Page 37 of Pastel Kisses

He was right. And it pissed me off that he was right.

I couldn’t argue with him, though. I could barely argue with myself. So, instead of falling deeper into my own self-destruction, Lennox and I threw ourselves into Avery’s unfinished landscaping project.

And now, after weeks of relentless hard work, we’re almost there. With just a few final touches left, her vision has finally come to life.

Standing in the middle of the yard, I swipe a hand over my sweat-slicked forehead, surveying the progress. The last of the flower beds are planted, the custom stone pathway she designed is finally complete, and the outdoor seating area—something she had picked out but never got the chance to order—is set up and waiting. We got it for her. The second she comes home, she’ll see that every piece of her dream has been brought to life.

The thought makes my chest tighten.

"Shit’s looking good, huh?" Lennox says beside me, hands on his hips as he surveys the space.

"Yeah," I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "It’s damn near perfect."

"She’s gonna love it." His voice is certain. Hopeful. Like he refuses to acknowledge any reality where she doesn’t come back to see it.

"Yeah," I say again, though this time, my voice cracks just slightly. "She will."

Lennox glances at me, picking up on the unspoken storm swirling inside me. He’s always been better than the rest of us at reading between the lines, and right now, I know he sees me unraveling.

"Come on," he says, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Let’s go get Jax and Kam. They need to see this."

We make our way inside, the familiar creak of the screen door barely registering as we step into the house. Kamden and Jaxton are at the kitchen table, deep in discussion, but the second they see us, they know something’s up.

Jax leans back in his chair, raising a brow. "What’s with the dramatic entrance?"

"Come outside," I say simply, my voice leaving no room for argument.

Kam glances at Jax before pushing up from his seat. "What’s going on?"

"You’ll see." Lennox grins, a rare flicker of excitement cutting through the usual tension that’s been strangling us for months.

They follow us out, the warm evening air wrapping around us as we step into the backyard. Kam stops short first, eyes scanning the space. Jax steps forward, jaw tightening as he takes it all in.

"You finished it," Kam murmurs, barely above a whisper.

"We finished it," I correct, crossing my arms as I take in their reactions.

Jax walks further in, eyes roaming over every detail. His fingers graze the top of one of the chairs, his gaze lingering on the stone pathway. "She designed this," he mutters, more to himself than to us.

"Yeah," Lennox says, stepping beside him. "We wanted her to come home to it, exactly how she envisioned it."

Kam exhales slowly, running a hand down his face. "This… this is fucking perfect." He looks at me then, really looks at me, his expression softer than it’s been in weeks. "You’ve been working on this nonstop, haven’t you?"

"Had to do something," I shrug, acting like it’s no big deal when it’s actually the only thing that’s kept me from completely losing my shit.

Jax turns toward me then, and for the first time in a long time, I see something different in his eyes. Not just the exhaustion or the heartbreak, but something close to gratitude.

"You two did good," he says, voice thick with emotion. "Really fucking good."

I swallow hard, nodding. "She deserves it."

They both nod in agreement, silence stretching between us as the reality of it all settles in.

We’ve done what we can. We’ve honored her vision, poured our love into every inch of this space. And now, all we can do is wait.

Wait for Avery to come home.

Wait for this nightmare to end.

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