Page 88 of Forget me Knot
My heart swells at her words. I kiss her forehead gently. “We love you too, Lily. More than you could ever know.”
As she drifts off to sleep, nestled safely between us, I exchange glances with Max and Sam. There’s a shared understanding, a silent vow to protect and cherish this incredible omega.
The events of the day - the threat from the Omega Trials enforcers, the intensity of our mating - have left us all drained but deeply satisfied. Lily’s steady breathing and the warmth of her body against mine brings a sense of peace I’ve never known before.
I gently stroke her hair, marvelling at how perfectly she fits with us. My best friend, now my mate. It still feels surreal sometimes.
“We should probably clean up,” Sam whispers. “And then we need to talk.”
Max nods but makes no move to get up. “In a minute,” he murmurs, his eyes fixed on Lily’s sleeping form.
I understand the reluctance. Now that we’re mated, the urge to stay close and protect is stronger than ever. But Sam’s right—we need a plan of action to keep Lily here and safe from anyharm. I have an idea. She won’t like it, but at the end of the day, she will know I’m doing this out of love.
With a sigh, I carefully extricate myself from Lily’s embrace. She stirs slightly but doesn’t wake. I head to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth with warm water. When I return, Max and Sam have moved Lily onto her back.
As gently as possible, I clean her up, my touch reverent. Even in sleep, she’s breathtaking. She stirs slightly, but only a small smile tells me she’s awake enough to acknowledge the care. Once I’m done, she murmurs, “Thank you.”
Then she is fast asleep again. I tug the covers over her, glad she came to my room. I hope she never leaves it even though there is a bedroom for her, I want her here in my bed, always.
Pulling on some clothes and my boots, as Max and Sam disappear to do the same, we reconvene downstairs.
“I’m going back to the shop tonight,” I state without preamble. “I’m going to move the entire thing to the barn if you two can start to make it into some sort of order. We do this entire operation now, and then she never needs to go back there. At least not on her own.”
“Agreed,” Max says. “The barn is pretty well equipped as it is, but we will make it perfect for her.”
Satisfied that they will, I give a short nod and move out. This will take hours, especially seeing as I want to move as much of the garden as possible as well onto my work truck. I want her to wake up and know we did this for her to keep her close and safe, and so she knows she is loved and not alone anymore.
Driving towards Keeley, the sun is setting now, but it will be sometime before dark. Deciding I’ll start outside and work my way in, I pull up outside the shop and let myself in with the spare key I had cut for emergencies. Flicking on the lights, I get moving through to the back garden and get to work moving the cactus so I can open the gate for easier access. I’m not worriedthat those alphas will show up. If they do, they will be surprised at how imaginative I can be with a pair of pruning shears.
I load up plants and gardening supplies into my truck, keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble. But the evening remains peaceful, with only the occasional curious neighbour out for their last dog walk of the evening, glancing my way. I give them a friendly wave, hoping to avoid any suspicion.
After several trips back and forth, the garden is mostly cleared out. I’ve carefully uprooted and transported as many of Lily’s prized plants as possible. The thought of her waking up to find her beloved garden recreated at the farmhouse brings a smile to my face.
As the dark of twilight descends into the full night, I move inside and start packing up the shop’s inventory and equipment. Vases, ribbons, floral arranging tools - it all gets carefully packed up in whatever gardening containers I can find. As I work, memories of Lily flood my mind. Her laughter echoing through the shop as she creates her stunning bouquets. The way her eyes light up when a customer loves her work. This place has been her sanctuary for so long.
I pause, a twinge of guilt hitting me. Are we doing the right thing, uprooting her entire life like this? But then I remember the terror in her eyes and her hiding under my bed, and I brush it aside. This is about keeping her safe. We’ll make sure she has everything she needs at the farmhouse.
Hours pass as I meticulously pack up every last item. By the time I finish loading the last box into my truck, it’s well past midnight. Satisfied, I take one last look around the empty shop and close up. Lily packed two suitcases earlier to move into the farmhouse with the idea she would return for the rest of it. We can come with her tomorrow or whenever she feels like she wants to come back.
Setting back off to the farmhouse, I make it there in record time at this time of night, pleased to see Sam and Max hard at work, digging out a patch of earth for the garden under the light of two lantern torches.
“Well, this doesn’t look suspicious,” I joke as I get out of the truck and immediately start unloading.
Sam snickers. “Yeah, well, those dickheads come back, they might find themselves pushing up daisies.”
“Bluebells,” I murmur.
“Huh?”
“Bluebells,” I say louder. “They’re a protected species, and you can’t dig them up.”
“Oh, gardener’s crafty,” Max chuckles. “And noted.”
We settle down into a quiet rhythm, working through the night, our determination fuelled by love for Lily and the desire to keep her safe. As the first rays of dawn break over the horizon, we step back to admire our handiwork.
The barn has been transformed into a cosy floral workshop, with Lily’s equipment neatly arranged and ready for use. Outside, we’ve recreated a much larger version of her garden, complete with her favourite plants and flowers.
“She’s going to love this,” Sam says, wiping sweat from his brow.
