Page 7

Me : You HAVE to make time to come to Padston.

Fiora : I can try. What’s up?

Me : There is a lot of man-meat here to get your freak on.

Fiora : What kind of man-meat?

Me : The six-foot-plus, paranormal variety. I bet one of them can rock your world.

Fiora : I’ll let you know.

“ C an you possibly put your phone down long enough to help with the decorations?” Kali gripes. She’s petite and can’t reach most of the tree. The lot offered delivery, so I got a massive Foxtail Pine. The cathedral ceilings in Dayton and Kyle’s house allow for the height.

“What’s the matter, shorty?” I tease.

I do it just because Kali is self-conscious about her height. Being just a couple of inches taller than her, at five feet seven inches, I should be nice.

Just as I start decorating again, the doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it,” Kali calls out, already halfway to the door.

Soft muttering comes from the doorway, but I ignore it. Putting up the decorations is more time-consuming than I remember. But the house is starting to look very festive and is helping to improve Dayton’s demeanor.

“Ohh, who sent flowers?” Dayton coos, drawing my attention to the massive bouquet Kali is carrying. I can’t see her face, it’s that big.

“Not sure,” Kali says, setting the vase onto the coffee table with a slight grunt.

“That’s nice of Kyle to send you flowers,” I state dismissively, returning to my task.

“Uhm, they’re not from Kyle,” Dayton says hesitantly, causing my brow to furrow. “In fact, Darby, these are for you.”

“What!” Kali and I yell simultaneously.

Thoughts of decorating fly out the window as I approach the table.

Looking over the flowers, there are roses, carnations, lilies, filler, and two other blooms that I have no idea what their names are.

Standing there in stunned silence, my gaze moves over the bouquet, afraid that something is going to jump out at me if I get any closer to it.

“Who would have sent me flowers?” I wonder out loud.

“Is there a card?” Dayton asks from her spot in the chair.

“It’s buried in the center,” Kali answers, moving closer and fishing through the blooms. “Here.” She holds the card out to me.

My hands tremble as I take the card from Kali. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm myself down long enough to read the card.

My Dearest Darby,

I look forward to spending eternity with you.

Eternally yours

What. The. Fuck.

I drop the card and envelope, jumping away from it like it’s poison.

“Who’s it from? What did the card say?” Dayton asks in rapid-fire succession.

Nausea hits like a freight train, and I run for the bathroom. After losing what’s left of breakfast, I rinse my mouth and splash cold water over my face before returning to the living room.

“I don’t care,” Dayton barks. “Get home.”

Looking between Kali and Dayton, a look of confusion on my face, Dayton gives me a sympathetic look as she sets her cellphone on the arm of the chair.

“Kyle will be here in a little bit. Probably one of the deputies as well,” Dayton says. Ah, she must have been talking to her husband.

“Here,” Kali says, pushing a glass of wine into my hand as she ushers me to the couch.

Despite my empty belly, I gulp down the wine like I’m dying of thirst. Kali takes the empty glass from me, and halfway to the kitchen, the front door pushes open, drawing our attention.

Kyle rushes in, immediately going to Dayton’s side to check on her. Lingering in the doorway is a tall man in a sheriff’s uniform.

“Come on in,” Kyle urges the man. “Ladies, this is Brady Galloway. He is the sheriff’s brother and one of the town’s deputies. Brady, this is Kali and Darby.” He points to each of us as he does introductions.

Brady pulls a notepad from his pants pocket and starts taking notes.

“How long ago were these delivered?” Brady asks.

“Between twenty and thirty minutes ago,” Kali answers.

“Dayton, you told Kyle there was a card?”

“Yes,” Dayton answers, pointing to where the seemingly innocuous envelope is sitting next to the vase. Brady steps up to the table, picks up the card, and reads it over. He hums in bewilderment as he flips the card over, looking for more.

“And you have no idea who would have sent these?” Brady asks, addressing me.

“I have been in town for less than forty-eight hours. I have no idea who would be sending these or what that note even means,” I answer as my voice begins rising in pitch, panic evident.

“Okay,” Brady says. His voice is meant to be soothing, but comes out as patronizing. “I am going to take this with me, assuming you don’t have any objections…” Brady’s voice trails off as he looks at me, holding the note in the air.

“You can take the note and the flowers,” I snark, doing a full-body shudder.

“I don’t need the flowers, but you can always toss them in the trash,” Brady says, flipping his notebook closed and stuffing it, along with the note, back into his pocket.

“Give us a call if you get any more deliveries from your admirer. Someone will reach out if we have any questions.” He gives a quick wave before leaving.

Kyle blows out a heavy breath. Looking over at where he stands behind my sister, his concern is apparent.

“I will have my dad come over and sit with you until I am done with work,” Kyle informs us. “Let him answer the door, just in case.”

“What aren’t you saying?” Dayton asks, tilting her head back to look up at her husband.

“You aren’t paranormal,” Kyle says flatly, a sheepish look on his face. “If someone comes here, you are defenseless. My dad won’t be.”

Kyle and Dayton whisper in soft tones, and there’s not a doubt in my mind it’s me they are discussing. Giving up on decorating for today, I lock myself in the guestroom I’m staying in and face-plant onto the bed, determined to forget that the past hour hasn’t happened.

Arek

“Do you think she will like it?” I ask Declan.

“Don’t you think it’s a little early to be buying this?” Declan responds, gesturing to the tray of engagement rings displayed on the counter before me.

“No,” I say flatly, setting the ring in my hand down, unsure if Darby will like the rose gold colored band.

“Do you think she prefers white gold, yellow gold, or platinum?” I pick up another ring and inspect it.

Declan was dragged along because he knows my mate better than anyone. Especially since we have yet to meet.

“Arek, please tell me you are going to go slow with this,” Declan says.

“Do you think she might like a stone other than a diamond?” I ask, ignoring his skepticism.

“I think this is going to come back to bite you in the ass,” Declan deadpans.

“When’s her birthday?” I ask, looking over at Declan. He’s leaning against the counter next to me, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“How would I know this?” he asks. Several other customers turn to stare at us due to his loud tone.

“You know her better than me,” I say, as if the answer isn’t apparent. The guy behind the counter gives me a strange look that I ignore. Reflecting on the conversation, and considering that I am looking at engagement rings, I suppose our behavior might seem odd.

“If you are determined to do this today, just fucking pick something,” Declan grinds out through clenched teeth, speaking softly enough that only I can hear him.

“I’ll take this one,” I say to the guy behind the counter. The ring features a cushion-cut diamond set in platinum, accompanied by princess-cut pink sapphires. Being that Declan told me Darby has pink streaks in her hair, I know she likes the color.

“Will that be all, sir?” the salesman asks, returning the tray of rings to the inside of the display case.

“Not yet,” I answer, looking around the store. “I want to get a few more items.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Declan murmurs.