Page 73 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

I turned to the whispering palm and held out my hand, whispering, “Give it back.”

The branch receded into the huge bush it had created.

On the other side of the greenhouse, the girls spoke in low voices.

Kylie sniffled. “I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but—”

Faye clicked her tongue twice. “You hush. You were trying to protect yourself. Our alphas were doing their jobs too. I don’t want to hear another word about how you weren’t being honest. Because you were.”

Kylie hiccupped.

My heart lurched.

Damn it. I didn’t want her to cry. What the hell was Faye doing over there?

The branches crackled. Whispers from within the bushy leaves wove toward the other side of the aisle.

I stepped authoritatively toward the whispering palm that had turned from two trees into four. “No. Leave them alone. Give me back the—”

Branches whipped around the corner as the dark trunksthunkedtoward the girls. Faye whirled around and screamed while Kylie held up her hands.

Kylie waved at the branches. “It’s okay. She’s a friend. She’s not hurting me!”

But the branches pressed on, whispering louder as they crackled toward them, stopping an inch short of both women who were holding up their arms.

My heart was in my damn throat. These palms were out of control. And here I thought they wouldn’t need to be chided for trapping Kylie in here the other day.

I stomped over to the branches that twirled like snakes around each other. “Hey, you owe them an apology. Come on.Now.”

One branch poked out of the bunch with the ring hanging loosely on the end. It trailed directly to Kylie who blinked, rubbed her eyes, and then blinked again.

She grinned brightly. “The opal. How did you—?”

Faye stepped back a few feet, giving me room to approach Kylie with a sheepish grin and a heart that was made out of hummingbirds. I swore I was having a heart attack.

Kylie accepted the ring from the branch. As soon as she wiped her face, the whispering palms diminished, taking their mess back to the appropriate aisle. I would deal with them later. Right now, I had something else to do.

“Kylie, I uh…” I glanced at Faye for help. She made a heart symbol with her hands. Whatever the hellthatmeant. I focused on Kylie again and reached for her hand. “Uh, I’m not good at this.”

“Good at what?”

I gazed down into her luscious eyes, loving the way the earth bloomed in her irises. So bright. So full of life and love.

I bowed my head. “Will you marry me?”

She paled.

Alright, that wasn’t great. She looked at the ring, looked at me, then looked at the ring again with tears in her eyes. That happened fast. And now she was crying. And now she was shoving her face into my chest.

Hot tears soaked my shirt. I hugged her tightly, trying to figure out what I had done wrong. Was it too soon? Maybe I should have taken her into town instead.

“Goddamn it,” I groaned. “It was the palm, right? Shit, I should section off another part of the greenhouse, so they don’t do that. They’re so attached to you, you know? They really like you. And I like you. And I figured that—”

“I have to tell you something.”

I clamped my mouth shut.

Kylie stepped back and wiped her nose on her shirt. She held up the ring, a wistful smile on her lips. “I was engaged once.”

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