“Speaking of dates,” Alex said with a grin. “I’ve got everything set up—the garden is yours for the next two hours.”
“What?” Rory gasped.
“My father is the head gardener here at the museum. Has been for the last twenty years.”
Rory covered her mouth in surprise. “I’ve spoken with him a number of times! He’s an amazing and talented man.”
I could have sworn Alex’s chest puffed out. “That he is.”
“Do you also work in the garden?”
“Oh hell no. I work in the museum’s financial operations.”
“In other words, he’s a math geek, and always has been.”
Alex punched me in the arm. “If you want to enjoy your lunch, you’ll stop talking.”
I lifted my hands. “Lead the way, oh mighty one.”
“That’s better.”
We talked quietly as we made our way to the gardens. The second we stepped out into the atrium, I knew I had hit a home run. Turning to see Rory’s face, I was overcome with joy at seeing her so happy. These new feelings I was experiencing both freaked me out and gave me a warm fuzzy, all at the same time. I made a mental note to talk to Preston to see if this shit was normal. The one thing I did know for sure was, I wanted to see that look on her face every damn day.
She covered her mouth and slowly shook her head before she whirled around and threw herself into my arms and said, “It’s beyond beautiful.”
My eyes lifted and caught Alex’s. He gave me a thumbs-up and retreated back into the museum. When I turned my body, I continued to hold Rory in my arms while I took in the table in the middle of the courtyard.
Holy. Shit. I was going to owe Alex big-time for this one.
Chapter 14
Rory
Gardens and surprises
I loved the feeling of being wrapped in Finn’s arms. If there hadn’t been a beautiful table set up in the middle of one of my favorite gardens, I would have kept my arms locked around his neck. Reluctantly, I let go, and loved that he held on and slowly lowered me down. The feel of our bodies together was enough to almost make me combust.
When I turned to the courtyard, I let out a giggle. “Finn, no one has ever done something so amazing for me!”
“Good. Then I score some extra points.”
I hit him lightly on the stomach, and he quickly took my hand in his and led me down to the table.
“I wish I could take the credit for thinking of this on my own, but my baby sister gave me the idea.”
“Angela, right?”
His smile widened. You could see the love he
held for her swimming in his eyes. “Yeah, Angie. She’s the best, and going through some hard times right now.”
When he pulled out my chair, I stopped and looked at him. “Is she okay?”
He tossed his head back and laughed. “Oh yeah. It’s called the wrath of our mother. Angie’s getting the whole it’s-time-to-start-thinking-about-settling-down thing from our mom.”
Constricting my brows, I asked, “How old is she?”
“Twenty.”