Page 87 of Poetry of Flowers

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you were a broken soul and not ready for me, I could wait for you and if you regret tonight, I-.”

“No, there is nothing I could ever regret about tonight.” Tillie swallowed. “I’m thankful you waited for me, if you had told me sooner, I don’t think I would have been ready for love in general.”

I just massaged her scalp for a while before I asked, “Are you ready for me, are you ready for us?”

This was the most important question I had ever asked. Even more important than when I asked my mother if I could keep Blake, and that was important to me because this little pet made Tillie smile like she hadn’t in years.

Technically, you can’t compare those two, but asking questions in general was a hard thing for me to do.

“A few years ago, I read something that went along the lines ofhurt people hurt people, and healed people heal people. For a long time, I believed I could never love someone because I was too hurt, that was the reason why I distanced myself from all of you, I was afraid to hurt you,” Tillie sighed.

“Now I wish someone had told me that you hurt yourself more when you isolate yourself in a bubble of sadness. You, Theo and Autumn make me happy. This whole idea of running away just the four of us had lit a fire inside of me that, I believed, had been extinguished years ago.”

She lifted her head off my chest and leaned forwards, pressing a gentle kiss on my lips.

I could never get enough of this.

“This-youmake me see the light in a world full of darkness, that’s the only thing I know, and I don’t need more to be happy.” Tillie said against my lips.

I kissed her again, cupping her cheeks with my hands.

“You make me the happiest person on Earth, I want you to know that.” My voice was a whisper.

A soft smile spread on her face.

“I’m happy if I make you happy.” She lay her head back down on my chest where my heart was finally beating normally again.

“Can we stay like this for a little while?” Tillie asked, and I took her hand in mine, locking her fingers with mine before I kissed the top of her head.

“I wouldn’t want anything else than having you in my arms tonight, Fleur.”

ChapterTwenty-Eight

KAYDEN, MAY 21ST, 2013

There was nothing I could do.

“Let me help you with the tie, baby.” My mom told me as she went to her knees before me. I let her even though I hated her helping me. If she looks away when I need her the most, there is no need for her help in my life. She’s wearing a black dress because today we all have to wear something black, it’s the color of grief. Black is one of my favorite colors to wear, but not today.

Today I would rather wear a colorful outfit to celebrate Joy’s birthday, not her death. But Jonas wanted the funeral today.

“You’ve been crying,” I tell the woman in front of me.

Her green eyes meet mine.

“Today a lot of people will cry, Kayden, it’s a sad day,” she answers and continues to fix my outfit.

I hated having a tie around my neck, it made me feel uncomfortable, like it was suffocating me.

“No, I mean you were crying last week before you knew what had happened.” Mom had been crying when she asked me to come home, and when I walked through the door, she hugged me like she thought I got kidnapped and just returned back home.

She didn’t tell me why or what happened when I had asked her. I wasn’t allowed to go to my room, but had to spend the rest of the evening with her in the living room while she sobbed her heart out.

Nash came home from training and was as confused as I was, he, however, was allowed to go to his room.

At some point, the phone rang and she cried even harder. She picked up the call, but left the room.

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