Page 98 of Chasing Shelter

But I wasn’t that scared little girl anymore.

“The only thing I want to do ishidefrom the Pierce name. I’ll change it as soon as I can because I don’t want any ties to the man whomurderedinnocent human beings for nothing more than a quest for money and power.”

Philip scoffed. “They were hardly innocent.”

“They didn’t deserve what you did. And neither did I. You never cared about me. You taught me to be nothing more than expensive window dressing. And I let myself believe it was true. That I had to be whatever you wanted me to be, so scared I’d lose my last parent if I didn’t. But I know the truth now. It would’ve been the world’s greatest gift if I’d lost you.”

Blood roared in my ears, and my breaths came in quick pants.

“You’re going to regret your insolence, Eleanor. And when you do, you’ll remember this moment.”

A click sounded, and the line went dead.

I waited for the fear to hit, for a wave of anxiety to come crashing down. But it didn’t. As I lowered my phone from my ear, my breaths slowed, and the pounding in my ears lessened. I felt…lighter.

Never—not once—had I told my father how I truly felt. I’d always been too frightened. Of what he would do, of losing him even though he terrified me. But Trace had made me realize something. I wasn’t scared anymore. I could be exactly who I wanted to be. Feel the way I needed and share those feelings. And all of that was okay. More than okay. It was good. And it was freeing.

I dropped my phone into the cupholder and plugged Bloom & Berry into my navigation system. Even with how long I’d been here, I still didn’t have directions down completely. Thank goodness for navigation. Plus, I’d set the voice to have a British accent, and who could be mad at that?

It took me about twenty minutes to make it to the nursery outside of town. But the second I parked, I knew it was worth the drive. The whole place was like a magical fairy plant land.

Several greenhouses were spread out in the distance, and endless displays of plants and trees lay in front of them. I instantly zeroed in on a section of Cinderella pumpkins in various colors. I’d need several of those. But first, flowers.

I pulled out my phone, bringing up the article I’d found about late-blooming flowers that attracted butterflies. I squinted at the pictures and tried to memorize the way they each looked and their names.

“Everything okay? You’re looking pretty angrily at that poor, innocent phone,” a deep voice said.

I looked up to find Duncan standing just a few feet away, a flannel shirt open over a Bloom & Berry tee and a ballcap with the same logo pulled low. “I am looking to Google for some plant assistance.”

Duncan mimed a knife to the chest. “Brutal. Choosing Google over my offer of help.”

I shook my head but did it with a grin. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be here, so I wanted to be prepared.”

“I’malwayshere. Small business owner perks.”

I glanced around the massive spread. “I wouldn’t exactly call this small.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough. You still looking to plant that butterfly garden?”

“I am.”

Duncan scrubbed a hand over his bearded cheek. “It might be getting a little late in the season. We’ve got some freezes coming that will do many of these plants in.”

“Trace warned me, but I want to get at least a few things started. It’s kind of the principle of the thing. Even if I have to replant in the spring.”

Duncan studied me for a moment. “I’ve got an idea if you want to hear me out. Also, completely okay if you want to run with your own thing.”

I appreciated the options; it didn’t make me feel steamrolled while still offering his wisdom. “Tell me what you’ve got.”

“We’ll find you some things for pots for now. You can bring them inside on the nights when the temperatures are really dropping. Then, we’ll get you bulbs for the garden. They need to be planted in the fall. Come spring, your yard will be full of color.”

I mulled that over for a long moment. Something about that idea spoke to me. Laying the seeds now for a bloom to come. “Kind of the perfect metaphor for my life right now,” I mumbled.

Curiosity filled Duncan’s eyes, but he didn’t give it voice. Instead, he said, “Let’s get started.”

I heavedthe bag of soil out of the back of my SUV, grunting at its weight. I might’ve started Kye’s suggested weight training regimen,but apparently, I wasn’t in fighting shape quite yet because this bag of soil was doing me in.

“Blaze,” a familiar, deep voice warned. “What are you doing?”

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