Page 90 of Wicked & Wildflower

“Sorry, Lulu.” Leo laughs. “We have a question for you, though.”

She lets out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, what is it?”

She has been really into those Nancy Drew books, and she gets irritable when interrupted.

“Will you be our flower girl?” My sister beams.

Obviously, we all expect Lou to say yes, but in a few weeks, Darby has a dress fitting at a bridal boutique in downtown Los Angeles. Apparently, she found her dress when she and Leo were in Portugal last summer, and it’s being shipped to L.A. I thought it would be fun to bring Lou with us and let her pick out her dress while we were there. I told Darby and Leo she’d get extra excited if they made a big deal out of asking her, and Leo tends to make a big deal out of everything.

My daughter only lifts her brows at Leo and her aunt. “That depends,” she says. “Is the wedding actually going to happen this time?”

Darby rears back, face deepening with shock. “The snark on you, kid.”

“Lucille,” I snap. “That was rude.”

My daughter glances up at my sister before murmuring, “Sorry.”

Leo only laughs. “It’s okay to change your mind about something if it’s not the right thing for you, Lulu.” He strokes a hand down my sister’s hair. “Sometimes, it takes a person a little while to figure out what’s right for them, but it’s okay to change your course if you find something better.”

She seems to contemplate that for a second, regret flashing across her face. “And Jackson wasn’t the right person for Aunt Darby?”

“Exactly.”

“But you are?”

“Obviously.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m cool?” He says it like an obvious answer, but there is a glimmer of amusement on his face at my daughter’s questioning.

Lou gives him a bemused look, glancing at my sister for more of an explanation, like she’s not entirely convinced. Darby laughs. “He’s my person, Lulu.”

“And that’s who you marry? Your person?”

Darby smiles. “Yep.”

Finally, she nods. “Okay, I’ll be your flower girl.”

My sister stands from Leo’s lap, squatting down to the ground where Lou sits, wrapping my daughter in her arms and pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead. As she pulls away, Lou turns to me. “Is Everett your person, Mom?”

I feel my eyes all but burst out of my head, mouth dropping open. I glance at my sister, to Leo and Monica. All of them hold the same expression, eyes darting back and forth between Lou and me. Everett and I have been doing very little to hide our chemistry, not that it’d even be possible to ignore at this point, but I had no idea how openly I’d been wearing my emotions.Nerves explode through my chest at her question, but the answer on the tip of my tongue is:I hope so.

Knowing I can’t admit that to her—to any of them—I simply stare, mouth gaping like a fish. “Oh… I– um.” Frantically looking at Darby, I plead for help with my eyes. She only shrugs, like she has no idea how to respond either.

“Because I think he’d be a good one,” Lou continues.

My mouth clamps shut, mind reeling. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Lou nods nonchalantly, settling back on her towel and re-opening her book. “If you married Everett, I think that would be cool.”

Leo, Monica, and my sister blink rapidly, jaws dropped. None of us say anything, attempting to act casual at the suggestion my daughter just made. Nobody says a goddamn word, the silence thick and palpable between us. Eventually, though, Leo and Darby look at me with shit-eating grins, and I notice Monica’s eyes growing a little watery.

I have no fucking clue how to react to any of it.

I turn my head, looking out at the horizon just in time to find Everett jogging over to us, none the wiser. I wait for him to slow to a stroll, to stop in front of me, but he doesn’t. He continues running, barreling right up to my chair and grabbing me beneath the arms.

“What are you doing?” I gasp as he lifts me into his arms and tosses my body over his shoulder. Our family watches us curiously as he begins heading back toward the waves.

---