Wildflowers |h.s|

thirteen

It's funny how having daughters gave me a new hobby. Mitch always teases me about my gardening, but he knows I have greatly improved on my ability to tattoo flowers. A few months after Oakley was born I did my wildflower tattoo, and I also got a tattoo of two roses done on the side of my neck. I drew it, but Mitch is the one who actually did the tattoo.

Flowers just remind me of my gorgeous wildflowers. They remind me of Devon too.

Usually I don't do tattoos like the one I gave her on clients. But the second I saw her I thought she was just gorgeous. And when she explained what it meant to her, how could I not do that tattoo for her? She has a special connection to flower gardens, just like I do.

Annika, Oakley and I spend the rest of the day playing in the flower garden. I can't stop myself from taking pictures and videos of them here and there, wanting to remember their little smiles and giggles forever. They'll never be this little again and I don't want to miss a second of their lives.

As I'm taking pictures of Annika and Oakley laying on the ground on their bellies, looking at a caterpillar they found on a stone, my phone switches to an incoming call. And it takes my breath away.

I try to recollect myself as I pick up, but my heart is pounding out of my chest. "Hello?"

"Um, hey..." Devon sounds unsure, surprised that I even picked up. Maybe I picked up too fast.

"Hey. H-How are you?" I turn to focus on the chrysanthemums.

It's quiet on the other line, and I'm almost scared she hung up, but she sighs. "Um, I'm okay. How about you? And the girls?"

Something about her asking about the girls makes my heart soar. "I'm okay too, and the girls are doing good. We're playing fairies, so, they keep me busy." I don't know why I told her that, but I just want to be honest with her.

"Fairies?" I could almost hear the smile in her voice, and it brings a smile to mine.

"Yep. Pink flowers, yellow wings. Talking to the butterflies. The real deal. It's my job to keep the gnomes away."

Now she giggles, and I smile, knowing that I was successful in making her laugh. Maybe there's still a chance for us. I hope there is. "Sounds like serious business."

"It is. Annika is currently talking to the caterpillar king to get information on where the gnomes are hiding. I think we're getting a good lead though."

"Well I hope you guys can figure out your gnome situation. I'm sure it's very serious."

"Oh, those gnomes have been terrorizing us for weeks." I smile, picking out one of the flowers. "Why'd you call?" I ask, biting my lip.

She's quiet again, and I anxiously twirl the stem of the flower between my fingers. "I got your text and I... I guess I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you too."

Relief floods over me at her words. She misses me too. The window of opportunity is still cracked open ever so slightly. Maybe we could fix things. I would do anything I could to prove to Devon that I would never lie to her again or keep something this big. All my cards are on the table now, and I just need her to see that I want to try again.

"I'm sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable, I didn't think you would read it, honestly. I wouldn't have blamed you if you deleted it right away. But I meant every word."

Devon was the best. All my other relationships, even with the girls' mum, were all just about sex and what I could or couldn't do for them. And then I met Dev and she just changed everything. She cared about me, so fucking deeply and I know I destroyed her when she found out about the girls. She didn't deserve that after she gave me every last drop of affection that she could.

"Harry... I just need more time. This is a lot to think about and I just don't know if things would ever be the same."

"Dev, you don't have to explain yourself to me. If you never want to see me again, I would respect that. And if you wanted to try again, I would like that too. Just know that I'm going to be one hundred percent honest this time around if you do want to try again, and that I would understand either way. I want you to be happy and sure about what you want to do."

I know that this is a lot higher stakes for her now. Kids are involved and some girls just don't want that kind of commitment with a guy they just met. I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to be with me because of the girls. She didn't ask to be a stepmum and I'm not going to expect her to raise the girls or be that role for them if we do date. They are my responsibility first and foremost.

"Um, can we meet maybe? Whenever's best for you, but I think we should talk about things in person and maybe lay out some rules?"

I stop twirling the flower between my fingers, smiling a bit to myself. "Yeah, we could meet in person. How's your apartment at like eight on wednesday? My mum is gonna have the girls and I should be done at the shop by then."

"Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe we could order some food if things go well or something."

"I'd like that." I smile, and the line is quiet for a second. It feels really nice getting to talk to Devon again. "You're sure you're doing okay?"

"I'm doing okay." She says, and again, I could just hear her smile. I can't wait to see it again. My pretty girl. "Now go get your information from the caterpillar king. You've got serious business to handle with those gnomes it sounds like."

Another smile forms on my lips, and I look down at my feet. "Of course. I'll talk to you before Wednesday for sure." We say a sweet goodbye before I put my phone in my pocket, sighing in relief that we're going to try to fix this.

"Daddy! Was that the gnome king?" Annika yells over to me, and her sweet green eyes are wide with anticipation.

I head over, tucking the chrysanthemum behind Oakley's ear since she's the flower fairy. "No, that was my fairy friend. She was telling me about how she was talking to the bunny prince before and he told her that the gnomes like to hide near the daisies." I tell her, getting down onto the ground with them, being careful of the caterpillar king.

"What's her power?" Annika asks. Oakley tries to copy her question, but it just comes out in gibberish since she's still pretty little. But she's getting great at talking.

"Oh she's a happiness fairy." I come up with, smiling at my sweet girl.

"I like happiness fairies."

"Me too, petal."

***

The sweetest girls in the universe ugh. And dev really is the happiness fairy.

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gab <3