Page 110 of The Secret
She laughed. “I did. When I saw your face just now. Look, youaregonna mess up, both of you. In ways that are not cute. In ways that aren’t even noble, like what Micah was trying to do, but are alittleselfish, alittleunkind. They’re going to forget important things and remember stuff you wish they’d forget. But love is like a dance. You’ll meet each other halfway, over and over and over again. Sometimes you’ll miss a beat. Sometimes he’ll step too far. Just keep going.”
“That’s the sappiest thing you’ve ever said. Like, ever.”
“Constantine.”
“No, I mean it. Sappier than when you said all you wanted for Mother’s Day was for us tobehave. Sappier than the heart-shaped pancakes you used to make us on Valentine’s Day.” I walked around the table toward her.
She looked up at me and shook her head in exasperation.
“I hear what you’re saying. I promise I do. But how are you suddenly so okay with me and Micah? He’s sixteen years older than me, and he’sstillyour biggest competition.”
“Your father was only six months older thanme.” She smiled softly. “Life’s uncertain. But we had twenty really happy years together and three wonderful boys. And I wouldn’t have traded any of it, even if I’d known how it would end.”
Mama stood up. She was so tiny, but when her eyes narrowed like they did then, she was fierce, too. “Micah Bloom makes you happy. And that is all I’ve ever wanted for you. Life is short, Con. You’ve spent almost ten years dwelling on yourownmistake. How long are you going to waste dwelling on Micah’s?”
I frowned down at her. “I don’t know.Longer?” I sounded whiny, even to myself, which was annoying because I’d been sure I had the moral high ground here until about twenty minutes ago, and now I wasn’t so certain. I was hurt, damn it.Hurt, hurt, hurt.“I’m thinking things over.”
She shook her head. “You’re thinking too much. Tomorrow, you’re going toFanaillewith me and Julian. I’ll buy you a giant cupcake.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled, just a bit smugly. “Oooh, no can do. Tomorrow’s the thirteenth. We’re gonna be slammed getting the Valentine’s Day orders ready.”
“Nope.” She grinned. “Because the brand-new head of Ross Landscape Design is going to help me prep them now.”
My smile fled. “That’s not funny.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“Without Micah’s funding—”
“We’ll make it work.Youwill make it work.I know you will. And I’m ready to get out of your way and let you.”
“Shit,”I said, and she didn’t even correct me. “That is…”
“Well-deserved? About time? Long overdue?”
“Awesome,” I told her, and I desperately wanted to call Micah and tell him this news… Which probably should have told me something, but I still wasn’t ready to hear it.
“Good. Now let’s go create some magic,” Mama said, and she stood aside so I could lead the way to the greenhouse.
Chapter Sixteen
Micah
“Micah!”
I stepped into the vanilla-sugar magic ofFanailleand spotted my brother immediately at a little table in the center of the room. The bakery was always funky and old-fashioned, with its lace window curtains and black-and-white checkered floors, but today it looked like Cupid had vomited all over the space. A million red and pink hearts dangled from the ceiling and a giant Cupid window cling on the front window gave the impression that the winged one himself was watching over the proceedings inside. It was charming.
I fuckinghatedcharming.
I was heartilysickof hearts and romance. I was sick of Cupid. I was sick of flowers. I was sick oflove.
And also,Bah humbug.Because why limit it to Christmas, really?
I made my way through the crowded room and over to Mason’s table. The bakery waspackedtoday, even more than usual, and everyone was decked out in reds and pinks because this was O’Leary, and Valentine’s Day was tomorrow, so go big or go home, right?
That expression really assumed you weren’t going to go bigandgo home. Which was what happened to some of us, who were total idiots and had no one to blame for our own misfortune but ourselves.
I spotted Julian Ross sitting alone at a four-person table by the window, and I took the seat facing away from him because really, too much was too much.
