want to wait too long for it either.”

He looked at Harmony and saw her smile. “I’m not in a rush yet, but understand that it’s not always planned well either.”

“No,” he said. “Life isn’t.”

“Don’t I know it,” Brooks said.

The server came over and took their orders. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful and they left to return to her house, where he was going to stay the night since he’d be there tomorrow.

“That was fun tonight,” she said when he parked his SUV in her driveway.

“It was. I’m not sure the last time I was out with another couple.”

“It’s been a while for me,” she said. “Back when I was living in New York. I had a group of friends and we’d all meet out. Some of us had boyfriends, others didn’t. It breaks things up unless the person I was dating had an issue with it.”

“Have you dated a guy that has?”

She shrugged. “I’ve had boyfriends that didn’t like that I wasn’t giving them my full attention. It’s fine to a point, but I don’t need to worry that the person I’m with needs my undivided attention. Nor asks where I’m going if I get up to take a pee.”

“That’s annoying,” he said. Thankfully, he’d never been that way. Trinda would have liked it if he acted that way, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want it done to him. It didn’t mean he didn’t care any less, just that people needed space.

“I’m glad we feel the same way,” she said.

When they were in the house, they had their jackets off and walked into the living room. She sat on the couch and patted the spot next to her.

“Oh boy,” he said. “What did I do wrong?”

She smiled. “Nothing. Not one thing, but I don’t like that you think you did. Or that sometimes you’re unsure of me.”

“I’m not unsure of you.”

“Really?” she asked, her brows lifted. “It doesn’t always come across that way.”

He was going to weigh his words and was honest. “I’m more unsure of me. I’m the one with the failed marriage, not you.”

She patted his leg. “Micah. I’ve had a lot of failed relationships. Probably more than you because, once your marriage ended, I’m guessing you haven’t tried since. Right?”

“Could be,” he said. “I’ve had other priorities too.”

He saw the hurt in her eyes. “Do you still have those other priorities?”

“See,” he said. “I just fucked up again.”

“No,” she said. “You didn’t. I know Scarlet is first in your priorities and always will be. I have no problem with it and mean that. She’s still a kid and should be there. As long as I’m up there in the top two or three, I’m good.”

She was smiling when she said it, but he saw the uncertainty behind her eyes. “You are,” he said. “Number two.”

“I’ll take it,” she said. “Because you’re my number one.

Maybe you don’t want to hear this, I don’t know.

But I encourage people to be themselves and I have to be me.

I have to tell you how I feel. If it’s too much and you’re not ready, I’ll be able to handle that too, but I can’t keep it in any longer. ”

She ran her hand over the side of his face. He hadn’t shaved this morning for her since she loved it so much.

“I don’t want you to hold back,” he said. “It’s suffocating.”

“I know that feeling,” she said. “And I think you’re doing it now, so I’m going to give you some air.

I’ll say it first. I love you. I love everything about you.

From your grouchiness and dry humor you try to hide to how much you love your daughter and put her happiness first. You’re everything I never knew I wanted in my life and I want you to know that so you don’t have these doubts of failure. ”

He leaned down and gave her a light kiss, sucked in some of the air she was offering, and said, “I love you too and I feel like a wuss and a coward that it’s scaring the shit out of me.”

“The fact you’re man enough to admit those feelings makes you not a coward,” she whispered.

“Don’t say or feel that about yourself. I mean it.

We’re going to have ups and downs because maybe you don’t understand me and I don’t understand you, but I’m not worried about it and you shouldn’t be either. ”

“It’s hard to turn the worry off,” he said.

“I agree, so instead let’s make a pact. We talk about those things and don’t let them build up.”

“Deal,” he said. “I think you’re the mature one between us.”

She laughed. “Nope. But I might be the smart one.”