Page 72 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

“Hello? Anyone here?”

I released the trigger on the hose and flipped around, pointing the spout at the ground. A blonde woman with hazel-brown eyes and a button nose wandered into the greenhouse. She stared at me with her hands tucked into the pockets of her yoga pants. She wore a thin sporty tank and had her hair tucked into a loose bun.

“Is Kylie here?”

I set the hose aside with as friendly a grin as I could manage. It took some practice. But I thought I was getting better. “She’s not here yet, but you can wait if you want.”

“So, you’re the guy who’s supposed to be her mate.” She leaned her weight into her left foot, jutting her hip out while popping her hand on it. Her eyes dropped to my boots and then rose to inspect my grin. “You look like you need sun.”

“Good luck getting me to the beach.”

She beamed. “I take that as a challenge.”

“I can see why you’re her best friend.”

“Yeah? How do you figure that?”

I shrugged while untying my apron and set it over the hose. “You’re tough like her. You’re active. She needs friends like that.”

“She needs friends.Period.”

I rustled my hair. “I mean, same. But first—”

I plucked the ring from my pocket. Faye gasped loud enough to rouse the sleeping daisies on the other side of the greenhouse.

“No,” she squeaked. “You’re proposing to her?When?”

“Today. If you don’t spill the damn beans—or wake any of my other nocturnal plants.”

Tiny cries erupted from the far end of the greenhouse. I rubbed my forehead. They were sensitive because I hadn’t been around while I was taking Kylie out of the state.

Faye covered her mouth. “Oh, sorry about that. Yeah, no.” She giggled while bouncing on her toes. “You said she’ll be here soon, right?”

I glanced up at the glass ceiling to check the position of the sun. “Real soon.”

“How are you going to do it?” She ran toward the lilies. “Oh, what about here? You can put them around one of the stalks and—”

I held up my hand. “No. I mean, I don’t know. I’ve never done this before, okay?”

“Pick something she likes.”

Something she likes? That was most of the greenhouse. Every single plant in here loved her, including the whispering palms.Particularlythe whispering palms. Oscar was a fan of her too. I basically had my pick of the place.

And that made it even more difficult to figure it out.

I walked to the center aisle that held the whispering palms. They were behaving today, staying in their designated corner without moving to any of the other aisles. I appreciated it.

Just then, the door swept open. With the ring still in between my fingers, I started to panic. The whispering palms, knowing me a little too well, swooped in to take what was causing the panic—which just so happened to be the goddamn ring.

Wide-eyed and irritated, I faced Kylie as Faye covered her mouth with both hands.

Kylie froze at the entrance of the aisle. Her short hair was stylishly curled in wide ringlets that framed her oval face. She wore a white crop top with high-waisted blue jeans and a flannel long-sleeve tied around her waist. Those white tennis shoes were beat up. When was she going to buy a new pair?

“Hey, what are you—?” She blinked with surprise at her best friend. “Faye?”

Faye bounced forward. “Hey, I remembered you said you wanted to talk, but I just got a chance.”

She wrapped her arm around Kylie’s shoulders, guiding her toward the weeping daisies while waving at me to get the ring out of the tree.

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